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Donation with the Sense of Dedication
that is wrong; one should donate what is best.
In Upnishads there occurs the story of Nachiketä. He was perturbed to see that his father was donating old and disabled cows at the end of a sacrificial rite. That was not the right donation; he should have given milk-giving cows. In Jain mythology also, there is a story in which Draupadi, in an earlier life, gave bitter gourd in alms to a monk and had to bear evil consequences thereof in the succeeding lives.
Donation should consist of the best quality and needs to be offered with pleasure. Such donation can lead to rise of consciousness and broadening of mind. Donation is meant to reduce the possessive sense; otherwise it would merely amount to a transaction. As we pay for what we buy, so do we donate in order to get praise or reputation; but donation is not business; it needs to reflect one's internal inclination.
When Ächärya Shri Anandsägarsuriji undertook the project of constructing Ägam Mandir (Temple of scriptures) at Surat, he decided not to approach anyone for donations. A donation box was set at the place and intending donors were asked to put therein whatever they liked. Surprisingly a substantial amount was received within 24 hours without anyone knowing who put in how much.
There was another noteworthy incident. There was a railway accident in the midst of heavy rainfall. In order to provide relief to the distressed people, a group of persons decided to raise a fund. For that purpose they went to a businessman and requested him to donate Rs. 51. The man, however, declined to give more than Rs. 21. After accepting that amount while those persons were criticizing the miserliness of the man, one knowledgeable person informed that the man had anonymously donated Rs. 31,000 for the relief. The true donors thus have no intention to give publicity to what they donate.
Names are given to us for the sake of convenience. One known as Ramesh, could have been named as Suresh or any other one. There is no intrinsic value of any name and the given names are not going to last forever. Instead of giving importance to a name, it is therefore
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