What true daana was.”……

[Guest guest]

……“Charity or alms-giving is stressed in every

religion as also in the Hindu scriptures as stated

already. Yet as very few understand and practice it

correctly, Baba had to give Nana instructions on Daana

to reduce lobha, moha and mada especially through

increasing contact with God. Baba’s instructions to

Nana are found in the Gospel 306-309. The first advice

was that alms giving should be straightforward. No one

when asked for alms should utter falsehood and say ‘I

have not got it’ (the money or other things prayed

for), when he has got it, but only decline to give it

in polite terms and say that circumstances do not

allow the giving. No crooked ways should be adopted.

Yet after this advice was given, some time later,

Nana, who had promised to pay Rs. 300 for charity to

be done at the Kopergaon Datta temple, did not bring

the money and therefore avoided a visit to the temple,

which was on his way to Shirdi. He, with the approval

of his friend, took a detour through a very thorny

path, as a result of which he and his friend ran

thorns in their bodies. When they reached Shirdi, Baba

would not talk to them.

 

 

C: - Why don't you talk to me?

 

B:-Nana, when a man says he will remember the lessons

I taught him but really does not, how can I talk to

him?

 

C:-Baba I remember all your lessons.

 

B: - You gentleman, you evade seeing ‘Sircar’ (God

Datta and take a detour. Why? Because the sadhu will

ask you for ¬Rs. 300. Is this the way to remember my

lesson? If you have not got the money, if it was not

easy to arrange it, you have only to tell him the

fact. Will that saint eat you? But what device is this

to avoid the temple of God for fear of the saint

demanding money? Well then, have not thorns pierced

your feet and body and the posterior part of your

sapient friend? How can I talk to such a person?

 

Again Baba advised Nana to give his alms without any

arrogance or anger and that if any beggar was not

pleased and wanted more, then the beggar should be

answered suavely. Wrath and official authority should

not be flung at him. Nana thought this quite easy. But

on one occasion when his wife was being pestered at

Kalyan by a Brahmin beggar woman, who was not content

with one-eighth of a measure, one-fourth of a measure,

one-half of a measure, or one measure, or even 2

measures, of Bhajani (Poriarisi porikollu) i.e. fried

and seasoned rice, and who threatened not to leave the

house (at all) till the whole stock of four measures

in the possession of the lady was handed over to her,

Nana’s wife lost patience and sent for her husband.

Nana came and gave it hot to the beggar woman. ‘Either

you take what is given or the peon will neck you out’,

he stiffly remarked. Then the beggar woman left. When

later Nana went to Baba, Baba again refused to talk to

him. “Mitra Dandam Abhashanam” is the well known

saying. That means, ‘The way to punish a friend is by

refusing to talk to him.’ When Nana asked for an

explanation, Baba said, ‘You forgot the lesson I gave.

When that beggar woman was importuning you for more

and more bhajani, why did you show your anger and

official authority, and threaten to neck her out? What

mattered it if you suavely refused to give more? The

woman would have remained for some time longer and

left of her own accord’. Nana recognized that this

mysteriously over watching guardian angel of his was

watching him every moment and anticipating the

temptations and evils that would befall him, and that

he should be more careful in carrying out his (Baba’s)

instructions. Thus, Lobha by leading to arrogance,

insolence etc. in Nana was put down by Baba, and Nana

recognized more and more what true daana was.”……

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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