Lt Col R K Langar
Bhagavad Gita says that to give is our duty. The Gita further underscores that real giving is when you do not expect any return from the receiver. It is said that joy of giving is sixteen times more than the joy of receiving. Giving elevates the giver. Giving makes you a selfless person who is ever prepared to give to others. Selflessness is a big virtue while selfishness is a great sin. A giver never gets tired of giving.
Giving has many dimensions. Giving includes sharing, caring, helping and most importantly serving others. Serving others means doing something good for the society you live in. Swami Vivekananda had said those who live for others, they only live while those who live for their own sake are more dead than living. When you live in the thought of doing god to the world you attain fruit of good work out of sheer power of your thoughts without doing anything physically. When you send thought vibrations of good will and love to others from the core of your heart, your own faults are washed away. Giving creates positive impression on the mind which neutralizes certain amount of negativity from the past samskars stored in the mind. Giving is conducive for our self evolution. The law of attraction states that what you radiate outside in thoughts feelings and mental pictures, it will come back to you because you attract the same in your life. If you send good wishes to some person good wishes will come back to you. And if you send vibrations of dislike or hatred, they shall be returned to you in the same state. You attract what you are and not what you want. To radiate something good outside, you must have abundance of goodness in you. We shall now study the art of giving under four heads as enumerated above. All four acts are interrelated.
Sharing Two things you must share with others. One is your knowledge and the other some portion of your earnings. When you share your knowledge with others both the receiver and the giver are benefited. Receiver is benefitted because he learns something new while the giver is benefitted because knowledge always grows when shared with others. Sharing knowledge with others also means teaching others. When you teach others you also learn from others. Once a teacher always a student. Learning has no end. One must learn as long as one lives. Proper way of sharing your earnings with others is to remove someone’s suffering as if these were your own. Sharing has other advantages. When we share our happiness with others our own happiness increases. On the other hand when you share your sorrow, your own sorrow reduces. When you achieve something and you share your achievement with others you enjoy it in the real sense. Sharing also plays an important role in your relationship with others. When you share with others yours understanding about each other improves which strengthens the bonds of relationship.
Caring Caring means showing concern for others. ‘ I care for you’ should be on top of your mind when you meet other person. Even God cares for His creation. In Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna says that whenever unrighteousness increases in the world He manifests Himself to protect good people, to punish the wicked and to establish righteousness. To become a caring person you must first become humble and approachable yourself. When you care for others you are automatically cared by others. Caring also means empathizing with others. More you empathize with others more you free yourself of your own problems. When you show concern for others you will be able to win their trust. Trust creates friendship and improve relationship. Doing good to others reduces your own stress and improves physical health.
Helping We do not live in isolation. We need each other’s assistance to survive in the world. If you have compassion in your heart you shall always help others unasked. When you help others you are actually helping yourself because you become more and more generous. Helping others makes you a better person. Help others as much as you can, as often as you can, and on as many occasions.
Serving others Serving others means serving God as God resides in the heart of every being (Gita chapter 15, verse 15). Quality of your life is directly proportional to the quality of your service which you render to others. Best service that you can give is to make others realize that they are essentially Divine at the core and they must manifest their divinity within through the process of yoga. When you give knowledge to others on how to evolve themselves, it is the highest type of service. Interacting with others on higher values of life is also referred as serving others. Mixing up with others with splendid ease is also a service. Serving others gives you unlimited happiness. Serving purifies your heart and gives you peace of mind. You have not lived well unless you have served some person who can not return your service. Serving others is equated with doing good to others. The Gita says that a doer of good faces no evil in life. Doing continuously good to others makes you incapable of doing anything wrong. Serving others gives a feeling of oneness with others. Serve others, especially those who are in pain. Serve others like a tree which gives shade to others unasked.
Conclusion Giving something to others are like prayers to God. Always look for opportunities to give, to serve, to care and to share with others. If you do not get opportunities to give then you yourself create opportunities to do so. Giving makes you a large hearted person, full of love and goodwill for others without any trace of selfishness. By doing good to others you make yourself so good that people trust you, respect you and love you. Having once tasted the joy of giving you will never look back.
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