Giving: It is Complicated
by Prithvi Sharma
We read in the Mahabharata that Karna was one of the greatest if not the greatest givers ever. Every morning, people stood in line outside his palace to receive alms of their choice. One day, as war clouds gathered over Kurukshetra, the god Indra, worried about the threat Karna posed to his son Arjuna, joined the line disguised as a Brahmin. When his turn came he asked for Karna’s divine armor. Without a moment of hesitation, the prince obliged, disregarding how this made him fatally vulnerable in the war.
There is also the legend of Abdul Rahim Khan-e-khanan, the great 16th century Mughal General, a renowned Hindi poet who was also known for his generosity. It is said that while giving alms he always kept his gaze down. Intrigued by this Goswami Tulsidas sent him a message:
"ऐसी देनी देन जूँ, िकत सीखेहो सैन, जो जो कर ऊं चो करो, तो तो िनचेनैन"
“Where did you learn this way of giving? The more you raise hands to give the more you look down.”
Rahim replied:
"देनहार कोई और है, भेजत जो िदन रैन , लोग भरम हम पर करे, तासो िनचेनैन"
"When some one else (God) really is the giver of all, it is embarrassing for me to be seen as the giver."
“To whom much is given, much will be required (Luke 12:48),” exalts the Bible, as do all cultures; नेकी कर दिरया मेडाल -- give as if you have thrown it in the river or give so that the left hand doesn’t know what the right gives.
Yet, for all these lofty ideals, the modern societies are rather ambivalent. Givers are tempted with door prizes, names engraved on temple walls or names given to university buildings. There is that ultimate enticement, the tax-deduction! Even for those who don’t want to be rewarded for giving, a bit of recognition is not unwelcome!
After all, being selfless too is not so straightforward. Isn’t it the ultimate ego trip? Shouldn’t Karna have refused, given how badly he was needed in the war? And talking of egos, what if Arjuna had told Krishna that he didn’t want to cause such enormous death and destruction. It didn’t matter if he went down as a coward; he just wasn’t going to fight! We might have had a very different world!
It does get complicated!
One thing is sure though. It does feel good once you have given. No wonder a lot of us do. According to the survey (2018) by Charities Aid Foundation, a whopping 72% of Indians reported giving money in the previous 12 months. While 64% gave to religious institutions, an impressive 58% also gave to charities/NPO’s. Similarly, 52% volunteered and here too while 45% did so for religious institutions, as many as 43% did for charities/NPO’s. Interestingly, the numbers were lower in the US; 62% donated and 35% volunteered although the share of religious institutions was lower, 38% and 28% respectively.
But does all this giving make a difference? Something to ponder.