The Act of Giving Spontaneously

Jan 21, 2005, 12.00am IST
D M Sinha.

The disastrous tsunami has revealed different aspects of human nature — heroism and hope, compassion and charity brought together actors, businessmen, spiritual leaders, NGOs, sportsmen, fishermen, politicians and other people from various backgrounds to reach out and help. What makes us respond thus to human tragedy, abandoning the safety and comfort we're used to, in order to lend a helping hand? And what is it that inhibits some of us from reaching out?


Seeing the enthusiasm of those who are performing seva would have gladdened Swami Vivekananda who had immense faith in people, especially the young. Tragedy gives rise to various opportunities as well; it creates the environment to make a fresh beginning. What determines the way we react to disaster? The Bhagavad Gita says that people act and behave in accordance with their innate nature. The difference in behaviour is due to the fact that the actions done in pursuance of desires in the past propel us to do what we do in this life. This is what creates the innate nature of an individual and governs actions in this life. Knowledge acquired in this life helps purify the mind. The essence of karma yoga is that righteous actions done with dedication lead easily to self-realisation.


The basis of all righteous action is virtuous thought. Krishna has listed 26 divine qualities on which the edifice of righteous action is built. And among these qualities is daya or compassion and daana or charity. Compassion is sympathy for those who are suffering and charity implies using one's material resources as well as the assistance rendered by imparting one's knowledge to others for love. Krishna says, "The divine properties lead to liberation and the demonic to bondage, O Pandava! Grieve not, for you are born with divine properties". The natural tendency of a being is to accept and foster the divine properties; this does not need any great input of effort. This is why Krishna asks


Arjuna not to grieve for the individualised self is by nature divine. Demonic pro-perties like anger, harshness and arrogance are not the innate nature of any human being. Yet one inculcates them due to wrong associations and beliefs, getting bound to endless births and deaths. Krishna explains that those having more sattvic qualities are attracted towards divine qualities while those under the influence of rajas and tamas are attracted to demonic qualities.


Dharma means a set of disciplines that enables us to hold on to sattvic qualities. Divine qualities fall in the category of dharma as righteous disciplines. Whenever a person performs his duty, his qualities are revealed in his


actions. In this sense, duty is an important aspect of dharma and dharma indicates a particular path or philosophical dogma. It is a means of manifestation of one's potential divinity that may manifest itself in one as a mastery of scriptures, in another as expertise of military science, and in yet another as high business acumen. It is this manifestation of divinity that is known as God-realisation or Self-realisation. Whatever is spiritually ordained duty born of righteous inclinations must be done enthu-siastically, even though its performance may mean facing formidable difficulties.


Krishna advises one to shed all conceit, of being a doer of actions through mind, speech and body. While performing duties, the sense of an action being superior or inferior has to be given up completely. The performer of seva must surrender himself unconditionally. Such action leads to godhead.

(The author, a former IAS officer, spoke to Seema Burman.)