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Giving

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by Viswamitra, Nov 28, 2015.

  1. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    Knowledge

    The quality of true love is to give and not to receive. How many are to be found today in the world who love to give? When we find them, we acknowledge and appreciate without applying their habit of giving in our lives. Even a father hesitates to part with his property in order to give it to his children. Only God can be the infinite giver. Hence love is a divine quality. Although inherently love is present in every cell of the human being it does not manifest itself because of the pollution of the heart. A human being without love in the heart is as good as dead. I recently read a post in the Facebook which roared, “The purpose why we are gifted with wealth is not to merely increase our standard of living but to substantially increase our standard of giving”.

    To seek only my own future is selfishness. To be concerned about my own bliss is also selfishness. Only the human being, who gives up self-interest and regards the happiness of others as his or her own and devotes himself or herself to their well-being, is a truly selfless person. The Lord will love only those who love others. If I seek to win the Lord’s love, I must love others. I cannot win the love of others if I do not love them. Without worrying about what has happened in the past and without concern for the future, I have to strive to make the best use of the present by cultivating love and doing service.

    Example for application of knowledge

    [FONT=&amp]On one occasion, Emperor Parik****h fell at the feet of sage Suka and asked for instruction on a point that was causing him dire doubt. “Master! One riddle has been worrying me for a long time. I know that you can solve it for me and that no one else can. I have listened to the narratives of the lives of my forefathers, from the earliest, the great Manu, down to those of my grandfathers and father. I have studied these stories with care. I observe that in the history of every one of these, there is mention of sages (rishis) attached to the monarch, some learned scholar-saints who are members of the court, attending court sessions and sharing the business of government! These scholars have renounced all attachments and desires and have realized that the world is a shadow and a snare, that the One is the only Reality. What is the real meaning of this amazing association of scholars with kings and rulers playing subordinate roles and being counseled? I know that the revered elders won’t engage in any activity without sufficient and proper reasons. Their behavior is ever pure and unsullied. But this makes my doubt unsolvable. Please enlighten me.” [/FONT] [FONT=&amp]

    Suka laughed. He replied, “You asked a fine question, no doubt. Listen! The great sages and holy scholars are always eager to share with their fellow people the truth they have grasped, the sanctifying experience they have won, the elevating deeds they have been privileged to perform, and the divine grace they have been chosen to receive. They seek nearness to those who are in charge of administration and those who are adepts in ruling over peoples, with the intention to use them as instruments for establishing and ensuring peace and prosperity on earth. They implant high ideals in their minds, and holy ways of fulfilling them. They prompt the performance of righteous actions, in accordance with just laws. “The monarchs invite and welcome the sages, seek out the scholars, and plead with them to be in their courts, so that they can learn from them the art of government and act according to their counsel. The monarch was the master and guardian of the people; so, the sages spent their days with him for the estimable purpose of realizing, through him, the yearning of their hearts: May all the beings in the world be happy (lokaassamasthaah sukhino bhavanthu). The sages were eager to see happiness and peace spread over the world. Therefore, they tried to equip the kings with all the virtues, fill them with all the moral codes of discipline, arm them with all branches of learning, so that they may rule efficiently, wisely, and with beneficial consequences to themselves and their subjects.”[/FONT]

    [FONT=&amp]“To this venerable group belonged Vasishta, Viswamitra, Garga, Agastya, and the other sages (rishis). Monarchs of renunciation, they had no wants, sought nothing from anyone, and were ever content. They appeared in the audience halls of the emperors not for polemics and the pomp of punditry, or to collect the costly gifts offered to such disputants and guests, or to decorate themselves with the burdensome title those patrons confer on people they preferred. They craved rather the bliss of the vision of the Lord (darshan) and for a chance to uphold dharma in human affairs; they had no other objective”.[/FONT] [FONT=&amp]

    Love begets love. Love is giving and forgiving and selfishness is getting and forgetting. Let the Lord shower me with the mindset to have a hand that turns red by giving constantly rather than a face that turns red to see my own selfishness. Let me learn the knack of seeing myself in others which I believe will eventually end my misery. Let me stop worrying about painting a good picture about me and start thinking how I can fill my heart with love for others. [/FONT]
     
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  2. iyerviji

    iyerviji Finest Post Winner

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    Good Morning Viswa from my side. A thought provoking thread and glad I got the opportunity to give the first fb. True I believe in

    Give to the world the best you have and the best will come back to you

    Will come back later as I have to start my morning quores. Goodnight from your side and have anice day tomorrow
     
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  3. jayasala42

    jayasala42 IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear viswa,
    A wonderful thought about'giving'.
    We have learnt about karna, paari (in Tamil nadu) the great kings who honoured the poets, the great sages who adorned the courts of kings in the interest of prosperity of the nation. All trees, rivers and oceans are givers. All our experiences -good experiences give us joy and sorrowful experiences give us a lesson .


    But if every one wants to give, there should be someone to take.Giving has no meaning unless somebody takes.,whether it is material or knowledge.
    We have been very often told only to give and not to receive.






    But, just because the tactic of giving is much appreciated,it does not mean it is always the most effective.

    Giving certainly has an effect, ON THE GIVER. Those who care, give, or help in an unsolicited manner feel more positive, alive, and have high self esteem.



    The effects of giving on the receiver, however, are much more mixed. On one hand, receiving a gift can generate feelings of love in romantic partners, and improve chances of compromises later,on the other hand, receiving a gift might also generate negative feelings of obligation and not lead to reciprocity. It may also indicate power and control and feelings of "being purchased", and exploited



    Overall, the effects of receiving a gift (taking) are complicated and varied.



    This may be counter-intuitive, but it stands to reason.The slavery in India is a known case of being victimized under somebody's 'giving'.



    Many individuals refuse gifts and favors,. They expect that their selflessness (all giving, no taking) will result in gratitude, attraction, and love. Instead, they sometimes find their partners un-invested and uncommitted. Don't be a martyr. Let the other party also give and keep yourself in the place of taker.
    When you do a favor, don't be afraid to ask a favor in return. Get what you want too. Your giving generates reciprocity and gratitude in others, but only when the favor is allowed to be paid back. Otherwise, it can fester into obligation and negativity. No one wants to "owe" someone else. So, when you do something nice, allow the other party to reciprocate,.
    ( Perhaps this is the basis on which'badhil mariyathai'-Return gift-concept came into force.)



    This equally applies to giving unsolicited advice.My father very often said"Advice should not be given unless it is sought for"
    The giver of unsolicited advice may claim his motive to be helpful, but the action may be viewed as a conceited desire to show of his unquestionable knowledge and superiority.
    Modern circumstances can never be compared to old kingdoms where the selfless sages automatically interfered even unasked in administration matters.



    Every scripture deals with give more, give more love,give more time, give more affection-all the time give,give and give.

    We’re bombarded until it’s burned into our brains, a sort of subconscious chant that slowly but surely enters our bloodstream:And, it is wonderful to encourage a spirit of generosity.



    But it’s not that we need to give more, it’s that we need to learn to give in a different way.
    Or, better yet—we need to learn about the art of receiving.
    Giving too much is as big of a problem than giving too little.


    Because when we’re taking care of everyone and everything and giving until we drop, we feel powerful. We feel capable. We feel good about ourselves. We feel strong. We feel worthy. And, that is a truly a beautiful thing.

    But once we cross a limit,we give, give, give so that no one ever sees us at our weakest moments. Giving turns into a mask.





    Even Karna's over generous nature , adamancy to desist from giving, resulted in great failure.



    What happens while we receive? Definitely one feels under rated or committed.There is a feeling that whether this incidence of receiving will be taken advantage of in future.
    Real giving is not only to part with our possessions and knowledge but also give others an opportunity of the same great feeling which we get.That is possible only when we place ourselves in the position of receivers,suffer the guilty feeling of receiver of a favour.


    Let us give,enjoy the grace ,but pass on the same grace to others by keeping ourselves a little low. Even Vishnu incarnated as Vamana just to demonstrate to the world how giving and receiving are equally valuable in this world.


    Jayasala 42
     
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  4. Kamalji

    Kamalji IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Vishwa ,
    Yoru last para says it all
    Love begets love. Love is giving and forgiving and selfishness is getting and forgetting. Let the Lord shower me with the mindset to have a hand that turns red by giving constantly rather than a face that turns red to see my own selfishness. Let me learn the knack of seeing myself in others which I believe will eventually end my misery. Let me stop worrying about painting a good picture about me and start thinking how I can fill my heart with love for others.

    Yes so wonderfully said, and so true abut giving, hand turning red giving, rather than face turning red.

    A very practical way to live life, not easy, but not impossible either.This way we will be happy in life.

    Superb Vishwa, superb.

    Regards

    kamal
     
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  5. Balajee

    Balajee IL Hall of Fame

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    As usual a good one. But what attracted me was the way IL being programmed to delete the four letter word for excreta whose first and last letters when combined become the abbreviation of saint even if the four letters together are necessary for mentioning a name. . Parik****h eh? I think it is high time IL took a deep breath and gave a serious thought to removing the ban on the word which denotes an activity everyone performs unless they are suffering from constipation.
     
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  6. jayasala42

    jayasala42 IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Balaji,
    the same thing happened when I referred to shlokas of moral value called'subhssheetani'.It is not long vowel E ,but a short vowel 'i'. I really feel that something should be done when the whole India is talking about'swachcha bharat' and
    building of toilets.

    Jayasala 42
     
  7. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Vijiakka,

    It is always pleasure to receive your first response for any snippet I write. I am truly humbled by your gesture to find this snippet worthy of nomination. I agree with you that our effort has to be to give as much as possible to people around us and to the world having received so much by the grace of the Lord.

    I look forward to your detailed response later as I value your opinion. I wish you a wonderful evening ahead.

    Viswa
     
  8. Balajee

    Balajee IL Hall of Fame

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    It is good that you have used a doubl E instead of a single I. Otherwise will be seeing four stars again. The phobia over the four letters has reached absurd levels. It is high time that IL takes note of this and does something to change the situation.
     
  9. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Smt. Jayasala:

    I wrote this snippet looking at love and service as a spiritual discipline. My purpose is not to discuss the routine give and take that happens in our day to day life. I realize without the grace of the Lord and without the help of the fellow beings, I won't be what I am today. In fact, I believe giving has to be done with due care and diligence after determining what is the right thing to give and to whom. Expecting something in return to give doesn't come under giving as a spiritual discipline.

    In my view, giving is a great spiritual discipline and very essence and breath of devotion. It is equivalent of manifestation of divinity residing inside and gives the feeling that all are God's children. It purifies the mind, put a ceiling on desires, bring detachment, remove the ego, bring universal love, experience the unity in all and win the grace of the Lord. Even Bhagavad Gita suggests that we should perform actions skillfully, lovingly and selflessly without expecting fruits.

    Right from birth until we leave this world, the Lord is blessing us with grace and His grace comes to us in the form of human beings helping us. Accepting His grace coming through the humans in times of needs will have to be accepted gracefully without any questions as it is nothing but grace of the Lord.

    In my view, giving should never be done with an attitude to make us feel powerful. There are wealthy individuals all over the world who give and do so many things all over the world only to derive a great sense of fulfillment more than to feel powerful. Giving has to be done to satisfy our soul's attitude to love and not to satisfy anyone or anything. Hands that give are holier than the lips that pray. It doesn't mean a person who receive is lower and it is nothing but the grace of the Lord.

    Viswa
     
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  10. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Kamalji,

    Very kind of you to take the time to respond and point out the sentence you liked the most. As you said rightly, it is difficult but not impossible. There are people in the world who are setting an example to do just that. I really liked the Facebook page that said, "The Lord gives His grace by giving us wealth not to merely increase our standard of living but to substantially improve our standard of giving".

    Viswa
     

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