A Sanskrit epigrammatic saying, Subhāṣita, explains various uses of wealth as follows:
दानं भोगो नाशः तिस्रो गतयो भवन्ति वित्तस्य ।
यो न ददाति न भुङ्क्ते तस्य तृतीया गतिर्भवति ॥
dānaṁ bhogo nāśaḥ tisro gatayo bhavanti vittasya ।
yo na dadāti na bhuṅkte tasya tṛtīyā gatirbhavati ॥
The use of wealth may take one of the three forms: donation, enjoyment, and ruin.
The wealth which is not used for charity or enjoyment assumes the third form of ruin.
This wise saying provides all the instructions that are required to handle wealth. The highest use, uttam gatiḥ, of wealth is to use it for helping others (dānaṁ). Many spiritual traditions urge seekers to routinely donate a certain portion of their wealth to those in need. It is a recommendation of deep spiritual intent. One cannot truly practice dānaṁ unless one has developed the sarvātmabhāva—the understanding of God in All and All in God.
The next best use, madyam gatiḥ, of wealth is to use it for the wholesome enjoyment of oneself, one’s family and friends. This comes most naturally to all of us and requires no elaboration. The lowest use, adhogatiḥ, is when wealth leads to self-ruin. Examples could be wealth that gets he lplessly drained due to illness and litigation.
The Gītā (18.5) mandates threefold acts of sacrifice (yajña), charity (dānaṃ), and austerity (tapas) and considers these as the “purifiers of the wise.” “Yajña” literally means a sacrifice or an offering. The highest form of offering is living a life of sincerity—a life led by being good and doing good. A sincere life is characterized by doing what we love and loving what we have to do. “Dānaṃ” means charity and denotes much more than writing a check to a favorite cause or organization. At the deepest level, it means the gift of “expressed love.”
In order to grow spiritually, enjoin the Vedas, one has to convert one’s whole life into an offering to the Divine, as a sort of cosmic sacrifice (yajñārthātkarmaṇo: 3.9). According to the Gītā (3.10–3.13), all beings are a part of the cosmic wheel of creation, sustained by the principle of mutual contribution and mutual maintenance. Therefore, every action should be performed in a spirit of sacrifice, yajña, which sustains all beings, as an offering to the Universal Lord that dwells within all beings. They are great thieves, according to the Gītā, who do not help in the turning of this cosmic wheel of sacrifice (3.12). Thus, the Gītā does not stop at concern for humans alone, it is cosmic in its scope and universal in it view.
This understanding is critical in realizing the feeling of Self in All and All in Self. Without it, no sincere dānaṁ, yajña, and tapas are possible
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