Saattvika Daana...

 SAATVIKA DAANA

A Daana offered with the sole intention to please the Lord is Saatwika Dana. Thinking should be: I am giving this Dana because it is so prescribed in the Shastra, that the Lord will be pleased. Saatwika Dana is the one offered unconditionally to a worthy person at the appropriate place and at appropriate time.

A Dana becomes Saatwika if it is offered without expecting anything in return. If a gift is given to a person because he had helped you earlier, it does not come under Saatwika Dana. It is just clearing an old debt.

Saatwika Dana brings Supreme Divine blessings. The material value of the thing offered is only of secondary importance. What is primary in Saatwika Dana is your inner awareness. Totally forget that you are the giver. Also totally forget that so and so individual is the receiver. Both are non-entities. But, then, who is giver and who is the receiver? Sri Krishna! He is the Giver and Receiver also.

The giver should forget for a moment about the receiving Brahmana and should remember as though the Lord Krishna Himself is accepting the little offering, sitting inside the Brahmana. The Brahmana, receiving the Dana should forget about the actual giver for a moment and should remember that the gift is coming from the very hands of Sri Krishna as His blessings.

If this awareness is present in the giver and the receiver, they both become supremely blessed. Just imagine what would be the material or monetary value of the edibles of Vaayana Dana, after all? Can anyone believe that such an insignificant, Bhakshana would bring by itself all that we desire in life, such as Aayu, Aarogya, Aishwarya, Putra, Poutraadi Sampada-h promised in the Aashirvada.

It is only the Divine consciousness that brings the blessings. This same principle is true even if you make a Dana of 1000 gold coins. Even in Kanya Dana, the bride's father, mentally sees Sri Lakshmi Narayana in the bridegroom to whom the Kanya is given. It is Saatwika Dana.

Therefore, a Dana becomes supremely fruitful if it is genuine, sincere and honest, combined with Divine thoughts.

We find a fitting example for this in Madhwa Vijaya. When Sri Madhwa was an infant, his neighbour gave a Go-Dana to the child's father Madhyageha Bhatta. This greatly helped to feed the child with pure cow's milk. In course of time, this small Dana brought to the neighbour, the Supreme Divine Reward.

The beneficial effect of Dana is greater if the recipient is more worthy. The Shastras do advise us not to expect any return for a Dana. The same Shastras also emphatically assures that even an iota of Dana would never go unrewarded. It surely returns as fruits: says Madhwa Vijaya “Daanam Dhruvam Phalati Paatra Gunaanukoolyaat”

(sangraha - courtesy S.M.S.O. Sabha Journal 2016)

पातुं पयांसि शिशवे किल गोप्रदोऽस्मै पूर्वालयः स्वसुतसूनुतया प्रजातः।

निर्वाणहेतुमलभिष्ट परात्मविद्यां दानं ध्रुवं फलति पात्रगुणानुकूल्यात्॥

(Madhva Vijaya - 2.30)

The donor of the Cow [for feeding child Vasudeva (Aacharya Madhva) was born as his own grandson] became disciple of Sri Madhvacharya and obtained divine knowledge.

Fruits of daana depends on qualities of the receiver. More worthier the receiver, more richer the fruits.

Effect of saattvika - sattpaatra daana.

nAhAm kArtA hAriH kArtA

Hari SArvottama - Vaayu Jeevottama

Sri GuruRaajo Vijayate

> image - courtesy as depicted...