31 Oct 2022
[Smt. Lakshmi Lavanya K asked: Pada namaskaram Swami, I used to donate the total amount of my salary that remained after my basic needs to my previous guru , I am happy with that and I didn't save anything, after coming here, Phani Swami advised me to save money for my future needs and donate You a little amount, You also said devotees should donate You their money, property in their last days as parents give to their children, here my doubt is I don't know when I will die and which is my last day in this life. I am getting fear that I may die one day without donating to You anything. I am thinking that my future till my death is already destined then why should I bother about future, so it is better to donate You now. Please forgive me if I am asking wrong. Padanamaskaram Swami. Padanamaskaram Swami]
Swami replied:- When the devotee gives gurudakshina to God in human form, it is not need based because God is the giver of everything to everybody. Hence, this shall be understood from the angle of the devotee only and not from the angle of God. The angle of the devotee is pure and true love towards God. This is called as practical devotion, which is very important from the angle of the true love of the devotee to God. Intelligence is related to true spiritual knowledge and mind is related to devotion or true love to God. Spending intelligence and mind for God is the theoretical phase, which is also very important since it is the source of practical devotion. Moreover, especially in the case of God, since there is no need of any practical devotion for God, theoretical devotion based on theoretical knowledge is also very predominant since false spiritual knowledge and false devotion (desire based devotion) must be avoided. Practical devotion is the proof of theoretical devotion and hence, all this is based on the angle of the devotee only and not the angle of God. There are several people, who want to attend the Satsanga or preaching of spiritual knowledge by the Sadguru with a view of free entertainment since they have no worldly work to do. Instead of spending some money on other entertainments, this is a free way of entertainment. Some also believe that if the true spiritual knowledge of Sadguru develops true devotion to God, it may help in the true benefits in worldly life. When a soul has such false devotion to God, practical devotion tests the devotee and reveals his/her true devotion to God. All this explanation must be understood from the angle of the devotee only and not from the angle of the Sadguru or human incarnation of God. There are several gurus (not Sadgurus) from the angle of whom this subject is also related. Such gurus don’t worry about speaking even false spiritual knowledge to please the selfish minds of devotees. I am speaking this topic purely from the angle of the Sadguru only and hence, I am repeatedly telling that this topic exists only from the angle of the devotees. There is a saying in Telugu which is that relationship will be maintained if there are visits and true love will be maintained if there is practical service and sacrifice (Rāka pokalunṭe bandhutvam, peṭṭi poṣiste āpekṣalu). This is a sort of karma yoga in Nivrutti, which is modified and applied to Pravrutti. The true colour of the devotee comes out when the Sadguru asks for ‘gurudakshina’, because if the devotee came for time pass, the devotee will run away immediately. This is a test to know whether the devotee is really interested in the spiritual knowledge or not.
After spiritual knowledge (Jnana Yoga), which is like water needed for life and after the subsequent theoretical devotion (Bhakti yoga), which is like manure for growth, comes practical devotion (karma yoga), which consists of service (Karma samnyaasa) and sacrifice (karmaphala tyaaga), which is like the mango plant that yields fruit. Either both or one of service and sacrifice, can stand for karma yoga depending on the circumstances of the devotee. It is not the magnitude of the donated service or sacrifice that counts, but, the percentage of donation in the possessed energy (service) or in the possessed matter (sacrifice) that counts ultimately.
This topic is properly understood as long as the devotee thinks that this topic is always related from the angle of self and not from the angle of God, who is omnipotent without any need and who is not a needful beggar. Hence, the Veda says that you should serve or sacrifice God with shyness and fear (hriyā deyam, bhiyā deyam). The Veda also says that you should serve or sacrifice to deserving alone and not to undeserving. The donation to undeserving gives you sinful result. Hence, I always recommend practical devotion only after hearing the entire spiritual knowledge so that the devotee must be consciously satisfied. Some people say that karma yoga is first, bhakti yoga is next and finally it is Jnaana yoga. This is not correct. Jnaana yoga is first, next is Bhakti Yoga and finally it is karma yoga. In this sequence only, Shankara, Ramanuja and Madhva appeared.
This topic is the most sensitive subject because any slightest slip will lead to misunderstanding the receiver and several scholars keep silent on this topic. But, it is the most important and the final topic in spiritual knowledge and hence, can’t be leftover untouched. Veda says that by sacrifice of money only God is obtained (Dhanena tyāgena eke…). Gita stressed on this topic at several places and told that this is the final full stop in the spiritual efforts of the devotee (Tyāgāt śāntiḥ…). Gita also polished the Vedic concept and introduced hard self-earning (Karma phala tyaaga) in the place of money. The idea behind is that the bond with self-earning is stronger than ancestral wealth and the final test is to see whether the bond with God is stronger than any other worldly bond or not. Money by itself is inert and useless in the absence of alive worldly bonds and hence, the bond with God in this test must be with alive form only, which is the contemporary human incarnation called as Sadguru.
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