Society has various definitions of what constitutes a charitable or selfless act. Welfare work is usually equated with philanthropy, or the giving of money to charitable institutions or providing help to those who are considered disadvantaged. These acts are undoubtedly noble, but the Vedas tell us that there is an even higher type of service we can offer our fellow man. Helping others become God conscious is considered the highest welfare activity. Taking it one step further, those who help others in their execution of religious activities and devotional service are considered even more saintly.
“That gift which is given out of duty, at the proper time and place, to a worthy person, and without expectation of return, is considered to be charity in the mode of goodness.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 17.20)
If we look at any society, no matter how opulent it might be, there are bound to be those who are struggling. In America, famous athletes tend to earn a lot of money. This is because the four major sports of baseball, basketball, football, and hockey, along with tennis and golf, garner great attention from the general public. Stadiums are often filled to the capacity and television ratings are very high. This leads to increased merchandise sales. The result is that there is plenty of money to go around between the organizers of these sports and their participants, the players. Many of these athletes are very young, and their new-found wealth can be overwhelming. Not knowing what to do with all their money, they take to philanthropy. Famous athletes such as Tiger Woods, Andre Agassi, and Roger Federer have all started their own charitable foundations. Agassi was so ambitious that he even started his own school in his hometown of Las Vegas.
These charities all target those who are considered disadvantaged or poor. Agassi’s school was created so as to allow underprivileged youths in Las Vegas to have an equal chance at a good education. The school was so popular in the beginning that many students from outside Las Vegas ended up applying and were granted admission. Agassi eventually had to go to court to block these outsiders from attending the school. In his mind, these people were wealthy enough that they didn’t need the help he was offering.
Unlike the material world, the spiritual world is free of karma and guna. Life there is eternally blissful since it is the original home of the spirit souls. Due to our desire to imitate God, we were allowed to take birth in the material world. By acting in any of the three modes of nature, we are perpetually bound to the repeated cycle of birth and death. There is only one way out of this material world, and that is to think of God at the time of death.
“And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 8.5)
Charity on the material level also takes other forms. Many foundations are formed to fund research into fighting various cancers, such as breast cancer and leukemia. Then there are other organizations formed to help those coming from abusive families or relationships. People working for these groups certainly have noble intentions, but according to the Vedic definition, everyone in this material world is suffering. Actually, simply by taking birth here, one is deemed to already have suffered. The Shrimad Bhagavatam gives us information on the mindset of the child in the womb.
“Therefore, my Lord, although I am living in a terrible condition, I do not wish to depart from my mother’s abdomen to fall again into the blind well of materialistic life. Your external energy, called deva-maya, at once captures the newly born child, and immediately false identification, which is the beginning of the cycle of continual birth and death, begins.” (SB 3.31.20)
Taking birth means the spirit soul is again subject to the miseries of material life. Every living entity must suffer through old age, disease, and eventually death. Therefore anyone who acts in such a way as to cause the cycle of birth and death to repeat is deemed to be suffering. This situation describes almost everyone, for we are all associating with karma. Any work performed for a desired material result, or that work performed according to prescribed duty aimed at achieving material advancement, can be classified as karma. Vikarma is any work performed that causes one to fall further down the chain of species. Akarma is work that is performed to help one break free of the repeated cycle of birth and death.
To this end, we see that regular acts of charity don’t help the performer achieve perfection because they are still associated with karma. The recipients of such charity are benefitted in a material sense, but not in a spiritual sense. Since the material senses can never be fully satisfied, simply helping someone’s material condition won’t help them achieve the ultimate purpose of life, which is to become God conscious. Therefore the shastras state that there is an even higher form of charity and welfare work that one can perform.
“For one who is so situated in the Divine consciousness, the threefold miseries of material existence exist no longer; in such a happy state, one’s intelligence soon becomes steady.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 2.65)
During Lord Rama’s time, the sages took to the forest since it was more conducive to spiritual life. The Rakshasas knew this, so they would range the night looking for these sages. Not only would the Rakshasa disrupt the fire sacrifices, but they would kill the brahmanas and then eat them. The shastras list specific sins and the consequences associated with them, but there is no higher sin than killing a brahmana; especially if he is a Vaishnava, or devotee of Lord Vishnu.
Yet Sita Devi had a few concerns relating to this request. Rama’s signature attribute was His devotion to dharma, or religiosity. As a pious prince, Rama set the example for the rest of society on the proper rules of etiquette and behavior for a leader. Sita Devi, a devoted wife and extremely pious person in her own right, was worried that Rama might take to violence without just cause. She raised her concerns to Rama in a very nice way. In response, the Lord told her not to worry because it was actually His duty to protect the brahmanas. Since the Rakshasas had already attacked, Rama’s defense of the sages was more than justified.
Rama knew what was in Sita’s heart, so He very much appreciated her concern. In the above referenced quote, He mentions that she is dear to Him, especially because she is a partner in the performance of His religious duties. This one statement teaches us the true meaning behind marriage. In the Vedic tradition, a virtuous wife is referred to as sadharma-charini since she is the partner in the performance of religious activities. Aside from merely providing regulation of sex indulgence, marriage life is meant to be a completely spiritual institution. For this reason it is known as the grihastha-ashrama.
Anytime we take up a new endeavor, success is not guaranteed. What can really boost our chances of success is having someone else there to help us. People wanting to lose weight often visit a personal fitness trainer. This person serves as a coach in way, pushing the person to exercise hard and eat right. The devotee of God acts in a similar manner. Aside from being a servant of God themselves, the devotee performs the highest welfare work by inducing others to take up devotional service. The shastras tell us that the highest reward in life is to have association with the saints. Pure devotees of Krishna are considered true saints, and having association their association means having access to a wealth of knowledge, guidance, and wisdom.
We are eternally indebted to the great Vaishnava saints and acharyas of the past such as Goswami Tulsidas, Vyasadeva, Lord Chaitanya, and Shrila Prabhupada, who were all trailblazers. They dedicated their lives to serving Lord Krishna and helping others become devotees. Sita Devi herself set the standard of excellence in the execution of devotional service. We should all take up bhakti yoga by following in the footsteps of these great authorities. If we are fortunate enough to make progress and become God conscious, we should then take to helping others achieve the same goal. Acting as someone’s companion in their performance of religious acts is really the nicest thing we can do for someone else.