* Special importance of Dan in Kaliyug.*
Special importance of Dan in Kaliyug.
Narayan Muni said:-
Annadana - the best among charities.
Donation of food is the best among all types of charity in this world. Food is the life of all living beings. Hence it is said that, he who gives food, gives life. 1.
During the former creation Prajapati said, ‘Food is Nectar: Annam Amrutam’. No doubt, all the three worlds are sustained by the support of food. He who donates food to needy Brahmins, stores the highest treasure for himself in the next world. 2 - 3.
He is truly the knower of religion, who by fasting himself, gives food to Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra or anyone else suffering from hunger. 4.
When one who has committed sins offers food to those who seek it, especially to a Brahmin, he is no longer stained by his sins. 5.
In the absence of food, the five ‘Dhatus’ in the body get separated. Even the strength of a strong man in this world is lost, because of want of food. 6.
Whatever movable or immovable exists in all the three worlds is because of food. Hence, the wise should donate food to preserve Dharma. 7.
O Suvrat! Strength, lustre, fame and merit of a donor of food increases permanently in all the three worlds. 8.
The abodes of donors of food shine in the heaven. All the animate and inanimate things in his house shine like the reddish colour of rising sun. 9.
The mansions will appear white, the beds will shine like gold and the donor of food will take shelter in them. Therefore, one should donate food. 10.
One who feeds a Lakh, a thousand, ten thousand or even a hundred Brahmins with good food, Payasa etc. according to his ability boards a divine golden aeroplane shining like the lustrous sun, goes to heaven, and is praised by groups of Gods on his arrival there. 11 - 12.
Donation of various items. -
Importance of Bhumi-Daan:- Similarly, land-donation is described as a great donation. By donating land, a man can get all his desires fulfilled. 13.
By donating to a saintly Brahmin, a land of size of the size of a cow’s hide (Go-Charma-matra), a man obtains invaluable merit. 14.
But conventionally, the land on which one bull and a hundred cows sleep is called a Go-charma-matra land in terms of measure. 15.
The land donor is freed from all his sins and he immediately acquires more merit than the one received by performing the Ashvamedha sacrifice. 16.
The wise man who donates land, notionally donates gold, silver, jewels, pearls and clothes and everything else. 17.
A man who donates land protects eleven generations: five fore fathers, himself and five descendants. 18.
He who worships a Brahmin in a proper procedure and donates him a strong and well decorated house obtains Brahma-Loka where there are golden palaces and huge walls decorated with jewels. The donor of the house gets all those houses in Brahma-loka. 19 - 20
Importance of Gau-Daan.
The man obtains Vishnu-Loka when he follows the proper procedures and offers monetary gifts (i.e. Dakshina). He begets the same merit when he offers a householder Brahmin a beautiful, virtuous and milk-yielding cow, having golden horns and golden hooves, decorated with pearl-garlands; along with a calf and covered with clothes. 21 - 22.
Importance of Suvarna-Daan.
He who donates to a Brahmin gold accompanied with ‘Dakshina’ does not get stained by the dirt of sin. He also gets rid of the effects of his committed sins. 23.
He who gives to a Brahmin a copper vessel full of sesame in the month of Magha does not go to Yama-loka. 24.
He who gives water and slippers during summer season and an umbrella during the rainy season goes to Chandra-Loka. 25.
Importance of Daan performed for Parana of Baras.
He who observes the vow of Ekadashi and on the next day i.e. on Dvadashi, feeds the devotees of Vishnu, Brahmins and especially saints who are detached from worldly attachments obtains the fruit of all sacrifices. Pleased with him, Hari fulfils all his desires. 26 - 27.
On the twelfth day (i.e. Dvadashi) of Margashirsha month, who worships Keshava; and feeds all his devotees, gets the fruit of Ashvamedha sacrifice. 28.
On the twelfth day of Pausha month, one who worships Narayan with devotion and feeds Brahmins gets the fruit of a Vajapeya sacrifice. 29.
On the twelfth day of Magha month, one who worships Madhava and feeds Brahmins gets the fruits of Raja-suya sacrifice. 30.
On the twelfth day of Phalguna month, one who worships Govinda and pleases Brahmins gets the fruits of Ati-ratra sacrifice. 31.
On the twelfth day of Chaitra month, one who worships Vishnu with devotion and pleases the devotees of Vishnu, Brahmins and saints according to his ability gets the fruits of Paundarika sacrifice. After death, he goes to the Divya-loka, which is rare to get even for GGods. 32 - 33.
On the twelfth day of Vaishakha month, one who worships Madhusudana and feeds the Brahmins gets the fruits of Agni- shtoma sacrifice. 34.
On the twelfth day of Jyeshtha, one who worships Trivikrama and feeds Brahmins gets the fruits of Gavam-ayana sacrifice. 35.
On the twelfth day of Ashadha month, one worships Vamana with devotion and feeds Brahmins gets the fruits of Sama-yaga sacrifice. 36.
On the twelfth day of Shravana month, one who worships Shridhara and feeds Brahmins gets the fruits of Vishvajit sacrifice. 37.
On the twelfth day of Bhadrapada month, one who worships Hrishikesha and feeds Brahmins gets the fruits of Sautramani sacrifice. 38.
On the twelfth day of Ashvina month, one who worships Padmanabha, and pleases Brahmins gets the fruits of Saumika sacrifice. 39.
On the twelfth day of Kartika month, he who feeds Brahmins gets the fruit of Sarva-medha sacrifice. 40.
The twelfth day is Vishnu’s favourite day; so it is dearest to Narayana. Whatever good is done on that day becomes non- perishable indeed. 41.
Donations according to one’s ability should be given to Brahmins on that day and the devotees of Hari should be pleased by offering them food suitable for season. 42.
The householder of this type boards an aeroplane decorated with a net of small bells and having the lustre of sun and goes to Hari’s abode. 43.
[Charity of medicines to patients, scriptures to learned Brahmins, Blankets etc.] (Merits of gifting to worthy Brahmins: 44-65) He who gives medicine, love and food to a patient to cure the latter’s disease becomes healthy and lives a long life. 44.
He who gifts Veda, Shastra, Purana or Mahabharata (to Brahmins) begets invaluable merits and all his sins are destroyed. 45.
During winter, one who gives clothes, firewood and woollen blankets to Brahmins enjoys eternal happiness. 46.
Whatever one desires the most in this world and whatever one likes the most in his house should be donated to a virtuous person if he desires to have them all permanently. 47.
On the twelfth day of bright fortnight of Chaitra month or every day in the month of Chaitra, he who donates white clothes goes to heaven permanently. 48.
He who donates gold during the month of Vaishakha, he who donates umbrellas and slippers in Jyeshtha month and he who donates bedduring Ashadha – all of them go to Shveta-dveepa after their death. 49.
The man who donates Puranas during Shravana, donates cow in Bhadrapada and horse in Ashvina uplifts his whole race. 50.
The man who donates wool in Kartika month, salt in Margashirsha, food as much as a mountain during Pausha and fragrant things during Phalguna becomes happy forever. 51.
This donation should not be given for the sake of fame, out of fear and out of greed. It should be given to a worthy Brahmin for the sake of one’s own welfare in the next world. 52.
Nothing should be given to Brahmin even though he is worthy if he uses the accepted donations for performing some bad task. 53.
Nothing should be given to him who stores the accepted donations and does not utilise them for the sake of Dharma. 54.
When proper time for donation arrives and a worthy Brahmin
is not around, then along with mental determination the earmarked items should be dropped into water. 55.