Parable: The value of charity
Charity is a good deed, giving charity is a virtuous deed. Charity has a special importance for us. Food donation is the best of all donations. This is a story from the Treta Yuga that tells about the importance of charity. Treta Yuga is the era of Lord Maha Vishnu's incarnation of Sri Rama. One day when Lord Sri Rama was truly reigning in Ayodhya, Sage Agastiri came to the court.
Lord Sri Rama immediately came forward and greeted them warmly. Seated the Rishis, performed his foot washing. The humble brothers saluted him and sought his auspicious wishes. At that time, Sage Agasthiri who was pleased with the hospitality of Sri Rama said to Sri Rama, “Sri Rama, I am very pleased with you. Today I am here to give you a special ornament. Sri Rama, you are all affluent. I feel like giving you this ornament even though you don't have it; Because when you donate something that you own to someone else in absolute terms; Only then does the virtue of charity come into play.
So Sri Rama, donate this jewel that I have got to you and let me add the virtues of that donation.” As soon as Agastimuni said this, Sri Rama accepted the ornaments and made them the joy of charity and the standard of Pune. How did this divine-elemental ornament come to a sage living in a forest hermitage? But this question was waking up in Rama's mind. Then Agasti Muni, observing Sri Rama's thoughts, said, "Lord Sri Rama, I was gifted by King Shweta as a gift of great gratitude."
Then while narrating all that story to Sri Rama, Rishi Agastiri said, “Sri Rama, once while taking a walk near the Maa Marva Ashram, I saw a dead body lying under a tree. While I was thinking, 'Oh, whose corpse is this in this dark forest?', a divine man came down from the sky. He was looking for something. He saw the dead body under the tree. And as if he had been starving for many days, that divine person came running and sat by the corpse and began to eat its flesh. I was very surprised.
Such a divine man and why should he eat such meat? O great man! You appear to be some celestial divine soul; But why and why has this time come upon you to satisfy your hunger by eating such meat?' I asked him. Then he started telling. 'Sage, I am Shweta, the son of Vasudeva, the king of Vidarbha country. My younger brother's name is Surath. I was managing the kingdom of Vidarbha after my father. After many years of enjoying statehood, I started thinking of going to Vanaprasthasramam.
Later, after making the same thought, I entrusted all the government to my younger brother and went to the forest. After doing severe penance there, I attained Brahmaloka by the grace of God. However, I did not get any food and drink in that Brahmaloka. He asked, 'If I get a place in this Brahmalaka while I am constantly yearning for food and water, why don't I ask for an Abbot here?' Then Brahma said to me, “O white king! Even though you have come to this Brahmaloka, you yearn for simple food.
The reason for that is that you will not have the virtue of charity! O king, when you were a fool, even though you were a king, you never gave food to a hungry person. You have not given water to any thirsty soul. Even when you had immense wealth, even when you had food grains, you did not feed any beggar even with simple vegetable bread; That is why you have to suffer hunger here. “There is only one way to satisfy your hunger. That is, you go to earth. There is your dead body lying under a tree in the forest.
You go there and eat the flesh of that body.” “Sri Rama, I feel sorry to hear that story of Shwetaraja. I freed him from that vile diet. He was saved as soon as my Mantrodaka fell on him, then that divine jewel which that king had given me. Lord, accept this.” Sri Rama accepted the donation of that ornament.
Meaning: Everyone must do charity and add the divine virtue of charity to the knot. There is no other great virtue like charity.
Source - Google
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