Dr Venganoor Balakrishnan

Indian tradition considers daanam, or charity, a supreme virtue. It is help offered to a person while expecting nothing in return. It is a moral and ethical act of great importance. It is believed that charity can give us redemption from sinful acts. Both puranas and smritis extol charity.
According to Indian scriptures, daanam is of four kinds: Nityadaanam is rendered daily for the contentment of the donor, Kaamyadaanam is done in expectation of rewards, Vimaladaanam is offered to please God and Nimithikadaanam brings redemption from one’s sins.
Sages say one can donate cows, land, sesame seeds, gold, cloth, corn, molasses, silver, salt etc to the needy. However, the most favoured objects of donation are food, clothes and water.
Our tradition even specifies quantities that should be donated to fetch results. The fact that token donation was not approved of or appreciated by our forefathers adds to the meaning and worth of these practices.
The noblest act is giving food. This is because the person who gets the daanam feels totally satisfied at least for a while.
“Gajathuraga sahasram gokulam kodi daanam
Kanakarachithapathram medinisagarantham
Ubhayakulavisuddham kodi kanyapradaanam
Nahinahi bahudaanam Annadaanassamanam”
As per this shloka, annadaanam (donation of food) is far nobler than donating thousand elephants, one crore cows, gold or land. The donor of food derives never-ending comforts.
The sage Manu says one should not refuse to accept bed, house, scents, water, flower, curd, beaten paddy, fish, milk, meat, leafy vegetables etc when offered voluntarily.
Likewise, the Yajnavalkya Smriti exhorts us to perform donation daily, with devotion. On days of death anniversaries and eclipse, donation is most auspicious.
Nursing those who are confined to bed and giving them medicine, and doing service to brahmins are as noble as the donation of cows. Scriptures also recommend gifts of land, clothes, ghee, house, ornaments, help for conducting marriage etc to obtain a place in heaven.
Digging a pond or a well for the public, arranging drinking water for cows, constructing resting places for travellers, constructing temples etc are commendable acts called Poortham. If one lets cows drink water from one’s land, seven generations will escape hell.
Planting trees on either sides of public path and feeding the hungry irrespective of caste wins the doer salvation.
Sankarasmriti suggests that people in possession of 10 units of money should spare one for daanam; those with 100 should spare 10; and those with 1,000 should spare 100.
For each month, specific objects are considered good for donation. The epic Mahabharat in its Anusasana Parva refers to objects suited for each star and its result. Manusmriti has recorded what result could be yielded by gifting specific objects.
“Yat kinchidapi datavyam yachithenanasooyaya
Utpatsyate hi tatpathram yaththarayati sarvata”
This shloka from Manusmriti says that one should give away gifts gladly, for the act may even save one from the awaiting hell.

— Dr Venganoor Balakrishnan is the author
of Thaliyola, a book on Hindu beliefs and rituals.
He has also written books on the Vedas
and Upanishads. The author can be reached
at drvenganoor@yahoo.co.in