Text Box: CHARITY The Lord is bountiful. He is the giver of all blessings. We always pray, “O bountiful Lord, give us” and He always grants us boons. Whatever He is giving is for all. Whatever we have, others also have a right to it. We should share and enjoy. We all belong to the Lord. If we really become His, then all become our partners and nobody will seem to us to be outside the sphere of the Lord. Charity is very necessary for the good of the world. Charity is a meritorious action. By charity, Fragrance and Freshness increase while stinginess leads to stinking. It is like well water, which remains, cool, fresh and sweet as long as the well is worked. Charity is sharing wealth with the needy and spending it on good works. He, who does not spend in charity, wastes his wealth on unfruitful action. When water increases in the boat or wealth in the house, to take it out with both hands is what the wise do. To earn by one’s own labour and to share it with the needy leads to acceptance at the door of the Lord. An old man went on pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj). In his dream he saw two angels. One asked, how many persons have come for pilgrimage? The other replied, “six lakhs”. The first one asked, “How many are accepted?” The other said, “None.” He, however, said that there was a cobbler in Damascus who did not come, but his Hajj was accepted. One enquiry it was found that he collected the money for Hajj but as his neighbours were hungry he spent the money on them. True charity consists in earning not only for our own subsistence, but in spending part on others for spiritual good and without expectation of reward.