PARAM DHAANAM – Best Offering

 श्री  गणेश  मंदिर   -  शिक्षा वाणी – 16^th June 2019

Serene Sunday Reflections

 

PARAM DHAANAM – Best Offering

KEYWORDS :: Dhaanam (offering), Annadhaanam, Vidyadhaanam, Food, Education

 

Last SUNDAY we reflected on ISHTA POORTHAM and made it clear that POORTHA karma is important as it is serving others. Among the Best Service, here we are reflecting on PARAM DHAANAM – analyzing the merit of Annadhaanam (Offering Food) and Vidyadhaanam (Educating).

 

Annadhaana or the gift of food is one kind of service (paropakara). We talk of service to the poor, social service and so on. Today all this is done with much fanfare and publicity. In the past, the needy were served naturally, without making any advertising and was an everyday routine. Earlier before closing the kitchen, mothers were supposed to go to the entry gate and ask loudly “is there any around who require supper?”.

Many slokas indicate the importance of annadhaanam. It says annadhaanam is greater than donating many horses, elephants, gold ornaments, vessels, land, kanyadhanam etc.

Gaja turaga Sahasram Gokulam koti danam
Kanaka Rajatha patram Methini sagarantham
Upaya kula vishuttam Koti kanya pradanam
Nahi nahi bahu danam Annadanam samanam

 

Feeding is a good philanthropic activity. But educating is much higher. The food will get digested soon. Education will remain for the whole life.

अन्नदानं महादानं विद्यादानमतः परम् ।
अन्नेन क्षणिका तृप्तिः यावज्जीवञ्च विद्यया ॥

This probably was the source for the saying 'Give a man a fish, you feed him once. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for life'.

 

With the education, we purify our intelligence, with meditation we purify our mind, with shlokas or poetry we purify our speech, by exerting ourselves in the service of others one must purify the physic or body; that is why the DasaMahaVidya is prescribing Dasami / Navarathri (10 days / 9 nights) rituals. The Tenth Day (Dasami) is for Saraswati with Education and Learning, everyone at home sits together to demonstrate their learning.

 

Rituals has been so mechanical these days in the religious activity. Many of the offerings are done without even knowing the meaning. The word ‘ritual’ itself became a synonym for anything we do with out proper understanding. Thus giving knowledge and gaining knowledge (VIDYADAANAM) is the best offering that will be leading to best RITUAL.  Understanding the inner meanings of RITUALS as offering will be our next week’s reflection.

 

Slokas are referenced from Subhashita Ratnakara

----- Next Week 23^rd June 2019 - RITUALS –-----

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