November Gītā: 17.20

Dātavyam iti yad dānaṁ
dīyate ‘nupakāriṇe
deśe kāle ca pātre ca 
tad dānaṁ sāttvikaṁ sm ṛtam 

‘Charity given to a worthy person simply because it is right to give, without consideration of anything in return, at the proper time and in the proper place, is stated to be in the mode of goodness.’
Bhagavad Gītā 17.20

I thought of this sloka because we are approaching that time of year. The endless messages to buy and consume until we burst, lists of wants, lists of don’t wants. You spend all of your time trying to think of THE best present to give, to get it all right, to make this time special and ensure that your home also resembles that John Lewis advert which is just around the corner. The pressure oozes as the weeks roll on, so let’s remember to keep it really simple. 

This sloka reminds me of service and the art of giving.  We give of our time, our money, our minds, our ideas, our energy not expecting or wanting to receive anything in return. We give of ourselves generously at the right time, in the right proportion freely with goodness and love in our heart. There is a real freedom that comes with that.