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36 PART IV
GUIDELINES TO MAHAVIR-DARSHAN donations to widows, needy students, the blind and the deaf as also the lame, the mad, the mentally retarded and so on. No distinction whatsoever shall be made in this charity. Compassionate charity is bestowed irrespective of caste and creed, native or foreign land, the virtuous or one bereft of virtue, one belonging to one's own creed or another. The dominant purpose here is the removal of affliction of all men and all living beings. There is no question of predominance of the feeling of respect or honour or of reverence towards the acceptor. What is predominant is sympathy and compassion through love and friendship.
Generally, social charity is included in this type. Social charity starts with family charity in which brothers, sisters, cousins and others are beneficiaries. But the charity of the really righteous one does not stop here, it constantly expands far and wide.
Donations such as for construction and running of a hospital, construction of an inn, for digging wells and tanks of gardens, for a community hall, a townhall or for a school or a college or a hostel are donations for social welfare. They are therefore included in compassionate charity. Here, in these donations the dominant feeling is social uplift, community welfare and the progress of social and institutional activities.
(iii) Charity of Fearlessness :
This is the best of all charities. Charity for safety means shaping one's routine of life in such a manner that all living beings feel safe and secure from you. No external resource is necessary in this charity. All men can therefore resort to it. But one important trait of this liberality is the need of constant awakening of the soul. The Sadhaka who takes recourse to this charity will not cause loss of any kind to any one by his body. He will not use speech painful to others and not even think ill of others. Only if there is a constant awakening of one's soul, can one accomplish an effort at not causing ill to anybody mentally, physically or by vocally. Thinking deeply, we will realise that mostly great men, who have renounced all attachment alone have the full capacity to practise this charity. But it is proper that we ordinary people also practise it as far as possible and thereby attain the betterment of our own selves.
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