Dana (दानम्)

Dana (Samskrit : दानम्) is the tradition of 'giving away' or 'donation' without expecting any return' is practiced widely in the world as 'philanthropy', has largely been driven by traditional faith-based motivation while the practice of purpose-based or secular giving is slowly gaining ground in the present day society. Traditionally the act of 'giving' involved a complex and variegated thought process of people who 'gave' in many forms (water, food, money) following rituals (shraddha, yajnas), themes (annadana, vratas, digging of wells for public welfare), ways (gupt daan : unknown to anyone, visible to everyone), times (kartika masa) and methods (scriptural procedures).

Etymology

The word Dana is derived from the dhatu 'दा' दाने with the following synonyms given in Nighantu meaning 'giving' 'distribution' 'bestowing' ' presentation' 'generous' etc.

दाति दाशति दासति राति रासति पृणक्षि पृणाति शिक्षति तुञ्जत मंहते इति [ दश ] दानकर्माणः। २० । (Nighantu 3.20)

Amarakosa defines Dana as the dravya (material) given away to devatas, brahmanas and others and is summarized as : Tyaga (त्यागः । giving up), Vihapitam (विहापितम् a gift) Utsarjana (उत्सर्गः donation), Visarjana (विसर्जनम् giving away) Visrananam (विश्राणनम् donation) Vitarana (वितरणम् giving up), Sparshana (स्पर्शनम् a gift)

देवब्राह्मणादिसम्प्रदानकद्रव्यमोचनम् . तत्पर्य्यायः . त्यागः २ विहापितम् ३ उत्सर्जनम् ४ विसर्जनम् ५ विश्राणनम् ६ वितरणम् ७ स्पर्शनम् ८ प्रतिपादनम् ९ प्रादेशनम् १०निर्व्वपणम् ११ अपवर्जनम् १२ अंहतिः १३ .इत्यमरः

दानाङ्गानि ॥ Elements of Dana

The literature on dana is of enormous extent.

They are the donor, the donee, shraddha (charitable attitude), the subject of gift which must have been acquired by the donor in a proper way, a proper time, and a proper place. Manu's laws clearly indicated about the first four aspects. (Manu. Smri. 4.226-227)

Defining Dana, Shri. Sanjay Agarwal says dana is a sub-set of giving. It is only the last item - 'giving - as per scriptural directions' that qualifies as proper danam. According to his findings the most comprehensive definition of Dana appears to have seven essential elements:

1. Donor (दाता)
2. Acceptor (प्रतिग्रहीता or पात्रः)
3. Respectful transaction (श्रद्धा)
4. Appropriate object for donation (देयं)
5. Right place (देशः)
6. Right time (कालः)
7. Right procedure (शास्त्रविधिः)

दानतत्त्वम् ॥ Essence of Dana

The story of King Dharmvarma is narrated in the Skand Purana. The King was curious about the essential elements of daan. He therefore did tapas for a long time. At the end, he was rewarded with a puzzling shloka:

स तु दानस्य तत्त्वार्थी तेपे वर्षगणान्बहून्॥ ४.१६ ॥
ततस्तं प्राह खे वाणी श्लोकमेकं नृप श्रृणु॥ द्विहेतु षडधिष्ठानं षडंगं च द्विपाकयुक्॥ ४.१७ ॥ चतुःप्रकारं त्रिविधं त्रिनाशं दानमुच्यते॥ (Skan. Pura. Mahe. Khan. 4.16 - 17)

‘Daan has two hetu, six adhishthan, six ang, two paak, four prakar, three vidh and three ways of naash.

द्विहेतु ॥ Two Enhancers

The two hetu (drivers, push factors) of daan, which help increase or decrease it, are shraddha (श्रद्धा) and shakti (शक्ति).

श्रद्धा शक्तिश्च दानानां वृद्ध्यक्षयकरेहि ते॥ ४.४१ ॥ (Skan. Pura. Mahe. Khan. 4.41)

1. If you give away your entire property without shraddha, you will not get any benefit. However, if you give even a little of your justly earned money, you will be able to please Shri Shiv, provided you give with shraddha.

2. The second hetu is shakti (capacity). You should only give out of what is left after meeting needs of the family. If money is given to a rich and capable person, while the family is living in penury, then all benefit is lost. This causes dharm to transform into adharm. Similarly, if someone performs shraaddh for a dead person, while the living dependents suffer, then this will result in misery for the donor in this life and thereafter.

षडधिष्ठानं ॥ Six Motives

The six adhisthan (base, pedestal, foundation) of daan are dharm, arth, kaam, lajja, harsh and bhaya.

धर्ममर्थं च कामं च व्रीडाहर्षभयानि च॥ अधिष्ठानानि दानानां षडेतानि प्रचक्षते॥ ४.५५ ॥

1. When daan is made to a suitable person, without any objective, and only out of a sense of duty, it is known as dharm daan ().

2. When daan is made with an objective in mind, it is known as arth daan ().

3. When daan is given during drinking, gambling, womanizing, hunting etc., it is known as kaam daan ().

4. When daan is given out of embarrassment on being accosted by seekers in public, it is known as lajja daan ().

5. When daan is made out of joy on hearing good news or on successful completion of a desired project, it is known as harsh daan ().

6. When daan is given out of fear to avoid infamy, damage (), violence, etc., it is known as bhaya daan ().

षडंगानि ॥ Six Components

दाता प्रतिग्रहीता च शुद्धिर्देयं च धर्मयुक्॥ ४.६२ ॥ देशकालौ च दानानामंगान्येतानि षड्विदुः॥ ४.६३ ॥

According to Hemadri, these six angas (constituent elements) of dana have been cited by Devala also.The six components of daan are donor (), accepter (), purification (), legitimate/appropriate object for donating (), place (), and time ():

1. Donor should be healthy, virtuous, desirous of giving, devoid of any addiction, holy, and earning a legitimate living.

2. Accepter should have good lineage, learning, character, kindness and control of senses. He should make his living in approved ways.

3. Daan is purified if the donor welcomes the seekers, has genuine affection for them, honours them, and does not find fault in them.

4. Only that money which has been earned with ones’s own effort (but without excessive hardship), and has not been obtained by harassing others is eligible for daan. It does not matter whether such money is less or more.

5. That which is difficult to obtain in a place (e.g. water in a desert), is the right item for donating in that place.

6. That which is difficult to obtain at a particular time (e.g. food during famine, or lamp-light at night), is the right item for donating at that time.

द्विपाक ॥Two Results

सद्भ्यो यद्दीयते किंचित्तत्परत्रोपतिष्ठति॥ असत्सु दीयते किंचित्तद्दानमिह भुज्यते॥ ४.७१ ॥

Daan has two kinds of rewards: those which are enjoyed in heaven, and others which are enjoyed in this world itself. Rewards of daan made to a true or noble person are enjoyed in heaven. Rewards of daan made to others are enjoyed on Earth itself.

चतुःप्रकारं ॥ Four Kinds of Dana

ध्रुवमाहुस्त्रिकं काम्यं नैमित्तिकमिति क्रमात्॥ ४.७२ ॥ वैदिको दानमार्गोऽयं चतुर्धा वर्ण्यते द्विजैः॥

1. Works of public welfare, such as digging of wells and ponds, planting orchards and gardens, etc. are known as dhruv or eternal.

2. Whatever is given on a daily basis is known as nitya or trik.

3. That which is given with a desire for offspring, victory, splendour (), woman, power, or for fulfilling one’s wishes, is known as kamya.

4. Naimittik (motivated) daan is of three types:

1. Kaalapeksh (kalape]) - that which is motivated by auspicious times or other planetary conjunctions.
2. Kriyapeksh (i³yape]) - that which is motivated by an occasion or activity such as shraddh (ïa˜) etc.
3. Gunapeksh (gunape]) - that which is motivated by the recipient's character, knowledge, learning or other virtues.

त्रिविधंद्रव्यदानम् Three Ways based on Dana Items

त्रैविध्यमभिधीयते॥ ४.७६ ॥ अष्टोत्तमानि चत्वारि मध्यमानि विधानतः॥ कानीयसानि शेषाणि त्रिविधत्वमिदं विदुः॥ ४.७७ ॥ गृहप्रासादविद्याभूगोकूपप्राणहाटकम्॥ एतान्युत्तमदानानि उत्तमद्रव्यदानतः॥ ४.७८ ॥ अन्नारामं च वासांसि हयप्रभृतिवाहनम्॥ दानानि मध्यमानीति मध्यमद्रव्यदानतः॥ ४.७९ ॥ उपानच्छत्रपात्रादिदधिमध्वासनानि च॥ ४.८० ॥ दीपकाष्ठोपलादीनि चरमं बहुवार्षिकम्॥ इति कानीयसान्याहुर्दाननाशत्रयं श्रृणु॥ ४.८१ ॥

Best उत्तमद्रव्यदानम्	Medium मध्यमद्रव्यदानम्	Least कानीयद्रव्यदानम्
House Temple Knowledge Land Cow Wells Saving life Gold	Grain Garden Clothes Horse etc	Shoes Umbrella Utensils Curd Honey Seating (asana) Lamps Wood Stone

दाननाशास्त्रय Three Dana Nashakas

यद्दत्त्वा तप्यते पश्चादासुरं तद्धृथा मतम्॥ अश्रद्धया यद्ददाति राक्षसं स्याद्वृथैव तत्॥ ४.८२ ॥ यच्चाक्रुश्य ददात्यंग दत्त्वा वाक्रोशति द्विजम्॥ पैशाचं तद्वृथा दानंदाननाशास्त्रयस्त्वमी॥ ४.८३ ॥

Daan is nullified by three factors: regret, unsuitability of recipient, and ashraddha ().

• Further, if the donor regrets making the daan, then it is known as Asur daan ().
• If the daan is given without shraddha, it is known as Rakshas daan ().
• When the receiver is scolded or told unpleasant things or is cursed afterwards, then the daan is known as Pishaach daan ().

Hearing this crystal clear explanation of the cryptic shloka, the King was overjoyed. Devarshi Narad then left the money in the King's care, and proceeded on his business.

Classification of Dana

Dana has been classified in several overlapping ways, depending on one's perspective:

A simple definition of each kind of Dana is as follows:

Orientation of Dana

Ishtapurta (इष्टापूर्त) is a word of high antiquity that deserves consideration in the subject of dana. It occurs in the Rigveda and the sense seems to be 'the cumulative spiritual result of merit due to a man's performance of sacrifices and charitable acts'. The word though employed in the singular consists of two parts, ishta (what is sacrificed) and purta (what is filled).

• Ishta (इष्टा) : Acts which are primarily religious in nature (yajna, homa, tapas, atithi satkar etc) and are turned inwards, are called Ishta. The rewards of such acts are invisible in this life and will be enjoyed in paradise.

• Purta (पूर्त) : Acts which are primarily charitable in nature (construction of public utilities, ponds, schools, rest houses, gardens, ann-kshetra, etc.) are called purta. The benefits of purta are visible in this life and include attainment of moksha. Charitable trusts are called purta works in texts.

Beneficiary of Dana

• Dana (दानम्) : When the giving results in transfer of property from one person to another, it is treated as daan. In some cases, the transfer might benefit more than one person. However, so long as the number of beneficiaries is fixed, the giving will be considered daan. Additionally, the donor should no longer derive any benefit from the item donated. Some types of giving are not considered daan. These include gifts to people whom one is otherwise required to support. Similarly, mutual exchange of gifts is treated as a cultural practice, but does not qualify as daan.

• Utsarga (उत्सर्गः) : If the item or property is dedicated or released for general public use, the giving is treated as utsarga. The property is then owned commonly, and is similar to the concept of common grazing land. In this case, there is no bar on the donor also using the property as a member of the public, without any special privileges.

Nature of Donor (Shraddha)

According to Shrimad Bhagvad Gita, all daan can be classified into three categories: sattvik (associated with purity and spirituality) rajasik (associated with materialism and worldly affairs) and tamasik (associated with lack of intellect and leads to darkness). Shraddha is also defined in Skanda Purana as follows

त्रिविधा भवति श्रद्धा देहिनां सा स्वभावजा॥ सात्त्विकी राजसी चैव तामसी चेति तां श्रृणु॥ ४.४६ ॥ (Skan. Pura. Mahe. Khan. 4.46)

• Sattvika Dana (सात्त्विकदानम्) : Sattvik daan is one that is made as a duty. It should be made after considering the time, place and the suitability of the receiver. The receiver should not perform any service or provide any benefit in return (अनुपकारी Anupkar). Swami Ramsukhdas explains that this kind of daan is really tyag, relinquishment, in which nothing is desired in return. This type of daan is not the kind that gives punya (पुण्यम्), merit in return. Seeking such punya will transform the daan into rajasik (राजसिकदानम्).

• Rajasik (राजसिकदानम्) : Rajasik daan is made for getting some direct or indirect benefit (whether material or spiritual) in return. The parting (of property) causes pain or regret to the donor. Or the daan is given after some persuasion (as in a collection or chanda - चंदा). Rajasik daan gives whatever benefits are sought by the donor.

• Tamasik (तामसिकदानम्) : When daan is made to an unsuitable person or without considering time or place, then it is called tamasik daan. If the daan is made without showing proper respect or in an insulting manner, then also it becomes tamasik. Another example of a tamasik daan would be where it is intended to cause bodily harm to another. In such a case, both the donor and the recipient are to be punished as for theft.

Purpose of Dana

Based on the purpose of dana as mentioned in several puranas, the classification is as given below:

• Jyestha (ज्येष्ठः) : Daan given in order to achieve moksh (nishreyas) is considered the most valuable form.
• Madhyama (मध्यमम्) : Daan given out of pity40 or kindness for others or for one's own kith and kin is considered to be of medium value.
• Kanishth (कनिष्ठः) : Daan given to achieve one’s own selfish ends is known as the least valued of all.

Objective of Dana

From the perspective of the objective of making a daan, it is classified into four categories:

• Nitya (नित्यम्) : When daan is made daily to Brahmins without any expectation of services or return, it is known as nitya daan.41 The benefits of such daan are eternal.
• Naimittik (नैमित्तिकम्) : When daan is made to learned people at a particular time42 to counter the effects of sins, it is known as naimittik.43
• Kamya (काम्यम्) : When a person desirous of children, victory, wealth, heaven etc, makes a daan, it is known as kamya.44
• Vimal (विमलः) : When daan is made out of a sense of duty, to Brahmins learned in the Ved, in order to please the divine, it is known as vimal or nirmal daan.45

Brahmand Puran. 1.32.55-56 (Ved Vyas, 2009, p. 74);

Vayu Puran.1.59.50-51 (Ved Vyas, 2004, p. 93);

Ling Puran.1.10.21-22 (Ved Vyas, 2007, p. 47).