An evergreen reflection on making charity a meaningful part of Diwali, supported by teachings from the Garuda Purana, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad and Bhagavad Gita, with practical suggestions for thoughtful giving.
Making Charity Part of Diwali
Diwali is a time for celebration, but it is also an opportunity to assist people and other living beings who are less fortunate. Hinduism, like the other major religions of the world, places great value on charity. Charity may take many forms: sharing knowledge, providing food, offering financial assistance or clothing, and showing care toward all creatures.
Families may consider redirecting part of the money ordinarily spent on sweets, gifts or fireworks toward those in need. The purpose is not to remove joy from Diwali, but to extend its light through acts of goodwill, dignity and practical care.
[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: a child living in poverty seated alone, with a Hindi dialogue explaining that for the poor, the day they receive two meals becomes their Diwali, and a message encouraging people to celebrate with those who need help]
Meaning of the Hindi Message
The image asks, “Sister, what is Diwali?” The reply tells the child to sleep because it is seen as a festival of the rich. For those who struggle for food, the day on which they receive two meals becomes their Diwali. Its message is to remember people whose basic needs remain unmet during the festivities.
Garuda Purana Teachings on Charity
The source article explains that the Garuda Purana speaks extensively about charity, especially in relation to Amavasya. The following references and teachings are preserved from the supplied article:
Preta Khanda 33.12: Gifts made during life are said to assist the giver in the region of Yama and make the onward journey more comfortable.
Preta Khanda 13.19: Whatever gifts a person makes during life become beneficial later.
Preta Khanda Chapter 14 Verse 45: A gift to a deserving person flourishes day by day; giving purifies the giver, while wise acceptance does not harm the recipient.
Chapter 14 Verse 6: Something should be given regularly to deserving people, particularly on special occasions, with discernment about the recipient.
Chapter 14 Verse 8: Just as seeds and valuables placed in the ground produce fruit, gifts made by one’s own hands are said to yield results.
Chapter 14 Verse 12: Because life is uncertain, one should act beforehand; gifts to the deserving are compared to provisions for the journey after death.
Preta Khanda Chapter 20 Verse 8: Those who offered gifts during life need not fear Dharmaraja.
Chapter 20 Verses 9 and 10: The text honours the holy person and teaches that virtue and an easier passage toward Yama’s region may be obtained through charity.
Preta Khanda 47.23: Gifts made with faith are said to create enduring spiritual wealth.
Preta Khanda 36.33: Material wealth is gained with strain and remains unstable; sharing it with others gives it meaningful purpose.
Dana in the Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita
The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 5.2.2 recounts Prajapati uttering the syllable “Da” to his human disciples. They understand it as “Datta” – be charitable. Dana therefore includes giving, gifts, almsgiving, self-sacrifice, donation and generosity; it is both an action and an attitude.
Sattwic Charity
Bhagavad Gita 17.20 describes a sattwic gift as one given because it ought to be given, to a worthy person who has done no prior favour, and at the proper place and time. The source article emphasises thoughtful, effective charity that responds to the recipient’s actual circumstances and supports lasting benefit rather than superficial assistance. It also stresses personal care, respect and appropriate contact.
Rajasic Charity
Bhagavad Gita 17.21 describes a rajasic gift as one given grudgingly, unwillingly, for recompense, gain or a desired result. The giver’s inner disposition matters: charity motivated by fear, greed, status or personal reward belongs to the mode of passion.
Tamasic Charity
Bhagavad Gita 17.22 describes a tamasic gift as one given at the wrong place or time, to an unworthy recipient, without respect or with contempt. The article explains that each situation requires discernment. Even materially useful aid can lose its spiritual quality when the recipient is humiliated or the giver acts with contempt.
Karna and the Importance of Food Charity
The source recounts a Puranic katha about Karna, the renowned Mahabharata hero and half-brother of the Pandavas. After his death, the great material charity he had performed was returned to him many times over, but it consisted only of gold and silver because he had not given food in charity.
Karna prayed to Lord Yamaraja and was permitted to return to earth for fourteen days to correct this deficiency. During that period he fed Brahmins and the poor and offered water. On returning to the heavenly realm, he had food in abundance. The story teaches the special importance of feeding others and offering water, and states that offerings during the associated ancestral period benefit departed souls, whether or not they are related to the giver.
Practical Ways to Give
Readers may support reputable charities, animal shelters, children’s homes, homes for older people and other organisations providing genuine assistance in South Africa or elsewhere. The form of aid should reflect what recipients can actually use.
Simple Ready to Eat Food Parcel
The article suggests placing one loaf of bread, one can of baked beans, one tomato and one onion in a packet for a person in need. The purpose is to provide food that can be eaten without requiring a stove or other cooking facilities. The source estimates that the parcel may feed up to six people, although the actual number will depend on serving size and circumstances.
Alternative Grocery Hamper
An alternative hamper may contain 5 kg rice, 2 kg dal, 1 kg flour, 1 kg beans, 1 kg sugar, 500 g coarse salt, tea bags, 2 kg tomatoes and several cans of beans. These quantities are suggestions only and may be varied according to available funds and the recipient’s needs, storage facilities and ability to prepare the food.
The Spiritual Value of Giving During Diwali
The source teaches that acts performed during the middle of Kartik, when Diwali occurs, have greatly multiplied spiritual effect. It presents the example that donating one loaf of bread carries the merit of donating one thousand loaves. This is a devotional teaching about the spiritual value of timely giving, not a material calculation.
Give Without Public Display
The article advises against using social media to display one’s acts of charity. Although publicity may sometimes raise awareness, the preferred practice described here is private giving between the giver, the recipient and God. Charity offered quietly, respectfully and without seeking recognition is presented as charity in the mode of goodness.