We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. What does this mean and lead to?

To live a life, we all need money, which can help us gather goods to fulfill our basic necessities. So we set out in search of some job or service to earn some money for ourselves and our family; and we make a living from whatever money we get. This is a very basic, standard and an ordinary fact of life, that every human being is normally subject to, isn’t it?

But remember that instance in your life, when you noticed that someone was in need of something, and you thought, “Let me give it to him.” Do you recollect the smile that your kind act of giving brought on the face of that person whom you selflessly gave? And the big wave of positive energy that this act invoked inside you? How it inspired people around you too, to set out to plant seeds of happiness in someone’s life through giving? Didn’t that experience make your day? And just think about it, what if you made the practice of giving, a way of life. Wouldn’t it make your life?

Even a small child’s face lits up with joy as he gives grains to feed the birds. The joy of giving is tremendous! It is one of the best feelings in life. No matter how much money we may earn in life, we can use it only for our living, the rest is all a wasted expenditure or investment. And the value of this money is no match against the joy of giving. Therefore, it has been rightly said that - No one has ever become poor by giving. And the happiest people are not those who are getting more, but those who are really giving more.

Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan explains, “Do any of the fruit trees eat their own fruits? No. These trees teach human beings to give their fruits to others. When you do this, Nature in turn will reward you. The Neem tree is very bitter, yet it gives cooling to the body, it has good medicinal value and its extracts have healing properties. In Satyug, people always strived to make others happy. They would be constantly thinking of ways to give to others.”

Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan says that the purpose of human life should be to serve others selflessly only then can you find your meaning of life. When you understand people’s suffering and try to help them with your own potential then your own potential increases, and you will find content by helping them. The amount of content that you get by helping others in the minutest way is way larger than the temporary pleasure that you receive while buying any materialistic possession.

It is not necessary that we give money only. We can give whatever we have and whatever we can, be it clothes, food, medicine, knowledge, or even some kind of service, but with a sincere and pure heart. Our internal intention to help is much more important than our external act of giving something to others. This intention should be constantly present inside us.

And do you know, the act of giving is really meaningful when done without any desire or need for anything in return? Our desire should be only to increase happiness or reduce miseries of the person to whom we give. And therefore whenever we give, it is important that we thoroughly check and recheck within us and introspect whether there exists any expectation for name, fame, recognition or position of power, which is driving us to give. When we give, we will certainly earn a lot of respect and prestige from people. However, from our side, we should not be wanting it.

If our intentions are found devious, we should have deep repentance in our heart that “Oh God! My intention should not be so”, or else it creates a lot of difficulties for us in future.

The intent of giving is a karma, which leads to its fruits that we reap in our next life. When the karma is good, the fruits are good, and when the karma is not good, how will the fruits be good? If our intent behind giving is true and pure, we will not incur any loss, or experience any obstacles in life. All our wishes will automatically be taken care of.

Those who take away happiness of others have to take birth in lower life-forms such as animal or hell in their next life, whereas those who give happiness to others get born as human-beings in next life too, and those who spend their life giving away even their own happiness to others are superhuman who get born as celestial beings in their next life.