41. Then and Now

Raghuraman handed over the envelope containing cash to his wife Susila.

"Same amount, same allocation!" said Susila.

"I can't increase the salary I receive. But if you want, I can make some changes in the allocation."

"What changes? Cutting down on the amount you have been allocating for household expenses and enhancing the sum you have been using for charity!" said Susila, sarcastically.

"Well, I can do it, if you are able to cut down the household expenses!" said Raghuraman.

"Is there any law that you have to give ten percent of what you earn to charity?"

"There is no such law. Only for income tax, they have prescribed a percentage. For charity, we are free to spend more than ten percent even!"

"I don't understand your line of thinking. You donate ten percent of your salary for charity. Ok. But why do you divide the sum and donate it to three different causes?"

"I donate one part to orphanages, one part to old age homes and one part to the monastery of a saint who is engaged in social welfare activities."

"Can't you donate it to one cause rather than divide it into three parts and donate it to three different organizations?"

"If my income were high, I could donate ten percent to each of these three. But I am able to donate only ten percent of my income. I distribute it to three different causes."

"I don't understand why!"

"In ancient India, people lived through four stages of life. At the early stage of life, a man observed brahmacharya or celibacy. After getting married, he pursued the grahasta or family life. After growing old, the man retired to the forest and lived an ascetic way of life. This was called vAnapastha or retiring to forest. In the last stage of life, a man renounced worldly life and meditated on God. This was called sanyAsa or renunciation. Of these four categories of people, only those living a family life were earning an income. Therefore, they were helping the other three categories of people. It was considered their duty too!

"But in the present era, we don't have people going through these four stages of life. We have grahasta or family life, but we don't have the other three categories of life in the forms in which they existed earlier. However, they exist in different forms. In the place of brahmacharya or celibacy, we have children living in orphanages In the place of vAnaprastha or retiring to the forest, we have old people abandoned by their children and living in old age homes. In the place of people following the path of sanyAsa or renunciation, we have saints and monks living an ascetic way of life, who apart from pursuing a spiritual way of life, have also been doing service to the downtrodden. I am not talking about the high profile saints who have been running their Asrams or monasteries as business entities, receiving millions of rupees and dollars as donations, doling out a few bucks for some causes and living a life of luxury. They should also be considered to be leading a family life. I am referring to the genuine ascetics rooted in spiritual values and dedicating their lives to the service of the poor. I am contributing my mite to these three categories of life" said Raghuraman.

After listening to Raghuraman, Susila looked at him with admiration and astonishment.

"Where did you learn all these?" she asked.

"My father taught me."

"And where did your father learn these?"

"From the book written by a great soul."

"Who was that great soul? What was the book he wrote/"

"Thiruvalluvar. Thirukkural" said Raghuraman, answering her two questions tersely.

Thirukkural
Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 5
Family Life

Verse 41 (In Tamil)

ilvAzhvaan enbAn iyalbudaiya mUvarkkum
nallARRin ninRa thuNai.

Meaning:

A person leading a family life should help people in the other three ways of life (brahmacharya - celibacy, vAnaprastha - retiring to the forest and sanyAsa - renunciation) to pursue a life of righteousness.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'anRum inRum by the same author)

Verse 42

Verse 40