FAQ on Troubling Priests or Beggars at Temples

Hari Om

When we visit temples, priests inside the temple and beggars outside the Temple are constantly troubling us for some donations/ payments/ favours/ help/alms. Can we ignore them or what we should do?

Answer: As per scriptures we will be troubled by people only when we have some karmic accounts to be settled with them. We have to use our free-will and scriptural directives to handle them as explained below:

1. As long as we continue, begging to GOD with our long and expensive wish list we have no eligibility to judge the priests or beggars. We are bigger beggars asking for big favours such as profits in business, car or house or other material affluences from the Deity at Temple.

2. We do not know our past karma and therefore we may not know why a particular priest or brahmin or beggar troubles you.

3. Generally when you are running through bad dashas or gochara such as Astama Guru or Sani these troubles will be more. Sometimes the priests may be representatives of these deities and you may not know.

4. You can try to help in affordable terms or you can be neutral without giving commitment but do not be harsh or negative or intimidating towards them as they may bring new negative karma or strengthen old pending karmic accounts.

5. Have a policy according to your capacity to contribute Rs. 50 or 100 or 500 or more or less to each cause or priest or beggar so that you do not say no to them though you may not satisfy their need (or greed). Many times, listening or giving some time patiently to them, if you can, can settle your karmic account even if you do not contribute materially. Whenever you can and when the request is genuine and affordable, you should of course contribute for your own good.

6. If you are kind and genuine to good people and neutral to bad people you will not attract bad karmas and you will add only good karmas.

7.Never try to dodge, hurt or mislead anyone including the priests or beggars.

8.Always donate liberally when you can but only for genuine and appropriate causes.

9. To purify the mind, one should practice noble and sacred thoughts of service to others. One who does not hurt anyone and has feelings of love and compassion to fellow beings is the greatest of men. That is why sage Vyasa gave the essence of the eighteen Puranas (scriptures) in the aphorism: Help Ever, Hurt Never.

10. We should never hurt anyone as everything we do to others will definitely come back to us after a certain period of time as similar kind of experience.

Help Ever……Hurt Never…..

Hope it is clear.

GF’ Blessings.