A true gift of Brahman is one who quietly and calmly accepts what Brahman has given them but continue to live their lives to the fullest despite their disabilities.

Swami Vivekanand said:

I do not believe in a God or religion which cannot wipe the widow’s tears or bring a piece of bread to the orphan’s mouth. However sublime be the theories, however well – spun may be the philosophy — i do not call it religion so long as it is confined to books and dogmas. The eye is in the forehead and not in the back. Move onward and carry into practice that which you are very proud to call your religion, and God bless you!

Look upon every man, woman, and every one as God. You cannot help anyone, you can only serve: serve the children of the Lord, serve the Lord Himself, if you have the privilege.

If the Lord grants that you can help any one of his children, blessed you are; do not think too much of yourselves. Blessed you are that that privilege was given to you when others had it not. Do it only as a worship.

I should see God in the poor, and it is for my salvation that I go and worship them. The poor and the miserable are for our salvation, so that we may serve the Lord, coming in the shape of the diseased, coming in the shape of the lunatic, the leper, and the sinner!

The Brahama Dana

• Children are weak physically, especially children who are very young and incapable of providing for themselves physically.But young children are the strongest of all people spiritually and their wonderful delightful nature is the true face of Brahman.

• But the true gifts of God are the destitute, orphans, abused and poverty stricken children. These children and also fortunate children must be treated with the greatest of care, kindness, respect, trust and attention.

It is really true, the way that children are treated between the ages of 2 and 10 is how they will eventually turn out as adults.

Walt Whitman said:

There was a child went forth every day, and the first object he looked upon and received with wonder or pity or love or dread, that object he became, and that object became part of him for the day or a certain part of the day….or for many years or stretching cycles of years.

Hence we if want to minimise violent crimes and other serious crimes by these same children when they grow up into adults, in the first place, children should never be exposed to this either personally or to witness such crimes.

• The disabled are weak physically or mentally.  But they are the most strong spiritually which matters much more than physical or mental strength.We should not sympathise with disabled people, we should admire and learn from them.

The disabled have no use for our sympathy, they are in no way lesser than us.

We should not call them disabled, we should call them Brahma Dana.

In fact they are stronger than us and we should marvel at their inherent sense of happiness and spiritual strength to make the best of what life offers them even despite their disabilities.

The so called “handicap” would probably put us so called “normal” people in deep depression and a feeling of worthlessness if the same were to happen to us.

• The old and sick who can no longer take care of themselves are gifts of God.

• Women and men who are destitute are gifts of God.

• Poor single parents especially poor women single parents are gifts of God.

• Destitute old and disabled animals and other animals especially those that we use for work, meat and clothing are also gifts of God and should not be made to suffer and should be taken care of.

The Brahma Dana (Gifts of God) need to be worshiped by loving, respecting and taking good care of them – they are the true Representatives of Brahman.

Johnny Cash also has this wonderful song to describe who God really is.

Here are the words of the song – The Christmas Guest.

So he went to his room and he knelt down to pray
And he said “Dear Lord, why did You delay?
What kept You from comin’ to call on me?
For I wanted so much Your Face to see”
When softly in the silence, a voice he heard
“Lift up your head, for I kept my word
Three times my shadow crossed your floor
And three times I came to your lonely door
I was the beggar with bruised, cold feet
And I was the woman you gave somethin’ to eat
I was the child on the homeless street.
Three times I knocked and three times I came in
And each time I found the warmth of a friend
Of all the gifts love is the best
And I was honored to be your Christmas guest

You can see the song here: