In plain words
So first of all you must ask them and learn what they need. If they need clothes, give them clothes; if they are hungry, give them food. Whatever they need, give them that. If you give in charity beyond what is needed, it becomes misuse. “Ati sarvatra varjayet.” We must breathe in only as much air as we need. If we breathe in too much, we choke. If we drink a tumbler of water, our thirst is quenched. If we wanted the whole of the river Gaṅgā, would that be possible? So greed is not good. We must waste nothing. We must take only as much as we need. If we do not let out the air we have breathed in, the lungs are ruined. If the food we have eaten is not passed out at the other end, the stomach is upset. In the same way, we must sacrifice the wealth we earn too. There is great Ānanda in sacrifice. We must earn wealth only to sacrifice it, not to hoard it. To those who hoard wealth some calamity or other happens, if not today, then tomorrow. Sacrifice itself is yoga. That itself is the true enjoyment. So all the members of the Sathya Sai Organisations must make sacrifice as far as they are able. Come to the aid of those in distress. Build a small shelter for those who suffer without a home; find work for those who have no food to eat. Once, Jesus and Peter were travelling together in a boat. As soon as the boat reached the shore, a man came and said that he was hungry. At once Peter took two fish and gave them to him. Then Jesus said, “Peter! You cannot give him fish every day and satisfy his hunger. So buy him a net and give it to him. With it he will catch fish and satisfy his own hunger.” In the same way, you too must find small jobs for those who suffer with no food to eat and so satisfy their hunger. But under the sway of this Kali age, all hope to earn wealth without working hard.
Contentment Itself Is Peace, Discontent Itself Unrest
I shall tell you of a true incident that took place in Prasanthi Nilayam. Long ago I had a home built for the disabled. Every day we went on serving them coffee and tiffin in the morning, and two meals, at midday and at night. Some of the women said they wanted tāmbūlam.