Being Indebted to one who helps us – Explanation & Repaying tips!
A male devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Hare Krishna dandvat pranam, Prabhuji, I have read in post that if we take help from any person then we are indebted to that person. Nowadays, for switching the job, many people try to connect with employees in that company to get referral. How can we pay for that debt? Many times selection doesn’t happen after taking referral.”
REPLY:
Yes, I have written so in many places, particularly in our DONATE page HERE. I have frankly written the words of the Scriptures.
Whatever help we receive from someone, it doesn’t matter. We should repay that.
Even a small help should be compensated.
(Does freely using Pirated Softwares & Games add karma to us? READ HERE!)
Why should we offer some money on the plate when the Pujari shows ghee lamp to us?
Because that Pujari takes our pains and convey to the Lord on behalf of us. Sanyasis, brahmanas, full time preachers, temples and temple pujaris depend on the support of the congregation devotees for their living.
Since they have taken this service as full time, they can’t go to any job and earn.
So, it is the duty of the grahasthas to support these servants of the Lord.
We go to a marriage or any other function. It is compulsory to give any gift to the newly married couples or the organizer of that function.
Why?
Because they offer us a feast that cost a few hundreds of rupees.
We take stomach-full of that feast and come back.
We have become a debtor of a few hundreds for that function organizer/ couples. Because he has offered us a grand feast using his hard earned money.
So, unless we compensate by gifting him a few hundreds of rupees, we stand indebted for that person.
(KRISHNA’s GURU DAKSHINA TO HIS GURU SANDIPANI – STORY! READ HERE!)
To clear that debt, we may have to take another birth.
This is based on karma theory.
We donate to ISKCON temples. Why? We learn from them and have tasty prasadam from them. They are functioning to feed us prasadam and also spiritual knowledge. So, though they have not made it compulsory, we ourselves can donate to the temples to compensate their expenses and also to help the temple grow to serve the increasing number of devotees.
I too have not made making donations or fees as compulsory in our site. I have explained the fact in the concerned pages. But, I have clearly said that this is optional, not compulsory, but advisable.
Since this is the Service for Krishna, Krishna will somehow arrange the required money from the chosen devotees and send to me. This is how this service is going on. Some gems of devotees have been chosen by Krishna to support this service. So they are supporting. This show is running non-stop even without any ugly compulsion for support. Since those devotees are well matured and blessed, they understand the practical difficulties in running such a sincere preaching and are supporting. Some other devotees are serving by sharing/spreading our posts thru their social media.
(FIVE DEBTS & FIVE YAJNAS TO BE CLEARED & PERFORMED BY EVERYONE! READ HERE!)
If a devotee has understood this concept in a right way, he will never fail to compensate anything he receives from others.
That is why paying fees for learning from someone is recommended. Even the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krishna paid Guru dakshina to His Guru Sandeepani Rishi. What to say about us!
In your case, you feel that you have got the help of many persons to get a job for you. You feel as if you are indebted to those persons who helped you.
Yes, you are right. You are indebted to them.
Someone might have told just a ONE LINE information: “Hey, there seems to be a job vacancy in the Maruti builders. Try”
That’s all. He might have left after telling this.
This single line information may even change your whole life for the next 50 years. Because, after hearing that, you may apply to that job and may get that well paid job.
So, though the information was just small, it is a help by that person.
As you said, some employees might have helped you to get a desired job.
If we get benefited by someone thru his act or information, we are indebted to him.
(Is a Krishna devotee obliged to take care of parents as a son? READ HERE!)
So, you can compensate in many ways:
(i) First you should thank him wholeheartedly without ego praising him for his support.
(ii) Then, you can gift him some valuable thing. If the benefit received was very small, you can give a small gift. If the benefit is life changing, you can gift liberally to him when you go to his home afterwards. If he has a child, you can buy a gift for that child also.
(iii) You should publicly declare to your friends and relatives praising the help done by him to you. This will sacrifice your ego.
(iv) If a person has helped you to get a job, you should keep that help in mind. In future, if he seeks any help for a job for his son or daughter or for his son or daughter to stay at your house for attending an interview, you can instantly help them.
(v) You should always show your gratitude to him throughout your life. If he is suffering with loans, you can give some possible monetary help to him. If he is suffering with his children’s behaviour, you can guide those children in a right path.
(vi) If he needs loan for his house building or child’s education, you can help him.
(Indebtedness to the cow – Story! READ HERE!)
(vii) If he does not seek your help, just show your gratitude to him and be a loyal friend for him. It is enough. You can ask him whether you can do any support to him. If he needs, you can do.
(viii) But, you need not affect your life for helping others. You spend and save for your family and yourself and also help him.
(ix) Most importantly, if someone helps you to get a job, you should get good name in your job and make him happy when he hears that you are doing well in job. Don’t spoil his image by doing anything wrong or showing poor performance.
(x) The point is, you need not pressurise a person to receive your help or support. Just be prepared to help him whenever he needs and seeks your help.
Whatever you do for someone who helped you, you can’t fully compensate it because if it is money, we can calculate, but how can we calculate the worth of one’s help in getting a great job that helps us run our life for decades.
So, compensation need not be exactly same or more. Just be loyal to him and keep thanking him for the help he has done for you.
Also keep praying for him to the Lord.
Your goodwill & prayer itself will help him grow.
Before finishing, remember: Just think of the sacrifices your father and mother have done to raise you till date. In their old age, compensate by taking care of them with love and care understanding their difficulties of old age. This is very important.
Hope you are clear about being Indebted to one who helps us and the ways of compensating them.
(If one faces death without clearing debts, will it give next birth? READ HERE!)