• Give and Take | The Surprising Secret to a Richer Life | Three Truths About Generosity We Often Forget | The G50 Generosity Challenge | The Law of Giving
NV Paulose, Chairman, Global TV +91 98441 82044
We see people who ask and take to achieve more. We take wherever possible and whatever possible. We bargain when it comes to giving. It is when we learn the true wealth is in giving that we achieve the mind to gain giving over our tendency to save. The deepest rewards in life in the forms of wealth, trust, respect, joy and connections come not out from any of our capabilities, but from our mind to give in entirety.
It is not about giving alms and offering. It is about everything including our smiles and gestures to strangers or to the people who we feel the least. Not just a gesture of giving. Not reluctant donations or calculated exchanges. But the kind of generosity that transforms both the giver and receiver. This is the secret beautifully captured by Rabindranath Tagore in Gitanjali 50 as a great lesson in the art of giving.
The Poem That Holds the Secret
In Gitanjali 50, a beggar goes door to door asking for alms. Then a golden chariot appears and the Divine arrives. The beggar expects to receive riches, but instead, the King of Kings looks at him and asks:
- “What can you offer me?” The beggar is confused. He slowly takes out the smallest grain of corn from his bag and offers it.
- At the end of the day, when he empties his bag, he finds a tiny grain of gold in the pile.
- He weeps, not because he gave too much, but because he realizes he should have given everything.
The Three Laws of Generosity
- Give Your Best, Not Your Leftovers
The beggar gave one small grain. It was something, but it wasn’t his all. How often do we give only what’s convenient? Our leftover time, leftover attention, leftover kindness? True generosity begins when you offer what matters, your presence, your empathy, your best self.
Practice: Next time you give, whether it’s time, help, or appreciation, ask yourself: Am I giving from my “grain” or from my heart? - Reward the Most, Especially When It’s Least Expected
The Divine didn’t just take the grain. He turned it into gold. That’s the second lesson: be the one who recognizes and multiplies the good in others. Most people are quick to take, slow to appreciate. Be different. Notice effort. Acknowledge kindness. Return grace with grace.
Practice: Make it a habit to silently thank or acknowledge one person each time who did something good, whether for you or for others. - Your Receiving Is a Reflection of Your Giving
The poem doesn’t end with the gold. It ends with the beggar’s regret: “I wished I had given my all.” What you receive in life, in relationships, at work, in inner peace is deeply tied to what you’re willing to give.
If you feel unseen, ask: Do I see others? If you feel unappreciated, ask: Do I appreciate others? Build the habits of abundance in life.
Reflection: Write down three things you wish you received more of. Now ask: How can I offer those very things to others first?
What If My Ego Resists? It’s natural. The ego says:
“Why should I give first?” “What if they don’t return the favour?” “I don’t have enough to give.” But generosity is not a transaction. It’s a transformation. You’re not giving to get; you’re giving to grow. And in that growth, you receive. Give one genuine compliment daily. Help someone without mentioning it to anyone. Thank people sincerely, with eye contact and presence. Give everything possible as your heart says; learn the art of giving, little by little. Watch what happens; not only around you, but within you.
Generosity is an action of your identity.
Start small. But start with your whole heart. You never know; your grain of corn may be someone else’s gold. And theirs may be yours.
Let’s recall the poem (Translation by Tagore himself):
I had gone a-begging from door to door in the village path,
when thy golden chariot appeared in the distance,
like a gorgeous dream and I wondered who was this King of all kings!
My hopes rose high and methought my evil days were at an end,
and I stood waiting for alms to be given unasked
and for wealth scattered on all sides in the dust.
The chariot stopped where I stood.
Thy glance fell on me and thou camest down with a smile.
I felt that the luck of my life had come at last.
Then of a sudden thou didst hold out thy right hand and say,
‘What hast thou to give to me?’
Ah, what a kingly jest was it to open thy palm to a beggar to beg!
I was confused and stood undecided,
and then from my wallet I slowly took out the least little grain of corn
and gave it to thee.
But how great my surprise when at the day’s end
I emptied my bag on the floor to find a least little grain of gold among the poor heap!
I bitterly wept and wished that I had had the heart
to give thee my all.
