Do we take rebirth if we help others?

Question

Lord Krishna told us to surrender to him and do our duties for him and not for dharma and adharma and if we do it (for dharma or adharma) we will take rebirth to take the effects of good deed or bad deed.

My question:

If a man provides food to another who's starving, only to help that person, then, will it be considered dharma? And because it's dharma will he take rebirth just because of that (good) action?

_{Assume the man is not aware of any scriptures and is uneducated and does not know about moksha or anything but he shows affection towards others and helps them without knowing about punya or papa, then will he ever attain moksha?}

Answer 1

Let's apply superposition theory. Imagine that in your life only this Karma will decide, whether you will take rebirth or not.

Karma

If someone is starving for the food and then,

1. You offer food thinking that "I did good job of fulfilling hunger.", then you may take rebirth to 'enjoy' the result of such good deed.
2. You don't offer food & are aware that "I didn't help him, even if I could.", then you may take rebirth to 'enjoy' the result of that bad deed.

Let's assume that, above are the only 2 possibilities. Apparently the 1st seems Dharma and 2nd one seems Adharma.

_{BTW, we cannot say if it's Dharma/Adharma, just based on this much information. For example, what if you know that the starving person is a terrorist, or the person is starving with his/her own whims, or the person may throw the food due to mental instability.}

---

How to avoid rebirth?

By observing Akarma in Karma!
Suppose, as a witness you are aware that,
'[Your] body with senses, helped or didn't help another [poor's] body with senses.'
In such case, you haven't related yourself with your own mind + senses. But gone beyond mind + senses.

In such case you may not have rebirth. As discussed in this answer, a new body attracts, mind + senses to return. But you are neither of them, hence no return!

This is also called NishkarmatA.

BG 3.27 — All actions (karma-s) are enacted in Prakruti by [3] modes. Bewildered with ego, Self (Atma) believes "I am the doer".
BG 5.8, 5.9 — "I certainly don't do anything" is believed by knower of fundamentals; Even while seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, moving, dreaming, breathing, talking, discarding, accepting, opening, closing -- "Senses only are acting in the subjects of senses" - is understood.

---

But aren't there so many previous (sanchita) Karma-s, which we have to pass through?
No, that is the power of knowledge or realisation. The moment one fully realises: "I am not the actor", it becomes free from the bondage, whether it's living (jeevan mukta) or dead (nirvAna).

BG 4.36-37 — Even if you be the worst sinner among all sinners, still you will cross over all the wickedness with the raft of Knowledge alone. O Arjuna, as a blazing fire reduces pieces of wood to ashes, similarly the fire of Knowledge reduces all Karma-s (actions) to ashes.

Answer 2

Q. If a man provides food to another who's starving, only to help that person, then, will it be considered dharma? And because it's dharma will he take rebirth just because of that (good) action?

Yes it will be Dharma and rebirth does't depends only on it.

If you want to know different paths to Moksha, then visit How many distinct independent paths are there to achieve Moksha?.
Also How can one know which path among karma, bhakti and jnana is suitable for him? can be useful.

If one do such Karma thinking that it will give him higher benefit, it will not lead to Moksha.

From Mundaka Upanishad (1.2):

इष्टापूर्तं मन्यमाना वरिष्ठं नान्यच्छ्रेयो वेदयन्ते प्रमूढाः ।
नाकस्य पृष्ठे ते सुकृतेऽनुभूत्वेमं लोकं हीनतरं वा विशन्ति ॥ १०॥

Ignorant fools, regarding sacrifices and humanitarian works as the highest, do not know any higher good. Having enjoyed their reward on the heights of heaven, gained by good works, they enter again this world or a lower one.

From Chhandogya Upanishd (5.10):

अथ य इमे ग्राम इष्टापूर्ते दत्तमित्युपासते ते धूममभिसंभवन्ति धूमाद्रात्रिꣳ रात्रेरपरपक्षमपरपक्षाद्यान्षड्दक्षिणैति मासाꣳस्तान्नैते संवत्सरमभिप्राप्नुवन्ति ॥ ५.१०.३॥

"But those who, living in the village, perform sacrifices, undertake works of public utility and give alms go to smoke, from smoke to night, from night to the dark half of the moon, from the dark half of the moon to the six months during which the sun goes to the south. But they do not reach the year.

So, helping others is considered as Datta Karma or fall under the category of Ishta, Purta and Datta Karma. Now those who do these type of Karma reaches to higher lokas but didn't attain Moksha or liberation.

All the higher Lokas except Brahma Loka, are subjected to circumgyration/reparation (birth-rebirth)

^{Note: Read Khanda 3 of Aadhyaya 6 of Chhandogya Upanishd to know and understand various paths followed by death.}

So, performing only Ishta, Purta and Datta Karma is not enough and will not lead you to Moksha.

But if one doesn't expect the fruit of his Karma - In other words, If one do this as Nishkama Karma, then such Nishkam Karma will not bind him. And if one do all Karma Nishkama, it will lead to Moksha.

That's why it is suggested to do such karma without attachment by Krishna:

From Bhagavad Gita:

एतान्यपि तु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा फलानि च । कर्तव्यानीति मे पार्थ निश्चितं मतमुत्तमम् ॥ १८-६॥

Hence these acts of sacrifice, charity and penance, and all other acts of duty too, must be performed without attachment and expectation of reward : this is My well-considered and supreme verdict, Arjuna.

Answer 3

My question is: if we help a one who is starving for food, only to help then it will be a dharma? If we do it will we take rebirth?

It depends on your intention actually.Whether you are doing the Punya karma(of feeding the starved and needy) to reap the benefits of it.Or if you are doing it without any desire for the fruits.

Here is what the Manu Smriti says in this regard:

12.88. The acts prescribed by the Veda are of two kinds, such as procure an increase of happiness and cause a continuation (of mundane existence, pravritta), and such as ensure supreme bliss and cause a cessation (of mundane existence, nivritta)

12.89. Acts which secure (the fulfilment of) wishes in this world or in the next are called pravritta (such as cause a continuation of mundane existence); but acts performed without any desire (for a reward), preceded by (the acquisition) of (true) knowledge, are declared to be nivritta (such as cause the cessation of mundane existence).

12.90. He who sedulously performs acts leading to future births (pravritta) becomes equal to the gods; but he who is intent on the performance of those causing the cessation (of existence, nivritta) indeed, passes beyond (the reach of) the five elements.

So,if your act of feeding the poor is without any such longings for the fruits of it then that act will not be responsible for any future births.

As,you can see,from the verse above,such acts cause the cessation mundane existence ,that is no rebirths result due to the performance of such acts.

On the other hand,if the act was done keeping in view the fruits in mind,then you will surely need more births to reap those benefits.

Answer 4

It is hubris to think that one can help another.

Only Ishvara can help

Therefore, O dear one! Give up your infatuation born of ignorance, which makes you feel worried, thinking – how will these helpless people get without me? To think that one can save or protect another while one’s own body, subject to the power of time, karma and guna, is decaying, is like a person in the grip of a python thinking of saving another.

Srimad Bhagavata Purana I.13.44-45

One is allowed to serve (not help) others in the spirit of nishkama karma. So the question is how one can avoid rebirth. One has to attain moksha to avoid rebirth. What is the requirement for moksha?

As for the Yogi striving diligently, he is cleansed of all sins and gains spiritual perfection after passing trough several embodiments. Finally he reaches the highest state (which consists in release from the bondage of the body.)

Gita 6.45

Gita lays down the need to attain spiritual or moral perfection to attain the highest state or moksha. Those who try to attain spiritual perfection by doing nishkama karma are called karma yogi. Just serving others will lead to heaven. You can avoid rebirth only if your service leads you to moral and spiritual perfection.

Answer 5

Such an act of kindness is never against dharma. Krishna does not insist one to shun the action itself. He insists upon giving up the idea of doership if one aspires moksha. If one thinks "I am doing a good deed", one implicitly assumes one's own self as the cause of a good action. Since every action has a reaction according to karma siddhanta, the ego that assumed the doership of the action reaps the rewards of the good deed as happiness and bliss in another state of mind (reborn in some other plane of existence). When one gives up the sense of doership and the results of an action to a higher Self (God), the ego does not have to reincarnate. This is the reason why Hindus say Krishnarpanam after doing daana (charity). This means the one who is doing the charity and the one who reaps its result is God himself and not the individual self, which is merely an instrument. This is also reason why elders in the traditional families quote that a good deed done by the right hand should not even be disclosed to the left hand lest the individual ego takes over the ownership of the good deed.

Answer 6

It all has to do with karma. It is on what our entire life rests upon.

Giving food to the poor while 'expecting' something in return will inturn make it go in vain. Many people offer a lot of things to the Lord in form of prasad but does he really need it? Why do they do that? They want something in return, it is their ego which makes them ask for things, and not true love to the Lord.

Always think of this, you came here for some specific reason and you'll go once your duty is over. Just enjoy your present. You'll get what you deserve, either way.

You are as a result of your past actions and you will become something depending on what you'll do in this life, your future life or body depends on what you do in this life, so always do good deeds.

There is no point in asking for something to God and neither will he give it you. So always do your duty (dharma) with determination and sincerity while enjoying it.

We should not think of anything in return, we should let go of expectation and think of it as God who is using us to feed the poor person. He is using you to help that poor person and as you're doing this good deed it will come to you in return, as it is a universal law of karma—what goes around comes around.

While doing any duties, first let go of passion and desire and think of it as a sacrifice to God. This will destroy your ego and you'll obtain bliss.

Attaining moksha is not easy and requires a lot of sadhana. Offering food to the poor is one of that sadhana but it is not the only thing which is required. Attaining moksha requires a person to go through some series of steps of which samadhi—taking sanyas—being the final one. Sadhana can also reduce the effects of bad karma of your past life if done wholeheartedly and without attachment and without expectations.

If you want to attain moksha there are plenty of ways but it requires a lot of hard work and sadhana, and being in the state of God himself i.e. Sat Chit Anand, one who has no feelings, who treats everyone equally. One who is not affected by happiness and sadness. Those are the qualities of Brahman. I would suggest asking your Guru as he can only tell you the correct path, depending on your capabilities, Karma Yoga, Dnyan Yoga, Bhakti Yoga or Raja Yoga. I hope you found this useful. Jai Shree Ram!