Authorized Charity

“He worshipped and honored the Brahmanas with many categories of ornaments, gave remuneration and cows with their newly born calves. The cows wore gold necklaces, silk straps and nice garlands. The highly intelligent Vasudeva recollected the cows he had donated in his mind at the time of Krsna’s birth that were all treacherously usurped by Kamsa, therefore he again donated the same amount of cows in Krsna’s name.”

tebhyo ‘dadad daksina gavo rukma-malah svalankrtah
svalankrtebhyah sampujya savatsah ksauma-malinih
yah krsna rama janmarkse mano-datta mahamatih
tas cadadad anusmrtya kamsenadharmato hrtah

PURPORT BY SRI KRSNA BALARAM SWAMIJI

Representations of wealth like paper and plastic currency used in modern times did not exist in Vedic times. God forbid, if by chance a catastrophe occurs and there is scarcity of food, how could anyone survive eating paper and plastic? In Vedic times agricultural things like cows and their products, and precious metals and jewels were forms of wealth, and needed for survival. To help prevent such tragedies from falling upon a person it is advised to give charity to authentic learned Brahmanas, because giving authorized charity reaps good results. But charity given to an unauthentic person invites misfortune, as has been discussed in previous volumes.

[Srimad Bhagavatam, 10.45.27-28, KBS0062]