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Sikh Concept of Charity

"The Sikh concept of charity or dan is not merely ‘giving alms’. It stands for service. The exhortation of dan was meant to create an economic agency, which through offerings made to the Gurus served to keep the Sikh Langars (free kitchen) alive. Later on, it crystallized into the institution of Daswand and the Gurus established masands for its collection.
The Sikhs were given the realization that their concern was not merely their personal salvation, but being members of a community they also had a large set of duties and responsibilities. The ideal of service in this larger context became intimately bound up with the concept of the Sikh Brotherhood or Sikh Sangat. So the ideal of service for the Sikh ceases to be merely individualistic and involves a sense of corporate responsibility. A corporate sense could only arise if certain obligations were made definite and universal so that the character of a corporate liability is evolved."

The Sikh Gurus and the Temple of Bread
- Parkash Singh

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