Tamil Saint Tiruvalluvar in his Tirukkural talks about help and gratitude.
He says: you help someone and the recipient of the help does not reciprocate, or you don't get any return or reward for the help you have given, then it becomes a great asset for you.
Helping and getting a return is just a transaction, give and take, it ends there.
Helping someone and not getting anything in return is an investment.
It will come back to you multiplied many times when you are in need of help sometime in the future.
If that doesn't happen, then you are assured of a punyaloka after this life is over.
The Saint says that even a place in Swargaloka is not a good enough return for the help rendered without expecting anything in return.
Timing is very important when you help someone.
In a time of need, even a small help would matter a lot.
Someone is about to fall off a running bus.
Giving him a helping hand at that time can save his life.
You don't have to organize events to help the poor if you don't have the resources.
Doing such small things when there is a need has much bigger value.
When you help someone, it is not how much it is worth to you that matters, it is how much it is worth to the recipient that matters.
Ten rupees may not be a big amount for you.
But look at its value for a man who has been starving for two or three days because he doesn't have money.
The Saint compares this to a mustard seed and a palm tree.
The help that you have given may look like a mustard seed to you, but for the recipient, it could be as big as a palm tree.
Equally important is to have gratitude for the help that you have received.
Good people will not forget the help received for seven lives.
Even if someone has lost all good qualities, he can still be reformed and saved.
But a person who doesn't have gratitude, he can never be saved.