Wealth & Dependency

Shankara then discusses about Wealth. What is wealth? "Worldly possessions"

So it isn't just the money and the house. Its EVERY"THING"!

But Shankara isn't telling us to leave it all or to give up the pursuit of wealth or to stop enjoying it. Not at all! In fact Shankaracharya says "Earn & Enjoy"!! 

But what Shankaracharya asks us to renounce is the insatiable craving for possessing wealth!! 

Why? 

Because wealth is never enough. It is important in order to live life. In fact, in our culture, we worship wealth in the form of Mother Lakshmi. But an insatiable lust for worldly possessions is also what causes stress, crime, corruption. 

Here some analysis would help...

Why do i want Wealth? 

To enjoy myself n be happy!

But if wealth takes away my happiness n makes me selfish and stressed out, is it still worth pursuing wealth?

Some of us educated people may say "I am not after wealth". But dont we all want the latest phone/car/dress/jewellery/etc? How is it different?

Our lifestyle becomes our identity. So much so, that if we cant afford the MacDonalds and the Dominos, or send our children to the best International Schools, we start losing confidence, feeling miserable n helpless...as if life otherwise is not worth even talking about!!!

For the sake of wealth, we sacrifice our Family, our health, our values, our peace of mind!!

We feel so deluded by wealth that we feel we can do anything if we have money.

Our dignity as human beings is determined by how much wealth we possess. So we talk of "class" and dont interact much with ppl of another class!! 

Loss of wealth sometimes even makes some people suicidal!! Can you imagine! 

"A place for Everything and Everything in its Place" they say. It is NOT WRONG to own wealth. But it is important we know its place. 

We need to keep wealth rightly placed. It IS VERY IMPORTANT. Without Lakshmi, even Narayana can't run the World. 

Desiring wealth also is not wrong. Why not? 

Artha(Pursuit of Wealth) is one of the 4 most important human goals as per scriptures. So yes, "Earn & Enjoy"! But DO NOT DEPEND. 

Dependancy Tests-

1) If all my wealth is taken away n i become a pauper, will i be able to smile and say "Its ok. We can do it again. May be not as much as before. But we can"? If i can, it shows that i know that human potential means more than money power.

2) At least once in a year, live in an ashram for a week - WITHOUT COMFORTS & LUXURIES - like ordinary people do. N watch how badly you miss the wealth. Then u will know how dependent on wealth you are.

3) During the month of Shraavan or any holy month, instead of not eating, try NOT SPENDING. Dont touch or transact in cash or card at all. See what happens!! We suddenly realise how much we depend on our "Spending Power"! It gives us all a great sense of security to be able to just spend! THINK

4) When you do charity, always force urself to give a little more than you are comfortable giving. That's the reason, in our culture they always add 1! So if u can give £100 or $100 or Rs.100, give 101!! The idea is to give a little more than what is comfortable. See yourself losing a little bit of that which the mind is attached to.

5) Share what you are attached to. If it is the house, offer it out for some community service (eg.a Satsang). If it is the car, offer it for some community use once in a while(may be to take patients to hospital). Idea is, when i share what i am attached to, i realise how possessive i m about it. A small scratch, a little misuse makes me hate the very person who may have caused it!! Think!

When we realise our dependency, it is important to make efforts and think clearly. Life is not to be taken for granted. Anything can happen at any time. If i lose my dear ones, what will i do with all this wealth n comfort? Will it still be worth it? Will my bank balance really matter to me on my death-bed? I wont be able to take along a single thing! Then why am i constantly living dependent and stuck to such stuff? 

Earn & Enjoy! But never be overwhelmed. Remember, Narayana can't run the world without Lakshmi, but Lakshmi is always at His feet!

Practice: List down 51 things that you have which money can't buy. Yes, it should be 51. Not lesser!!! Try.

Quote: The Most Valuable Things in Life are not Things - Guruji