“‘धन’ ही नहीं, ‘दुआ’ भी कमाओ…”

Swami ji said…

‘Money’ has cast a spell on us – a spell so magical that none of us ever want its enchanting effect to wear off from us. The satisfaction, confidence and sense of power that is related with money by us – makes us adapt to the requirements of earning it, acquiring and possessing it – quick and fast , by any means. The means of earning it – fair or unfair; dubious or legitimate – do not matter any more. We barely reflect on the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of what we are doing – while making money. Thus , not surprisingly , only a handful of us are content today – making an honest, decent living. The glitter of gold is blinding and emboldens us to compromise wrongly with our scruples, ethics and sense of honour – when it comes to money matters.

Money blinds our sensibilities, as we are in a rush to accumulate it. It is said – ‘Money makes the mare run’ and sadly – the smell of freshly minted currency; the crisp notes and shining coins – is doing exactly the same with us – making us run in their direction.Of course, none of us could survive without food, shelter and clothing – and for our sustenance we need money. We would die of hunger and neglect if we didn’t have any money. Education, our growth and development – can only be realised – if we have enough means to meet these expenditures.

There is also no denying the fact – ‘ घर मैं चीजें तब आती हैं जब हम धन कमाते हैं … ‘ After all, money, not only enables us to buy essential items for our day to day living – but also allows us to indulge in all available material comforts of the world. We stuff our houses with the best of things – the latest appliances, hi-tech gadgets, fancy vehicles and beautiful artefacts. But, somewhere down the road, when resources dry up – we look for refuge in dishonest means of income and resort to devious ways of making a fast buck. Some of us have taken the words – ‘It’s a rich man’s world…’ literally – and focus all our time and energy on making money only. Do we realise that the fruition of every materialistic desire of ours takes us further away from God? The ‘source’ of our income which provides us with our daily bread – plays a pivotal role in determining the state of our physical and mental health. Do we even bother to question ourselves about the kind of money that is coming into our house ? Has it been earned honestly or secured through ill – gotten means? ‘ ऐसे पैसे कामते हुए , हमें किसी की बद्दुआ तो नहीं लग रही ? ‘

We must ask ourselves – is our obsession with money making us insensitive towards our ageing parents, so much so, that we feel that their longevity is depriving us of inheriting their property at the earliest – as we have many personal desires to fulfil. Our wealth could definitely make it possible for us to build our dream house – but we need to remember that a house turns into a home only with the blessings of all those who matter the most to us – our family and relatives…’ क्योंकि जब आप लोगों ki दुआयें प्राप्त करते हैं तो धन के साथ खुशी, अच्छा स्वास्थ्य, बड़ों का आशीर्वाद और स्नेह भी मिलता है…’

Yes, wealth is important – but not at the cost of love, principles and relationships. We must guard ourselves against excessive greed and its ability to take away all that we hold dear from us – in order to become wealthy. Judas willingly betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. His greed for wealth and other reasons made him sacrifice even the Son of God. In the end, there was only repentance, misery and death awaiting Judas. His wealth could not shield him from the anguish that he suffered in his final moments. What could have saved him was God’s Grace ! His name was tarnished forever and stands synonymous with ‘traitor’ ever since then. We must thus beware the devastating ruin that greed for wealth alone can bring upon our lives … but , blessings that pour from a loving and grateful heart , go a long way in shaping our destiny.