[Advaita-l] Jagadguru Speaks: Say No to Greed

[S Jayanarayanan]

 (Around the beginning of the month, a nugget of Wisdom from the Jagadguru may be posted on the advaita-l list,
as on the Chaturamnaya list: http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/chaturamnaya )

http://svbf.org/journal/vol11/JagadguruSpeech.pdfhttp://svbf.org/newsletters/wp-content/uploads/paramartha-tattvam-articles/vol3no2.pdf

Man has the natural urge to lead a happy life. And he goes about doing everything to ensure it.
But he ought to set himself a limit.

For, happiness will elude him if, in spite of everything in abundance, he craves for more and more.
Contentment is most essential for man. Without it, one will not be happy even if he gets everything
that is in the world.

 yat.h pR^ithivyaaM vriihiyavaM hiraNyaM pashavaH striyaH .
 ekasyaapi na paryaaptaM tadityatitR^ishhaM tyajet.h ..
 
 (Similar verse in the Mahabharata, Adi Parva:
 
 yat.h pR^ithivyaaM vriihiyavaM hiraNyaM pashavaH striyaH .
 ekasyaapi na paryaaptaM tasmAnnR^iShNAM parityajet ..)

If desires are allowed to multiply, all the objects in the world will not suffice to meet the needs of
even one man. Hence one should give no quarter to greed.

The Lord says in the Gita:
 yadR^ichchhAlAbhasantuShTo dvandvAtIto vimatsaraH .
 samaH siddhAvasiddhau cha kR^itvApi na nibadhyate .. (4.22)

One should be happy with what has fallen to one's lot. He alone will be happy who has the disposition that
he needs no more.

The Rishis, though dwelling in forests, lived happily. There was no question of material riches there.
However, they were rich in one thing -- contentment, and that made them happy.

If man wants to progress spiritually, contentment is very essential. Our contentment will depend on the
extent to which we reduce our wants.

Therefore, giving up greed, we should strive to cultivate contentment.