All of us need food, clothing, shelter and protection. We need some comforts and if possible, a few luxuries. We always seek to improve what we have and what we can acquire. All this is acceptable. But when our desire for the items of need, comforts and luxuries, are more than what we can consume and we seek to hoard them and not permit others to use them, we become greedy. We seek to usurp the wealth others possess without working for it. Greed exists all over the world and is not a characteristic of any particular nation, religion, caste, creed or sex.
We have the instinct to hoard and collect. This is a protective instinct which serves as a fall back when times are bad or when we are unable to procure food and other necessities. The need for more is always for material things. The more material things we collect, the more troubles we invite. We face jealousy, criticism, hatred and bitterness from others and we feel the same towards those who have more than us. We are not able to appreciate what we have and enjoy them. The story of the cowherd and the crystal ball illustrates the same:
There was a small village whose people were always smiling and happy. The children played in the gardens and the sounds of their laughter echoed around the village. Just outside the village lived a young cowherd with his parents and grandparents. Each morning he used to take the cows to a suitable place to graze and bring them back home in the evening. One day while herding his cows, the boy saw a wonderful light behind a flower bush. He went near the bush to see it and found a near transparent crystal ball. It was beautiful and glowing like the rainbow. When the boy picked up the ball carefully, he heard a voice from inside the ball speak out: You can make one wish. I will fulfil it. The boy was wonderstruck. There were so many things he wanted. He could not decide which wish he wanted to be fulfilled. So he decided to wait till he was sure of what he wanted. He wrapped the crystal ball in a piece of cloth and hid it in the bush. The next morning when he went back to the same place, he had not decided what to wish for because he really had everything he needed.
As the days passed, the young boy was very cheerful and the villagers were amazed at his sunny disposition. One day a boy from the village followed the cowherd. He saw the cowherd remove the crystal ball, gaze at it and put it back in the hiding place. After the cowherd left for home, the boy from the village went to the flower bushes and removed the ball and took it to the village. He showed everyone the ball. When one of the villagers took the ball in his hand and turned it, the voice from within the ball spoke out: You can make one wish. I will fulfil it. Every villager took the ball in his hand and made a wish. Some asked for a bag of gold, some wanted a large garden, some needed bigger homes, some desired palaces, some yearned for baskets full of jewels.
Unhappiness spread throughout the village like wildfire. All their wishes were fulfilled just like they had asked. But their neighbour had something which they did not have. The one who had gold did not have a palace and the one who had a large home did not have walls of gold. The villagers became jealous, angry and bitter. They stopped talking to each other. There was no empty place left in village for the children to play and they could not play and laugh. Only the young cowherd and his family were happy and smiling.
The villagers consulted each other and decided on the course of action. They all went with the young boy and returned the crystal ball to the young cowherd. They explained to him what had happened to them. The cowherd said that he had not made a wish and would do so for the happiness of the village. He wished that everything in the village got back to its original state. And so it happened. Once again the village was full of happiness and the children played about shouting with laughter.
We should appreciate what we have and not keep seeking more. By doing, so we make ourselves unhappy. Greed creates anger, unhappiness, jealousy and bitterness. When such vices cloud our mind and pollute it, we cannot live in peace. Regular japa of SitaRam, meditation and following the teachings of the Guru help to eliminate the vices of the mind including greed. When we are content with what we have, we have indeed gained the great divine treasure of peace.
