Desires for fulfillment of basic needs of life, for comforts, luxuries, power, fame, wealth, family are there in varying degrees in all of us. Some of us have more desires and some less. But all of us have desire for wealth and comforts of life. It is not wrong to have desires. But where greed overtakes us, life becomes difficult and later on intolerable. There is no end to fulfilling desires. Though we may gather sufficient wealth, and have status, position, etc., we still remain unsatisfied and discontent.
The wants of the body for sufficient and healthy food, clothes, shelter and sleep must be fulfilled. The need for education and knowledge must be provided for. As we move on in life, our needs increase. Those who are moderate in their desires and needs can fulfill them and be content. The desires and needs of the mind are endless. These are based on ego and its need to be bigger and better than others, to prove its point of view and establish its superiority and supremacy. The rage of the mind, the need to control others, the anger, lust, vengeance, attachment, the drive for wealth & position are all needs of the mind that is controlled by the ego. It is very difficult to fulfill the needs of the mind. It is impossible to keep the mind happy and content. Only when we are moderate in our needs, in our greed for wealth and ready to share our wealth and happiness with others, we will find fulfillment and contentment in our lives. The story of the poor farmer and the buried treasure teaches us this truth:
There was a prosperous village and the wealthiest of the villagers decided to bury his entire savings in form of a huge lump of gold in his fields for safety and protection from the thieves and bandits. So he duly buried it in a nearby rice field. Time passed, things changed and the rich farmer died and the village became poor. Most of the people abandoned the village and went elsewhere searching for jobs. The rice field was abandoned and unused. A poor farmer decided to plough the field and grow rice there. As he was ploughing, he struck the long forgotten buried treasure. He thought it was a large rock and dug around it and uncovered the beautiful shining gold. It was high noon and he was scared to take it home with him. So he covered it again and waited for nightfall.
As soon as the darkness fell, the poor farmer went to the fields. He dug up again and uncovered the golden treasure. He tried to lift it but it was far too heavy. He tied ropes around it and tried to drag it out. But it was huge. He could not move it. He was frustrated. He was poor and needy and had found a great treasure. But he was unable to remove it and take it with him.
The farmer sat down and thought over deeply. He decided to break the lump of gold into four parts. Then he would carry the gold piece by piece back to his home. He decided to use one lump for himself for his daily requirements, one lump to be kept aside for emergencies, one lump for investing in farming business and one lump for distributing among the poor and needy and other good work. With a calm mind, the farmer divided the huge lump into four smaller lumps. Then it was easy for him to carry them home on four separate trips. And he lived happily ever after.
Nature is a huge warehouse which provides for all our needs, but not our greed. Let us learn to be moderate in our needs and have judicious usage of resources and gifts given to us. Let us learn to share what we have with the needy. When we use our wealth in the right manner and share, we are blessed with contentment and peace. Let us follow these teachings and other teachings of the Guru, follow the practices of SitaRam mantra and meditation and live a peaceful and happy life.
