Bhaja Govindam - Post 30

Verse 29

अर्थमनर्थं भावय नित्यं नास्तिततः सुखलेशः सत्यम् ।

पुत्रादपि धनभाजां भीतिः सर्वत्रैषा विहिता रीतिः ॥ २९॥

Arthamanarthaṁ bhāvaya nityaṁ

nāstitataḥ sukhaleśaḥ satyam,

putrādapi dhana bhājāṁ bhītiḥ

sarvatraiṣā vihitā rītiḥ.-

‘Wealth is calamitous’ thus reflect constantly. The truth is that there is not even an iota of happiness to be got from it. To the rich, there is fear even from one’s own son. This is the way with wealth everywhere.

Artham Anartham: This is a beautiful poetical device used at the very start. Artham is ‘wealth’, and Anartham means ‘the opposite of wealth’ as well as ‘calamitous’. 

Together they serve as a lovely poetic couple to emphasize the calamitous nature of wealth. It buys trouble, disease, worries, sensuality, etc. So, it turns out wealth is in fact a burden rather than what it generally promises to be. 

Man is carried away by the great wind of passion and is driven by his rage for enjoyment. 

As wealth facilitates enjoyment, man’s foremost priority in life becomes accumulation of wealth.

The poor wants more and more security and comforts. 

The rich looks down upon the poor on one hand and on the other hand, they are jealous about those who are richer than them.

At times, wherever there is lots of wealth, there is also intense fear. The fears that beset a wealthy man include that of being cheated by the world, cheated by his own family. This is a fact of life in today’s world. For the wealthy man, death stares at him in the form of his own wealth.

Thus, a wealthy man who used to look down upon the poor as less fortunate ones, starts envying the same poor when he sees that though they struggle for even daily meals, they do not have the fear which is killing this wealthy man.

They do not have to even lock their home, for, there is nothing inside for anyone to steal.

From our own life, we can realize that we, our parents, our grandparents and even we, in our childhood, were more happy when our comforts were less. 

Till the time we saw a TV at our home, the chance of getting addicted to serials and movies in TV was not there and hence, we would be mostly be playing outside our home and were more happier than our children, who, with more comforts, are glued either to TV or to Mobile or to indoor games and play stations.

More the wealth, more is the moral laxity and indulgence in pleasures which ultimately beings nothing but diseases, danger and disaster. 

Only if a man knows to use his extra wealth for others welfare and for the service for the needy, he can really be happy. There is joy only in sharing what we have with others, not in the mere possession of it. To that extent, even our spiritual knowledge, our spiritual experience witnesses more and more joy when we share it with others!!

There is nothing unspiritual about having legitimate personal property for necessary food, clothing and shelter etc. But one should not run after wealth in desperation, leaving spiritual goal totally aside.

A relevant extract from a post in KARMA theme in this blog is reproduced here.

DHARMA, ARTHA, KAMA, MOKSHA- 4 PURUSHARTHAS

ARTHA - Total of material requirement, material need. Its importance is well known, and is known as artha, the material unavoidable.

KAMA - There are other insistent desires called kama, or vital wishes to be fulfilled, which are other pressures exerted by the biological personality, which, too, cannot be ignored, as they are part of oneself.

MOKSHA - Aspiration for attainment of God, which is a fulfillment, finally, of the whole complex of desires, physical as well as vital.

DHARMA - It is an ultimate law that keeps the universe in balance, keeps the body, the mind, your reasoning, society and everything in a state of perfect integration so that you feel that you are existing as a total individual and do not feel that you are a mix-up of several parts heaped together in a confused manner.

For DHARMA and MOKSHA, a man should always constantly do Purushartha (efforts) and should never leave it to Prarabdha.

For ARTHA and KAMA he should totally leave them to Prarabdha as he is going to get only that much of wealth (ARTHA) and enjoyment (KAMA) which is destined in his Prarabdha (luck, fate, fortune) and nothing more in spite of all his Purushartha (efforts).

But unfortunately due to the ignorance of this law of Karma he goes in the wrong direction and ultimately he has to lose everything at the end of his life. Instead of making any Purushartha (efforts) for (1) Dharma and (4) Moksha, he totally neglects it or leaves it to Praradbha only. 

While for (2) Artha (wealth) and (3) Kama (enjoyment), he strives all his nerves and makes strenuous efforts (Purushartha) all throughout his life day and night and crazily hankers after them even when he is not going to get anything more than that is destined in his Prarabdha. Thus he fails in both the ways in life by making efforts in opposite and wrong directions.

Human body is given to acquire all these four: (1) Dharma, (2) Artha, (3) Kama and (4) Moksha, in proper sequence.

Dharma is given number 1 (one) in the sequence and wealth comes second. Wealth (ARTHA) earned through the medium of Dharma (ethics and pious deeds) will lead you to worship and wisdom. While the wealth earned by unethical means and sins through crooked ways would lead you to wine and women.

With the wealth acquired through the medium of Dharma he is permitted to enjoy all the amenities of life and satisfy his KAMA, of course, within the limits of Dharma.

Ultimately when he will realize the fruitlessness of enjoyment for sense gratification, which is insatiable, immediately he will realize the fruitfulness of Moksha.

Consequently and subsequently he will renounce and will turn his face for self-realization and liberation from the cycle of birth and death i.e. MOKSHA which is the final target, the ultimate goal and also the main purpose for which he is gracefully given the human body by God.

Love.