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.
