Upanishads are part of the Vedas. It has been clearly emphasized in them that human beings cannot be satisfied with wealth. Vedas present their true knowledge ever since human got civilized and we often come across such teachings. Even then, with all our efforts we are after money and putting ourselves more and more in misery.
न वित्तेन तर्पणीयो मनुष्यो
लप्स्यामहे वित्तमद्राक्ष्म चेत्त्वा ।
जीविष्यामो यावदीशिष्यसि त्वं
वरस्तु मे वरणीयः स एव ॥ २७॥na vittena tarpaṇīyo manuṣyo
lapsyāmahe vittamadrākṣma cettvā .
jīviṣyāmo yāvadīśiṣyasi tvaṃ
varastu me varaṇīyaḥ sa eva .. 27..
Meaning:
This verse comes under 1st Valli of chapter 1 as verse no. 27 in Katha Upanishad, where Nachiketa in discussion with Yamraj (Death God) refuses the possession of wealth and asks for True Knowledge of the Infinite. Yamraj tries to persuade him to ask for the wealth of this world but Nachiketa is resolute in his decision and does not go for that. He becomes a real seeker of the truth and finally gets it.
Money: a need but not over peace
We agree that we need money for our basic needs but chasing it with all our efforts is not beneficial. Where we are at this juncture of civilization, it needs to focus that money is a need but our main focus should be towards promoting peace and humanity. Without these, we are doomed to fail as we see today.
No doubt, advancements should be made in every possible field but betterment of human beings should be at the top of the mind. Although our technical and scientific advancements are praiseworthy they are not human-centric. We are making such advancements in the field of medicine which are tremendous to save precious human lives but developments of weapons of mass destruction that have the capacity to wipe out humanity are not welcome.
Ultimately, we are here with a purpose. Whatever advancements we make, this purpose should be kept in mind.
Humanity : A concrete step towards peace
If humanity is prospering, peace and brotherhood are prospering, and people are living happily with each other – this is what is real progress.
The other day I was talking with my son about the progress and I told him: In one of the models, Government develops nice roads and beautiful parks with all the required amenities. People are not civilized in this model. They are not respectful of nature and its bounties.
In the other model, people are civilized and the infrastructures available to them are normal – not nice roads and beautiful parks. They love nature and respect each other. Humanity abounds with them.
Now, which model would be successful, long-lasting, and nature friendly? Without any doubt, that model would be preferred which has humanity in its center and where nature is cared for.
If a person is trained in humanity, he would be an asset to society. But if he is not trained in humanity, he would be an element to disintegrate society.
Do we have the resolute decision like that of Nachiketa to go for that real thing, the truth, the Knowledge? Taking this decision doesn’t mean that you will have to put aside the world you live in. While living comfortably one can get that Knowledge – the knowledge of Self which Nachiketa finally got from his guru and guide Yamraj.
Often people are of the view that in order to get that Knowledge one has to leave this world and go to some cave in the Himalayas. This is not true. We acquire many types of knowledge in this world for our benefit. Self- Knowledge is knowledge of your real self having the utmost importance in your life.
When Lord Krishna reveals the Raj-Vidya (king of Knowledge) in the battlefield to Arjuna, He is talking of the same Knowledge – Knowledge of the Self. The shloka goes like this:
राजविद्या राजगुह्यं पवित्रमिदमुत्तमम् ।
प्रत्यक्षावगमं धर्म्यं सुसुखं कर्तुमव्ययम।।
Rajvidya rajguhyam pavitramidmuttmam
Pratyakshavagamam dharmyam susukham kartumavyayam.
(Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta Chapter 9 verse 2)
It is the king of knowledge – the highest knowledge. It is the top-most secret. It is pure and it is unique. One can directly or practically know it. It is in accordance with the religion. It provides happiness and peace and it doesn’t take anything to do it.
Such is the trait of that Raj-vidya or the Knowledge of Self. Should one not go for this? Does one not have a resolute conviction to know it? It has everything one looks for in this world.
The knowledge of the Self is the key to true happiness
The way we look for various knowledge in this world, likewise we can search for the True Knowledge of Self. For knowledge of this world, we go to various institutes but for this knowledge, one has to go to a person who masters it. There is no institution for it.
This way, by knowing it, we can fulfill the purpose of our coming to this world. Now, the man who gets it is the complete man. Humanity radiates from him. He may not be wealthy in the eyes of the world, but he is really prosperous and experience true happiness.
