Wealth

A long time ago I came across a Sanskit verse which goes "Artham anartham bhavaya" which loosely translated means "Regard wealth as filth". "What a wise saying" I thought and proceeded to do just that. So all these years I have had a mild dislike towards wealth aided by the observation that wealth can buy comforts and luxuries but cannot bring happiness. I have never been rich in my life, richness of course being a relative term, but when I look back I realise that all my needs have always been met, my desires for the simple things in life have been fulfilled.

I have come to realise that it is more important to have a sense of abundance, of being rich in spirit, in generosity, in the spirit of giving whether of your possessions or of yourself. When I put a smile on someone's face, I feel rich. Like Martin Luther King Jr said 'Wealth is the least of God's blessings'. So everyday I thank God for the wealth of blessings that he has showered over me, all the love, the grace, the kindnesses, the joy, the abundance. Wealth somehow takes care of itself without my having to bother much about it. There is just the faith that God will provide.

But I no longer regard wealth as filth. I have realised that wealth has its uses, like helping someone short of cash with money required for surgery, like putting a poor child through school, like buying a book which can enrich you with knowledge, like buying a plane ticket to see a dying parent whose sole remaining wish is to see you. I guess the intent of the Sanskrit verse was to point out that one should remain detached from wealth, to not develop greed, to not allow it to stick to our senses as one would not allow filth to stick.