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The main remedy to conquer greed is contentment.
**Yoga Shastra, Fourth Light, Verses 19-22**
**Verse 19:** The poor man desires one hundred, the one who has one hundred desires a thousand, the owner of a thousand desires a lakh, the lakhpati desires a crore, and the crorepati desires to become a king.
**Verse 20:** The king desires to become an emperor, the emperor desires to become a god, and even the god desires to become Indra.
**Verse 21:** Even after attaining the position of Indra, if the desire does not cease, then the initial small greed grows like an arrow.
**Meaning:** A poor man desires one hundred rupees, the one who has one hundred desires a thousand, the owner of a thousand desires a lakh, the lakhpati desires a crore, and the crorepati desires to become a king. The king desires to become an emperor, the emperor desires to become a god, and even the god desires to become Indra. But even after attaining the position of Indra, if the desire does not cease, then the initial small greed grows like an arrow.
**Explanation:**
The meaning of these verses in relation to greed is that just as violence is the greatest sin among all sins, falsehood is the greatest among all actions, and consumption is the greatest among all diseases, so too is greed the greatest vice among all vices. Alas! Greed reigns supreme on this earth. Due to greed, even the one-sensed trees and plants, when they find treasure, cover it up and hold it tight in their roots. Due to greed for wealth, the five-sensed beings also make a place for themselves near buried treasure and stay there in a state of unconsciousness. Serpents, earthworms, mongooses, rats, etc., all five-sensed beings also stay near places of treasure due to greed and attachment. Ghosts, Mudgalas, spirits, pretas, and yakshas also reside on their own or others' wealth due to greed and unconsciousness. Deities also fall from their position and are born in the womb of earth, etc., due to unconsciousness over ornaments, gardens, wells, etc. Even a sadhu, after reaching the state of tranquility and conquering anger, etc., falls back into lower states due to the fault of just a little greed. Just as dogs fight over a piece of meat, so too do brothers born from the same mother fight over a little wealth. A greedy man, in order to claim ownership of a village, mountain, or forest, abandons compassion and creates discord among the villagers, rulers, and kings, making them enemies of each other. Even if a person does not have an excess of laughter, sorrow, hatred, or attachment, he dances like a clown in front of his master due to greed, pretending to be his beloved. The more you try to fill the pit of greed, the deeper it becomes. It is amazing that the ocean can perhaps be filled with water, but even after obtaining the kingdom of the three worlds, the ocean of greed does not fill up. Man has consumed an infinite amount of food, clothing, objects, and wealth, but still, the greed in his mind does not diminish. If greed is abandoned, then what is the use of austerity? And if greed is not abandoned, then what is the use of fruitless austerity? After churning the essence of all scriptures, I have come to the conclusion that the great-minded seeker should strive only to destroy greed.
**Verse 22:** The ocean of greed is very turbulent and difficult to cross. It is difficult to stop its rising tide. Therefore, the wise man should build a bridge of contentment and stop it from advancing.
**Meaning:** Contentment is the opposite mental quality of greed. Just as a dam is built to stop water, so too should a dam of contentment be built to stop the poison of greed and conquer it.
**Explanation:**
Just as the emperor is considered the best among men and Indra is considered the best among gods, so too is contentment considered the best among all qualities. If we compare the happiness and sorrow of a contented sadhu and an unsatisfied emperor, the sadhu will appear to be more joyful and the emperor more sorrowful. The emperor, who is free from attachment due to the desire to drink the nectar of contentment, can abandon his kingdom of six continents in an instant and attain freedom from attachment.