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PHILOSOPHY OF SOUL
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and desires turn out fruitless. The wisest course is to close the inlet from which the water pours in.
The great Aryan sages have preached to us the message of curbing desires, abandoning cravings and welcoming contentment. If we lead our life accordingly we would never fall a prey to miseries, or any sort of anxieties. But today this preaching is neglected and the people seem to be inclined to earn more and enjoy more. The result is discontent all-pervading. At the same time hoarding of wealth, unemployment, strikes, and riots prevail. The entire trend is in the wrong direction but the victims of materialism feel the trend is right and in the right direction.
It is gross illusion to believe that acquisition of money is acquisition of happiness. We know how illiterate persons misuse money when they earn surplus amounts. Therefore it is necessary to cultivate contentment and the right sense of understanding. Contentment when cultivated secures real joy and happiness for the man in any condition. A Sanskrit poet said, “Serpents live on air only, still they are not weak. Eating dry grass the elephants grow strong. The sages maintain themselves with fruits growing in the forest. Thus contentment is the greatest treasure of a man". Lord Manu the author of Hindu Smritis or the scriptures said, “Man desirous of happiness should entertain contentment and restraint of senses. Contentment is the root of happiness and desire is the root of all miseries.
A man with day to day earnings sufficient for the day is happy but a discontented man with heaps of wealth is unhappy. A contented man though alone is happy but the discontented one is miserable with a band of relatives and friends.
You get nervous when any misery or trouble befalls you. You lose your mental poise but in such condition if you reflect thus "Oh soul! this trouble or misery has not arisen uncalled for. They are the products of your own acts performed by you in the previous births. So they have appeared now. You must welcome them. Do not get frightened with them. Miseries befall even a Vasudeva, Chakravarti or even the prophets. You are quite insignificant as compared with them. Patiently endure all these miseries so as to avoid fresh ties of Karmas.
Such thoughts will keep your mind calm and the miseries will stop to act as miseries.
