Bliss

Author(s): Amarmuni
Publisher: Sanmati Gyan Pith Agra

Page 49

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The path to spiritual enhancement
In the family sphere, between the father and son, this emotion is even more intensified. Why does a man earn? Ask him and he will answer, "Whatever I do is for my family, for my children." What this means is that he has erased his identity and merged it with that of his children. Thus he sets his mind to enhance the life of his children. He directs all his energies towards that goal, forgetting himself in the process. The father may live in a hut, but if his son makes a palace of gold, he feels no sorrow, no jealousy. He may not be able to bear his neighbour's success, he may even try to put a spoke in that wheel, but his son's success gives him immense joy.
And the same goes for his son. He is secure in the knowledge that his father would only aspire for him and not any stranger. After all, whatever the father begets today, the son is bound to inherit tomorrow.
In this manner, much intimacy is seen between a father and son. But alas! the web of possessiveness. It has changed this nectar into poison. Wherever the tendency of possessiveness increases and desires spread without any limit, there even nectar becomes poison, and bitterness creeps into the intimacy. Destruction laughs out loud. Possessiveness is the core of all sins.
King Śreņika is becoming old, and his son Kūņika, who is now a young man, feels restless. The desire to rule the kingdom slowly creeps into his mind - he is now waiting to see the empty throne. He thinks, "What a misfortune that my father is not dying! It is time for him to die and for me to rule the kingdom.” Selfishness distorts the vision of life and makes a man blind.
King Sreņika is counting the last hours of his life. Even if longevity favours him, he can barely survive a year or two. And then Kūņika will get the throne. There is no doubt about that. He is the heir-apparent. But Kūņika wants the throne much before his time; he dreams of being seated on it day and night.
Why is Kūņika so restless? It is not as though he is dying of hunger or cold. The grandeur of the empire lies at his feet, for him to use as he pleases, as much as he wishes. There are no