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50
The flame of avarice
thought, “This man is thinking hard. I hope he is not considering asking for my throne!" So he ordered, "State quickly whatever it is that you wish for."
As Kapila opened his eyes, he saw the king's anxiety and realized that his greed had aroused suspiscion in the king's heart. He was consumed by repentance and began to think, “Once there was no greed in me, and now that it has crept in, it fills every pore. All I wanted were two grams of gold. But the king said, 'ask for whatever you desire' and the desire became so strong that it was ready to take the entire kingdom from the king. Shame on a mind which cannot contain its desires!"
This desire is like a fire whose flames are fanned by the fuel of greed. Fat does not put out fire, it ignites it. Likewise, the fire of desire can be extinguished not by greed, but only by contentment.
The wisdom that dawned to destroy this greed from its roots set the man on the path of aparigraha. Today he is known to the world as Maharşi Kapila.
One day Maharşi Kapila saw a band of five hundred bandits. Their lives spoke of violence and bloodshed. They had never experienced love, compassion and trust. The light of the Maharşi's words engulfed them and they became his disciples. And one day, that same group of great saints started spreading the message of peace in the world.
Let me narrate an incident from China. Confucius, the wise one, was once approached by the king with a problem. “There is a lot of thievery in the kingdom. Kindly suggest a way to put an end to it”, the king implored.
Confuciu s said, “If you really wish to put an end to theft in the kingdom, then first of all you must stop stealing yourself. Don't let your greed grow. Because of your greed you extract money out of your people to fill your coffers. The day you set your mind free of deceit, thievery and greed, from that very day these thefts will stop too."
I believe that the root cause of all evil lies within us. In
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