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The flame of avarice
53
some live in palaces of gold while many do not have a roof over their heads.
One who enjoys the pleasures of material abundance is not justified to preach contentment and non-possessiveness. If you reside in a palace of gold and give lectures on sacrifice and renunciation, it is nothing short of a joke. One who has eaten well cannot sermonize about the significance of fasting to those who have not seen food for days. It would only be a cruel joke and not the way to establish peace. There will be peace in the minds of people when they see their leader as one among them. It is then that the minds of people will experience an awakening, a transformation, and the need to follow in the footsteps of their leader.
This was Mahāvīra's viewpoint. He renounced the palace of his own free will, adorned the sādhu's garb and adopted the life of a mendicant. He did not even keep a thread to his name. Such renunciation is self-willed and great.
Buddha did the same. He also did not find peace as long as he was in the midst of luxuries. When he adorned the garb of a sādhu, he found peace in his heart. His voice then reverberated into the hearts of the masses and they followed his every footstep.
On the contrary, take the example of King Janaka of the Upanişadic period. He did not have a long-lasting effect on the masses. The flames of sacrifice and renunciation glow in his words in the Upanişads, but they are short-lived. The lamp burns, but is soon snuffed out. The reason for this is that he sat on the throne and spoke of non-dualism and the supreme soul. He preached about renunciation while he himself was seated on a luxurious throne of power.
Long before Mahāvīra uttered them, such pearls of wisdom have been mentioned in the Vedānta, that this world is momentary, perishing; but the Vedāntic preachers could not kindle the feelings of sacrifice within themselves. They entered the courts of the kings and emperors and left with thousands of golden-horned cows in exchange for their discourses. No wonder then, that they could not instill this great message into
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