The Hindu : Miscellaneous / Religion : Rein in desire

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 22, 2004

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

Rein in desire

CHENNAI, JUNE 22. Contentment is the most mercurial of objects in life. For with each achievement the goalpost gets pushed further and further. It is for this reason that all religions advocate a moral order, and extort people to exercise control over desire. Yet since we all fall prey to irresoluteness, like monkeys hopping from branch to branch, it is not always possible to strictly adhere to gain mastery over one's senses.

Desire cuts across all strata of society, and takes many forms, said Sri V.V. Natarajan in his discourse on Thirukkural. Affection for the family is a common emotion. A son returning from abroad after years was mobbed at the airport by the entire family. Even while embracing each other joyously, the parents found themselves crying, unable to stem the deluge of emotions. Nothing exemplifies the inherent contradictions in human life better than this real-life experience. We all need to earn for our livelihood but the moral code enunciated by all religions is to shun wealth. In order to attain salvation (moksha), we should lead our lives in conjunction with the principles of dharma, where donating to charity (one-third of one's earnings) is mandatory. In order to do so, money becomes imperative. However, the scriptures say that one should not covet wealth. How do we reconcile with such apparent contradictions?

Thiruvalluvar's Tamil couplets offer practical guidelines for leading a righteous life. While taking into account the indispensability of material acquisitions as the route to liberation, he emphasises the importance of shunning envy. Envy blights one's fortune and casts one into hell. For, even while treading the path of grace one comes to ruin through covetous intentions. It is quite permissible to want the best for one's family, but not when the motive is merely to be seen as better than the next man, by surrounding oneself with the external trappings such as status symbols. The wise who have conquered the senses though poor will not covet other's wealth. Sometimes, fictions portray that it is justifiable to steal or take by unlawful means just that much amount that will help a destitute man feed his mother with one meal. In a famous French novel a man trying to steal bread to feed his eight starving nieces and nephews is apprehended. Clearly, there can be no justifiable cause for taking what belongs to another person. "Those who stand for equity do not commit sinful acts through covetousness." Sage Valmiki, highway robber, saw his wrongs when his family — for whom he was doing all this — refused to partake of his sins.

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