Miscellaneous - Religion   

Man's homecoming

CHENNAI : The majority of people fritter their entire life away in materialistic pursuits without giving any thought to the purpose of their existence. There's no gainsaying that wealth is imperative for worldly life but if it is given priority over all other interests in life then happiness becomes compromised; whereas, there are many pursuits that give immense joy and satisfaction. The example of Midas whose greed for amassing gold resulted in his dear ones turning into gold is best illustrative of how a person can become blind to the simple joys of life in his quest for power and pelf.

In his discourse, Swami Gautamananda said every human being should pursue the spiritual objective in life. The scriptures classify all human quests that make life fulfilling into four — righteousness (Dharma), wealth (Artha), sensory pleasures (Kama) and liberation from bondage (Moksha). Pursuit of one of these ends to the exclusion of the rest will make human life in the world lopsided; so also pursuing the rest without Dharma. Dharma is the foundation of the other three objectives. It enables a person to lead a righteous life in the world and also prepare himself for spiritual life — liberation from rebirths.

Adherence to Dharma is not only essential for the individual but also for society as it is the basis of the entire universe. Just as after engaging in day-to-day activities a person returns to his home, so also, the world is the arena for the bonded soul born as a human being to work out its Karma and return to the home from where it has come — the Supreme Being. It is for this reason that liberation from bondage is allegorically referred to as homecoming.

Why is pursuit of wealth said to be detrimental for spiritual life? For one, there is no limit to it and thus it becomes an obsession beyond a point making the person imbalanced. Besides, a human being has to come to terms with the existential realities of life — that worldly life is ephemeral and sorrowful. Though the world may appear to last longer from the standpoint of human lifespan it is transient when compared to God who is the eternal Reality. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa enabled a grief-stricken lady to come to terms with her sorrow by making her understand the evanescence of worldly life.

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