Balanced Attitude Towards Wealth
ईशावास्यं इदं सर्वं यत् किञ्च जगत्यां जगत।
तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जिथाः मा गृधः कस्य स्विद् धनम् ॥1॥
Om îsHâ vâsyamidaM sarvaM yat kiñca jagatyâM jagat,
tena tyaktena bhuñjîthâ mâ gRidhaH kasya sviddhanam. 1.
The Isha Upanishad present a balanced view towards wealth like all other social and ethical values. In its very first verse 'tyagten bhunjitha' it warns against coveting wealth. It rather explains the real status of wealth in life,suggesting that wealth is not a real value, being external to life. We treat wealth as our possessions,but in reality it is not our own, as it remains external to our being. Its value is only an instrumental value as a means to higher ends of life. It can serve as a valuable resource only when it is integrated with a spiritual attitude towards life. Thus, spiritualisation of wealth and other means of life is the opening gospel of Isha Upanishad.
Common happiness being the objective test of spiritualisation of wealth, such an attitude of economic value can be construed as economic socialism, which alone can ensure social justice. There is no place for greed and personal aggrandisement in such an economic view. Hence,the Isha Upanishad advises economic contentment with the rider of abandonmentof greed.
Moreover, verse 15 towards the end of Isha Upanishad indicates the likely illusion if the opening gospel is not followed:
hiranmayena patrena saryasyaplitaM mukham
tat tvaM pu Sannapav Rinu satyadharmayad RiSTaya(Isha-15)
" The face of Truth is covered with a brilliant golden lid,that do thou remove,OFosterer, for the law of truth, for sight."
Amassing of wealth makes a man vain and deludes him away from truth. Infatuation of wealth blinds one's vision of truth. It has been stated that a cup or cover of gold conceals the truth from his vision. It is only vision of spiritual reality or grace of God ,which can remove this golden covering and can help a truth-loving man to see the truth. This can be possible only when one visualises the world as a kingdom of God and enjoys things with contentment but without greed, as a sacred gift from God, with full understanding that the wealth of the world is not his property and it is also not his integral being. Afterall,whose wealth it is all this? None.except His.
This balanced economic view enshrined in the Isha Upanishad first presents this principle of right economic adjustment, which can also be conducive to spiritual salvation,and then in the end it also indicates the delusion which results from lust/infatuation of wealth and also the need of dispelling this delusion for realisation of truth in life. Thus,this view of Isha Upanishad reconciles material life with spiritual salvation of man..
All this proves the moderate economic view of the Upanishadic sages, which is 'tyagten bhunjitha' i.e. enjoy with contentment but abjuring greed. Such a view presents a restricted and qualified recognition of economic value,which is, ultimately, in consonance with the spiritual view of life.
vedaprakasha
http://www.ethicalvaluesinishopanisad.blogspot.com/
ईशावास्यं इदं सर्वं यत् किञ्च जगत्यां जगत।
तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जिथाः मा गृधः कस्य स्विद् धनम् ॥1॥
Om îsHâ vâsyamidaM sarvaM yat kiñca jagatyâM jagat,
tena tyaktena bhuñjîthâ mâ gRidhaH kasya sviddhanam. 1.
The Isha Upanishad present a balanced view towards wealth like all other social and ethical values. In its very first verse 'tyagten bhunjitha' it warns against coveting wealth. It rather explains the real status of wealth in life,suggesting that wealth is not a real value, being external to life. We treat wealth as our possessions,but in reality it is not our own, as it remains external to our being. Its value is only an instrumental value as a means to higher ends of life. It can serve as a valuable resource only when it is integrated with a spiritual attitude towards life. Thus, spiritualisation of wealth and other means of life is the opening gospel of Isha Upanishad.
Common happiness being the objective test of spiritualisation of wealth, such an attitude of economic value can be construed as economic socialism, which alone can ensure social justice. There is no place for greed and personal aggrandisement in such an economic view. Hence,the Isha Upanishad advises economic contentment with the rider of abandonmentof greed.
Moreover, verse 15 towards the end of Isha Upanishad indicates the likely illusion if the opening gospel is not followed:
hiranmayena patrena saryasyaplitaM mukham
tat tvaM pu Sannapav Rinu satyadharmayad RiSTaya(Isha-15)
" The face of Truth is covered with a brilliant golden lid,that do thou remove,OFosterer, for the law of truth, for sight."
Amassing of wealth makes a man vain and deludes him away from truth. Infatuation of wealth blinds one's vision of truth. It has been stated that a cup or cover of gold conceals the truth from his vision. It is only vision of spiritual reality or grace of God ,which can remove this golden covering and can help a truth-loving man to see the truth. This can be possible only when one visualises the world as a kingdom of God and enjoys things with contentment but without greed, as a sacred gift from God, with full understanding that the wealth of the world is not his property and it is also not his integral being. Afterall,whose wealth it is all this? None.except His.
This balanced economic view enshrined in the Isha Upanishad first presents this principle of right economic adjustment, which can also be conducive to spiritual salvation,and then in the end it also indicates the delusion which results from lust/infatuation of wealth and also the need of dispelling this delusion for realisation of truth in life. Thus,this view of Isha Upanishad reconciles material life with spiritual salvation of man..
All this proves the moderate economic view of the Upanishadic sages, which is 'tyagten bhunjitha' i.e. enjoy with contentment but abjuring greed. Such a view presents a restricted and qualified recognition of economic value,which is, ultimately, in consonance with the spiritual view of life.
vedaprakasha
http://www.ethicalvaluesinishopanisad.blogspot.com/
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