Satsang Inspirational story of the day

Submitted by Makarand Palamwar ji

One day a monk left his ashram and went out to the main street

of the city jiggling a few copper coins in the palm of his hand. As

the beggars thronged around him, he announced that he would

only give the coins to the poorest man in the city. As the

demanding hands pressed him from all sides, he kept saying,

No, it is not you;not you,not you, and he continued walking.

Suddenly the fanfare of trumpets obscured the noise of the city.

Guards hurried down the street to clear away the riff-raff, and

proclaimed that the Maharaja was coming out of his palace on

his royal elephant.
The people lined the street with eager anticipation to make their

obeisance to their king, but the monk stepped in front of the

elephant, and, addressing the king in a loud voice, said,

"O Great Maharaj! I have something for you." And he tossed

the copper coins to the king. The king was astounded and

demanded to know why the monk was being so impertinent."

Your majesty, I made a vow that today I would give this copper

coin to the poorest man in the city."
Me!, screamed the king. I own this city! I own this whole

country! How can you say that I am the poorest man?

Because you have constant hunger for more possessions.

SPIRITUAL COMMENTARY

This is the snare of maya, the cosmic delusion: the more we

feel separated from God, the more we try to fill our life with

possessions, which further deepens our spiritual emptiness.

This constant rush to acquire more things, more sensations,

more people, and more thoughts turns us from divine children

to bestial paupers. "Poverty," as Plato said, consists, not in

the decrease of one's possessions, but in the increase of one's

greed. The solution is to embrace the simple life of inner

renunciation. Be content with whatever we experience. If God

blesses us with much abundance and opportunities ; good.

If God sends us Poverty good. When we have learned how to

keep the mind equally free from attachment or aversion, we

have gained the real wealth of this world.

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