Swami Swaroopananda

It is absolutely false to think that spirituality or the right way of living is opposed to materialism and wealth. The Vedas do not condemn wealth; in fact, the bulk of the scriptures are devoted to the production of wealth. Some of the wealthiest institutions in the world, such as the Vatican and the Tirupati Temple are religious and have succeeded in both the production and management of wealth.

Let us not be hypocrites. Everyone wants wealth. Nonetheless, most people are envious of others who are affluent and because of this envy there is condemnation and disgust for wealth. This inner conflict prevents one from achieving and producing more wealth. Wealth itself is not to be denounced. It is necessary for the prosperity of the society. The rishis did not censure wealth but the greed for wealth. Actually, in India, wealth is worshipped as Goddess Lakshmi. However, one has to understand the meaning of materialism and spirituality and then one will comprehend the true implication of wealth, its place, significance, use and benefit in our life.

The sages of India invoked the Lord of wealth to create prosperity and success in society. The Ishavasya Upanishad clearly points out that those who neglect spirituality descend to a world of greater darkness, but those who ignore materialism also fall into darkness. Those who live a mere materialistic life, an acquisitive selfish life, dwell in ignorance and those who live a life of spirituality, neglecting the world, plunge, as though, into greater darkness. Therefore, both have to be integrated. Materialism without spirituality is sheer sensual greed, which causes havoc in the world, and spirituality without materialism can lead to greater suffering for the unprepared. The advice is to remove poverty, reach a comfortable sphere to practice spirituality and through spirituality rise above all needs and desires to gain freedom and eternity.

Time is Wealth

Wealth includes all natural resources. Intelligent use of these resources produces assets and affluence. Bhaja Govindam by Shankaracharya is a simple composition about the art of living. The first verse is about time management and the second one discusses wealth management. Time is the most precious commodity that we have; time is wealth and should be invested properly. Intelligent use of time produces long lasting results. The secret of greater profits is the judicious investment of time. To use time properly, one must be clear about the goals and purpose of life and set them in such a way that they are long lasting and satisfying.

Moreover, why settle for the least? The rishis ask us to gain the Infinite. Why acquire something finite and limited? Therefore, don’t waste time in unproductive things. For example, in the corporate world, if profits are insufficient, the business is closed down. On the contrary, when it comes to life management we are totally confused; we go on performing useless activities, which hardly bring any growth or production in life, but never stop to think. Therefore, to begin with, one must understand how to manage time.

Wealth is a Means, Not the Goal

The problem is that our entire life is dissipated in acquiring the means and the goal is never reached. We get stuck with the means. Wealth is a means, wealth is not the goal of life. Unfortunately, today, every youngster wants to be a millionaire. One may have all the wealth in the world, but if it is not used intelligently to fulfill one’s needs and desire for happiness, it is useless. Shankaracharya, out of his infinite compassion, points out that a person wasting his life in such a way is indeed deluded.

The majority of one’s life goes in worrying about wealth and the remaining in trying to produce it with the result that people who claim to be amassing riches for their families are actually neglecting them. During a number of business seminars, I have discovered that most of the top management people are facing family problems. If family life is not comfortable and peaceful, if wife and children are not happy, what is the use of all the wealth?

Thus wealth is a means, wealth is not to be rejected; it is the greed for wealth that has to be given up. Greed has no limits whatsoever. One thinks one will be satisfied with one million, but does it end there? From millionaire to billionaire there will always be desire for more. Avarice has no satisfaction. Guru Nanak has declared that even the entire treasure of the world will not satisfy an acquisitive person seeking wealth. Leo Tolstoy asked, “How much land does a man need?” In his story the man is promised as much land as he can cover walking in a single day. His avarice was such that he exhausted himself walking and fell down dead by sunset. He needed just enough land to be buried!

The greed for wealth prompts man to wreak untold suffering on humanity. Take the example of Alexander, the king, who conquered, plundered, and inflicted atrocities on people to satisfy his greed for wealth. It is said that when he was dying he wanted an inscription on his tomb, “The emperor of the world leaves it empty-handed!” However, it is debatable whether a person who had ransacked so many countries could have had the sagacity to give such a precious message to the world at the time of his death. There is probably more truth in the story that when Alexander’s coffin was being taken out on the streets, his dead body broke it open and his hand came up saying, “Give me more! Give me more!” Greed for wealth does not die even with death.

Keep Wealth in its Right Place

The greed for wealth arises from delusion. When we do not place things in their right perspective, some objects are given an inflated value, while others are neglected. As mentioned earlier, life has to be seen, not in parts but in its entirety. We give undue importance to wealth and so life is exhausted in accumulating wealth. Wealth is to be kept in its appropriate place.

When I was a teenager, the arrival of one of my cousins from abroad caused great excitement. All of us gathered around him curious to see his imported acquisitions. Finally, he took out his shoes and asked us to guess the price. He was thoroughly amused at our lack of knowledge about the famous Bally shoes and left us speechless at the astronomical cost of US $ 300. The old maid who had brought up my cousin was also present and was aghast – Rs 15,000 for a pair of shoes! The next day my cousin was unable to find his shoes. After a whole morning of confusion, it was discovered that the maidservant had wrapped them in a piece of white cloth, placed them on the top shelf of a cupboard and locked it. “How can you wear such expensive shoes on these dirty Mumbai streets?” she asked.

Now, a hat may cost Rs 10 and a pair of shoes Rs 15,000, but the hat is worn on the head and the shoes on the feet. Wealth has got its use. Wealth is essential to provide us with the necessaries of life, therefore, produce and acquire wealth, but keep it in the right place.

The problem lies in the erroneous notion that wealth gives happiness. Wealth can buy comforts, never happiness. Wealth can buy food, not hunger. Wealth can buy sycophants and followers, not friends. With wealth one can make many enemies, but one cannot buy love. Wealth can buy locks but not security. By itself wealth does not really give happiness, so do not give it an inflated value. Give up the greed for wealth.

It seems that this is contrary to modern management counsel, which insists that one must always want more, that one must have higher ambitions. Greed for wealth may be a driving force but when the time comes to enjoy it, one suffers from blood pressure, heart attack and diabetes. For example, people invite me to their luxurious beach resorts but they themselves are so busy earning money to pay off mortgages that their servants are enjoying the palatial houses. Look at the irony of life!

The greatest wealth is peace of mind. Therefore, practical wisdom is to live with whatever one earns by one’s honest effort and to entertain one’s life with that. This is the difference in attitude between the East and the West.

Some time ago, while in the United States, I questioned a company executive on the criteria he applied in the selection of his officers. He replied, “We employ a person who has a large mortgage, a good standard of living and sends his children to private schools. Such a person will work and be dedicated to the company. On the other hand, if we employ someone who doesn’t need anything he may leave us whenever he wants.”

So the philosophy of the East is to live in happiness and contentment with the product of one’s honest labor and efforts. Ambition and desire for further achievement is not to be negated. If you can, don’t settle for thousands, go for crores, but live with whatever you can honestly earn.

There are two kinds of people in India, who are considered to be excellent in business. The first kind of people make money and immediately display its affluence in the form of ornate houses, Mercedes cars, diamond jewellery, and beautiful clothes. The other category of people also make millions but live in small flats. They produce more but live a simple life. If you earn a thousand, live by a thousand, if you earn a lakh, live by a lakh, if you earn millions, live by millions, but live by your means, not by your greed. I travel all around the world, but nowhere do I see such joyful faces as in India, where one can hear joyous laughter even in the slums because people live within their income.

That is the art – live within your means. Hence, the Ishavasya Upanishad counsels us not to covet another’s wealth. Don’t live by contracting debts. Work and live with whatever you produce by your efforts. Greed has no limit, provide for your needs and when your needs are satisfied, there is peace.

In India we have never condemned wealth. In fact, during Diwali, wealth is worshipped as Lakshmi. She is wedded to Narayana, she is the spouse of the Lord. He cannot fulfill his role as the Preserver without her. Therefore, Lakshmi is to be worshipped; she stays at the Lord’s feet, but she makes us dance because we keep her on our heads. Here wealth refers not just to money but also to your house, family, life, name and fame, and most important of all, to inner values.

See Wealth as Mother Lakshmi

Today, Diwali is celebrated as a festival to wear beautiful clothes, eat sweets and burn firecrackers, but the significance of the real festival has been lost. The same Vedic culture, which has declared that there is nothing in the world other than God, has also given us a rich range of deities to worship. Each image represents a certain aspect of life that has to be developed. Lakshmi or wealth has been personified as a beautiful attractive woman.

Wealth is wedded to the Lord; therefore she must be beautiful, pure, and worthy of Lord Narayana. There is no creation, preservation or productivity without wealth. We worship her as Mother Lakshmi because if we see her as our mother, we will have no insecurities. A mother is shared by all her children; you are secure in a mother’s love, she will always bless you. If you worship her as a mother, would you take her to gambling dens? Would you make her dance in nightclubs? Would you drown her in alcohol? Would you abuse her in such a way? Would you take your mother to these places? Think about it. If you think of wealth as your mother, would you not share her with your brothers? With this attitude one will understand the right use of wealth.

This vision is beautifully embodied in the characters of Ravana and Hanuman; both sought Seeta, i.e. Lakshmi. Ravana wanted to hoard and keep her for his enjoyment. She burnt his entire Lanka. He lost everything - his children, his name, his fame and finally his life. On the other hand, Hanumanji saw her as his Mother and she made him the granter of wealth and powers.

Excessive Wealth Corrupts

Lakshmi is also personified as the very nature of wealth. She is a beautiful woman and her temperament is said to be chanchalam and chapalam-she is unsteady and can never remain at a single place for a long time. She comes at her will and she goes at her will. Being the Queen of the Universe, she is vibrant and dazzling and her long sari is studded with gold and jewels. But when she leaves, she sweeps away everything.

Therefore, Shankaracharya advises us not to be proud or vain about wealth; one shake of Mother Earth causes buildings to collapse and in a minute everything is wiped away. Remember, wealth comes and wealth goes.

Here is an enlightening story. One day Mr. Devil arrived on earth and looked around to see how to increase his following. He came across a poor farmer who worked the whole day in the heat of the sun and ploughed the ground, sustaining himself on a few chapattis, onions and chutney. Devil decided to steal his food, make him utter foul words and thus catch him. Contrary to Devil’s expectations, when the hungry and thirsty farmer discovered the theft of his meal, he said, “O Lord, someone more needy than me must have taken it. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve.”

Disappointed and shocked, Devil packed up and returned to hell. Seeing him sitting dejected and unhappy without his normal grin, his apprentice, Hot Stuff, asked him what was wrong. “God is in demand these days. I am out of business,” Devil replied. “Let’s cut our losses and stay back in hell. Better not invest time and effort. I steal away a hungry man’s only meal and he gives glory to God!”

“Master, give me some time and I will make him swear foul words.”

“Can you really?” Disciples are greater than their gurus when it comes to creating more evil!

Hot Stuff, disguised as a young man, went to the farmer and asked him for a job. He offered free services in return for a meal and a place to sleep. He worked hard, sincerely ploughed the land, increased fertility, suggested crop rotation and augmented the production. The farmer was able to pay off his debts and his granary was full of grain. While he was sitting and smoking his hukka, the apprentice suggested, “Master, you have so much grain. Let us throw a party and let everyone know about your prosperity. Let’s grind the grain and make wine and call all the people of the village and let the river of alcohol flow!” The farmer was elated with the idea.

Immediately Hot Stuff sent an e-mail to Mr. Devil, “Mission accomplished!”

Devil arrived and to his great surprise and pleasure saw the farmer drunk, proud, arrogant, using indecent words and mistreating people. He asked, “How did you do it?”

Hot Stuff replied, “When man is in need and something is taken from him, he remembers God. He has to work to make ends meet and has no idle time to waste in dishonest activities; but if you give him more than his needs, he becomes vain, proud and drunk with arrogance; then you can make him do anything!”

Unnecessary and excessive wealth hoarded for selfish reasons is calamitous. Sometimes the children become corrupt and useless, even to the extent that they fight and kill the parents to obtain wealth.

So firstly, gain peace and happiness by earning and living through honest efforts. In Bhaja Govindam Shakaracharya has clearly pointed out that wealth earned by unfair methods and used unethically causes tragedy. We can see it happening all around us. Wealth does not even contain a trace of happiness. It is how it is earned and how it is spent that gives happiness.

Secondly, adopt the right attitude and see wealth as a mother, not as a mistress. And thirdly, do not become proud of wealth, as she does not remain continuously with anyone.

The Secret of Wealth Management

How can wealth be beneficial and permanent? It is important to understand the secret by which wealth can be a blessing rather than a curse, a means of well-being and happiness rather than a passport to insecurity and misery. The secret is that even though Lakshmi’s nature is chanchalam and chapalam, she remains eternally wedded to the feet of Narayana. If one keeps Narayana, the Lord of the universe in one’s heart, Lakshmi can never leave. She will follow you, beg you to receive her, but the moment you hoard and trap her, she is capable of destroying you.

However, the Lord does not reside in all hearts but only in those hearts that dedicate themselves to the service of others. Just as a lake, which hoards all the water, without receiving and giving out rivulets, decays, breeds worms, dries up and finally comes to an end, our hoard of wealth perishes if there is no movement. Rivers of wealth come to those people who have large hearts.

Guru Nanak states that the Lord never gets tired of giving, but we get exhausted because our hearts are so small. The whole world, with its resources, is open to pour wealth into, but our vision, our life and our hearts are so small that we cannot think of further productivity. A noble and higher goal generates greater potential and capacity within, thereby increasing production.

For example, when you were a young man, your goal was just to earn a few thousands and you were happy. When you had a wife to look after, you started working harder, seeking promotion and more opportunities. This additional capacity came from the fact that you were responsible for another person. Your wealth and productivity increased further when the children arrived and you had more people to look after.

Now, imagine that the world is your family, that you are as responsible for the world as you are for your family. Your vision would suddenly grow to greater heights, your opportunities and capacity would be enhanced and your productivity and wealth would multiply.

Intelligent Use of Wealth

It is but natural that each one has different needs and varying standards of life. Live by your means, provide for the family; keep wants and desires within limits and save intelligently. All companies have a ceiling on entertainment expenses, but unfortunately, in daily life, we squander most of all our wealth on enjoyment. There is no harm in keeping a little for leisure. Keep 50% for daily requirements, 10% for entertainment, reinvest 20% as a saving for the future and share at least 10% of your income with others. Actually, we would advise 20% because sharing with others is the best investment to make.

A typical example of greed and aggrandizement of wealth is Nigeria – a country blessed with natural resources, especially oil. Regrettably, it almost went bankrupt, because a few people became billionaires, kept the money in Switzerland and then passed away. Today, there are prosperous people living in extravagant houses, surrounded by high prison-like walls. They have beautiful chandeliers, but no electricity. They possess luxurious Mercedes cars, but are too insecure to drive in them. Today, the whole country is in an economic crisis and everyone is suffering.

We can enjoy our wealth only when others around us are comfortable. It is not charity, it is developing a larger heart and a greater vision by taking up the responsibility of others who are less fortunate, who do not have the same opportunities and abilities.

India – an Affluent Country

India is not and was not a poor third world county. As long as India was spiritual, she was prosperous. The invaders came and plundered the country, when it had lost its values. Even today, it is one of the richest countries in the world. We have a population of one billion people of which half are women. On a very conservative estimate, each woman possesses at least 100 grams of gold, which amounts to about US $100. The total amount becomes US$ 50,000,000,000! That is hard-core cash! How can India be poor?

The whole world has recognized our human resources. It is the biggest market of the world. Look at our assets. The intelligent management of wealth in the Geeta is called yajna – the spirit of sacrifice, sharing and re-investing in society what one has received from it. This includes all natural resources. We cut down trees, but don’t plant any, we pollute rivers, we do not value the ozone layer. We have looted all our natural assets.

The secret is producing more than what we consume and giving more than what we take. This is our Mission pledge, formulated by Gurudev. This is the way to manage wealth for greater productivity, peace and happiness.