No one should feel proud of his wealth

CHENNAI, MAY 26. Is there any yardstick to measure or to assess the intensity of devotion? Sages, standing amidst raging flames, had performed penance to seek the vision of the Divinity. There had also been very poor who had no proper dress to wear nor a square meal to satisfy their hunger but they too were deeply attached to God. They had always been chanting God's names and rendering Him service in some form. Mere possession of wealth and giving charity is not real devotion. What our scriptural texts make it clear is that no one should feel proud of his educational attainments, or his wealth. But every one will surely aspire for these and will strive to achieve them, because, they can enjoy worldly comforts through their wealth. It is equally true that it may cause happiness only at certain time and result, on some other occasion, to display their ego. In one particular instance, a millionaire who too was devoted to God and to saints and showed charitable attitude but was to some extent conscious of his position, was taught a lesson by a great seer.

Once on his pilgrimage, Ramanuja asked his two disciples to inform a rich man of a particular town about his visit. The latter was overwhelmed and started making arrangements to give the saint a tumultuous welcome but he forgot to give food to the messengers. The entourage reached the place but the Acharya chose to enquire about a poor devotee and knocked at his door, much to the dismay of his disciples, who wondered why their Guru had not chosen to go to the rich man's house. The devotee was not present and guessing why his wife could not come out to welcome him, Ramanuja threw inside the hut, the ochre robe which he was wearing. The woman using it as her dress, came out and prostrated before him. Ramanuja agreed to stay opposite this place and carry out his divine service. Meanwhile, the woman obtained provisions and prepared the ``Prasadam'' for God and to the saint and others. The man who supplied the grocery had evil intentions (to enjoy the woman) realised his folly and fell at the Acharya's feat.

Narrating this incident in a message, Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swami said the millionaire who had arranged for a grand reception, asked the Acharya why he had ignored his request but stationed himself before a poor man's hut and was seated on a muddy platform. The Acharya said that the rich man had merely wanted to display his ostentation, had a deeply embedded feeling about devotion and treated the downtrodden as insignificant beings.

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Section  : Miscellaneous
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