Money Matters

A tale from the Panchatantra highlights the problems of hoarding excess wealth. There once lived an intelligent Sanyasi called Deva Sharma. People often solicited his advice and paid him for the offices. Though Deva Sharma had renounced the world, he did not hesitate to collect a sizeable amount of wealth his way. His altruistic way of life did not permit him to use the money. Nevertheless, since he was very fond of his assets, he bundled the money and checked on it every single day. Whenever he went out for some reason, he made it a point to carry the bundle along with him. A malefactor called Ashadabhuti sighted the treasure and hoped to own it someday. He ruminated on the various options to siphon off the riches and finally decided to cheat Deva Sharma off it.

 He approached the Sanyasi; spoke about the ephemeral nature of human life and expressed his desire to be initiated with the Shiva Mantra with the hope of attaining emancipation. Deva Sharma bit the bait unwittingly.

He accepted Ashadabhuti as his disciple and allowed him to stay with him. Over a period of time, Ashadabhuti won the confidence of his Guru. One day when the duo set out to honour an invitation, they came across a river. Deva Sharma decided to bathe. He instructed Ashadabhuti to guard the treasure when he bathed. The hypocrite who had been waiting for this opportune moment all along nodded his head roundly and took custody of the loot. When Deva Sharma entered the water, he tiptoed away, robbing the Sanyasi of the money and also the trust that he had reposed in him.

Most of us are like Deva Sharma. We are making money or stowing it away, dreading to lose all the time. This syndrome can become detrimental to our physical and mental health in the long run for money can mess our lives.