Krishna Loves You: Do not derive pride from things such as wealth and family

HARE KRISHNA! An excess of wealth, especially for those who did not come from wealthy families, is the most common source of pride

|| जय श्री कृष्ण ||



॥ श्रीमद्‍भगवद्‍गीता ॥ 16.15॥



_आढयोऽभिजनवानस्मि कोऽन्योऽस्ति सदृशो मया ।_

_यक्ष्ये दास्यामि मोदिष्य इत्यज्ञानविमोहिताः॥_



भावार्थ :

आसुरी स्वभाव वाले मनुष्य सोचते रहते हैं कि मैं सबसे धनी हूँ, मेरा सम्बन्ध बड़े कुलीन परिवार से है, मेरे समान अन्य कौन है? मैं यज्ञ करूँगा, दान दूँगा और इस प्रकार मै जीवन का मजा लूँगा, इस प्रकार आसुरी स्वभाव वाले मनुष्य अज्ञानवश मोहग्रस्त होते रहते हैं। (१५)


Meaning:

I am wealthy; I am from a good family, who else is equal to me? I will conduct sacrifice, I will enjoy. In this manner, he is deluded by ignorance.

Explanation:


In the last shloka, we saw the mindset of those who derive pride from their power. Here Shri Krishna describes the mindset of people who derive pride from other things such as wealth and family. An excess of wealth, especially for those who did not come from wealthy families, is the most common source of pride. Such people boast about their latest expensive toy, their net worth, their membership in elite clubs, and so on. They are only interested in consumption and enjoyment.


Others derive pride from their ancestry and their lineage. For some, this pride comes from the fact that their ancestors were kings or landowners. For some, this pride comes from the fact that everyone in their family has always been a doctor or a lawyer. Some others even boast about the number of sacrifices they have conducted and the amount of charity they have donated. Instead of charity and sacrifice leading to purification of one’s mind, such grandiose spectacles have gained publicity and favours as their goal.


If we were to summarize the attitude in these three shlokas, it is this - no one is equal to me. I am superior to everyone else. So the net result is the strengthening, the hardening of the I notion, the ego, the aham. Each step taken towards the ego is one step taken away from self-realization. There is no scope for detachment or renunciation. Attachment grows by leaps and bounds in such people. The root cause of all this is ignorance of one's true nature.

Chant the mantra you have faith in

Hare Krishna