The Hindu : How one should spend his wealth

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Oct 22, 2002

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

How one should spend his wealth

CHENNAI OCT. 22 . Which out of the two will a person prefer — possession of wealth or a pious life, based on spiritual activities? If a choice is given, invariably everyone will opt for the former. Without money, it will be extremely difficult to face challenges and achieve progress in the world. All that a man wants to carry out can get fulfilled with the help of this power. Even centuries ago, a poet had made a candid remark, in his guidelines to ethical conduct, that this material world will not be happy for the moneyless and that the spiritual world is not for the merciless ones. Society, why even kith and kin, may not like to be associated with the indigent, says the saint, who at the same time advises that the moneyed men can utilise the God-given wealth to embark on welfare projects like educating the poor, enabling persons to come up in life, build temples and centres of cultural activities. This power can thus be converted for obtaining mental peace and solace.

Buddha spent what he had on promotion of social welfare, while Saint Pattinathar, a rich businessman, who got suddenly illumined, "threw open his house" for men to take anything they wanted. So too was a ruler, Sendanar , who generously gave to remove the distress of the poor. Saint Thiruvalluvar, in his work, Thirukkural, points out that there is nothing so effective as wealth as it has the quality to make even a man of ordinary means, a worthy person. Wealth will lead a person on the path of virtue as well as happiness when it is acquired with discrimination in the right way and without doing evil to anyone.

In a lecture on "wealth" as enunciated by Thiruvalluvar in his work, Sri Ma. Ki. Ramanan said that a person should certainly spend his riches on his worldly needs, but he should also take steps to acquire spiritual knowledge, which would prompt him to help noble causes. He thus will gain what he wants for his family and himself. At the same time his pious disposition will benefit the society, particularly when he removes poverty and feeds the poor. This will please God who will visit him and extend His grace since he has chosen to give succour to the needy. The money so expended after meeting his own wants, will surely fetch him mental satisfaction. King Janaka, as mentioned in our scriptures, remained like a drop of water on lotus leaf and obtained the blessings of the Divine. Mercy is a child of love and wealth is but a nurse of mercy, says one of the poet's couplets.

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