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Traits of a man of wisdom

CHENNAI MAY 3. It is human nature to seek worldly fame, power and pelf because the human senses and the intellect are outward bound. Spiritual progress entails shifting the focus of this seeking inward. How much one is a slave to this tendency can be seen only when one attempts to change this ingrained habit. Spiritual texts prescribe various practices to enable the mind to become introverted.

However, there are ethical treatises like the Viduraniti, which highlight how the mind must be applied to engage in worldly life. This text occurs in the Mahabharata and is in the form of a discourse covering the qualities and behaviour of a man of wisdom given by Vidura to Dhritarashtra when the blind king lost his sleep over the outcome of Sanjaya's mission to the Pandavas after they returned from their exile.

Every human being must realise all the four ends of life, which are called Purusharthas— Dharma (righteousness), Artha (wealth), Kama (worldly pleasures) and Moksha (liberation). Dharma is the basis of this scheme, as these goals must be realised righteously. All objectives in the world must be pursued within the ambit of Dharma. One who leads an ethical life will therefore not indulge in sensory pleasures. But, there is no age limit to working. Man cannot refrain from doing action and hence everyone has to work actively. Even if there is no necessity to work for a livelihood one must do so for the benefit of society. A righteous life will automatically lead one on to the spiritual path.

In his discourse, Swami Asutoshananda said a wise man would not hanker after anything, which is beyond his capacity to achieve. This requires the capacity of self-appraisal to find out one's strength and weaknesses. It is common to find people setting impossible goals for themselves and in such cases they meet with failure.

Some people on the other hand are dreamers who will only aspire for something but not make efforts to realise it. Instead it is better to be realistic about what one can achieve.

A judicious person will not look down on others because he knows that no one can be talented in all skills and know everything. Nature endows each person with some unique ability and by appreciating this it is possible to enhance and utilise that skill fruitfully.

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