Shloka 2

Transliteration of Shloka 2

 

mUDha jahiihi dhanaagama tRishhNaaM


kuru sadbuddhiM manasi vitRishhNaam.


yallabhase nijakarmopaattaM


vittaM tena vinodaya chittam. .. (2)

 

Condensed Meaning

Oh fool !  Give up your thirst to possess wealth. Create your mind, devoid of passions, thoughts of reality.  With whatever you get (as rewards of the past) entertain your mind (be content). 

 

This shloka essentially gives you a quick three step process towards channeling your mind towards contentment and ultimately self realization.

 

The first step is for us to give up our “thirst” for wealth.  Here wealth is used to define all worldly and sensory objects.  All worldly things by definition attract us more towards “samsara” and away from the lord.

 

After we have given up this thirst, and cleansed our mind of passions, our mind will be clearer to meditate upon reality.   This is the second step, where in we open our mind to thoughts of brahman and reality.   The more you do this the less your thirst for wealth becomes.

 

The final and third step in this process is to then become content by enjoying the “rewards” of our past actions.    The implication is that we view all of the results of our past actions as “rewards”.  This means we should not have “regrets” which typically leads us to desire to possess more material objects and the “jiva” gets caught in the cycle of moha and ignorance and then comes misery.

 

It has been very simply explained here but as we all know it takes a lifetime (if not more) of discipline and conditioning of the mind to achieve what has been said in four lines!  Therefore the persuasion by all our scriptures that it is never too soon to start on this path!

 

There are references to this attitude within our other scriptures.  Such as in the Kathopanisad the young boy, Naciketa, in his answer to his teacher, Lord of Death, has poignantly expressed this idea – “Man is never satisfied with his possessions alone”.

 

Also, Sankaracharya in his Vivekachudamani quotes the famous statement in Brihadaranyaka Upanisad, which says that, “the dealthless and the imperishable can never be hoped to be gained by the possession of wealth”

 

There is also a wonderful verse in Isavasyopanisad: “Renounce and Enjoy, covet not others wealth.”

 

That right there I think sums up the second verse!