105
Make appropriate use of this earthly life
There are three things in this world [samudra]: body, mind, and wealth. When body,
mind, and wealth are properly employed, then there is no prospect for distress. If they are
not properly employed, one experiences anxiety. However, there is no school or college
to teach their proper use.
Wealth culminates in three ways. That which is not given in charity, or used for
one’s own enjoyment, ends up in the third way, which is its dissipation. Tulsidas has
written, So dhana dhanya, prathama gati jdki. This means that wealth which is spent in
the first way [charity] is useful. Tulsidas-ji spoke only of wealth, but I say, ‘
So tana dhanya, prathama gati jdkf, and so mana dhanya, prathama gati jdki.
This means that body and mind are useful when devoted to charity. –
The best use of the body is to engage it in worship of Bhagavan. The eyes shoul
see the form of Bhagavan, the ears should hear of his glories, speech should praise
Him—every one of the sense organs should engage in matters related to Bhagavan alone.
Even one’s breath should be engaged exclusively in the worship of the Lord. The primary
aim of the mind also must be to continuously engage itself in Bhagavan. We have already
observed that wealth should be given in charity—but even before considering charity,
one should be sure that this wealth has been earned through right means. It’s wrong to
earn money without regard for the propriety of the means of earning. If wealth is earned
268 This is a poetic triad: tana, mana, and dhana.
269 The English terms “school” and “college” are Gurudev’s own.
270 The verse continues, “dhanya punya rata soipdki, dhanya dharii soi jaba satsangd, dhanya janma
dvijabhagati abhangd” viz., “Blessed is the wealth given in the first way [charity]. Blessed and auspicious
is the mind devoted to piety. Blessed the time spent in Satsanga. Blessed the life devoted to caring without interruption for the twice-born.”
(Ramcaritamanasa, Uttarakanda 127, p. 661, Tulsidasa’s Shri Ramacharita manasa, Edited and Translated
by R. C. Prasad, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Delhi, 1990.) I through sinful actions, then even though the wealth itself will remain behind, the fruits of the sins will accompany the person [after death] and will not leave him. That is why one
should not commit sins while earning wealth. The sins will not remain behind with the
money. Hence one should think carefully while earning wealth.
One mdhdtma had obtained a siddhi by which he was able to tell both the good
and bad actions of any person who approached him. Once I happened to meet him by
chance. I told him that thinking about the sins of the world was a great loss. To think
about the bad actions of others, when one should be engaged in the contemplation of
God, is a misuse of the mind. “And after becoming a sddhu, that there should. be such
misuse of the mind: “Another great misuse of body and mind is to begin supporting castes and sects.
You have obtained the body of a human being in some caste or another, be it Brahmin,
Ksatriya, Vaisya, or Sfidra. Everyone is eligible to remember God, regardless of caste,
and everyone is eligible to become close to Him. There will be some class differences,
but this is not something which should be over-emphasized. Wherever your birth has
taken place, it’s over. Now you should try to live in such a way thatyou will not take
birth again. You should not waste your precious time in supporting the caste in which you
have taken birth. This world is like a way station. After coming here you should work for
the main goal, not to develop this place you are merely passing through. In human life, it
is improper for the mind, which is supposed to be engaged in Bhagavan, to be engaged in
wrong or trivial activities.
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