The greatest difficulty in this connection is about
the attitudes prevalent in the society. People think that when everybody id
indulging in riotous merry-making on his well-earned or ill-gotten wealth, why
should we exercise control on ourselves? It is very difficult to convince
members of the family in this matter. Still, if we practice what we preach and
try to convince people by logic, facts and results and our resolve is firm, it
is well nigh impossible that person close to us will not be influenced. If
economic malpractices are sought to be eradicated, it is necessary to educate
the minds of the people on these lines. With this belief I remained firm in my
convictions. Our family in Ghiya Mandi, Mathura, consisted of five members.
Till we came to Hardwar in 1971, we managed our expenses within two hundred
rupees per month. This could be possible by thrift and by maintaining a
standard different from others, although my income was above average as I had
inherited ancestral property. It was also spent in the education of children of
other members of the family and nothing was accumulated to breed vices and
addictions. Thus an important aspect of Jivan-Sadhana could be practiced.
A man has a propensity for adorning, embellishing and
enriching one's own family and he wants to leave huge wealth in succession at
the time of his death. Children of the people who indulge in unrestrained
gratification of desires are bound to become addicted to luxuries of all sorts
and thus a chain of extravagance and squandering of money starts. Ill-gotten
wealth is bound to be spent in licentious living. I learnt a lesson from the
experience enter in my home. Thus a cultured, refined family grew up.
People squander away a lot of money and time in
bragging, pomp and show, ornamentation and fashion. There was no scope in my
life for such ego-inflating and self-glorifying trivialities, as an atmosphere
of Brahmana-like politeness and simplicity was maintained throughout my
personal and family life. We had formed the habit of doing all domestic chores
with our own hands. For years Mataji grinded flour at home and prepared meals
herself for the family and guests. A domestic servant had to be engaged only
when, on account of extraordinary expansion of mission's work, it became
difficult for her to spare time for household work.
It is a false notion, born out of a perverted sense
of values, that those living in pomp and show are regarded 'great' while those
living in simplicity are considered to be unlucky or backward. It did not ever
apply in my case. It would have been a different matter if poverty had become
our lot on account of sloth or incompetence. But in our case it was a
voluntarily and gladly adopted way of life in adherence to high and noble
ethical principles. None of my relatives, friends, etc, who came in my contact
regarded it as poverty but as an example of setting Brahmana traditions. There
are people who by giving up chilies or putting on wooden sandals make loud
proclamations of their simplicity and righteousness. But spiritual life is
truly lived by an all-inclusive self-restraint and discipline in which one has
to consciously endeavor every moment to transform his entire way of life into
that of a true Brahmana. This entails a gradual and long Sadhana. In this
respect, I rigorously trained myself and also all those who were linked with
me.
No comments:
Post a Comment