Fwd: [granthraj] Get Freed from Greed

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

 

Recently we came across an unfortunate news about how a doctor couple and their two grown-up sons, comitted suicide as the family had lot of debts. The first son was also a doctor and the second son was final year medical student. They owned a nursing home and a house  and had taken taken huge debt of two crores. Now when they had come to a state wherein they thought that they could not repay the debts, they misused their own medical knowledge by injecting themselves with fatal medicine. There is a saying that we must cut our coat according to the cloth. One should not desire to own or enjoy something without having the capacity to obtain it. We should be satisfied with whatever comes of its own accord and should not crave for more and more. In India we find so many people living by roadside, without proper shelter, but still they are happy because they are free of debts. But inspite of having their own house and nursing home, these people out of greed took so much loan, without considering their ability to pay back and had to face a tragic end.

 

Human life is such a rare opportunity and unfortunately even elderly people, who are well educated and have been engaging themselves in serving the public through the medical profession, failed to understand its value and thereby they have wasted their own lives and have misguided the sons also to end their lives. In his wonderful purport to verse 3.23.3 Srila Prabhupada quotes Canakya Pandit's words as to how one's own family members become a source of enemy for one self. "If the father is in debt he is considered to be an enemy;" In this case we find how His Divine Grace's words are so very true. Unfortunately the parents who gave birth to the children, have themselves provoked the children for this horrible end and in a way they indeed turned out to be the enemies of the children. Committing suicide is not permanent soultion and one cannot escape from the debts by doing that horrible act. If we owe money to someone and if we die without repaying it, we will surely have to take another birth and have to settle the account, because nothing goes un-noticed in the eyes of the Lord. By committing suicide, we are just increasing karma baggage more and are further complicating the number of births and deaths.

 

 Our beloved spiritual master H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj always used to advise everyone not to take loans as far as possible. Maharaj says that even if due to some unavoidable circumstances, we are forced to take loan we should try to pay back and close the loan as soon as possible, otherwise our minds will always be filled with anxiety and it will have an adverse effect on our physical and mental health. We would not be able to even chant peacefully in that condition. Maharaj says that secret for peaceful life is to lead a simple life. It is the greed and grabbing tendency in us which provokes us to go in for artificial standard of life, even at the cost of taking loans and in the end we are so much drowned in debts that we ourselves become overwhelmed by it. In Srimad Bhagavatam verse 11.23.16 the avanti brahmana says,

 

yasho yashasvinaam shuddham / shlaaghyaa ye guninaam gunah
lobhah sv-alpo 'pi taan hanti / shvitro rupam ivepsitam

 

"Whatever pure fame is possessed by the famous and whatever praiseworthy qualities are found in the virtuous are destroyed by even a small amount of greed, just as one's attractive physical beauty is ruined by a trace of white leprosy."
 
Just like how even trace of leprosy, spoils the physical beauty even trace of greed destroys whatever fame, good qualities one may possess. Greediness leads to dissatisfaction, anger, moroseness and bewilderment. It blinds us to such an extent that we forget our constitutional position and even destroy our own family members. Service to Lord and His Devotees, simple life and satisfaction are some of the important assets which we need to accumulate in our life and pass on to the younger generation, so that they can lead a life of sanity even after we leave this planet. Lord Rshabadeva advises in Srimad Bhagavatam verse 5.5.18

 

gurur na sa syaat sva-jano na sa syaat
pitaa na sa syaaj janani na saa syaat
daivam na tat syaan na patish ca sa syaan
na mocayed yah samupeta-mrtyum

 

"One who cannot deliver his dependents from the path of repeated birth and death should never become a spiritual master, a father, a husband, a mother or a worshipable demigod."

 

In his wonderful purport to above verse His Divine Grace says, "First the father, spiritual master or husband must be able to release the dependent from repeated birth and death. If he cannot do this, he plunges himself into the ocean of reproachment for his unlawful activities. Everyone should be very responsible and take charge of his dependents just as a spiritual master takes charge of his disciple or a father takes charge of his son. All these responsibilities cannot be discharged honestly unless one can save the dependent from repeated birth and death."

 

We can help our dependents only when we ourselves first know the goal of this human life and for this we need to take shelter of Guru and Krishna and follow Their instructions sincerely and pass it on to the younger generation as well. Then both our lives and the lives of our dependents will be safe.

 

Thank you very much.
Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva,
Kalacakra Krsna das and Sudarshana devi dasi.

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