Vivekachudamani Verse 7 – Money Cannot Buy You Bliss Or Moksha - Gold Plated Hanuman Chalisa Will Not Buy You Moksha
Vivekachudamani verse 7 is very clear. There is no hope of
immortality by means of riches. This is the declaration of the Vedas. So work
done only for getting rich cannot be the cause of liberation. Simple, no
confusion, no commentary needed. Still, we manage to confuse ourselves.
Then what gives liberation? Yajnavalkya answers this in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, chapter 2, section 4. He tells his wife Maitreyi that he is leaving household life. He offers to divide his property between her and his other wife Katyayani. Maitreyi asks one question: "If the whole earth filled with wealth were mine, would I become immortal?" Yajnavalkya says no, your life will be like the life of rich people, and there is no hope of immortality through wealth - renunciation alone can make her immortal (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.4.2). Maitreyi replies that she has no use for what cannot make her immortal (2.4.3). A woman who politely refuses a full share of the property, thousands of years before any inheritance court case. We can learn from her.
The same idea comes again in the line that says: not by
rituals, not by children, not by riches, but by renunciation alone some
attained immortality. Note the word "some". Even renunciation is not
a shortcut for people who only look good in saffron.
The Gold Plated Donation Circus
Today we read news about devotees donating gold plated
Hanuman Chalisa, gold plates, diamond rings and bags of cash to temples. The
announcement comes first, then the photo, then the donor name on a marble slab.
Some people think they are bribing Bhagavan, like a small file needs a small
envelope to move faster. Some people get a nice ego boost. Some sincerely
believe this is spirituality, giving gold to a temple whose treasury is already
overflowing and counted by machines.
The poor are also not far behind. They bring their simple
offering, a coconut, a few flowers, a small coin, also hoping to get Bhagavan's
attention. Here the intention is at least honest. But let us be fair, the ego
boost is same, only the budget is different.
Meanwhile Bhagavan is busy elsewhere giving a helping hand. Somewhere a couple is
planting fruit trees whose shade and fruit they will never enjoy, only for the
next generation. That is real offering, and nobody is announcing it on a
microphone.
Bhagavan Himself has told us what He accepts. In the
Bhagavad Gita, chapter 9, verse 26, Sri Krishna says whoever offers Him a leaf,
a flower, a fruit or water with devotion, He accepts it. A leaf. Not a gold
leaf, just a leaf. The word that matters is devotion, not the price tag. Even
the story of Sudama, who brought a handful of beaten rice to Krishna, tells the
same thing (Bhagavata Purana, Book 10, chapter 81). Krishna ate that poha with
more joy than any royal feast.
The King, the Cart Puller and the Naked Sadhu
Wealth creation was meant for food, clothing and shelter.
Society forces us to earn for these basics, and nothing wrong in that. But
today wealth is created for everything else, and a small part of it goes to a
rich temple with the best possible publicity. If that money went to the old,
broken, forgotten temple in your own neighbourhood, where the roof leaks and
one priest waits for oil for the lamp, it would do far more good.
History has a sense of humor about this. The king with all
his treasure could not buy liberation, but the poor cart puller who did not
even have an upper garment got it. Alexander the Great conquered half the known
world and could not get it, but the naked sadhu with no possession, taking his
sunbath on the river bank, had it already. Alexander had an army, the sadhu had
a towel he did not even use.
The Katha Upanishad says the same in a different way. When
Yama offers Nachiketa wealth, long life and kingdoms, the boy refuses and says
a man cannot be satisfied by wealth (Katha Upanishad 1.1.27). A small boy could
see what many grown men with big bank accounts cannot.
Symbolism and Meaning of Renunciation
Renunciation does not mean everybody should leave the house
and go to the Himalayas. Then who will pay the electricity bill? It means
letting go of the feeling of "I am the doer" and "this is
mine". The Ishavasya Upanishad, in its first verse, says everything in
this world is pervaded by the Divine, so enjoy through renunciation and do not
covet anyone's wealth. So a person can even live in a big house, if the house
does not live in him.
Wealth itself is not a sin. Lakshmi is worshipped in every
Hindu home. But she is worshipped as a guest and not as a prisoner. When we
lock her in the cupboard and sit on her, she becomes a burden and not a
blessing.
Life Lessons and Modern Day Relevance
The lessons are simple. Earn honestly, keep what you need,
share what you can without a camera, and do not think that a big donation gives
you a special queue in front of Bhagavan. He has no VIP darshan.
In the modern world people work for fifteen hours to buy a
bigger house, then a bigger car, then a bigger temple donation to feel clean
about all that work. The mind is never satisfied. More money only creates more
fear of losing it. The liberation the Vedas talk about needs none of this.
The Real Point
Liberation is within you. See it in yourself, and then see
the same in all living and non living things around you. The Self that sits
inside you is the same in the beggar, the king, the tree and the stone. Nobody
needs to buy something that is already there. There is no need for any wealth
circus.