Need vs Greed ....அத்தியாவசியம் vs பேராசை

Need vs Greed...

அத்தியாவசியம் vs பேராசை

'The world has enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed.' 

- Mahatma 

Mahatma was staunch believer in our Dharma Sastras.

Mahaswami, on the title of this, draws from our Sastras and saintly sayings from Our Rishis of yore. Here are a few nuggets from His quoting:

○Dharm Sastra:

Sastra stresses on 'अपरिग्रह , aparigraham, அபரிகிரஹம்.

What's அபரிகிரஹம்?

Sometimes we learn a term from the antonym of it. The same applies here to . பரிகிரஹம் means accumulating possession, wealth. Now you can deduce meaning of அபரிகிரஹம், i.e., not adding anything.

The logical corralary would bang on your ears, "Should I have not having anything at all?". The problem lies not with the metaphor but in our tendency to go literally at anything. But the spirit leads to some senses. Again to derive home, Mahaswami refers to Dharma Sastra.

According to Sastra,

' நீ ஜீவிப்பதற்கு எது அத்தியாவசியமோ அதற்கு அதிகமாக ஒரு துரும்புகூடச் சேர்த்துக் கொள்ளதே.". When translated, it means don't accumulate anything beyond your life's necessities.

○Patanjali in Yoga Sutra gives 5 stipulations, 'yama', யமாs:

Ahimsa - non violence 

Satyam - Truth

Asteyam - refrain from stealing 

Brhamacharyam and finally 

aparigraham

○Manu repeats the first three yamas, Ahimsa, Satyam and Asteyam and adds a fourth one viz., சௌசம், the cleanliness, which our Honourable PM time and again emphazises on. Perhaps Manu might have used சௌசம to mean aparigraham.

 

Maha Swami elucidates as Many might have thought, 

' தனக்கு அத்யாவசியமானதற்கு அதிகமாக ஒன்றைச் சேர்த்துக்கொண்டால் அதுவே திருட்டுத்தான்.". Meaning if one adds to his possession anything beyond his bare necessities, that tantamounts to theft.

In this sanchara, if we attempt to question Dharma Sastra, whether it's practical, Maha Swami emphasizes, " lest we incur any Dosha, anything incompatible to good living, we must follow aparigraha Dharma."