Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – Sookti – April 12, 2020 – Mysore
Compiled by Parimala Eshwarla
Lobhāt krōdaḥ prabhavati, lōbhāt kāmaḥ prajāyatē
Lobhāt mōhaśca nāśaśca, lōbhaḥ pāpasya kāraṇaṃ ǁ
Greed leads to anger. Greed gives birth to desires. Greed causes excessive infatuation and delusion in the person. Greed destroys the person completely. It is solely responsible for all his sinful deeds.
Mind is a unique sense-organ. It lacks any form. Within our body it does even have a distinct location. But yet, it exists within the body. Where it exists, it itself does not know. Mind is smaller than even an atom but yet is greater than space. The impurities that taint it are desires and anger. Since they emerge from the mind, it has a soft corner for them. Even if we forcibly throw them out, then once again re-enter the mind.
There are 6 inner enemies. If even one among them makes an entry, then all other five will automatically enter the mind. Among the 6, greed is the most dangerous. What is greed? It means to have extreme attachment and feelings of ‘mine-ness’ towards every object!
It is but natural to love one’s own possessions. But, having an eye on the objects belonging to others and seeking to own them is greed. If at all greed enters the mind, then be sure that it will totally eat away the mind. The entire mind will be overflowing with desires.
When desires remain unfulfilled, they transform into anger. The words krodha and kopa are synonymous. That anger which last for eternity is krodha. That anger which has a short-lived existence and which subsequently transforms into peace is kopa. For this reason, it is said that saints have kopa. In a fraction of a second their anger melts and they regain their earlier composure.
But greed gives rise not to kopa but to krodha i.e. permanent anger. In the wicked, feelings of anger last forever.
Those filled with greed seek to own everything they see. Even objects belonging to others they seek to own. A mind filled with greed can never give rise to good thoughts. Their anger only seeks cruelty and transforms into violence.
Due to greed, desires only intensify in the person. When desires fail to be fulfilled, the mind shrinks in despair. It even tries to fulfil its desires stealthily. It is willing to withstand even the worst insults in the process. Ultimately the person is addressed as a degraded sinner by the society.
Lastly, greed gives rise to delusion. The person now begins to observe the belongings and achievements of others and somehow wants to obtain them all. When all his efforts fail to give the desired results, he laments. At times he gets ready to end his life due to dejection. Having failed to achieve anything in life, he is in despair.
A greedy man is so miserly that, despite soaking in wealth, he hardly eats anything. He fails to look after his family properly. He refuses to spend on essentials or on luxuries. At all times he counts his wealth and derives great joy in it. Such a man is as good as a living corpse.
What is it that gives rise to such negative tendencies? Due to sins committed in life, a person fails to get good thoughts. The person who performs good deeds leads a peaceful life. On the contrary, a sinner gets into troubles thereby making his life miserable. This is what this sookti teaches.