Srimad Bhagavatam – day 610
The pitfalls of arrogance
Narayana
Intoxication due to wealth caused Nalakubera and Manigriva, the sons of Kubera, to turn blind. They had physical eyes but had lost the eye of discriminative intellect. Rich people are often puffed up that they can buy every available comfort. Yet, if attacked by the dreaded cancer, what is it that money can buy them? By the time realization dawns in them, it is too late. Money can neither buy happiness nor comfort. Nor can it solve all problems. Only some problems get resolved with the help of money, not all.
Likewise, arrogance caused due to power is terrible. Until death such people strive to retain that authority. Deprived of authority they wriggle like fish out of water. Having depended on servants and attendants all through their career, they feel incapacitated to handle routine tasks post retirement. Neither can they brew coffee, nor cook, nor wash their clothes. They don’t know how to drive. In addition, there are many who are blinded due to lust and anger so much so that they no longer care for society and its norms.
Maharishi Śuka continued, “Maharishi Nārada, who realized that these brothers were blinded due to arrogance, sought to bless them, through the means of a curse”.
In Puranic stories, curse is used as a method to shower blessings. Although it sounds strange, a curse is also a blessing in disguise. Nevertheless, the person has to go through the fall and experience the pain. It is inevitable.
“Dehaḥ kim anna-dātuḥ svaṁ niṣektur mātur eva ca
Mātuḥ pitur vā balinaḥ kretur agneḥ śuno ’pi vā
Does this body belong to the person who nourishes it with food? Or does it belong to the father? Or does it belong to the mother? Or does it belong to the grandfather in whose lineage it is born? Or does it belong to the king who collects taxes? Or does it belong to the money-lender, employer or the person who is funding the expenses pertaining to the body? Or does it belong to the Fire-god who consumes it upon death? To whom does it belong? In case the body is simply discarded or buried upon death, does it belong to the dogs or worms that claim it? Who can stake claim over this body, which in reality is destructible?
This body, which emerges from Nature (prakŗti) and which ultimately merges into it, belongs to all these claimants!”
Who can claim this body which ultimately is food for dogs or which is reduced to ashes? Can the person who had loaned it some money claim it? Will the money lender take the corpse home as he had previously loaned some money to that person? Will a mother, who is beating her chest and mourning the death of her child, agree to retain the corpse at home? Then to whom does this body belong when alive?
“Barring a fool, no one who considers himself wise, will entertain feelings of ‘I-ness’ towards this gross body.”
Only a fool considers himself to be the body. A wise person will think- ‘I am utilizing this body given to me which in reality does not belong to me; one day I am going to discard it.’ Such thoughts occasionally arise in the minds of the wise. If such a person can cultivate such thoughts and accept this truth completely, he will be 100% in the spiritual line! At least occasionally such thoughts arise in the minds of the wise; in fools such thought can never ever arise. ‘This body is mine; I have such beautiful eyes; this nose of mine is lovely; these hands and feet are mine; my make-up’- their thoughts run in this direction. Such a foolish person stands in front of the mirror admiring his beauty. When the thought ‘I am not this body’ is cultivated, then he will become alert at least occasionally.
“The wise person therefore does not kill animals for the nourishment of his destructible body. Poverty is the ointment to cure blindness in the wicked, who have become arrogant due to opulence.”
Poverty is the medicine that cures blindness leading to wisdom. At times, it appears as if difficulties are for our benefit. Only during difficulties a person thinks of God. He runs to temples and to Sadgurus. The person who is conceited due to wealth, beauty or fame, never visits temples or Sadgurus. His arrogance keeps him from visiting God or Guru.
Until the deep desire to understand the inner Self arises; until the desire to understand the true essence of Bhagavad-gita, Bhagavatam, Ramayana or other sacred texts arises; until the desire to know the deep secrets of this creation arises; until the desire to find the answer to the question ‘who am I’ arises; a person cannot walk on the path of spirituality!
Strangely, such desire does not even remotely enter the minds of many. They do not even bother to light a lamp or bow before God. They wake up in the morning, have breakfast, bathe at their leisure and proceed for their outdoor activities. If at all they are employed, they rush to office after breakfast. After completing the work at office, they run to quickly grab a meal. They sleep at night only to continue the same routine next morning. In between this tight routine, they frequently stand before a mirror, apply make-up and admire their beauty. Even the slightest degree of spiritual contemplation is absent in them. They refuse to bow before God as it implies surrendering to Him. They care not for God. While there are some who abuse Him, there are many who have a don’t-care attitude towards Him.
“Poverty is the eye ointment which causes wisdom in the wicked who is blinded due to arrogance”.
Narayana