That’s just the way of the world. We see everyone around us place money on a high pedestal, and we assume that’s just the normal course of things. There’s nothing wrong with pursuing material goals — they have their place in life. Indeed, the scriptures give us four purusharthas or goals we can pursue:

• Dharma — Righteousness

• Artha — Wealth

• Kama — Pleasures

• Moksha — Liberation

The scriptures approve of material aspirations (pursued righteously). Indeed, living comfortably helps with worthwhile pursuits.

The trap we fall into is to live our lives in the constant pursuit of material pleasures — a never ending infinite scroll.

The Fatal Flaw of the Material World

There is one fatal flaw of the material world. It ends.

Assume for a minute that a person has the perfect life. They have a perfect spouse, picture perfect children, a dream job, more riches than they can dream of, a huge house, loyal servants to take care of every need, a car that serves them well, and no health issues.

This life, too, has to end one day.

That is just the nature of the material world. Things break one day. People depart from us one day. We, too, must say goodbye to this world one day.

However, humans live life as though they will live forever. Indeed, in the Mahabharata, when the Yaksha asked Yudhishtira what is the most astonishing fact in this world, Yudhishtira’s response was shocking:

The Limitations of Pleasures vs Infinite Bliss of the Self

The scriptures extol the Infinite Bliss present in the Self.

Joys and pleasures are fleeting. Indeed, the law of diminishing returns apply. One piece of cake tastes delicious. Fifteen pieces of cake gives a bad tummy ache.

And pleasures require a conducive environment. Indeed, during the pandemic, my wife and I were about to enjoy a lavish meal after a long time. We received a phone call where we received less-than-happy news (nothing fatal, but disappointing nonetheless). Our appetite disappeared at once. One minute, we were looking forward to this meal. Everything else remaining the same, it just took one phone call to douse any enjoyment we may have received from this meal.

The Bliss of the Self, on the other hand, is Infinite and constant, the scriptures say. The Taittiriya Upanishad says that even the joy of being Brahma in the Heaven (filled with all joys and a long lifespan of hundreds of thousands of years) cannot be compared to the Bliss of the Self.

The argument is pretty convincing to make Self-Realization a major goal (if not the sole goal), don’t you think?

The Story of Tulsidas

Tulsidas was deeply attached to his wife.

He spent all his free time with her. He could not bear to be away from her. One day, his wife informed him she will be visiting her parents and staying there for a couple of days. Tulsidas agreed begrudgingly. At night, however, he missed her badly. He went to the river bank, crossed the river with a boat present, went to her wife’s house, climbed up to her bedroom using a creeper, and proudly presented himself.

His wife was not amused to see Tulsidas. What would her relatives think? She launched a diatribe, criticizing her husband’s ‘shameful’ behaivior. She chastized her husband, telling him that if he directed the love he showed her towards Rama, the result would be infinite. Stung, Tulsidas walked away, and devoted his life to Rama. Indeed, his retelling of Ramayana in the local language, the Ramcharitramanas, is heralded as one of the greatest works of devotion.

It is fitting to end this post with the story of Tulsidas — he wanted to write the story of Rama — and wanted Hanuman’s help. He unwittingly quenched the thirst of a spirit present in a tree. The spirit helped Tulsidas by pointing out Hanuman: in a Rama katha conducted each day, a leper would be the first to arrive, and the last to leave, discreetly. He never spoke to anybody. At the end of the following day’s katha, Tulsidas grabbed the leper before he could leave. The leper protested. Tulsidas did not relent.

Hanuman showed Tulsidas His real form, and introduced Tulsidas to Rama, and showered with divine blessings, Tulsidas wrote his magnum opus epic, the Ramcharitramanas.