2. Renounce the thirst for wealth

Brahma Purana (Vyasa Geetha)

आध्यात्मिकादि भो विप्रा ज्ञात्वा तापत्रयं बुधः। उत्पन्नज्ञानवैराग्यः प्राप्नोत्यात्यन्तिकं लयम्॥ आध्यात्मिकोऽपि द्विविधा शारीरो मानसस्तथा। शारीरो बहुभिर्भेदैर्भिद्यते श्रूयतां च सः॥

ādhyātmikādi bho viprā jñātvā tāpatrayaṃ budhaḥ | utpannajñānavairāgyaḥ prāpnotyātyantikaṃ layam || ādhyātmiko’pi dvividhā śārīro mānasastathā | śārīro bahubhirbhedairbhidyate śrūyatāṃ ca saḥ ||

  • The Core Problem: Swamiji explains that an intelligent person (budhaḥ) must understand the three types of miseries (tāpatraya) to develop vairāgya (detachment) and attain complete liberation (ātyantikaṃ layam).
  • Internal Suffering (ādhyātmika): Swamiji details that this suffering is twofold: physical (śārīro) and mental (mānasa).
    • Physical suffering includes bodily diseases such as fevers, eye diseases, and breathing difficulties.
    • Mental suffering, which Swamiji highlights as far worse, includes kāma (desire), krodha (anger), bhaya (fear), dveṣa (hatred), lobha (greed), moha (delusion), viṣāda (sorrow), śoka (worry), asūyā (jealousy), avamāna (insult), īrṣyā (envy), and mātsarya (malice). Swamiji specifically points out that modern religious insecurity and deep-seated fears stem from this mental suffering.
  • External Suffering (ādhibhautika): This is suffering caused by other living entities. Swamiji notes this arises from animals, birds, ghosts, snakes, and other humans. He explicitly categorizes the coronavirus pandemic under this type of suffering.
  • Environmental Suffering (ādhidaivika): This is suffering caused by the natural elements, such as extreme cold, heat, fierce winds, rain, and lightning.

Tamil Quotes on the Three Miseries

  1. “தன்னால் பிறரால் தனக்குவரும் தீங்குநலம் இன்னா விலங்கு அலகை தேள்எறும்பு – செல்முதல்நீர் அட்டை அலவன் முதலை மீன் அரவம் ஆதியின்ஆம் கட்டமும் இங்கு ஆன்மிகமே காண்.”
  2. “பனியால் இடியால் படர்வாடை யினாலும் துணிதென்றலினாம் சுகமும் தனை அனைய நீரினாம் இன்பு, இன்னலும் நெருப்பின் ஆம்துயர் இன்புஓ ரில் பௌதிகம் ஆகும்.”
  3. “கருவினில் துயர், செனிக்கும் காலைத் துயர் மெய்திரை நரை மூப்பில் திளைத்து, செத்து – நரகத்தில் ஆழும் துயர், புவியையாள் இன்பம் ஆதிஎல்லாம் ஊழஉதவு தெய்வீகம் என்று ஓர்.”
  • The Nature of Suffering: Swamiji provides commentary on these verses, explaining that the first quote outlines internal and external suffering caused by spouses, friends, enemies, animals, and snakes. The second quote describes suffering from natural elements like snow, thunder, fire, and wind. The third quote powerfully summarizes the unbroken chain of human misery: from the struggles in the womb, to birth, old age, death, and sinking into narakam. Swamiji emphasizes that even the pleasure of ruling the entire world is ultimately a source of suffering.

Bhagavad Gita Quotes on Miseries and Remembrance

इन्द्रियार्थेषु वैराग्यमनहङ्कार एव च । जन्ममृत्युजराव्याधिदुःखदोषानुदर्शनम् ॥ १३.९ ॥ indriyārtheṣu vairāgyamanahaṅkāra eva ca | janmamṛtyujarāvyādhiduḥkhadoṣānudarśanam || 13.9 ||

यं यं वापि स्मरन्भावं त्यजत्यन्ते कलेवरम् । तं तमेवैति कौन्तेय सदा तद्भावभावितः ॥ ८.६ ॥ yaṃ yaṃ vāpi smaranbhāvaṃ tyajatyante kalevaram | taṃ tamevaiti kaunteya sadā tadbhāvabhāvitaḥ || 8.6 ||

तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु मामनुस्मर युध्य च । मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्मामेवैष्यस्यसंशयम् ॥ ८.७ ॥ tasmātsarveṣu kāleṣu māmanusmara yudhya ca | mayyarpitamanobuddhirmāmevaiṣyasyasaṃśayam || 8.7 ||

किं पुनर्ब्राह्मणाः पुण्या भक्ता राजर्षयस्तथा । अनित्यमसुखं लोकमिमं प्राप्य भजस्व माम् ॥ ९.३३ ॥ kiṃ punarbrāhmaṇāḥ puṇyā bhaktā rājarṣayastathā | anityamasukhaṃ lokamimaṃ prāpya bhajasva mām || 9.33 ||

  • The Inevitability of Death: Swamiji explains that the jīva must constantly observe the miseries of birth, death, old age, and disease. Since the final thought at the moment of death determines the jīva‘s next state, one must not be attached to worldly wealth but must constantly remember bhagavan. The world is temporary and joyless (anityamasukhaṃ lokam).

1. Worship bhagavan

भज गोविन्दं भज गोविन्दं गोविन्दं भज मूढमते । सम्प्राप्ते सन्निहिते काले नहि नहि रक्षति डुकृञ्करणे ॥ १ ॥

bhaja govindaṃ bhaja govindaṃ govindaṃ bhaja mūḍhamate | samprāpte sannihite kāle nahi nahi rakṣati ḍukṛñkaraṇe || 1 ||

he mūḍhamate! — Oh foolish mind! govindaṃ bhaja, govindaṃ bhaja, govindaṃ bhaja — Worship bhagavan, worship bhagavan, worship bhagavan! kāle samprāpte sannihite (sati) — When the time of death is closely approaching ḍukṛñkaraṇe — The grammar rule ‘dukrun karane’ na hi rakṣati, na hi rakṣati — certainly does not protect, certainly does not protect.

English Meaning: Oh foolish mind! Worship bhagavan, worship bhagavan, worship bhagavan. When the appointed time of death closely approaches, the rules of grammar will certainly not protect you.

  • The Core Problem: The verse is a hammer blow to awaken the jīva. Swamiji notes that the mind is obsessed with kāma (lust), kāñcana (wealth), and kīrti (fame). Addressing the mind as foolish is an instruction for deep self-introspection, not an insult to others.
  • The Futility of Mechanics: Swamiji shares the story of an old man in Kasi who wasted his final days memorizing Sanskrit grammar rules (ḍukṛñkaraṇe). Mechanical actions, whether secular or Vedic rituals, will not grant liberation. Only realizing bhagavan (govinda) will save the jīva.

2. Renounce the thirst for wealth

मूढ जहीहि धनागमतृष्णां कुरु सद्बुद्धिं मनसि वितृष्णाम् । यल्लभसे निजकर्मोपात्तं वित्तं तेन विनोदय चित्तम् ॥ २ ॥

mūḍha jahīhi dhanāgamatṛṣṇāṃ kuru sadbuddhiṃ manasi vitṛṣṇām | yallabhase nijakarmopāttaṃ vittaṃ tena vinodaya cittam || 2 ||

he mūḍha! — Oh foolish mind! dhan-āgama-tṛṣṇāṃ — the thirst for the arrival of wealth jahi — give up / conquer manasi — in the mind vitṛṣṇām — a state free from desires sadbuddhiṃ — good intellect kuru — cultivate yat — whatever nija-karma-upāttaṃ — earned through one’s own righteous actions vittaṃ — wealth labhase — you obtain tena — with that cittaṃ — the mind vinodaya — satisfy / keep happy

English Meaning: Oh foolish mind! Give up the thirst for accumulating wealth. Cultivate a good intellect in your mind, free from desires. Whatever wealth you obtain through your own righteous actions, keep your mind satisfied with that.

  • The Core Problem: Swamiji instructs the jīva to aggressively destroy the unending thirst for acquiring wealth (dhanāgamatṛṣṇām). The mind must actively cultivate vitṛṣṇām (a state free from desires).
  • The Story of the Ashram: To show how deeply rooted lobha (greed) is, Swamiji shares an anecdote about spiritual seekers living in an ashram. Even after leaving the world, when put in charge of internal departments like agriculture or the kitchen, they begin fiercely fighting over budgets, milk prices, and seeking praise from the head of the institution.
  • The Snake Analogy: Swamiji points to traditional stories where people who die obsessively hoarding wealth are reborn as snakes, wasting another lifetime simply guarding buried treasure.

Avvaiyar Kural on the Body’s Purpose

“உடம்பினைப் பெற்ற பயனாவது எல்லாம் உடம்பினில் உத்தமனைக் காண்.” (Kural 11) “உடம்பினால் பெற்ற பயனாவது எல்லாம் திடம்பட ஈசனைத் தேடு.” (Kural 19)

  • The True Goal: Swamiji provides commentary explaining that the purpose of acquiring a physical human body is not to build massive mansions or hoard bags of money, but solely to seek and realize bhagavan.

Bhagavatam Quote on Desire

आशा हि परमं दुःखं नैराश्यं परमं सुखम् । यथा संछिद्य कान्ताशां सुखं सुष्वाप पिङ्गला ॥ (११/८/४४) āśā hi paramaṃ duḥkhaṃ nairāśyaṃ paramaṃ sukham | yathā sañchidya kāntāśāṃ sukhaṃ suṣvāpa piṅgalā || 11.8.44 ||

  • The Source of Peace: Swamiji translates this to mean desire is the greatest sorrow, and desirelessness is the highest bliss. He references Pingala, who only slept peacefully after she completely cut off her desires.

Thiruppallandu

“மிண்டு மனத்தவர்கள் போமின்கள் மெய்யடியார்கள் விரைந்து வம்மின் கொண்டுங் கொடுத்தும் குடிகுடி ஈசற்கு ஆட்பெய்கின் றோம்புகுந்து அண்டம் கடந்த பொருளள வில்லதோர் ஆனந்த வெள்ளப்பொருள் பண்டும் இன்றும் என்றும் உள்ளபொருள் என்றே பல்லாண்டு கூறுதுமே.”

  • The Call to Devotion: Swamiji explains this is an invitation for true devotees to discard false pride and dedicate themselves to bhagavan, the boundless ocean of bliss.

Thirukkural Quotes on Wealth and Conscience

“அற்கா இயல்பிற்றுச் செல்வம் அதுபெற்றால் அற்குப ஆங்கே செயல்.” (Thirukkural 333)

  • Commentary: Wealth is extremely unstable by nature. Swamiji instructs that if you obtain it, you must use it immediately for righteous deeds.

“தன்னெஞ் சறிவது பொய்யற்க பொய்த்தபின் தன்னெஞ்சே தன்னைச் சுடும்.” (Thirukkural 293)

  • Commentary: Swamiji applies this to self-introspection. The jīva must deeply examine its own mind to root out false attachments to wealth.

“ஒப்புரவி னால்வரும் கேடெனின் அஃதொருவன் விற்றுக்கோள் தக்கது உடைத்து” (Thirukkural 220)

  • Commentary: Swamiji explains that if helping others brings ruin to oneself, it is worth selling oneself to sustain that charity. He gives the ultimate example of King Harishchandra, who sold himself, his wife, and his child to uphold truth and dharma.

Siddhanta on the Fates of Wealth

दानं भोगो नाशस्तिस्रो गतयो भवन्ति वित्तस्य । यो न ददाति न भुङ्क्ते तस्य तृतीया गतिर्भवति ॥ dānaṃ bhogo nāśastisro gatayo bhavanti vittasya | yo na dadāti na bhuṅkte tasya tṛtīyā gatirbhavati ||

चत्वारो धनदायादा धर्माग्नि नृपतस्कराः । तेषां ज्येष्ठावमानेन त्रयः कुप्यन्ति सोदराः ॥ catvāro dhanadāyādā dharmāgninṛpataskarāḥ | teṣāṃ jyeṣṭhāvamānena trayaḥ kupyanti sodarāḥ ||

  • The Core Warning: Swamiji provides commentary on these siddhanta verses. Wealth has only three destinies: charity (dānaṃ), personal enjoyment (bhogo), or destruction (nāśa). If one neither gives it away nor enjoys it, the third fate (destruction) is guaranteed. Furthermore, wealth has four heirs: dharma (charity), agni (fire), nṛpa (the king/government), and caura (the thief). If wealth is not respectfully offered to the eldest brother (dharma), the other three brothers will violently confiscate it through fires, raids, or robbery.

Yes, Swamiji provided the detailed explanation of the grammar rules in this session.

1. Explanation of the Grammar Rules

  • The story of the old man in Kasi: Swamiji explains that an old grandfather in Kasi sat and studied vyākaraṇa śāstra (grammar rules), constantly repeating the root “ḍukṛñkaraṇe“. He was told that studying grammar at that old age to attain mokṣa would take too much time, and he was advised to drop the grammar studies.
  • The deeper meaning of the grammar rule: Swamiji clarifies that Sri Adi Shankaracharya himself quoted many Panini sutras, so the instruction has a specific meaning. The main reason for mentioning this sutra is to show that karma does not grant mokṣa. Swamiji explains that in this context, karaṇe means karma. Whether it is secular karma, Vedic karma, or physical, verbal, and mental karma, none of these will grant mokṣa.
  • The instruction to worship bhagavan: Because karma does not give mokṣa (karmaṇā mokṣa nāsti), the grammar lesson “ḍukṛñkaraṇe” will not save a person when the time of death approaches. Swamiji explains that instead of continuously performing karma, one should worship bhagavan (govindaṃ bhaja). The root bhaja means to serve or to think. He explains that before the jīva leaves the body, one should attain the knowledge of ahaṃ brahmāsmi (I am bhagavan), knowing bhagavan as one’s true nature.