In that famous incident when Swami Vivekananda (then Naren) had become poverty struck, he went to his guru, Shri Ramkrishna Paramhansa, and asked him – Why? When will he come out of that situation? Ramkrishna smilingly replied, “Go inside the temple and ask mother (the Godess) and she will fulfill all your wishes.” He was sent in repeatedly but couldn’t ask for wealth. All he could ask for in front of the Godess was Compassion, Empathy and the ultimate knowledge.
Similarly, when the little boy Nachiketa went to the doorstep of the great Yama, he asked him for the truth of the ultimate reality. Yama lured him with lucrative offers- even offering him all the wealth he desires, all the angels of heaven at his service and the kingdom of the whole earth for as long as he desires. Determined Nachiketa denied all these offers and ultimately received the knowledge of the ultimate truth.
And here we are, desiring petty things. Boyfriends and girlfriends, foods and drinks of various kinds, the luxuries among other things for the entertainment of the mind, for the temporary excitement of the neurons. O! May we come out of the pettiness and achieve higher grounds of being.
Thoughts on various topics 