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We are very conscious and careful before making an important investment. We conduct a thorough research and get a list of best options available. We evaluate each option one by one, taking very expert advice and make the best pick. Once after investing we are very tracking the progress of our investment carefully. By all means, we try to ensure despite all obstacles, we get the expected returns. A typical teenager along with parents tax a lot to arrive at the best college for graduation. They spend a great deal of money and time preparing for the entrance exams by taking tuitions and burning midnight oil. Then the same story continues till placement. Then the adults when they earn a lot, they want to invest their savings in stock. They spend a great deal of time evaluating each stock and finally make their investment. Then everyday they watch the value of their investments getting excited when the stocks rise and feeling depressed when they fall, analyzing the causes and hoping it will recover.
Both at an individual and collective level as a country, we are becoming richer, our infrastructure is getting better and our lives are becoming comfortable externally. This progress reflects our success in rightly investing our time, energy and wealth. What about our life? Where are we investing it? Are we giving the right purpose to our life? Is our desired life’s purpose being fulfilled? Are we making progress in this vital aspect? The people goals and priorities in life are changing constantly – a high end gadget, a luxury car, an international vacation, a recently released fashion – most often being influenced by the social media with its all-enticing advertisements. There is a significant increase in the stress levels, divorce rate, attrition rate and homicides. There is a pandemic of mental health disorders – anxiety, phobia and depression. Let us take few moments to reflect on this vital and often neglected aspects of life.
We want to be happy in our life. We are trying for it with all our might. The statistics show that we are missing it quite a bit now. The demigods – the devatas or the universal administrators possess riches and opulences far beyond our estimation. They have access to amrit – the most coveted elixir of immortality that grants a prolonged duration of life and vitality of senses. Despite all this, they get victimized by lust, pride and envy. They are not satisfied. Where are we going wrong? We are trying to find happiness in a world of finiteness, duality and impermanence (BG 5.22). Therefore we are left with distress, discontent and depression. We need a source of happiness that is eternal, pure and unlimited.
It can only be found at a spiritual realm – in relationship with God (BG 9.33). This is the right place to invest. The story of the poor Sudama illustrates this. He was a great devotee of Lord Krishna. He is in abject poverty. But he is completely satisfied by the virtue of his unmotivated devotion to Krishna. On the request of his wife, he decided to meet Krishna. He was so overwhelmed with gratitude and love by seeing how Krishna is so kind to a lowly, undeserving devotee like him. He forgot to ask Krishna for any wealth. On this auspicious day, let us desire this spiritual wealth of loving devotion and start investing our time and energy in Bhakti-yoga –the means to acquire it.