Talk:Wealth

By Vishal Agarwal

The performance of Yajnas requires material resources. The pursuit of Jnana Yoga and Dhyana Yoga is somewhat elitist because the poor do not have the wherewithal to practice these two paths. But Bhakti does not require one to be rich or have access to riches because it can be performed with the most elementary and common materials. Simple chanting of Divine names in one's heart with love can suffice to please the Lord.

Whosoever offers to Me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water, that offering of devotion I accept from him who is of a pure heart. Gita 9.26

Story-Saint Poosalar constructs a Shiva Temple in His Heart:

In the town of Thiruninravur in Tamil Nadu, there lived a very good man named Poosalar. He was a great devotee of Shiva. He decided to construct a Mandir to Shiva and went around asking for donations. But, he was not able to get enough money from people. Therefore, he decided to construct a Mandir in his own heart.

He spoke to architects and made a list of all the materials that were needed to construct a temple. One day, he decided to pray to Shiva and laid the foundation of an imaginary temple in his heart. Every day, he would build a small portion of the temple in his heart, till the temple became bigger and bigger. After several years, the temple in his heart was finally complete. Poosalar then decided on a date for inaugurating the temple. On that date, he would invite Shiva to come and live in the Shiva Linga that he had installed in his temple in the heart.

By chance, the King of that country had also constructed a Shiva temple in the city of Kanchipuram. And he too set the inauguration day of his Mandir on the same date as Poosalar had set for the temple in his heart.

The King was very proud that he had built the greatest temple to Shiva in his country. Bhagavan Shiva thought, "The King is becoming too proud. Let Me teach him a lesson." So, Shiva appeared to the King in a dream the day before the inauguration and said, "King. I cannot attend the inauguration of the temple you have built. Because on the same day, I am supposed to attend the inauguration of Poosalar's temple." The King was stunned. He thought, "Who is this Poosalar that Shiva prefers to visit instead of coming to my temple? Let me go and see if Poosalar's temple is greater than mine."

The king went around and asked for the location of Poosalar's temple, but no one had even heard of a temple like that. Finally, someone said to the king. "Why don't you visit that poor man in the hut, whose name is also Poosalar." The king went to the hut and asked Poosalar, "Have you constructed a temple for Shiva? It appears that Bhagavān Shiva prefers to attend your inauguration instead of mine. So where is your temple?"

Poosalar asked the king to place his ears on his heart. When the king did that, he heard the bells of the temples inside Poosalar's heart. And when he looked at Poosalar's chest carefully, he noticed that the temple that Shiva was going to visit was actually in Poosalar's heart. The king learned his lesson. He told Poosalar, "Shiva likes your temple in the heart more than my huge temple made of stone. This is because you constructed your temple with love and devotion for Shiva. I promise I will get a stone temple constructed for Shiva in your name. And till your temple is not inaugurated, I will not open my temple." The king kept his promise, and the temple he built for Poosalar to worship Shiva still exists in Tamil Nadu.

Story Krishna rejects a Royal Feast:

As a part of the deal, the Pandavas were asked to give their kingdom to Duryodhana and go to the forest for 13 years. After 13 years, the Pāndavas sent Krishna to talk to Duryodhana, so that they could get their kingdom back. But when the Pāndavas asked for their kingdom back after waiting for that period, the Kauravas refused to return it. It appeared that a war would break out between the Pandavas and the Kauravas now. To maintain peace, Lord Krishna decided to go and talk to the Kauravas in their capital Hastinapur. The Pāndavas said that they would accept whatever Lord Krishna could get from the Kauravas. When the Kauravas heard that Krishna was coming to Hastinapur, they sent a message to him requesting him to stay in their palace. They also invited him to eat his lunch and dinner cooked in their royal kitchen. The Kauravas thought that since they were powerful and rich, Krishna might be impressed by their royalty and power. He might then agree to a deal that benefits only the Kauravas and does not get the Pandavas anything. But Krishna told the Kauravas "We should eat food at someone else's place only when we are in trouble or when they call us with love or respect. I am not in trouble, and you do not love me or respect me. So I cannot come." When Krishna arrived at Hastinapur, he first went to see his aunt and mother of Pandavas, Queen Kunti who loved and respected Krishna a lot. Then, he went to the home of Vidura, the step-uncle of both the Kauravas and Pandavas. Vidura was the son of a maidservant and lived humbly and ate very simple food composed of fruit and vegetables. But he was famous for being very wise and knowledgeable, and was very fair and honest, Krishna requested Vidura for food and ate whatever simple food comprising of a gourd (called "sitāphala in Hindi) that he was offered.

Story - The Value of Rama’s Name: In the Namdev ki Parchai written by Anantadasa, the following story is narrated about Namadeva:

In the town of Pandharpur, there lived a wealthy merchant named Vimal. He was proud of his riches. One day, to show off his generosity, he announced that he wanted to donate his body's weight in gold. Every one-poor, rich, Brahmanas, etc. came to get their share and returned enriched with the donation. Everyone was in full praise of Vimal. However, there was one prominent person in the town who did not show up - Sant Namdev.

The merchant then sent a messenger to summon Namdev but he did not respond. A second messenger was sent, but Namdev did not come. Finally, only after a third messenger was sent that Namdev came to see Vimal.

The merchant said in an anguished tone, "Why did you not come to collect your share? Did you think that I would not give you enough? Please accept some gold from me, because it will give me punya. By accepting my charity, you will save my honor. If you do not take anything, people will say sarcastically that I am a miser who donates any money to you."

But Namdev responded, "I have no use for money. You have already donated a lot of gold to others. If I too take gold from you, then there will not be enough left with you!"

But Vimal laughed and said, "Do not worry Sant-ji, I will give you as much gold as you wish. I am a rich man. Tell me how much you want."

Namdev responded, "Just give me enough to equal the weight of a Tulsi leaf."

Namdev then wrote the name of Rama on a leaf and placed it on one of the pans of the merchant's weighing scale. The merchant flippantly placed a gold coin on the other pan, but the leaf was surprisingly heavier. The merchant started placing more gold, then bags of coins of gold and silver, and finally his gems. But the leaf-bearing pan still seemed higher!

Disgraced, he asked his wife to take off her jewelry and place it on the pan, but to no avail. The entire town showed up to watch the miraculous spectacle. The other merchants thought, "One of our own is getting humiliated. Let us also put our wealth to give to the Sant." They too started adding gold and silver, but the pan bearing the Tulsi leaf with the name of Ram on it would not budge!

Vimal now begged forgiveness and said, "Tell me, Sant Namdev, what more can I give to you?" Namdev replied, "I want all the punya that you have earned due to your good deeds." Vimal agreed, and with some water in his hands, he prayed to the Devatas, "If I have done any good deeds, then let their punya add to the

weight of pan containing the wealth." But the pan with the Tulsi leaf was still heavier! Other merchants also came forward - some had performed great yajnas, some had undertaken many pilgrimages, and others had given many charities. They all now vied with one another to give all of their punya to Sant Namdev's pan of leaf. But the pan with the leaf was still heavier!

Vimal now cried and said, "Sant Namdev, I do not know of your mysterious power. But now I know that whatever you accept will reach Rama himself. Therefore, please accept our wealth." Namdev replied, "You are not giving for the sake of Rama, but only to inflate your pride and show off your greatness. If you had given it from your heart to please Rama, then I would have accepted it with reverence. Why should I take your wealth to boost your ego? It is all waste and worthless in comparison to devotion to Rama."

Saying this, be picked the leave of Tulse. The pan now swung up and the pan with the gold fell to the ground with a thud. Sant Namdev picked up his Tusli leaf that had the name of Rama written on it and left the gathering. The merchants and the onlookers felt blessed that they had been made to witness the glory of Rama's name by a Sant."

Story-The Birthday Gift of Rukmini: In the Maharashtrian Hindu tradition, a similar story is narrated wherein the subjects of Krishna resolved to donate as much food, gold, and other types of wealth as the weight of Krishna. Krishna sat on one pan of the weighing balance while his devotees tried to weigh him against their offerings of gold, gems, grain, clothing, etc. But Krishna continued to be heavier than every offering. Finally, His Queen Rukmini came and placed a single leaf of Tulsi with utmost love and faith in Krishna. Immediately, the two pans of the weighing scale balanced, demonstrating that her love for the Lord far outweighed the costly gifts of His subjects.

Story-Chenthanar: the Wood Cutter

Several centuries ago, in the city of Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu, there lived a poor woodcutter named Chenthanar. Every day, he would use a portion of his sales to buy food for a devotee of Shiva. One day, it rained very hard as a result of all the wood becoming wet and he was not able to earn anything. However, he made some pudding with millet grains and worshipped Shiva, hoping that a devotee of Shiva would come his way. A Sadhu suddenly appeared and Chenthanar fed him lovingly, seeing him to be a bhakta of Shiva as well. While leaving, the Sadhu remarked that the pudding was delicious, and therefore asked Chenthanar to give him any leftovers as well, even though he had not eaten his dinner. Meanwhile, a King of the Chola dynasty who was also greatly devoted to Shiva, ruled the area. The King too would offer a Pūjā to Shiva every day, and the mürti would jingle its anklets in acknowledgment of his worship. But that day when it rained, the anklets did not jungle. The King was very upset and thought, "Perhaps I made some mistake in my Püjä today which is why Bhagavän has not accepted my worship."

But that night, Shiva appeared to the King in a dream and said, "There was no flaw in your worship. I was just busy because I had gone to cat the pudding offered by the woodcutter Chenthanar, who is a great devotee of mine." The following morning, when the priests opened the gates of the famous Mandir of Chidambaram which housed the mürti of Shiva in the pose of Nataraja, they were shocked. Bits of mullet podding were smeared all over the murti. The priests immediately sent a message to the Chola King, “Your majesty, it appears that a thief who hates Shiva entered the Mandir last night and threw bits of pudding on the mūrti of Bhagavān.” But the King smiled and said, “No, it was his devotee Chenthanar who offered the pudding to Bhagavān. Surely, Shiva must regard him as his foremost Bhakta. I will issue orders to locate Chenthanar and request him to appear in my royal court so that all of us can offer our respects to this great Bhakta.”

The emissaries of the King searched but they could not locate Chenthanar. After a few days, there was a great annual chariot festival of the Nataraja Mandir of Chidambaram and Chenthanar too came to witness it in the crowd. The chariot had hardly gone much further and its wheels got stuck in the mud that had formed due to heavy rains that year. All of the devotees tried with all their might, but the wheels would not get unstuck from the mud. Suddenly, there was a thundering roar from the heavens, "I am Shiva, and I will not move till Chenthanar sings out a hymn of worship to me." No one knew who Chenthanar was, till he came forward and sang a beautiful hymn of devotion to Shiva. The chariot got unstuck immediately and it started moving. When the King found out about this, he and all his courtiers fell at the feet of the humble woodcutter and paid their respects to him for earning the grace of Shiva. The King then told Chenthanar about his dream. Chenthanar was moved by the love of Bhagavän for him and thanked Him for being so gracious even though he had merely offered a poor man's food to Him and His devotees. Even today, the Shaivite Hindus of Tamil Nadu commence their prayers to Shiva with 12 hymns, of which the ninth is the one sung by Chenthanar in the Chidambaram chariot festival.

Numerous other stories of humble and poor devotees of the Lord are narrated in South Indian Shaivite traditions. Thiruneelakandakuyavanar was a potter. He was poor, but always gave a few pots away for free, in the name of Shiva. Thirukkuurippuththondar was a washerman, who always washed the clothes of Shiva devotees for free. Nesar was a weaver in Bellary (Karnataka) and a great Bhakta of Bhagavan Shiva. He regularly wove beautiful loin cloths (dhotis) for Shiva devotees, gave them free, and served them as well. According to tradition, he attained Moksha due to his humble devotion."