Continuing his journey to Varanasi, Richard stopped at Agra and visited the Taj Mahal, a seventeenth-century tomb glorified as one of the wonders of the world. He admired the monumental marble structure, and read a booklet on its history. A Mogul King had built the structure in memory of his wife, employing twenty thousand workmen and craftsmen. The structure took twenty two years to complete, and the hands of the gifted craftsmen were severed to assure they would never duplicate this monument. However one of the king’s sons usurped the kingdom, imprisoned his own father and killed his brothers.
Richard tried to make sense of it all, wondering how after such a magnificent construction, the king only suffered miserably, as his family battled and murdered one another.
“Such is the pitiful consequence of greed for power. In the heart that harbors the weed of selfish greed, the flower of love cannot survive. To conquer one’s envy, lust, and greed, now that is truly monumental.”
While three hundred fifty years have passed since greed blinded these rulers to kill for power, even today greed destroys people. Mr Hansie Cronje, the captain of the South African cricket team met a similar fate. His ambitions soared high as he revolutionized cricketing strategies. As the South African team reigned supreme, millions of dollars poured in, bringing Hansie unprecedented fame and wealth. But he wanted more and secretly tied up with the bookies. Suddenly one day he was exposed in a disgraceful match fixing scandal, and while cricket lovers felt betrayed, Hansie’s life dramatically changed overnight and from a hero he had become a villain. Few years ago, an air crash ended the 36-year-old’s nightmarish life; a heroic saga transforming and culminating in a tragic and premature end.
Radhanath Swami explains the cause of greed in human society, “A man becomes greedy for wealth and power when he has no higher objective in life and when he thinks that this earthly life of a few years is all in all.” Convinced that life is merely a combination of various chemicals, man seeks to go all out, giving in to the urges of body and mind. Fulfilling these baser instincts necessitates exploiting both the scarce resources and precious lives of others. As self-centered individuals come together, behind the veil of social norms and courtesies, there’s plotting to topple the other. When selfish greed takes precedence over God centered values, strife and ego clashes are inevitable. Radhanath Swami therefore implores us to engage our precious time, energy and wealth for self-realization rather than self-aggrandizement.
Quoting ancient scriptures, Radhanath Swami says that since human life is meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth, that alone should be the goal of our life. The loving propensity towards God has to be reawakened in the burning hearts of modern society. The overwhelming power of love washes off all selfish desires to enjoy at the cost of others. Experiencing deep inner peace and satisfaction, a spiritualist becomes unshaken by the temptations of greed. He only seeks to serve and please the Lord.
Radhanath Swami encourages us to be greedy to love and serve God, “A devotee’s ever expanding greed for service to God adds to his spiritual wealth. This wealth and greed is desirable for it not only purifies us of all material contamination, it also helps us achieve real peace and well being in society.”
“Go to India” a sweet but commanding voice; spoke up in the heart of young Richard (later Radhanath Swami) who was immersed in meditation, his search for meaning in life has brought him to the Isle of Crete. Today he was ordered to go to India. Born and raised in the middle class suburbs of Chicago, Radhanath swami grew up in the 1950’s and 60’s era when popular musicians protested war, prejudice and social injustice. Radhanath swami would listen to these songs again and again, but their lyrics referring to God stirred his soul. Peter, Paul and Mary- the folk trio from Greenswich village sang in their debut album
“Early in the morning, about the break of day
I ask the Lord, to help me find my way”
This simple prayer was to guide Radhanath swami in the coming years of his life........
‘The Journey Home - Autobiography of an American Swami’ Book is an engaging, humorous and heart-warming account of a young nineteen year old’s quest for spiritual enlightenment. The reader follows Richard Slavin (Now Radhanath Swami) from the suburbs of Chicago to the caves of Himalayas as he goes through a variety of exciting adventures; some near-death encounters and many spiritual experiences. Regular reading of this all-time classic has helped me draw spiritual lessons and seek constant inspiration in my own spiritual journey.
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very meaningful article, one must have greed to serve the lord, the supreme personality of Godhead, bhakti
amazing article, very effective and thought provoking, hari hari, rajesh karia
wonderful article on the greed and its effect. also the way to spiritualize it for our own benefit is wonderful.
I liked in particular below part by Radhanath Swami Maharaj:
“A devotee’s ever expanding greed for service to God adds to his spiritual wealth. This wealth and greed is desirable for it not only purifies us of all material contamination, it also helps us achieve real peace and well being in society.”
Nice presentation of greed by Radhanath Swami and how to dovetail the same in Lord’s service. The material greed devours everyone and the only way to protect it is to dovetail it.
Nice thoughts about greed by Radhanath Swami. This is very important for us to understand that this enemy of us (ie. greed) devours all of our good qualities and once we are bereft of these qualities, there is nothing we can do to uplift our spiritual consciousness and serve the Lord and His devotees.
A very deep truth some of our politicians/other owners of Swiss Bank with thousands of crores dont understand. Why do you need this kind of money – wrongly taken away from the nation – where millions are struggling to eat 2 meals? Will you take it with you when you die? How much do you need to live a comfortable/luxurious life?