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Nithyakatha 1

Watch @ut F@r That greed

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A man kneeling with outstretched arms praying in a landscape

🌀ne man wanted an acre of land to grow vegetables. So he prayed to God.

"Oh Lord, please bless me with one acre
of land so that I may feed myself and my
family and pay respect to You."

God saw the man's sincerity and said: "I
will give you not just one acre of land,
but whatever land you can cover by
running from morning till night."

The poor man was very happy and started walking at sunrise the next morning. His goal was to cover 10 acres so that he could live comfortably. As the day passed, his greed took over and he wanted more and more land. He began to think that with enough land he could own a small kingdom. He forgot about his body's need for food and water. He denied himself the basic things that he required. He would not even sit down for a few minutes to rest.

A man running through a field with hills in the background

Towards the end of the day he
had covered many, many acres
and he was completely
exhausted. Just before sunset, he
saw a beautiful graveyard across
a river. He wanted to own it for
his family.

A man pointing towards a graveyard across a river with mountains in the background
A person crawling out of water onto the riverbank

So he pushed himself to swim across the river to get to it. Alas! As he reached the far banks of the river and the graveyard, his body could take no more. He collapsed on the spot and died.

Greed is a sure path to defeat. We develop the habit of dissatisfaction with what we have.

We are always asking 'What next? What next?'

Existence continuously showers us with blessings - The sun, rain, and food - all of nature, including our very lives! But it is so easy to take it all for granted.

Let us learn to center ourselves in our being and let gratitude towards Existence flower in us for the many blessings of our lives!

REFLECTION CORNER

Here are some popular proverbs and quotes on greed. Think about them.

  1. Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not even one man's greed.
  1. It is greedy to do all the talking but not to want to listen to all!
  1. A greedy person and a pauper are one and the same.