The miraculous power of contentment

                                 The miraculous power of contentment


     Once a king invited a saint to his palace. After offering him fruits with due respects, he started conversing with the saint. The king was over-awed by the glow shining on the face of the saint and said, ‘ Respected saint ! I am jealous of you . You don’t  possess anything, no responsibility to bother you, your contentment, happiness and purity reflects on your face ! What is the secret ? Whereas ,I have a huge kingdom with no enemies ,to rule over and servants to serve me with anything and everything I want.

The saint replied with a smile, ‘ I pity you , oh king !  You have such a small kingdom to rule over. You live in such a small place called ‘ palace ‘. The songs of the entire vast sky belong to me. I am the owner of the fruits of the trees in Nature. The fresh , cool water of the rivers is my drink. In my open hut, the moon and the stars are ever with me. I am more richer than you .’

This statement is not only apt from the self- reazied soul like saint, but is equally applicable for an ordinary man also.
Ordinary man feels happy when material growth is there and unhappy when it is not there. This is due to his uncontrolled, unsteady mind.

God has created man as well as Nature. Both are inter-dependent. We should develope a sense of our belonging to Nature, not a sense of mastering over and exploiting Nature.  If you take care of   Nature,  Nature will take care of you. You don’t need anything else.That magic power the Nature has. One has to experience to realize this. It is said,
“ God loved the birds and created trees ,
   Man loved the birds and invented cages.”
Out of ignorance and haughtiness, it is the human society that sustains itself by transforming Nature into garbage. Whereas the value of Nature is priceless. Nature is not only a provider of boundless bounties, but is also a great companion , and never betrays a heart that loves her. Nature is a great healer too. People go for  Nature-walk to get physical and mental vigour.   Nature is always  inspiring and rejuvenating.The vast sky with stars and planets, the ocean with its rich aquatic creatures, the trees, birds and animals are the richest wealth bestowed by Nature on man. Nature has given us so much, if we have eyes to see, ears to hear and a mind to enjoy, they become the doorway to happiness and enjoyment. Finding joy in ordinary things of life is the key to being truly fulfilled life. When you take time to appreciate and enjoy Nature in its varied forms, such as a flower, a fruit hanging from the tree, a carpet of green grass, cool breeze blowing, the mind will become grateful, joyful, contented , calm and serene.

An ordinary man is not to renounce the world like a saint. To be contented does not mean that you should not strive to achieve anything. In this mad world, man has to work and compete with others. This contentment will have profound impact on the individual. He can achieve a lot of things. A contented, grateful mind awakenes the inner abilities and talents. It will not only identify your problems, but also give you power and energy to solutions. Even when we experience a set back also, the mind when contented is serene and takes somekind of positive meaning in that and go ahead with the task undertaken. With peace in mind, staying motivated becomes natural.

If the spirit of contentment is not there, apart from the physical exhaustion, the man will be mentally dissipated. Once mentally dissipated, man’s efficiency gets ruined. Mental condition is more important. When contentment is there, the mind becomes calm and serene, and there is an inner dynamic fullness which makes man to act courageously in the world. Achieving a harmonious combination of inner excellence and outer efficiency is the true development in life.

Material prosperity and spiritual reality are inter-dependent. Without material reality, spiritual reality cannot be discovered, and without spiritual reality, material reality has no purpose. Spiritual growth is the ability to overpower the emotions so that one has the wisdom to appreciate and enjoy all things material without getting needy or clingy.