One often mistakes money, fancy clothes, comfortable furniture, and shiny objects as markers of opulence. The real wealth of human life lies in the sense of peace that we experience when we understand the ways of God, writes AJIT KUMAR BISHNOI
Opulence is the results of earlier good /spiritual deeds done by us and are based on cause and effect theory or karmaphala principle. Rules have been laid out — we reap what we sow. The material nature on behalf of God rewards us in various ways. There are many kinds of opulence besides wealth. Becoming knowledgeable helps us in maintaining ourselves well, gaining respect, satisfaction, etc. And if one has become spiritually knowledgeable, he or she makes progress in the eternal journey of the soul as well by practicing such knowledge. God rewards such persons with the elusive peace and liberation from the painful cycle of birth and death. These come in stages, ie one will become gradually peaceful and will feel not so bound as others do, who do not link with God.
Materially speaking, power is much sought after. However, the seed for appreciable power comes from previous births. Same is true of very famous people. Substantial wealth and specially riveting beauty are earned much earlier that our present births. Good health is a great boon. Without it, all other opulence cannot be enjoyed much. Sound health is the result of mostly what we do in this life except for some major diseases, which are punishments from earlier lives for heinous crimes committed. Everyone craves for comfort and decent living quarters. Additionally, if one is blessed with quality help, the standard of life becomes high class.
Then, there is higher opulence, like peace of mind. The surroundings and people one lives with make a huge difference to us. If we have peaceful neighbourhood and a lovely family, life becomes highly enjoyable. The last and the biggest opulence of all is God’s hand, which helps us to navigate through the inevitable challenges of life. One has to experience it to believe it.
How does one become deserving of such opulenceij let us take some pious acts first. Charity given to the needy is the most common. Generous sharing of wealth qualifies one for many opulence mentioned earlier. Serving the sick is a very creditable act. Similarly, making sacrifices for others merits a lot of attention from the divine authorities in-charge of rewarding us. For example, a parent lives very frugally in order to provide a better care for his or her child. To deal with others honestly and with respect not only brings good results in this life but in the next also.
When we do spiritual acts, God gives many opulence as He gave to Arjuna, who was recipient of wealth, other opulence, victory, high degree of morality, etc. (The Gita 18.78) What did Arjuna doij He agreed to become God’s medium in the Kurukshetra War, which was fought to uphold dharma. lord Krishna informs us that whatever there is opulent comes from Him only. (10.41) God’s worshippers can get what no one else including God can give.
One should start early on gathering and qualifying for these opulence. I will refer to acts generally done by us. A child can be well behaved, highly disciplined, who studies sincerely to reach his potential. A youth can be dutiful, honest, useful and helpful to others. Middle age requires shouldering responsibilities of many types including spiritual ones. This is the time to get started on doing spiritual practices if not begun earlier. The last stage of the human life is mainly to advance spiritually besides fulfilling whatever duties one is still left with. In all ages, care should be taken to do good karmas and avoid bad ones because both come to fruition.
Opulence softens the blow of misfortunes such as serious diseases. People give respect, attention and generally look up to opulent persons. This makes one feel good, satisfied. The quality of life becomes high.
Bishnoi is a spiritual writer and can be reached at spiritual@ajitbishnoi.com