Maharishi Nārada is explaining the dharmas applicable to householders. He continued,

“A human being has the right to enjoy only as much wealth as is needed to fill his stomach. He has no right to accumulate wealth beyond this limit. The person who accumulates more wealth than necessary is equivalent of a thief.

Wealth earned unlawfully by cheating, harming or grabbing is unrighteous. One who forcefully extracts wealth from others is a thief and a blackmailer who is eligible for punishment as per rules of dharma. Money should be earned only through righteous means.

The householder should treat animals such as camels, donkeys, monkeys, rats, birds, flies, crawling reptiles and insects as his own children and, without any feelings of differentiation, he should serve them with this attitude.

It is incorrect for a householder to strive excessively for righteousness (dharma), material earnings (artha) and fulfilment of desires (kāma). Adherence to them should be as much as is necessary in accordance to the time and place, and also in proportion to the blessings showered upon him by the Lord.

The householder should distribute necessary objects to people belonging to the lower strata, to the degraded, outcaste people, dogs etc. in accordance to their worthiness and eligibility. Together with his wife, towards whom he has feelings of possessiveness, he should engage in social service.

A man is ready to kill himself, his parents and his spiritual Guru, for his wife who is the love of his life. However, if he is willing to give up his attachment towards his wife, who is most dear to him, he will never ever face defeat! Moreover, he can hold even the Supreme Lord under his sway”.

A wife should be loved as a life-partner and true friend. It is incorrect to believe his entire universe revolves around her. The person who focusses on wife due to excessive sexual needs inevitably lands in hell. It is best if detachment towards her is developed. Treat her as a true friend- ‘She is my best friend. She encourages me towards righteous and meritorious deeds’. It is said that the person who respects his wife as a friend and who reduces excessive attachment towards her can conquer even God!

“This body ultimately reduces to ashes or becomes food for worms and insects. Can such worthless body be ever considered significant? This being the case, what should be the importance that one should give to a wife who loves this worthless body? The Self, which is responsible for the existence of the space is supreme. Can any parallel be ever drawn between the all-pervading Supreme Self, which is the cause for the existence of space, and this worthless body which is composed of the senses and mind?”

Supreme is the Self which merges into the all-pervading Lord who like the sky envelops everything! The body which associates with the senses is insignificant in its presence. Ill-health chases even the healthiest person. There are many who, although externally appearing to be hale and hearty, actually suffer due to mental illnesses. All around us we come across people who are tormented by bodily illnesses. Such diseased persons do not even think of the Lord. At all times, their focus is upon their body illness and upon the ways by which the pain could be driven away. Pain is inevitable since you are attached to your body. If you surrender the pain to Lord Srihari, it will reduce. You claim that the body is yours. What is it that truly belongs to you? Is it your eyes, ears, nose, limbs- which of them belongs to you? Who are you? Where are you located? Can you declare- ‘I am this hand’? Think- Who am ‘I’? Where is this hand after say 80-90 years? None of these senses exist after a point of time. Why then are you associating with them and developing feelings of I-ness towards them? Learn to associate with the body and senses only as much as is needed for survival. Beyond that focus only upon the Self. Search for the Self. This is the purpose behind this body.

Enjoy worldly sensory comforts only as much as is absolutely essential for leading the life of a householder. If you choose to remain a celibate (Brahmachari) it is yet a greater fortune. There is no fortune greater than celibacy in this world! It is said that leading a life of celibacy wherein one distances from all worldly comforts is at par with Avadhoota vrata (disciplines)!

Every worldly comfort that is visible to the eyes including sex is unreal. Every such comfort should be sacrificed. The person who has sacrificed every such luxury is equal to an Avadhoota who will definitely reach the Supreme Lord.

However, there is a word of caution for such celibates. Be alert and focussed. Do not fall from this level. Do not chase luxuries. Do not cheat. Do not utter lies. If the mind is filled with filthy thoughts there is no use of declaring that you are about to reach the Avadhoota stage. Such declaration amounts to ridiculing the supreme Avadhoota principles. This sin is far worse than the previous sins. Resultant punishment for this sin will have to be inevitably experienced in this world and in the next.

The celibate should be vigilant every single minute. He should guard his intellect against unwanted thoughts. He should ensure that his senses do not run towards the sensory comforts. How can listening to gossip, enjoying beautiful forms in the world, talking irrelevantly and hurting others be classified as Avadhoota’s qualities? In other words, in the guise of an Avadhoota, such a person is cheating the society. Better than this is to get married to a woman and enjoy comforts. Do not take up these disciplines and then cheat. “A householder should be content with wealth obtained righteously by the grace of the Lord”.

Here it implies that as a result of your hard work, money is obtained through His grace. It is righteous earning. It is the result of your hard work. Mother earth will reward you. If you are a trader it should be righteous trading. Take exactly the commission that is stipulated for the task. Do not greedily expect 100% returns.

If you earn through unrighteous means, then you will be passing on the sinful money to your children. They will simply waste that money. Money that is earned beyond your requirements should be utilized for other pious deeds.

Narayana hari