Money worth earning

Recently, I met my Engineering College Professor Dr Anand Swaroop Saxena (in picture). He was my Engineering degree Major project guide, actually a guide in many ways. We were discussing something and he shared the following  lines (in Hindi these are called Doha).

गो धन, गज धन, काज धन, सबे रतन धन ख़ान|
जब आवे संतोष धन, ये सब धुरी समान||

Go dhan, gaj dhan, kaaj dhan sabe ratan dhan khan
Jab aave santosh dhan ye sab dhuri saman.

Meaning:

It is true that owning cattle, jewels or kingdoms is mine of wealth
But when you own wealth of contentment (satisfaction) those mines (cattle, jewels etc) of wealth become worthless (like dust)

Note – In old days cattle used to be a measure of wealth of a person, therefore go (cow) and gaj (elephant) in this doha.

I thought about it and added two points –

1. This does not mean we should block our owns progress in the name of contentment.

2. Point 1 makes everyone think – when should we stop? Because if someone should not block his/her progress, that slowly converts into greed and running behind many things (at time unnecessary things).

I thought that one should always try to utilize one’s capability to the hundred percent in doing whatever one is doing. This thought let me to Famous shloka of Geeta

कर्मणयेवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि।

Meaning: “You’ve a right to perform your prescribed action, but you’re not entitled to the fruits of your action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results your activities, and never be associated to not doing your duty.”

And I felt contentment (satisfaction) is in becoming content (satisfied) and not in running behind anything, not even the desire to become content (satisfied with anything).

Related blogs –

When will we stop?

Swasthay – dwelling in oneself

What more you need?

Source of Geeta shloka meaning – Deeds, not words, should speak