Jagadguru Sri Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahaswamiji:

Jagadguru Sri Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahaswamiji: Is man’s perfection in the possession of wealth? No. It is pertinent to consider what exactly constitutes wealth. Nīlakaṇṭha-dīkṣita has clarified,“Wealth is certainly not the same thing for all. What is wished for by a person is that man’s wealth. While different objects constitute the wealth of the common folk, destitution is the wealth of the wise.” What is dear to anyone is one’s wealth. Hence, what dearth of wealth is there for a deer that grazes freely in a meadow that is green with luscious grass ? What then is the basis of man’s fullness?

Knowledge. There are two kinds of knowledge to be acquired, the higher(parā vidyā) and the lower(aparā vidyā). Lower knowledge throws light on what leads to happiness and sorrow in this world and in the next. On the other hand, he attains fullness on account of that higher knowledge which provides the answers to queries such as, “Am I the body or distinct from it? If distinct, am I eternal or impermanent? Am I of the nature of bliss or sorrow?What is the relationship between this world that is perceived and myself?"

#SanatanaDharma #Sringeri #Shankaracharya #Vedanta #Spirituality