Contentment

Work is worship

There is no denying the fact that a contented man is a happy man. Says Alexander Pope, the famous Augustan poet:

“Happy the man whose wish and care A few paternal acres bound.”

In the modern age, people run after money and luxuries. Such materialistic pursuits are against the principle of contentment. A contented man is a non-starter. He feels content with his lot. His desires are few.

Of course, everybody wants to have, and that quite reasonably, certain necessities of life. For that, a person has to work and work hard sometimes if not often. But work in itself is not bad. It is rightly said that work is worship.

In Modern age

It is rather a pity that the modern man has not got the true spirit of work culture, particularly as it is true of a typical Indian. He wants shortcuts and the application of cunningness and craftiness. Instead of working honestly, he wants to hoodwink one and all, and that is the crux of the problem.

The modern man spends his time and energy and strains his nerves and muscles to earn money through fraudulent means. The Gita teaches us that we should do our duty and go on working most sincerely without just aiming at the fruit. In other words, if the results are not entirely to our satisfaction, we need not feel disheartened.

A limit to all longings

Thus, contentment does not connote idleness or cessation of work or mental processes. It is rather our duty to plan everything well to achieve our target. Only we should not feel upset if for any reason the desired object is not attained. And this does not mean that we should give up efforts. We should rather reorient our plan or strategy whatever it may be called.

There is, however a limit to all longings. When we have attained a reasonable level of living we need not overstrain ourselves for more and more wealth. Under no circumstances, should we try to usurp the rights or possessions that legally and morally belong to others.

The main point is that like happiness, contentment is a matter of the mind. Just relaxation of limbs and muscles is not contentment. The mind must be in a constantly relaxed state. That is contentment. That can be attained through yoga and meditation. Then mind itself becomes a vast kingdom where a man can rule with utmost satisfaction and without any let or hindrance. Even the poet Nash says –

“My mind to me a kingdom is.”

We must, however, bear in mind that great deeds are always done by restless minds. So, we need not be lethargic nonperformers. Only we should manage and regulate stress and reduce it to the required level at which we do not feel trapped in an unhealthy state of body or mind.