English translation of "Nako lalsa dravyachi" — a series of devotional verses on greed and contentment. See the Glossary for special terms.
॥ Shri Gajanan Maharaj Prasanna ॥
॥ Shri Athavale Guru Prasanna ॥
Thursday, 14 June 1990.
Don't crave wealth, which (is) bound to prove useless;
With wealth to fill your pouch — the arrangement of living-death;
To earn by bad conduct — peace of mind is broken;
To snatch others' wealth — Gana says (is) the time of dying ॥ 1 ॥
Don't (have) much wealth-craving; in craving (one) never crosses over;
Wealth-craving itself shall burn; it itself ever shall scorch;
He who shall live in wealth-craving lives in attachment-feeling;
What shall (one) gain by holding (it)? Gana says: (one) shall lose all ॥ 2 ॥
How much wealth should be earned? Entrust (it) to destiny;
Be content in what is; live with contented disposition;
Spend wealth in the spiritual; what is earned by one's own toil —
Earn such wealth — Gana says: sleep peacefully ॥ 3 ॥
Don't burn the heart for the satisfaction of wealth-greed;
Consider it useless, that pushes peace away;
Take it close as much as is useful for peace of mind;
When the greed of wealth ends — Gana says: peace to him ॥ 4 ॥
Don't snatch others' wealth; don't (waste) time in it;
Others' wealth (is) imperishable (in lasting harm); thereby the loss of peace;
Never shall you (be) fearless; ever the fear of Time;
Living filled with the Name — Gana says (you) are fearless ॥ 5 ॥
For wealth-craving — don't live for that;
When wealth-thought (comes) coming and going, greed grows coming and going;
When excessive greed of it (happens), measuring all in wealth itself —
Excessive greed burns the heart; Gana says: impress on the heart ॥ 6 ॥
Don't (be) a respecter of wealth; thereby you shall become egoistic;
The to-and-fro of ego ever breaks peace;
When all wealth has ended, only worry-anxiety remains;
Let the Name come on the lips; Gana says: only the Name uplifts ॥ 7 ॥
Living for wealth-craving, wandering for fulfillment;
Sowing seeds of sin, tasting only sin-fruits;
Experiencing bitterness — push craving far;
Worship the Name coming and going; Gana says (it is) for that ॥ 8 ॥
Have moderate money; don't (take) the path of greed;
Of living enough for the belly — thereby the convergence of Hari-Name;
The path always of greed — destruction of peace of mind;
Gana says: of Hari-Name — the path of the further shore ॥ 9 ॥
Don't (have) greed for wealth; with greed peace goes far;
When peace is pushed away, what shall remain?
When restlessness is in the heart, many tricks are practiced;
Gana says: till today, no one has been uplifted in worldly life ॥ 10 ॥
How much money should be earned? In which the soul reveles;
Not so much as to burn (you); enough to bear;
Not (only) enough for worldly life; should be spent in the spiritual;
Gana says: impress on the heart; earn wealth by religious-conduct ॥ 11 ृ
Falling behind wealth, getting caught in greed;
Unknowingly becoming a slave, paying respect to it;
Living with restlessness, wearying the soul —
Gana says: for that, only the Name (is) the savior in life ॥ 12 ॥
Don't (be) just a respecter of wealth; no one has crossed till today;
After sowing seeds of greed, fruits of greed in the belly;
Eating those time and again, greed grows mightily;
Gana says: till today, many torments within ॥ 13 ॥
For "I and mine" — how much craving you do!
Reveling in the impermanent, falling behind that itself;
Running for fulfillment — who shall prove your savior?
Gana says: impress on the heart — the eternal alone is the true savior ॥ 14 ॥
However much wealth you earn, by it no peace to the heart;
Living with restless mind, only for craving;
Becoming so intoxicated in wealth, craving burns, (you) forget;
Listening to the inner soul, Gana says: living with peace ॥ 15 ॥
How much should we earn? This too without knowing ourselves;
When the fuel of wealth ends, burning for obtaining;
Life only with wealth (is) never a complete life;
Gana says: name-remembrance proves to be the life that crosses over ॥ 16 ॥
Excessive store of wealth — for excessive living;
When (one has) moderate wealth, reveling in name-remembrance;
Earning excessively, spending excessively;
Gana says: for that, don't (have) excessive store of it ॥ 17 ॥
Without earning wealth itself, burning life for it;
What is obtained? Ask the heart — gaining peace of mind;
Entrusting (it) to the Name — only the Name (is) the savior in life;
Gana says: for that, remember the saints' words now ॥ 18 ॥
Don't get intoxicated in wealth; no one has crossed in it;
In the web of greed, don't get entangled in it;
Wearying the soul — what do you gain in it?
Gana says: stay in the Name; behave in His command ॥ 19 ॥
Don't (have) comparison of wealth, of living by such a path;
Comparison shall prove fatal; the time of mansions falling;
Of snatching others' wealth — the time of living-death;
Gana says: the saints' words (are) the magic of living life ॥ 20 ॥
— Gana-Maharaj