Ishtopadesh Gatha 16

English Translation of Acharya Pujyapada swami’s Ishtopadesh – Deliberation (vivechana) and Poetic Translation by Acharya shri Vidyasagarji maharaj

Utthanika (Prelude):

Here, the disciple raises the question, “Why is wealth, which serves as a means to acquire merit (punya), considered contemptible or worthy of criticism? Acts such as giving charity to deserving recipients, worshiping the divine, and other virtuous deeds are causes of merit, and none of these can be accomplished without wealth. Therefore, why is wealth, which facilitates merit, regarded as contemptible? On the contrary, it should be considered praiseworthy. Hence, wealth should be earned in whatever way possible, and by distributing it among the deserving, one can accumulate merit for happiness.”

In response to this, the Acharya addresses the disciple’s argument in the subsequent verse.

इष्टोपदेश गाथा 16

त्यागाय श्रेयसे वित्तमवित्तः सञ्चिनोति यः । स्वशरीरं स पङ्केन स्नास्यामीति विलिम्पति ॥16॥

Tyāgāya śreyase vittam avittaḥ sañcinoti yaḥ।
Svaśarīraṃ sa paṅkena snāsyāmīti vilimpati॥16॥

Poetic Translation (Padyanuvad )

Nirdhan dhan arjit karta hai, daan hetu yadi vah naana,
Daan karma ka dhyey banaya, karm khapana shiv paana।
Kaarya raha yah aisa jaisa, apne tan par karta hai-
Lep pank ka koi maanav, “Snaan karunga kehta hai”॥16॥

English Translation:
A poor man earns wealth with diverse efforts, intending to give it away,
He dedicates his actions to charity, aiming to exhaust karma and attain liberation.
Yet his actions are like one who smears mud on his body,
Claiming to purify himself through a bath.

The poor man who accmulates wealth so as to be able to acquire merit and the destruction of evil karmas by spending it in charity is like the man who covers himself with filth in the expectation that he is going to bathe his body thereafter !

Note – The acquisition of wealth is accompanied by so much evil doing and evil-thinking that it itself implies a lot of sin accruing to the soul what purposte can then, be served by charity and good works there after. The man who enters a drain full of filth in the hope that he will have a good bath afterwards covers himself for a certain with filth. Whether he will be able to wash it off thereafter is an entirely different matter!

Deliberation (vivechana)

Most naïve beings in the world hold the belief that wealth must be accumulated at any cost, even by engaging in the most degrading acts. Some individuals justify this by thinking that the sins committed in the process of acquiring wealth can later be cleansed by engaging in virtuous deeds such as charity, worship, devotion to teachers, service, or helping others. However, such a belief is misguided.

It is akin to a person whose body is clean but then smears it with mud, thinking, “I will bathe later and become clean again.” This behavior is illogical. Similarly, a person who accumulates wealth through sinful or unethical means, with the intention of using it for charitable purposes later, is considered ignorant. Such actions cannot lead to desired spiritual achievements.

Even if fortune allows someone to acquire wealth, there is often a slim chance that it will be utilized for noble purposes. Wealth earned through unethical means seldom serves virtuous ends. As it is said, “Clear and pristine waters rarely fill rivers; they are filled with muddy and murky waters.” In the same way, the fortunes of worldly people do not grow through pure and righteous means but often rely on questionable methods.

Hence, wise individuals should strive to earn wealth through ethical and just means. True wisdom lies in recognizing that wealth is not the ultimate source of happiness or success.

The perspective of the wise:

• The wealthy often remain dissatisfied due to insatiable greed for more wealth.
• Those who are poor suffer from the frustration of not acquiring wealth.
• Only the ascetic, detached from worldly possessions, experiences true contentment.

In this situation, one must reflect on how wealth can truly become a source of benefit. If you are poor, do not yearn for wealth, because the very wealth you consider desirable is often renounced by kings, merchants, and sages due to its capacity to cause greed, delusion, and sin.

For spiritual seekers:
If you aspire to attain the ultimate liberation associated with the eighth level of celestial bliss (ashtama vasudha), abandon attachment to external possessions and discern between what is truly beneficial and detrimental. Direct your efforts toward understanding your true self, which is the foundation of eternal happiness and liberation.

This reflection encourages ethical living, spiritual introspection, and detachment from the transient nature of wealth and worldly possessions.

Isthopadesh Gatha 16 – Dwadasa Varshiya Shraman Sanskriti Swadhyaya Pathyakram

Anvayaartha (Prose Meaning)
The person (yaḥ avittaḥ) who is poor (avittaḥ) accumulates wealth (vittaṁ sañcinoti) for the sake of noble deeds such as charity, worship, and other virtuous actions (tyāgāya), and for acquiring extraordinary merit (śreyase), is like a person (saḥ manuṣyaḥ) who, thinking “I will bathe” (snāsyāmi iti), smears mud (panke vilimpati) on his clean body (svaśarīram).

Bhavaartha (Philosophical Meaning)
An externalized person, focused only on the material world, neglects spiritual practice and becomes entirely consumed with hoarding wealth. He believes that by amassing significant riches, he will eventually perform acts of charity, build grand homes, and acquire worldly pleasures to attain happiness. However, he remains oblivious to his soul’s needs for contentment, peace, and fulfillment through spiritual endeavors like self-awareness and enhancing virtues such as knowledge and moral character.

This attitude mirrors the foolishness of someone who, intending to bathe and cleanse himself, first smears mud on his clean body. Just as pure rivers are never filled with clean water alone but accumulate impurities, wealth accumulation, even with the intent of charity, is not truly auspicious if it involves unethical means. Therefore, earning wealth, even for noble purposes, cannot lead to ultimate well-being.

Uttānika (Prelude):
The disciple then questions, “If earning wealth involves sin and causes suffering, making it contemptible, how can one survive without wealth? Wealth is essential for fulfilling desires and enjoying worldly pleasures. Shouldn’t wealth, then, be considered praiseworthy?”

To this, the Acharya replies that wealth is not praiseworthy simply because it serves as a means for fulfilling desires or performing virtuous acts. The disciple’s justification for earning wealth is addressed in the subsequent verse (Gatha 17).

Swadhyay Ishtopadesh Gatha 13 to 17

Ishtopadesh Swadhyay youtube playlist

इष्टोपदेश Ishtopadesh

गाथा 1 (Gatha 1) | गाथा 2 ( Gatha 2 )| गाथा 3 ( Gatha 3)| गाथा 4 ( Gatha 4) | गाथा 5 ( Gatha 5) | गाथा 6 ( Gatha 6 )| गाथा 7 ( Gatha 7 )| गाथा 8 ( Gatha 8 ) | गाथा 9 ( Gatha 9 ) | गाथा 10 ( Gatha 10)| गाथा 11 ( Gatha 11 )| गाथा 12 ( Gatha 12) | गाथा 13 ( Gatha 13 )| गाथा 14 ( Gatha 14 )| गाथा 15 ( Gatha 15 ) | गाथा 16 ( Gatha 16 )| गाथा 17 | गाथा 18 | गाथा 19 | गाथा 20 | गाथा 21 | गाथा 22 | गाथा 23 | गाथा 24

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