AIM FOR A COMPREHENSIVE, DIVINELY-INCLINED MIND – RITAMBHARA BUDDHI

‘O foolish Man! Devote yourself to Govind, to God, to Paramatma!’ Whom is he calling, the foolish man? Who is the fool? As per the general point of view, that person is considered wise who is ready to usurp the rights of others, who deprives others of their necessities and fills his own coffers, who goes on accumulating wealth for his sons, grand-kids and other relatives and thus becomes a rich man. Adi Shankaracharya was the first and most loving flower of God. No second flower of that charm and beauty has appeared again in this world.

I call that mind a foolish mind that usurps and misappropriates worldly possessions. But that mind is the best quality mind, desirable mind which is efficient and expert in walking on the path to God. We should have that intelligence. Philosophers and serious thinkers have called such minds as Ritambhara Buddhi. It is one thing to be bright; the mind may be very fast, clever, cunning highly discriminating but the best one is a comprehensive, divinely inclined mind, Ritambhara Buddhi. The man of Ritambhara Buddhi also sees the world but from a different angle.

When Buddha was young Siddhartha, he left his palace in a chariot with a charioteer riding it. He said to him, “Today I am leaving everything behind, even these palaces, too. I want to realize that element after acquiring which one does not have to get, achieve or realize anything else.” The charioteer could not understand what he meant. He said, “O
Prince! We dream day and night that we should own palaces, get untold wealth, you have such a beautiful wife, such a sweet son, there is no dearth of riches, you do not lack any comfort or pleasure. A person like me dreams day and night that a life like yours would be the best thing we can get. What do you find lacking or missing in the palace that you have turned your face away from them?” Siddhartha said, “You hear the sounds of music in the palace but I see the flames of fire rising from there. There is no peace there but only he will know it who reaches His destination. Because man generally thinks that he should take ten or fifty steps more and reach another place; maybe I find peace there.” But when a man reaches there he finds that his assessment was wrong.

Buddha said, “There are many kings. There are many who imagine sitting on a throne but I tripped and stumbled, and my eyes opened as a real king. Therefore, I have understood there is nothing in the palaces.” But the charioteer did not follow what Siddhartha was saying. Then came the day when Siddhartha became Buddha and the crowns
of kings bowed at his feet. Buddha would travel places carrying immense peace and blessings for one and for all, and then the charioteer understood what Buddha had meant years ago. You do not get that status from earning wealth or from accumulating worldly possessions which you get in the state of inner stillness. A life of eternal happiness and a life of lasting peace is what Buddha earned thru meditations and inner awakening. One who has come to his senses,
one who is awakened, is truly wise. Otherwise, everyone else in the world is busy accumulating the objects of the world.