Isha Upanishad (4)

[Guest guest]

It is not that individual "ownership" of anything

and everything must be, or even could be, banned. As

children of God, each of us can possess His property and

use it both for our own sustenance and for the

welfare of our family, neighborhood, society, state,

nation, and world. It is not that a theocracy of

self-appointed "servants of God" should control all property.

Indeed, nothing could be more dangerous and more against

the meaning of the first mantra of the Sri

Ishopanishad. So-called religious leaders who seek political

power in order to control all properties and people

deny the fact that all people are children of God, and

that therefore all people have the right to possess

and use His property for their sustenance and in His

service. There is nothing more dangerous to real religion

than fanatics who seek to lord over others by force in

the name of God. <br><br>Nor is false renunciation

desirable. You may say, "God owns everything, therefore I am

going to give up ownership of my watch. I'll throw it

away." But how can you give up what is not yours in the

first place? It's not possible. To say "I'm going to

give away my watch" shows that you think you own the

watch. Obviously you couldn't give away the watch if it

wasn't yours. For example, if the watch belonged to your

father, who merely lent it to you for a short while, you

would not say, "I'm going to give up my watch." To give

up what is in one's possession, to think "I'm going

to give up all my things," is based on the illusion

of ownership. Real renunciation is different. Real

renunciation means to understand that everything in your

possession isn't really yours-it is God's. The practical

application of this understanding is the change in use of

one's things. Instead of using possessions for your

sense enjoyment only, if you are enlightened, you will

use them for the glorification of God and the welfare

of the people, who are all God's children. An

individual, a family, or a government that understands the

first mantra of the Sri Ishopanishad sees itself in the

role of caretaker, not owner or exploiter.

<br><br>Hari Aum !!!