Meditation On The Story Of Kuchela (Poverty

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The Vedanta Kesari, p. 306-310, August 2005

Is poverty an aid or obstacle to spiritual quest? Conflicting opinions prevail on this issue. The general view is that poverty is to be dreaded as a hideous scourge. It corrodes the self-esteem of its victim, makes his daily living an arduous struggle, kills his finer sensibilities and leaves him too weary, sullen and rebellious for any meaningful practice of soul- culture. Extreme mass poverty can pose a threat to spirituality by sowing seeds of skepticism in disgruntled minds about the fundamental kabir,lord krishna,mirabai,values of life, religion and ethics. It can silently engineer a coup d"etat by dethroning the god of traditional religion and anointing, in its place, Mammon as the new monarch. Body and mind enfeebled by acute poverty are impervious to the lofty message of spirituality. Empty stomachs clamour more for a morsel of food than for any spiritual advice from the pulpit.

But the scriptural view recommends a modicum of poverty for every spiritual seeker. Involuntary poverty, according to scriptures, is a godsend spiritual necessity to correct the angularities of affluence. The essence of spiritual life consists in spartan simplicity and conscious abridgement of personal wants and needs. Spiritual life is more a mission for slaking the thirst for God than a frantic hunt for sense-delights to gratify sense-appetite.

One need not hastily conclude that spirituality is, hence, a foe of economic well-being. Spirituality concedes that for the generality of masses, who are after sensual life, poverty is an encumbrance to be got rid of and accumulation of wealth a consummation devoutly to be wished for. Spirituality"s counsel of poverty is only for the minuscule minority of ardent spiritual seekers who have no use for wealth in their endeavour to achieve their goal of spiritual realization and for whom wealth can prove even a positive hindrance to their spiritual pursuits. Involuntary poverty meaning poverty which is their lot even at birth holds no terror for them but proves, on the contrary, a God-given opportunity to pursue their single-minded spiritual quest, as the diabolical distractions of affluence are not there to sabotage their spiritual journey. The rigours of poverty, in their case, are far outweighed by the rhapsody of spiritual quest. The spiritual seekers who are born into affluence and its cozy comforts, however, adopt the strategy of voluntary poverty to ward off the evils of affluence. Saints Kabirdas and Tukaram may be cited as examples of seekers born into a state of involuntary poverty while Mirabai, Saint Purandaradasa and King Ambarisha are shining examples of mystics who spurned wealth and embraced voluntary poverty.

The power of poverty to promote spiritual growth has been certified by scriptures through divine utterances. Explaining to Brahma the rationale of His apparently cruel act of dis- possession of Bali, the Lord says, 'Oh Brahma! Whomsoever I want to bless, I impoverish him by snatching away his wealth because wealth breeds in a person so much of overweening arrogance that he slights the world and Me."1 Says the Bible, 'It is far easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to reach the Kingdom of God." Poverty, either natural or self-imposed, is a passport to spiritual release.

It is not surprising therefore that the bludgeoning of poverty, far from wounding and paralyzing Kuchela (his real name being Sridama/Sudama), the devoted friend of Lord Krishna, by its mortal blows, acts as a potent fillip to his devotional flights. Kuchela is so benumbed by his obsession with and love of Kesava that he hardly feels the 'slings and arrows" of grinding poverty.
To Be Continued


About the author
Mr. Hariharan of Madurai occasionally contributes thoughtful articles to The Vedanta Kesari.