Combine Morals with Business

“If you businessmen live according to right principles, all the corruption in the country can be ended in a moment,” observed Bhagavan Baba, in a powerful exhortation to a vast gathering of businessmen at the Brabourne Stadium in Bombay on May 14, 1984.

Forthright in his 90‑minute discourse, Bhagavan sought to bring home to the businessmen their moral responsibilities to society and the nation. “Install morality in your hearts and, with faith in the Divine, engage yourself in business. If this is done, the nation will benefit from your efforts and you will be serving society and yourself,” urged Bhagavan.

The world attracts man in multifarious ways. Content with the satisfactions derived from the physical world, man does not consider what might be in store for him. He devotes all his physical and mental energies and his resources to the achievement of material comforts, power, position, and honor, however he makes no attempt to show his gratitude to the society from which he derives all these comforts, wealth, and position.

For right living, righteousness and character are essential. Divinity is the life breath of man. Man, however, does not have faith in the Divine, but whether one believes in God or not, one can see evidence of the presence of Divinity wherever one turns. Without Divinity, humanness will not blossom. A man’s life shines despite enormous vicissitudes only when he displays qualities like equanimity and compassion. Because man covers his mind in a cloak of ignorance, blinkers his eyes with egoism, and closes his heart with the doors of pride, he forgets the Lord who created him and protects him. Such a man is unable to listen to any teaching.

He worships at the shrine of the sense organs. As his desires go on mounting, he is un­able to listen to that which is wholesome for him. He does not relish good company, and has no awareness of the transience of life. He does not realize that his life and all that he enjoys may pass away in a moment. He does not recognize the passing nature of joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, and success and failure. Obsessed with the acquisition of wealth and power, he fails to realize the Divinity that is his essential nature. Immersed in ignorance, he wastes his life in the pursuit of impermanent things.

Sri Sankaracharya [a Hindu saint] declared in a famous verse in the Bhaja Govindam, “Oh man! Do not be proud of your wealth, progeny, or youth. All these will be taken away in a moment by time. Destroy this world of illusions and enter the seat of the eter­nal. The thirst (trishna) for wealth is folly!” Trishna has two meanings: thirst and desire. It is natural for man to have desires and thirst, but there is a difference between these two. It is natural for men not to be content with what they have, but to desire for more and more goods, and more and more comforts. In seeking fulfillment of such desires, one should take care not to cause any harm or suffering to others. Trishna is different from desire. It has no limit and is insatiable.

Adhere To dharma

Dharma or the code of righteousness lays down a regulatory path for man. Like the effulgence of the rays of the sun, dharma illumines the paths that men should follow for the welfare and progress of society. Among the laws of dharma, the most important is rectitude (nyayam). Rectitude implies earning one’s living through just means, thus becoming an example to others. To be just means treating oneself and others on an equal basis. Whatever may happen to oneself or one’s relations, whatever difficulties one may have to face, one should not swerve from the path of rectitude. This quality is like the mariner’s compass; in whatever position you place it, the needle will point only toward the north. Similarly, being just reveals the divinity in man and makes him enjoy the bliss of the Divine. Hence, the ideal human life should be one in which rectitude forms the basis for every action.

All the prosperity one enjoys, or the comforts one secures are derived from society. Some rules of dharma ensure the wealth that is earned from society is devoted to the benefit of society. In the process of acquiring wealth, one may be guilty of some lapses; one must therefore pra­ctice charity in order to make amends for such lapses.

Life consists of a constant interchange of pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow, heat and cold. Happiness is an interval bet­ween two pains. The sour rind that covers an orange protects the sweet juice inside. We must look upon pain, anxiety, and sorrow as the protective covering for the peace and bliss that is experienced later. It is a mistake to seek an unending series of pleasures and comforts in life. Real happiness cannot be found that way. Without experiencing difficulties and trou­bles, one cannot know the value of peace and pleasure.

Man thinks that the more worldly goods he has the happier he will be. But, as desires grow, disappointments and troubles also increase. There should be a limit to our desires, attachments, and ambitions. The world is suffering from numerous troubles because people set no limits on their desires. Nature has prescribed limits for everything, such as the temperature of the body, capacity of the eye to tolerate light, and ear to listen to sound. When these limits are crossed, harm is caused to the organs concerned.

The bliss of tyaga

Life itself is like a limited company. All actions in it should be governed by the limits applicable to each of them. When desires are controlled, genuine happiness is experienced. Limits should be observed even in charity. One’s gifts should not exceed one’s financial capacity, nor should they be below one’s capacity. In the former case, one will face financial troubles. In the latter, one will be withholding from those in need what is due to them. Also, charity is not limited to money alone.

One must share one’s physical, mental, and spiritual resources with those in need in society. The awareness of the spirit (atmajnana) is achieved through such sharing and sacrifice. Charity should not be indiscriminate but rather should be rendered according to the needs of the case. The hungry must be fed, and the naked must be clothed.

Although one may know how much good can be derived through sacrifice (tyaga), people still do not make any. One may aspire for wealth, but we should seek only what we are entitled to get. A bank cashier handles lakhs [hundreds of thousands] of rupees every day. But he is entitled only to his salary. He should not desire more money than what he can earn legitimately. Excessive wealth carries many dangers with it.

Human values are forgotten by the affluent. As long as there is wealth, the evils resulting from it are not realized. Only when it is lost, one begins to realize one’s follies. It is better to be forewarned, and learn to lead a righteous and upright life from the beginning. Wealth may come and go, but morality is what one should cultivate. What is morality? It is right conduct in accordance with time and place.

What is the root cause of all the disorder, chaos, crime, falsehood, and violence that prevail in the country today? It is the behavior of people in a manner contrary to the dignity of human nature. All the education that one receives has no relation to human values. Whether it is in the sphere of political behavior or social conduct, economic activity or spiritual pursuits, all actions are based upon the tendencies of the mind.

No change in any form of activity is possible unless the mind is changed. That is why the Vedas [scriptures] proclaimed that the mind is the cause of the bondage and the liberation of men. One who wants to change others must first change himself. The heart is like a lock and the mind is like a key. If you turn the key to the right, you open the heart to God; if you turn it to the left, you turn it toward attachment to worldly things.

Corruption: who is to blame?

There is no use blaming the government for all the evils prevalent today. People are responsible for the injustice, wickedness, falsehood, and corruption in the country. They cannot disown their responsibility for the actions of a government that has been placed in power by their votes. Whether a government is good or bad de­pends upon the people. There is widespread talk in the country about corruption. Many come and ask me, “Swami! When will corruption end in this country?” Who is responsible for this corruption? Is it the government? No. It is the businessmen who are direct­ly responsible for this corruption. For their selfish reasons and private gains, businessmen have been financing those in power and making them more and more powerful.

If you businessmen live according to the right principles, all this corruption can be ended in a moment. It is true that there is no one who does not desire wealth. An old Telugu proverb says that even a dying person will get up if he sees somebody offering money. It is not sur­prising therefore, that when bribes are offered, offici­als do not refuse them. Business­men should set a limit to their business and their profits, and utilize their abilities to promote public good. It may be difficult to combine business with mora­lity. Therefore, the first requisite is to install morality in the heart and, with faith in the Divine, engage oneself in business. If this is done the nation will benefit from the businessman’s efforts, and he in turn will be serving society.

Today everyone talks only about what he wants.  If he loses anything, he bemoans his loss. His whole life is spent in acquisition and loss, and there is no peace of mind. Businessmen have to un­derstand the basis of human relations, and cultivate harmony and understanding. Unless such a broad‑minded approach is developed, they will not experi­ence divine bliss.

How long can the pleasure derived from education, wealth, health, or position last? Like the lamp that sheds its light on all alike, you must cultivate love to­ward all.

Love lives by giving and forgiving. Selfishness lives by getting and forgetting. Everybody seeks liberation, and everyone wants immortality. But how can immorta­lity be acquired? Removal of immorality is the only way to immortality. If we are filled with hatred, envy, pride, and other evil qualities, how can we hope to achieve immortality? You must cultivate good thoughts and perform good actions. You must engage yourself in service to society, and purify yourself through this process. You cannot reach the Divine unless you are pure. The unchanging, eternal, ever-pure, blissful Supreme is the goal. By your steady pursuit of sadhana [spiritual practices], you must strive to reach that goal. You must keep this high goal in view even while you carry on your busi­ness.

Do not regard your various possessions such as houses, vehicles, wealth, etc., as permanent. There have been great em­perors in the past who ruled over vast empires. When they passed away, what did they take with them? Posterity does not care even to remember their names. What you cannot take with you does not really belong to you. You are filled with fear, like the ticketless traveler on a train. In the journey of life, if you want to travel without fear, you must have the ticket of a good conscience. If you adhere to right conduct, you will have no need to fear anyone.

When he was approaching the end of his life, Alexander, the great conqueror, called his warriors and instructed them to take his body to the grave with his two hands turned upward. On seeing the funeral procession with the hands of the emperor turned up, the onlookers asked why the emperor was being carried in that position. They were told that the great emperor, who had amassed immense wealth, wanted to show that he left the world empty­ handed, taking nothing with him. The lesson of this episode is that we should not seek unlimited worldly possessions, but contentment and peace of mind through good deeds. All that we accumu­late is really not our property, but belongs to the people.

Businessmen’s duty

Businessmen can truly improve conditions in Bharat [India], indeed, they can reform the government through their own right conduct, and promote the world’s progress. Conversely, however they can also ruin the world economy.

Bharat is the land of our birth. It is a sacred land devoted to sacrifice (tyaga-bhumi), right action (karma‑bhumi), and the practice of yoga (yoga-­bhumi). We are trying to convert such a sacred country into a land of luxury and pleasure (bhoga-bhumi). All the sources of pleasure (bhoga) are in fact the causes of disease (roga).

This is our biggest mistake. Our willingness to sacrifice con­stitutes real yoga. Of the four purushar­thas or the objectives of life, [namely, dharma [right action], artha (wealth), kama (desire), and moksha (liberation)]—the ignorant man confines himself to artha and kama. The wise man (jnani) seeks only dharma and mok­sha. However, every person should seek all the four purusharthas. This should be done by associating the acquisition of wealth with dharma and the satisfaction of desire with moksha. You must earn wealth by adhering to dharma.

Utilize the wealth for right ends. Our ancients laid down four avenues for the utilization of wealth or earnings. One fourth should be used for personal use and for supporting the family. Another fourth should be used for charitable and religious purposes. A third quarter should be spent on other living things (like animals, birds, etc.). The remain­ing fourth should be offered to support the state. When one’s wealth is utilized in this manner, it will be really beneficial and meaningful.

Misdirected charity

Today many persons give money for charitable purposes, but the reason for their action is to reduce the burden of taxes. Large temples are being built in Benares, Prayag, Delhi, and other places [in India]. There are Birla mandirs [temples built by the Birla family] at many pilgrim centers, which are quite impres­sive and attractive. They are built in marble and add to the nation’s architectural achievements. Crores [millions] are spent on them. It is certainly good to build temples, but the real temple is one’s own body. Without purifying one’s self, what is the use of building tem­ples?

Temples built at the cost of crores of rupees are often not properly maintained. Swarms of beggars ruin the surroundings of the temples. How much better would it be if the crores of rupees spent on erec­ting temples are used to improve the condition of the poor, the destitute, and the helpless? Institutions that help the indigent unfortunates are more useful than edifices for the worship of deities. To lend a helping hand to the helpless is real service. Love toward one’s fellow beings is the best spiritual discipline. Misuse of money is a great evil, wealth must be used only for good purposes. Money is capable of leading man to any place—good or bad. Hence, he should take care to see that wealth does not lead him to bad ways.

Having been born in the sacred land of Bharat [India], we should not do anything that will bring a bad name to this great count­ry. By limiting desires and reducing the amenities required for comfortable living, the wealthy should devote them­selves to the service of the poor and forlorn. Seek to derive happiness from service to your fellowmen. Happiness is union with God. The Sathya Sai Orga­nization should not be content with con­ducting bhajans [singing holy songs]. Their motto should be seva (service) all the time. They should take up every form of activity, and give it a spiritual meaning. Only those who are imbued with the spirit of selfless service are fit to become lea­ders of the nation.

Service to society is everyone’s primary duty. Businessmen should develop a moral approach, adopt the right means for earn­ing wealth, and utilize it for the benefit of society.

I may have caused some uneasiness to all of you. Regardless, you should all take My words to heart and practice what I have said. Thus, you will achieve real happiness. I bless you all.

Source: Sanathana Sarathi, June 1984