Resources

A person having no desire is ever-contented and he alone can be called rich. A poor man is one who in spite of abundant riches suffers in the mind because of lack of contentment, arising from desires.

वयमिह परितुष्टा वल्कलैस्त्वं दुकूलै:
सम इव परितोषो निर्विशेषो विशेष: ।
स तु भवतु दरिद्रो यस्य तृष्णा विशाला
मनसि च परितुष्टे कोऽर्थवान् को दरिद्र: ॥

vayamiha parituṣṭā valkalaistvaṁ dukūlaiḥ
sama iva paritoṣo nirviśeṣo viśeṣaḥ |
sa tu bhavatu daridro yasya tṛṣṇā viśālā
manasi ca parituṣṭe ko’rthavān ko daridraḥ ||

– Vairagyashatakam

We are content to wear garments made of bark of trees and you with dress made of soft material. But the contentment is alike; the difference in attire makes no difference. He whose desires are huge is indeed poor. If the contentment is in the mind, then who is rich and who is poor?

Points for Introspection:

A king told his Guru that he was very sad to see the Guru wearing bark of a tree which was very coarse to the skin. The king thereby requested his Guru to wear the silken dresses which he would humbly offer to him. This shloka is the reply of the Guru to the disciple king.

Contentment is in the mind. A person may be happy under a tree wearing bark and eating flattened rice, but another may not be happy remaining in a palace wearing costly dresses and eating sumptuous and delicious meals. The mind which has intense desire can never be contented. A person having no desire is ever-contented and he alone can be called rich. A poor man is one who in spite of abundant riches suffers in the mind because of lack of contentment, arising from desires.

Whenever our mind is smitten by desire, and suffers from lack of contentment we should remember this shloka.

Word Meaning:

वयम् (vayam) – we; इह (iha) – here; परितुष्टाः (parituṣṭāḥ) – satisfied, contented; वल्कलैः (valkalaiḥ) – by garments made of the bark of a tree; त्वम् (tvam) – you; दुकूलैः (dukūlaiḥ) – by garments made of a fine cloth; समः (samaḥ) – same, similar; इव (iva) – in the same manner, like; परितोषः (paritoṣaḥ) – delight; निर्विशेषः (nirviśeṣaḥ) – undiscriminating,having no difference; विशेषः (viśeṣaḥ) – distinction, characteristic difference; सः (saḥ) – he; तु (tu) – indeed; भवतु (bhavatu) – be; दरिद्रः (daridraḥ) – poor; यस्य (yasya) – whose; तृष्णा (tṛṣṇā) – desire; विशाला (viśālā) – large, extensive; मनसि (manasi) – in the mind; च (ca) – and; परितुष्टे (parituṣṭe) – contented, completely satisfied; कः (kaḥ) – who; अर्थवान् (arthavān) – wealthy, rich; कः (kaḥ) – who; दरिद्रः (daridraḥ) – poor

अन्वयः

वयम् इह वल्कलै: परितुष्टा: । त्वम् दुकूलै: (परितुष्ट:) । सम इव परितोष: निर्विशेष: विशेष: ।यस्य तृषणा विशाला स: तु दरिद्र: भवतु । मनसि च परितुष्टे क: अर्थवान क: दरिद्र: ।

Vayam iha valkalaiḥ parituṣṭāḥ. Tvam dukūlaiḥ (parituṣṭāḥ). samaḥ iva paritoṣaḥ nirviśeṣaḥ viśeṣaḥ. yasya tṛṣṇā viśālā saḥ tu daridraḥ bhavatu. Manasi ca parituṣḥe kaḥ arthavān kaḥ daridraḥ.

Listen to Chanting Audio for this Verse