(Many thanks to Alicia Souza for the Varamahalakshmi image used here. Thank you for making it a free download and letting your fans use it.)
Most of us in India, woke up this morning to see all our Whatsapp groups flooded with pictures and videos of Goddess Lakshmi, gold coins, currency garlands, and gold biscuits! Yes, it is the Varamahalakshmi Festival, when everyone celebrates and worships the Goddess of Wealth, with a hope that she bestows on them the boon(vara) of abundant wealth and well-being.
Is Money The Only Form Of Wealth?
India is all about traditions and cultures, and it’s beautiful. But can we read a little more into our traditions, to make life more meaningful for us? Of course we can. So let’s!
When we say wealth, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Money? Of course money is one form of wealth, but we have come to use it as a synonym for wealth. We measure everything in terms of money. We judge how rich or poor a person is based on their bank balance, property and appearance. We have Top 100 and Top 50 Wealthiest-and-Richest-People-on-earth lists. It’s valid only when we look at rich and wealth in terms of money.
Exploring The Different Forms Of Wealth
Now, what if we told you there are different forms of wealth? Yes! There are. And if there are different forms of richness, there would be different forms of poverty as well.
Let’s explore the wealth forms first, shall we? Love, kindness, compassion, peace, health, knowledge…. the list can go on and on. A person, with less money, but high on love and compassion, is a rich person. At the same time, a person with a lot of money, but with no peace of mind, is a poor person if you think about it from another point of view!
Varamahalakshmi Learning
If you want to ponder more about this perspective, you must read this article about unlocking different forms of wealth or watch the TEDx video by our Guru, Nipun Mehta. You will never call a person or yourself rich or poor as easily again!
So this Varamahalakshmi Festival, let’s pray to the Goddess of Wealth to make us wealthy and rich. But let’s change what we mean by it! Just remember money is definitely wealth, but not the only form of it.