Miserliness (Lobha)
Lobha or extreme miserliness does not let anyone be happy. A miser neither enjoys himself, nor allows others to utilise his wealth. For everything, he takes a retrogressive step, fearing loss of his property or diminution in wealth. There is a small story to illustrate this. There were two brothers by names Miser and Greater Miser. True to their names, they were so niggardly that they did not even feed themselves properly. On occasions when they prayed to God to further their worldly interests, they would not even offer naivedya (sacred offering to God). They would merely let Him have a cursory glance at it, then eat it up themselves within moments. The reason for this great hurry in not allowing the offering to remain at the altar for more than a few seconds was the fear that if the sugar candy offered as ‘naivedya’ was kept any longer, some ants might partake of it in small quantities and thereby deprive them of valuable granules of precious sugar.
One day, news came that one of their near relations had died. The elder brother, Greater Miser, decided to offer condolences to the bereaved family in person and to set out early next morning by foot and not immediately in the middle of the night by bus or train, as travel by these means of transport would entail an insufferable burden by way of travel fares.
After his elder brother had gone, Miser put out the lamp and placed it on a window-sill, only to be stung by vicious scorpion. While the younger brother was suffering thus, Greater Miser had put some two miles behind him. Suddenly, he became thoughtful and hastened back to the house. On being asked by Miser the reason for his unscheduled return, Greater Miser replied, “Oh brother! I was worried that you may not have put the lamp off after I left. I have, therefore, come back to remind you.” To this, Miser, in spite of his excruciating pain, said ruefully, “Alas, brother, your desire to avoid waste of oil is indeed appreciable; but what a pity, how much your sandals would have worn out by the unnecessary return of yours!” Greater Miser then replied, “My dear Miser, do not worry. I walked barefoot, with my sandals in my hands.” Such is the bane wrought by Lobha.
Questions:
- How were the brothers miserly even towards God?
- Describe the miserliness of the brother at home.
- What did the Great Miser do? What was the plan of the greater miser?
Source- Stories for Children- II Published by- Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust, Prashanti Nilayam.