It is the nature of human beings to strive and be active in collecting what they consider valuable and precious. From the beginning of life person observes others to do hard work for earning money and he understood that all the means of happiness in life are bought only with wealth. So that he is engaged knowingly or unknowingly in the race of material capital for the rest of his life because his knowledge and experience have teach him that material capital is a prerequisite for the attainment of position, prestige, relationships, love, etc. in worldly life. Another characteristic of a human being is that he not only collects the precious thing that seems important to him but also preserves it very carefully, taking great care of it so that it is not snatched away. It is a well-known fact that human beings are very inactive and careless towards useless and inferior goods like torn clothes, broken things. But it keeps valuables like gold, silver, diamonds in the locker. From time to time it is monitored to see if it is OK. The only reason is that the thing is valuable in his eyes.
Unless man realizes that spiritual capital is many times more valuable and precious than material capital, and that once acquired, no one can ever snatch it away and improve not only the present life but also the afterlife, it is extremely useful and essential for the uninterrupted journey of the soul. Until then he will continue to ignore the spiritual capital but when he understands the reality he will definitely give more importance to the spiritual capital than the material capital. There is a fundamental difference between physical and spiritual capital. Material capital is unstable, changeable, perishable and extremely fickle which can never survive in one place or become our own forever. It also needs to be taken care of as the risk of theft remains. There is nothing more foolish than spending one’s whole life in collecting or preserving material capital which is by nature perishable. It is meaningless if one has to give up it after attainment and what is fun in it if finally whatever we have got by spending one’s whole life has to leave? The more painful thing is we actually do not know the end of the material capital meaning that no one knows when it will leave. Moreover it is not the cause of true happiness while the spiritual capital is indestructible, stable, everlasting and very faithful. It never leaves you once it is yours and gives you the joy of liberation. It makes every moment of your life and afterlife very precious. Spiritual capital is an endless wave of joy and liberation that is attained by a very fortunate man. Only a person who is destined, honest, ethical and moral as well as owner of the virtues and special qualities that are dear to God is truly entitled to spiritual capital.
Normally, even if we plan a small trip, we carefully remember many things needed in the trip and take them with us so that our trip will be pleasant. But we do not prepare for the basic journey of the soul (to the afterlife) or forget to take the necessary things – capital (spiritual capital) that will make the journey comfortable. The position, prestige, money-like material capital that we acquire all our lives cannot be the true cause of happiness even in this world than what to say about the hereafter. We all know that material capital does not come together after death and we have completely forgotten to earn, accumulate or save the capital that accompanies even after death. This is nothing but like fasting by eating stale food. I remember a story here. One day a father asked a married daughter that my dear is everything ok at your in-lows house, are you happy, do you have any problem? Then the daughter replied that everything is fine but here we are fasting by eating stale food. When the in-laws came to know about this, they asked her daughter-in-low, “Dear, what is wrong with you in this house? Why you have answered your mother’s question like this. Do we not give you food, do we force you to do fast or do we feed you stale food?” Then the wise daughter-in-low replied that there is a lack of spiritual capital of good deeds in our house. In view of the fact that there is no worship, devotion or spiritual good deeds in our house at present, whatever happiness we are enjoying today is the fruit of our pre-existing karma, so I said that we are eating stale food and are not currently building a spiritual capital of such good deeds. So fasting in the future may be the fate of all of us, with the view that the fruit can be enjoyed in the future. This story teaches a lesson about the need for spiritual capital in life.
Spiritual capital is the capital of meritorious deeds and virtues. Spiritual capital makes spiritual elevation possible, which makes the journey from birth to death pleasant for the soul and finally liberates it from the cycle of birth and death. The infallible source of such spiritual capital attainment is theology and self-realization. For the attainment of self-realization or for spiritual elevation, one should meditate for at least half an hour every morning and evening. A beautiful arrangement for meditation should be created. Chanting the mantra that is dear to you is a very simple and excellent means of attaining spiritual capital. The study of Vedas-Upanishads, the SATSANG with Mahatmas, the habit of forgetting the world once a year in the holy pilgrimage, the habit of cultivating as many virtues as possible, the habit of doing as many good deeds as possible, etc which perhaps may not lead to immediate salvation but definitely be a reason for better new birth. Salvation of the soul from the soul (that is liberation of soul by self realization) is the only true spiritual capital and not realizing this precious and true spiritual capital is the greatest misery of life.
Shilpa shah, Director in-charge HKBBA College
