# Advice to the Indian Aristocracy/Chapter 15

WEALTH AND ITS ENJOYMENT.
Wealth, if rightly used, is another great blessing for man. Without wealth, in other words, money, neither a kingdom nor a commercial body can be maintained. It is a blessing to be rich if a man be rightly disposed. If a man be rich he may have all sorts of comforts and enjoyments. He may gain many friends and may help the poor. Generally wealthy people among Hindus do not reap the same enjoyment from their wealth as the Western people do. Extravagant people only in this country enjoy themselves, and even that for a short time only. From two points of view such conduct is faulty. From the one it is seen they do not utilize their fortune in a proper manner, and from the other that they ruin themselves. In the Hindu Shastras it is said that one-fourth or one-fifth of a man's net income should be spent ​on enjoyments. If every man from those of a high position down to those of an ordinary position would follow this rule as regards enjoyment suited to each man's position, no one would ever ruin himself. When you are rich, you should also spend an equal sum in charity, as I said in my lecture on that subject. It is the duty of a rich man to care for the deserving poor and for his neighbours.
God has created us to be happy and not miserable. Therefore, every man should enjoy himself according to his status. Never unreasonably grieve over past sorrows; but rather regard them as events occurring in the natural course of things. If one constantly grieves over sorrows, his health will be affected, and his life shortened. He cannot undo the past.
There are many simple things in our daily life which may give us enjoyment and make us happy. Such pleasures most of us ​fail to enjoy. We need not look for great joys. If you strive to be happy, you may make yourselves happy with the ordinary pleasures and enjoyments of daily life. "Let not the blessings we receive daily from God," says an English writer, "make us not to value, or not praise Him, because they be common." A proverb says : "Let us be merry and happy." Again an old philosopher said : "God has made all men to be happy; therefore, if any one is unhappy, his unhappiness is his own fault."
You may rest assured that, if we are cheerful in mind, nearly all our daily doings will be great pleasures. You may, of course without doubt, regard all sports and plays as pleasures; but there is also pleasure in bathing, dressing, eating, chatting with friends or visitors, and much more in reading books. For all this we must be healthy in body and mind. If your health fails, or if you always grieve over past ​misery, you cannot share any of the enjoyments which God has provided for us in our daily life.
There is a great deal of enjoyment in reading books. This enjoyment is very little known to the natives of this country. Western people enjoy this pleasure a great deal. There was a reasonable excuse for the natives of this land in former days, but now it is their own fault if they lose the enjoyment. The literature of this land is very hard to be understood, for it chiefly deals with abstruse subjects, such as Vedantism. There were no accurate descriptions of countries, or histories of great nations. The books upon various sciences are also unintelligible to the ordinary reader, and, what is still worse, they are only useful to professional men. Again, unfortunately for our people, those who were acquainted with the works were so selfish and envious that they never taught ​all they knew even to their sons. Unfortunately this kind of enviousness still lingers in the minds of professional men to this day. It is a great pity. In ancient times it was admitted that India was the most civilized country in the world. Now that reputation has long been lost. One other good reason for this change strikes me. After Sankarachari, Ramanujachari, and Madhvachari had, respectively, established the three systems of Hindu philosophy, vtz.y the Advita, the Visishtadvita, and the Dvita, the Hindus became divided into three sects known either by the name of the founder or by the system of philosophy each followed. All the systems were professedly based upon the Vedas and other religious works and upon the various commentaries on these works. Sharp antagonism arose between the different sects, who in their ardour to support the system each followed, neglected science ​and devoted themselves entirelj'^ to the study of the religious works on which each sect believed their system to be founded.
Turning again to the enjoyment derived from reading books, there was no such literature in the old days for people to read and enjoy. Even now there are a very few books of that nature written in Oriental languages But now, on the other hand, there is any number of books in English and other languages available for those who can read those languages. However, our people do not enjoy reading.
There is also a great deal of enjoyment in the study of Natural History. We, Indians, have unfortunately no taste for it. If one studies the subject, one will realise the enjoyment to be derived from that science. Not only as a matter of study, but in natural objects themselves (such as animals, birds, insects, trees, ​plants, and flowers, and so forth), a Hindu takes but little interest. If you take a little trouble to observe what you see, then you will have some enjoyment in that direction. Though you go about with open eyes, if you don't use them, you will see nothing at all. On the other hand, if you use your eyes, you may see everything for yourselves.
There is thus enjoyment not only in wealth, but in the events of daily life, in reading, and in the observation of nature, and in listening to music and in short in everything.
The Hindu Shastras prescribe four objects worthy of pursuit—Dharma, morality; Ardha, wealth; Kama, enjoyment; and Moksha, heaven or final rest. You will see that, according to the Shastras, enjoyment is also required from man.