Merry Musings: Santosh Dhan

Most of us are in the habit of cribbing about what one doesn’t have and looking at the person next door. My suggestion is to look at the lesser door and not the higher door, ie. the person who has less than you rather than the one who has more. Many people have ruined their lives by keeping up with the Joneses. Life has to be lived up on your own terms. Why must one aim at a goal that is not one’s own? Besides the old adage goes well always, “Tay Tay paanv pasariye jeti lambi saur”; which means, spread your legs only as much as your covering sheet permits. In other words, learn to live within your means and always be thankful and grateful for what you have.

I am reminded of a chat we had several years ago at a railway station. Our train had got delayed, so we started a random conversation with the coolie who was in charge of lugging our luggage. Mind you those were the days one didn’t have today’s swanky luggage with wheels. Those days, people carried steel trunks and holdalls with them. It was a common sight for a porter or coolie, to pile up steel or leather boxes and holdalls on his head and back and wicker basket and Surahi or clay water pitcher in a stand in the hands. Holdalls were large rolls of bedding, with mattresses and quilts of cotton wool or rui. Most youngsters must not have even seen them. Much later these were replaced by sleeping bags and then none at all. Trunks and boxes were replaced by softer synthetic suitcases and bags with wheels. So the work of the coolie has become much easier and lighter.

We asked him about his life and family and he joyously replied, that he was very happy and made enough money to send back to his family of parents, wife and four children who lived in a village somewhere in Rajasthan. He lived with four other coolies in a room close to the station. The look of happiness on his face was infectious! He thanked God for his life! We may smugly exclaim, “What life !” My mother who was with us smiled and said, “This is the beauty of our culture, Santosh Dhan, even a very simple illiterate man has learnt to be satisfied and happy.” The famous Kabir doha goes like this —- Godhan, Gaj dhan, Baji Dhan aur Ratan dhan khan, jab avey Santosh Dhan, sab dhan dhuri saman”.(cows, elephants, horses, jewels, all such riches pale into insignificance in the face of Santosh Dhan, ie. Satisfaction with life ) which leads to true happiness.

So folks stop coveting others’ worldly riches and please learn to thank God in all circumstances and learn the art of true happiness and stop complaining about your plight. You are much better off than numerous others.