Shaivism Today Soul Speak ( 2 )

MONOPOLY

Many of you, no doubt may have played a game called Monopoly when you were kids. Many have also played it out as adults, with their kids! It's a nice game which teaches you about the role of money.
Monopoly is an involving game, which can go on for hours.
Its about making money and properties across the board with a roll of the dice that your luck sets in for you. Soon, the board is brimming with quaint little houses ( Green ) and Big hotels ( Red ).The players  who own these homes or hotels are given out 'Title cards' for these properties, which they   smugly keep in their  possession, as 'Owners'.

Whenever one player gets to land on the property of another player, he has to pay him a certain amount of money as 'rent'. And so the game moves on..all about giving and taking money.Therefore, after a while, there is a definite increase in the capital of the player who has accumulated more properties across various squares of the board-the chances of people landing on his properties increases with the number of hotels and houses he owns. In the end, of course, the one with the most amount of property and money is declared the winner.


But, everyone also knows this: When , after playing for hours, you are tired, and you finally get up from the game, all the money you made, is of no use at all in the world outside of monopoly, where you actually live. All those properties have to be returned.They just go back into the board - without any  sign of your ownership on it. Till the time the next game begins. After hours of playing monopoly, you realise there is no permanent monopoly of the winner.

So too, the more thoughtful amongst us have wondered , of how much use is the money of this world outside the game of this life? They too noted, that like monopoly, all the possessions and titles get dissolved back into a large container box from where it all begins, and where it rests till the next session begins. All your joy of winning and being rich, was, as it turns out, just like a dream. Again, there is no monopoly of material ownerships in the material world!
All titles are  impermanent.

So, the thing to ponder is:
Is there a third realm, in which the ' currency ' that you earn remains always with you? Is there a thing as Spiritual currency, as the Saints have always mentioned? Is there a permanent Landlord with whom we need to amend our 'rent deeds' ?
Meditate upon it.

~ Shail Gulhati is the author of the book SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.