AT THE FEET OF THE MOTHER
Ask Alok da

Is the pursuit of brand names, company prestige, or wealth as a sign of “Good Karma” a valid spiritual measure, or do these external markers represent mere conditioning that distracts from the true reward of inner goodness and character development? 🏢🏡👨🏼‍💼❤️‍🔥

With respect to Society, how important is work and a brand name, or a company or a group name? Is that also a Western concept/idea? Is chasing this, or a so-called legacy company, or an age-old established business family, also conditioning?

I read somewhere that if you’ve done good Karma in your Past Life, then you’re born into wealth in a sophisticated household – you become simple and not evil. Is that true? Or not necessarily… 

All these ideas of people with good karma being born in wealthy families are nothing but a populist notion. False pride and vanity can never be a reward for good deeds. It is neither supported by the facts of existence nor by the trustworthy scriptures such as the Gita. The Bible even goes on to say something to this effect that being born in a wealthy family is often a curse. The Gita even goes on to say that the reward of good deeds is a growth of inner goodness, of sattwic qualities, and a Godward turning. So the popular saying is obviously suspect.

As to brand names, it works if the product is really good. One cannot fool people for a long time. In any case, it has little to do with working in a good company. An individual’s worth does not depend upon the work he does but on what he inwardly is and becomes. At the end of the day, people see through the lie, and relationships based on outer achievements are always transient and selfish in nature. 

Affectionately,

Alok Da

Share this…

Related Posts

I thought I had changed my past impure self a little bit; I thought I had become a little better human… but again, something happened and I feel I failed more miserably than before…. I have not changed at all…. I think I am worse… It is heartbreaking to know that I am just the same person as before…. 🌱🌅🙏🏻

The fact that you want to change is itself a sign that you have changed! This is how the change takes place. In the beginning we act almost unconsciously without even feeling the need for change. True progress begins when we become aware that we need to change. Otherwise almost everyone is busy finding faults with others which is such a waste of energy and effort. Good or bad we cannot change others. The only person we need to change is …

Read More >

I have a question like how to do actual self-giving? Even if we say we are completely surrendered to The Mother, there are still points and situations that show, something in us is still there, holding us back. 💗🙏🏻[…]

Self giving to the Divine is more than selflessness. Selflessness loosens the knot of the ego but still we may not act according to the Divine Will. Bhishma was quite selfless renouncing the throne and serving as a shield to the throne of Hastinapur defending the king regardless of who he was. But he was acting in opposition to the Divine Will. Self giving means to live for the Divine, to make the Divine Service the very motive of all our actions. It means to direct our thoughts to the Divine, to think of the Divine instead of the thousand useless things. With …

Read More >

Could you help me understand the following pad from Tulsidas’s Vinay Patrika? I am not entirely sure what he is really talking about. I think he is distinguishing between ordinary life and spiritual life, and it seems related to my previous question.

Here, Tulsidas ji is speaking about how true bhakti is not easy to practice. Many speak about it but very few can practice it.

He then goes on to give two examples to show that not all can do everything. One should have the right temperament for it. Thus, a fish can easily swim through a river and cross it…

Read More >