They bow only to wealth and power.
Who would call me a poor man? I have a palace. I have wealth. I have a beautiful wife. I have children. Everyone obeys my orders. Yet I am not satisfied. Is this all my life is? Am I really great? Hundreds of servants bow down to me. Do they bow down to me? No. Do they bow down to my wealth? If I were not born in a royal family, if I did not have such wealth, who among them would bow down to me? There is no respect for me in their hearts. They are the servants of wealth. I am the greatest among these servants. It is only superficial greatness.
Today I went out to the garden. I saw a monk. He had nothing. He filled his stomach with whatever he received from alms. But he did not care about my wealth. He was poorer than my servants and servants. But he did not bow to me. When I looked at him, he smiled at me as if he were greater than me and went away.
Today everyone bows to me. Tomorrow, if my youth is gone, if my wealth is destroyed, if a king and emperor usurps my throne, who will come and bow to me? They bow to me without thinking. But that monk will not care about any king and emperor who can usurp my wealth. He does not bow before anyone without thinking. He bows to his teacher or to another monk who is greater than him, it is true. But such a bow is a bow with a respectful heart. In respect one establishes one's will. There is freedom. Where is there such freedom, such dignity in bowing before wealth and power?
Thus, on this path, I am a very insignificant person. To make me forget my own smallness, I have created earthly creatures that move around in the form of servants/handmaids.
In this way, we deceive ourselves. He who deceives himself deceives the world. Is a life lived through deception even life?
Who will understand my feelings? If I run away from here, the world will think of me as a scoundrel or a madman. But no one will understand the secret of my feelings. Today, although I am called a Siddha (perfected one), how imperfect am I?
