Deliverance of Nalakiivara and Manigriva 69
understand to whom the body belongs. Ultimately it is concluded that the
body isa product of material nature, and at the end it merges into material
nature; therefore, the conclusion should be that the body belongs to
material nature. One should not wrongly think that the body belongs to
him. To maintain a false possession, why should one indulge in killing?
Why should one kill innocent animals to maintain the body?

When a man is infatuated with the false prestige of opulence, he does
not care for any moral instruction but indulges in wine, women and animal
killing. In such circumstances, a poverty-stricken man is often better
situated because a poor man thinks of himself in relation to other bodies.
A poor man cften does not wish to inflict injuries to other bodies because
he Gan understand more readily that when he himself is injured he feels
pain. As such, the great sage Narada considered that because the demigods
Nalakivara and Manigriva were so infatuated by false prestige, they should
be put into a condition of life devoid of opulence.

A person who has a pinprick in his body does not wish others to be
pricked by pins; a considerate man in the life of poverty does not wish
others to be also put into that condition. Generally it is seen that one who
has risen from a poverty-stricken life and becomes wealthy creates some
charitable institution at the end of his life so that other poverty-stricken
men might be benefitted. In short, a compassionate poor man may con-
sider others’ pains and pleasures with empathy. A poor man may be
seldom puffed with false pride, and he may be freed from all kinds of
infatuation. He may remain satisfied by whatever he gets for his main-
tenance by the grace of the Lord.

To remain in the poverty-stricken condition is a kind of austerity.
According to Vedic culture, therefore, the brahmanas, as a matter of
routine, keep themselves in a poverty-stricken condition to save them-
selves from the false prestige of material opulence. False prestige due to
advancement of material prosperity is a great impediment for spiritual
emancipation. A poverty-stricken man cannot become unnaturally fat by
eating more and more. And on account of not being able to eat more than
he requires, his senses are not very turbulent. When the senses are not
very turbulent, he cannot become violent.

Another advantage of poverty is that a saintly person can easily enter a
poor man’s house, and thus the poor man can take advantage of the
saintly person’s association. A very opulent man does not allow anyone to
enter his house; therefore, the saintly person cannot enter. According to
the Vedic system, a saintly person takes the position of a mendicant so
that on the plea of begging something from the householder, he can enter
