Pleonexia forbidden in all religions

Aparigraha or non-acceptance (of wealth) is one of the eight limbs of Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga.

Aparigraha is also a major requirement of Jainism to be observed by both householders & ascetics.

In the ten perfections to be attained in Buddhism, renunciation is the third.

In the Bible, Matthew 19:24, Jesus is quoted as saying "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven."

In the Quran, Surah 23, verse 55, "Do they think that, in giving them wealth & children, We (Allah) are solicitous for their welfare? By no means! They lack perception."

Akka Mahadevi, the Kannada Saint-Poet says "What is the use of having wealth, if one doesn't have compassion?"

Rabia Basri was once given a good house by her admirers. She went through it admiringly & then refused it by saying it takes her mind away from Allah.

Pleonexia metastasizing in human society

Pleonexia word sounds like the name of a disease & it is one of the deadliest, the love of money. It has been present since money was invented by the ancient Indians, the Chinese & the Lydians. The second word in the title is primarily used to denote the spread of malignancy from one part of the body to other parts. Here also the word is consciously used to describe the current unbridled spread of Pleonexia.

Like "All roads leading to Rome", all present human activities have money as their ultimate goal. Education is useful only so far as it can lead to economically productive employment. Both education & employment, per se, if not leading to acquisition of wealth, are of absolutely no value. In this equation, Knowledge & Culture, come completely croppers.

Another casualty in this scenario, is Spirituality, the real ultimate goal of human life. Religion, which is often mistaken for spirituality, has already been subverted to serve Pleonexia, because most people pray only for wealth (& of course health) which they cannot get by normal (or even devious) ways.

In spite of seeing everyday the travails of the rich (many of whom have even recourse to suicide), we stubbornly adhere to the only accepted yardstick of human success, namely wealth. Praying to Saints who have voluntarily embraced extreme poverty (in all religions) for more wealth, is the height of idiocy. If we really want wealth, we should worship the modern Croesus (or the Indian Kubera) logically!

"Ragamala Paintings" by Klaus Ebeling

This volume is the magisterial work on the subject. Sumptuously produced (larger than Quarto size), it has 60 full page colour plates, innumerable black & white illustrations & an extremely erudite text based on a research study of 4000 paintings in 1969 - 70. It was published in 1973 & had since become the source book for all subsequent studies on the subject.

The author himself thanks the publisher for giving the book it's "elaborate & very costly but beautiful form". He also thanks 6 women spread across 3 generations (mother, wife & 4 daughters) for having helped in preparing the manuscript.

The highlight of the book is a chapter entitled "Visual Dictionary" where the pictures are listed in the alphabetical order of their titles. Numerous charts, tables & copious cross-indexing make the volume a scholar's treasure trove. Unlike many later works in the genre, this work doesn't confine itself to one school, but is all encompassing in its scope. Starting from the history of Ragamala painting, it also includes the text relating to the raga inscribed in the painting.