“Contentment makes a man rich, regardless of wealth.”
The verse: Bhartrihari Vairagya Shataka 50
The quote above is our paraphrase. This is the verse as it reads in the B. Hale Wortham translation (1886):
“I am satisfied with bark clothing; thou takest pleasure in thy magnificence: there is no difference between the contentment of both of us. The man whose desires are unlimited is poor indeed; who that is satisfied with what he has can be either rich or poor?”
About the poet: Bhartrihari
Bhartrihari is the Sanskrit poet to whom the Shatakatraya is attributed: three collections of about 100 verses each, usually dated to around the 5th century CE. They cover worldly conduct (Niti), love (Shringara) and renunciation (Vairagya), often in a wry, sceptical voice.
More from Bhartrihari
- “Compassion and humility are the marks of the enlightened.”
- “Pride and arrogance are illusions created by the ego.”
- “Simple living is the foundation of profound thinking.”
- “True bliss comes from within, not from external pleasures.”
- “Ascetics find joy in solitude and meditation.”
- “True joy is found in spiritual enlightenment.”