லோபா

Meaning

greed
Intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food.
covetousness
Having a craving for possession.
appetence
A fixed and strong desire.

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Interpretation

“லோபாGreed, Covetousness, Appentence”(greed), is another of the six Arishadvarga (weaknesses). Lobha is commonly experienced and easy to identify. It is the desire for aquiring in excess of ones needs.

To be able to do her “karma”, the player must first survive. Basic amenities and resources are essential for survival. She realises that she must eat, have a place to rest and have clothing to wear. This is acquiring of artha.

Greed arises when the player confuses her “sense of unfulfillment” with the “need for essential materials for survival”. The feeling of “incompleteness” leads to a “sense of insecurity”. This, in turn, reflects as an incompleteness of the “self”. But the “self” is infinite and therefore, this sense of incompleteness is not a true feeling. It is a weakness.

Greed manifests itself as “dvesh” (jealousy – cell 16). This is a very subtle manifestation as the proximity on the game board reveals.

The number 4 symbolises the earth element and also “tends towards completion”. The extreme manifestation of this “tending towards completion” is greed. 4 is also the symbol of “rāhu” and Uranus. The player looking ahead finds kāma (desire – cell 9). The player is inspired to understand how kāma (desire) is different from lobha (greed). This is a somewhat subtle, yet very distinct difference.

Exactly six cells away is tapa. Tapa also has an aspect of renunciation, or “controlling the wants of your senses”. In a way, it is opposite to “lobha” and also the “path of redemption” from it.

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Story

One day, while hunting with his army in the woods, King Vishwaratha happened to visit the hermitage of Brahmarishi Vashishtha. The Brahmarishi, with the help of the cow Nandini (the daughter of the celestial Kāmadhenu), prepared delicacies to welcome and satiate the King and his whole army. Vishwaratha was very surprised with the hospitality and the ease at which everything was arranged for.

He immediately felt that Nandini should be part of the royal household, and offered Rishi Vashishtha 1000 white cows in exchange for Nandini. When Brahmarishi Vashishtha expressed his inability to command the cow in any way, Vishwaratha tried to take her away by force. A celestial army came out of Nandini to protect her and Vishwaratha’s army was destroyed by this celestial army. Enraged by this Vishwaratha decided to use celestial weapons against Vashishtha. However, the Brahmadanda of the Rishi consumed all the weapons hurled at the hermitage.

Unable to harm the hermitage in anyway, Vishwaratha, in a fit anger set fire to the hermitage killing all the children of the Rishi, while he was away. Only the Brahmarishi’s wife, Arundhati and her grandson Parāsar survived.

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On the gameboard

This story reveals the infinite nature of greed. Even the conqueror of the whole world, King Vishwaratha, felt “the need to fulfill a void”. It also reveals that greed can lead to anger, jealousy and enmity in the heart of the “greedy”.

So how does the player “stem greed”? There is a method that I was introduced to as a child, that I am reminded of, and I invite her to try the same; the method that “Baloo” spoke of in Jungle book, let’s just “hum” it – here; Look for the bare necessities The simple bare necessities Forget about your worries and your strife I mean the bare necessities Old Mother Nature’s recipes That bring the bare necessities of life … Have I given you a clue? The bare necessities of life will come to you They will come to you!
… – Jungle Book, Rudyard Kipling The player dwelling here, still unable to appreciate a full understanding of “greed” finds “tapa” or austerity, 6 places away as redemption from it. Kāma or desire, lying just below “tapa” also seems to find redemption through “tapa”. She, thus realises the similarity, and yet the subtle difference between ‘lobha’ and ‘kāma’. This also reveals another beautiful way, the game board attempts to demystify hidden truths in our being, through the careful, almost magical, placement of cells.

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