The Hidden Vastness of a Simple Life: Discovering Expansion Through Limitation
“ छोटा करके देखिए, जीवन का विस्तार।आंखों भर आकाश है, बाहों भर संसार।।”
~ जगजीत सिंह के ग़ज़ल से
Translated:
“Look at life through simplicity, and you will see its true expansion. The sky fits within your eyes, and the world within your arms.”
These lines, though simple, hold timeless wisdom. They remind us that life’s real beauty is not in endless accumulation but in conscious limitation. Our true needs are astonishingly few, but comparisons and insecurities create illusions of more. These illusions force us into debt, into constant labor, and into lives where happiness gets endlessly postponed.
The Real Needs of Human Life: Astonishingly Simple
If we strip existence to its essentials, humans really need little:
★ Two meals a day for nourishment.
★ A few clothes for protection and dignity.
★ A shelter for safety.
★ Some love and belonging.
★ Time for self-reflection.
This is enough for a meaningful life. Yet, advertising and social comparison transform wants into needs. A car becomes “too small,” a phone becomes “outdated,” a house becomes “inadequate.” We stretch ourselves to meet these expanded “needs,” often through debt.
But truth whispers softly: our needs are finite; our desires are endless.
“True wealth is not having more but needing less.” ~ Adarsh Singh
Story of the Farmer: Living Fully with Little
In a small village, there lived a farmer named Raghunath. He owned just two acres of land, a mud house, and a pair of oxen. By city standards, he was poor. But in reality, he was content.
His life rhythm was simple: he woke up at dawn, worked in the fields, ate fresh food grown from his land, and spent evenings with his family under the open sky. His children went to a modest school, and his wife spun stories while cooking.
One day, a relative from the city visited him and laughed:
“You’re so poor, Raghunath. Don’t you feel deprived? You don’t have a car, a refrigerator, or even a television.”
Raghunath smiled and replied:
“Why should I feel deprived? The sky above is my television; every evening the sun paints a new picture. The breeze is my air-conditioner, the stars are my lamps, and my family’s laughter is my wealth. I have everything I need.”
Raghunath embodied the truth of the doha. His needs were small, yet his life was vast. His simplicity gave him something modern riches could not: time, peace, and joy.
The Trap of Comparison: Shrinking Joy
Now contrast this with Arun, a corporate employee in a big city. Arun earned ten times more than Raghunath. He lived in a luxurious apartment, drove a sedan, and carried the latest gadgets. By all measures, he should have been happier.
★ But Arun’s life was a treadmill.
★ He had bought the apartment on a 20-year loan.
★His car was on EMI.
★ He often compared himself with colleagues who had bigger cars or went on exotic vacations.
★ Promotions and increments only expanded his debts, not his freedom.
One night, tired after a 12-hour workday, Arun asked himself:
“When will I really live?”
The answer was painful: he was postponing happiness for a tomorrow that never arrived.
Arun’s life was proof that expanding desires shrink freedom. Unlike Raghunath, who had little but lived fully, Arun had plenty but lived half.
“We earn to repay loans, we borrow to keep up, and life slips away in installments. This is not living; this is survival in disguise.” ~ Adarsh Singh
Debt: The Silent Cage of Modern Life
Debt is not just financial, it is emotional and psychological. It ties our choices, limits our freedom, and burdens our joy.
When Arun bought his house and car, he thought he had achieved milestones. But in truth, he had entered a cage, a golden cage, perhaps, but a cage nonetheless. Every decision thereafter, where to work, how much to work, whether to take a break, was dictated not by his heart but by his EMIs.
Raghunath, with his mud house, had more freedom than Arun in his skyscraper apartment.
The paradox is striking: the less you own, the more you are free.
The Monk’s Lesson: Infinite in the Finite
The third story is of a monk, Swami Anand, who had renounced all possessions. He owned nothing except two robes and a bowl. He wandered from village to village, sleeping under trees, and teaching people the art of inner peace.
Once, a wealthy man asked him:
“Swamiji, don’t you feel deprived? You own nothing!”
The monk smiled:
“Deprived? I am freer than you. My eyes contain the entire sky, my heart embraces the world, and my bowl never goes empty. I do not own things; I live in the ownership of existence itself.”
His words echoed the doha:
“ आंखों भर आकाश है, बाहों भर संसार”
The monk had reduced his needs to the minimum. In doing so, he had expanded his life to infinity. He was not bound by loans, possessions, or comparisons. His abundance was inner, not outer.
“The universe belongs to the one who belongs to nothing. In renunciation lies infinite possession.” ~ Adarsh Singh
The Illusion of More
Modern society teaches us that happiness lies in more, more income, more property, more luxury. But reality shows the opposite.
★ More possessions mean more maintenance.
★ More wealth means more fear of loss.
★ More gadgets mean more distraction.
The result is a life cluttered not only with things but also with stress.
Simplicity, on the other hand, is spacious. It clears the outer clutter and the inner mind. It makes us available for experiences rather than entangled in objects.
Expansion Through Limitation
The paradox is profound: when we limit desires, we expand life.
★ The eye is small, yet it contains the entire sky.
★ Two arms are limited, yet they can embrace the entire world.
★ The heart is finite, yet its love can hold infinite beings.
True expansion does not come from adding more outside but from reducing the weight inside.
When Raghunath reduced his needs, he found space to enjoy sunsets. When the monk renounced possessions, he discovered inner infinity. When Arun chased more, he lost even the present.
“Simplicity does not reduce life; it multiplies it.” ~ Adarsh Singh
The Forgotten Art of Inner Happiness
Most people postpone happiness:
★ “I’ll be happy after this loan ends.”
★ “I’ll relax once I get that promotion.”
★ “I’ll enjoy life after retirement.”
But happiness does not wait at the end of conditions. Happiness is a choice of the present. It is in watching the rain, hugging your child, sharing a meal, or sitting silently under the stars.
When we reduce our wants, we suddenly have the time and attention to notice these joys. Otherwise, we are too busy earning, paying, and comparing.
Practical Steps to Live This Wisdom
Philosophy becomes powerful only when lived. Here are ways to embody this truth:
Define true needs: Separate genuine needs from inflated wants.
Avoid unnecessary debt: Buy only what you can afford without bondage.
Declutter: Reduce possessions that do not add value.
Prioritize time: Spend it on loved ones and inner growth, not only on earning.
Practice gratitude: See abundance in what already exists.
Seek experiences: Memories last longer than material goods.
These steps transform the doha from poetry into lifestyle.
The Ultimate Realization
Life is not about owning more but about living more. By reducing needs, we reclaim time, peace, and freedom. By freeing ourselves from comparison and debt, we rediscover inner joy.
The doha is therefore not just literary beauty; it is a life philosophy:
“ छोटा करके देखिए, जीवन का विस्तार।आंखों भर आकाश है, बाहों भर संसार।।”
Simplify, and you will find that the universe itself fits within you.
“Those who chase everything end up with nothing; those who simplify end up with everything that matters.” ~ Adarsh Singh
Mon Sep 22, 2025
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