Can a man become rich by reading a book?

Can a man become rich by reading a book on how to become rich? And happy by reading how to be happy? Reading gives you knowledge only but working for it gives true results.

Everyone starts their journey in school or college by reading books and taking notes. The teacher explains the process and guides the student to achieve scholarly success. Once out of the educational institution, the student has to learn vocational courses. Here too, the teacher guides and moulds the student to face the real world. Then the same student becomes an apprentice and starts to use his bookish knowledge with practical applications. The process of learning on the job is very important and here again, a guide provides most of the knowledge required to get through the initial stages of work life.

After many years one becomes a master of the subject. This is the same process used in every known field of life. Whether it is work-life or marital life, retired one or even spiritual, the same ethics are applied. Work hard and smart to achieve relative success.

Happiness is a feeling and a state of mind. Even though man reads and expresses the right words, he doesn’t feel happy instantly. Prolonged working on a relationship by constant tweaking and adjusting, he attains relative happiness. Relative happiness is only considered since there are comparisons to other forms of happiness. The happiness felt by being in the company of a loved one is different than that is felt by friends company.

The spiritual journey also involves bookish knowledge and training by the spiritual Master. Without the application of spiritual ideas and experiences, one cannot go further on the path. Here again, happiness is experienced after the completion of certain tasks or sadhanas. These are spiritual practices. But true happiness is elusive until one reaches the ultimate destination called enlightenment. Then it is called the ultimate bliss. Satchidananda is the word that describes the ultimate graduation of man. It means truth, knowledge and bliss. Achieving which, man doesn’t have to come back again. He becomes ever free.