Good evening, dear friends. I was listening to a comedy clip recently. When asked how much money he had, a man replied, “My ancestors left wealth for seven generations. Unfortunately, I am the eighth generation!” It made me smile—and also reflect. Perhaps my story is somewhat similar.

Both my grandfathers—on my mother’s side and my father’s side—were immensely wealthy. They owned vast lands and properties, almost like entire villages. In March 2025, I visited our ancestral villages in South India with my family. I was amazed to meet villagers who had once worked for my grandfather and now owned acres of land themselves. They spoke of him with deep gratitude. He had also built a large temple for the village, which looked the same as it was six decades ago. We were there for the annual festival of our family deity, Lord Narayana. Walking through the village brought back vivid childhood memories. I had spent about a year there as a small boy with my grandparents. I still remember the mango, palm, and coconut orchards , the endless paddy fields, and the massive granaries filled with harvest. There was so much wealth—yet he left nothing for our family. Everything went to charity.

From my father’s side, the story is even more remarkable. My grandfather owned extensive properties near the Temple of Lord Narayana. One day, while returning home from the temple, he encountered a massive cobra on the path, its hood fully spread. It struck the ground three times. He took this as a divine sign—a sacred instruction from the Lord to donate all his properties to the temple. In Vaishnavite tradition, the cobra is closely associated with Adhisesha, the divine serpent of Lord Narayana. Soon after, he mounted an elephant , accompanied by a drumbeat , and publicly declared that everything he owned was pledged to the Lord.

Looking back, I realise we were perhaps karmically not entitled to any of that wealth. Our path was meant to be different—to struggle, to strive, and to build our lives from scratch. In retrospect, I feel that if everything had been handed to us, I may never have walked the path I was destined to walk—toward a greater mission… And for that, I am deeply grateful