In plain words
Among brothers, it never comes into the property shares. Whose own is it? The spiritual wealth that cares for you as its own life. That is why spiritual wealth is what never leaves you, never moves away from you, and leads you onto the good path in every way. Make the effort it takes to earn this wealth. Only then will our Bhārata once again lead all the nations. Otherwise, how many more learned than you have gone! Even the richest have left the world and gone. Even those who followed the path of Satya have left the world and gone. What are you, then? While you are here, you must win good fame.
Hariścandra, who ruled the earth in steadfast greatness of Satya, did he not leave this earth and go? Śrī Nala, the king who ruled all the worlds in splendour, did he take the land with him when he went? Māndhāta, who adorned even the Kṛta Yuga, did he go with his riches tied in a bundle? Śrī Rāma, who once bridged the ocean, is He on the earth now? How many, many kings have gone, and not one took the earth with him; will you alone, students, go with all your kingdom tied upon your head?
No. No. While we are here we must earn a good name. We must win Śānti. You must study for the sake of Śānti. That Śānti comes to us only through prayer to God.
“Without Śānti there is no happiness,” said Tyāgarāja. We must never give way to discontent. Asantuṣṭo dvijo naṣṭaḥ: the discontented, they say, suffer two losses. What are those losses? There is no Śānti. There is no happiness. When does this discontent arise in students? You must set this mistake right. When does discontent arise in you? When you see someone who has got more marks than you, unrest comes to you. When you see those who are better placed than you, discontent arises in you. When you see someone wearing better shirts than you, discontent arises. When you see someone better looking than you, discontent arises. So do not look at those above you. In these matters, look at those who stand below you. Then contentment comes. Recognise this well. You got sixty marks. You see someone who got forty and think, “Oho, I am better than him.” Then contentment comes. When you want contentment to grow, you must look at those below you and be content. If you want your bad qualities to grow, look at those above you. Then Ahaṅkāra enters you. Look at the poor and the suffering, feel compassion for them, and through it try to be content. We must develop compassion in ourselves. In this way, everything that has to happen in daily life we must develop along this path.
If one merely goes on teaching Vedānta, nothing at all is understood.