Money has the power to change people's perspective. As soon people accumulate little money their outlook towards life changes. Many people belive that as wealth and power increase, empathy for others can diminish, and people may become more callous. Feeling a sense of superiority and that one is more deserving of their wealth, which can lead to selfish or unethical actions. The situation has been highlighted in Sanskrit terminology, it says ;
अल्पं किंचिच्छ्रियं प्राप्य नीचो गर्वायते लघु |
पद्मपत्रतले भेको मन्यते दण्डधारिणं ||
Alpam kinchicchriyam praapya neecho garvaayate laghuh. Padmapatra tale bheko manyate dandadhaarinam,
Alpam = a little.
Kinchicchiriyam = kinchit + shriyam.
kinchit = a little more.
Shriyam = prosperity/
Praapya = available.
Neecho = a mean person.
Garvaayate = shows pride and arrogance.
Laghu = small, short.
Padmapatra = a leaf of a lotus plant.
Tale = base, bottom.
Bheko = a frog.
Manyate = imagines thinks.
Dandadhaarinam = a mendicant or high level administrator like a judge, who were accompanied by attendants holding a ceremonial mace,or umbrella as a symbol of their higher status
i.e. An ordinary person with low tendencies, if he acquires even a little wealth, becomes arrogant and intolerant. And he begins to consider himself great, just as a small frog living under a lotus leaf would consider itself a stick-wielding sage or a high-ranking official.
Our society often measures a person's worth by their net worth. Money is a primary indicator of value and social standing. As people gain wealth and status, they may develop a greater sense of entitlement, believing they are superior and deserve special privileges. In the present context, the analogy given in this proverb fits the so-called 'public servants' and 'leaders' who have an insatiable desire for 'red light' and 'commando security' these days.