Disadvantages of Accumulating Wealth
Śrīla Prabhupāda frequently warns against the dangers of accumulating wealth beyond what is necessary for keeping the body and soul together. While modern civilization equates hoarding money with success and security, the Vedic perspective reveals that this endeavor creates a "soul-killing" environment filled with anxiety, envy, and spiritual forgetfulness. This article explores the detrimental effects of greed and the proper, authorized method of utilizing resources in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Root of Anxiety and Fear
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the relentless pursuit of excess wealth robs a person of their peace of mind. The capitalist who hoards money lives in a constant state of agitation and fear, unable to sleep peacefully because they are always anxious about protecting their possessions from thieves, taxes, or loss.
- Greedy capitalists accumulate wealth under so many miserable conditions, the result being that because they collect money by questionable means, their minds are always agitated.
- The result of the greedy capitalist's unnecessary accumulation of wealth is that he must suffer from a blazing fire of anxiety and always be concerned with how to save his money and invest it properly to get more and more.
- One can give up the desire to accumulate wealth simply by considering how difficult it is to protect the money in one's possession. If one keeps a large amount of cash with him, he is always anxious about keeping it properly.
Impediments to Spiritual Life
In the science of bhakti-yoga, the accumulation of more than necessary is known as atyāhāra, which is a primary obstacle to spiritual advancement. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that when one's energy is diverted toward amassing material riches, the focus shifts from the eternal soul to temporary sense gratification, resulting in degradation.
- The first impediment is atyahara, overeating or accumulating more wealth than we need. When we give free rein to the senses in an effort to enjoy to the highest degree, we become degraded.
- There is no need to accumulate wealth or unnecessarily endeavor for more and more money. The real business of life is to ask "Who am I?" and to understand one's self.
- Actually we are in a very precarious condition, the modern civilization, I mean to say, manipulated by the Western people. It is a soul-killing civilization, this civilization.
Illusion of Permanence
The materialist labors under the illusion that their accumulated fortune will save them, but Śrīla Prabhupāda reminds us that at the time of death, everything must be left behind. The wealth that was gathered with such hard labor is often enjoyed or squandered by relatives who are described as "plunderers" of one's hard-earned money.
- Accumulation of wealth, millions of dollars, will be finished after this body is finished. After death, he cannot take away the millions of dollars with him next life.
- Even if a karmi is successful in accumulating some material wealth, he still cannot enjoy it, for he must die in bereavement.
- The word riktha-haresu, meaning plunderers of wealth, is very significant. One's sons, grandsons and other descendants are ultimately plunderers of one's accumulated wealth.
Proper Use of Wealth (Yuktāhāra)
Wealth is not inherently evil if it is engaged in the service of the Lord; this is the principle of yuktāhāra. Śrīla Prabhupāda often cites the example of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, who demonstrated that one should give fifty percent of one's wealth to spiritual causes, proving that the perfection of life lies in renunciation and service, not accumulation.
- Srila Rupa Gosvami taught us by his own example by using fifty percent of his accumulated wealth for Krsna, twenty-five percent for his own self, and twenty-five percent for the members of his family.
- A pure devotee may be attracted to accumulating wealth just like an ordinary man, but the difference is that a devotee acquires money for the service of the Lord, whereas the ordinary man acquires money for his sense enjoyment.
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu teaches us in His Siksastaka: O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only want Your causeless devotional service, birth after birth.
Conclusion
The teachings of Śrīla Prabhupāda clearly distinguish between the demoniac propensity to hoard wealth for sense gratification and the divine quality of utilizing resources for the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa. The accumulation of wealth leads to anxiety, fear, and ultimate frustration at the time of death, whereas engaging one's energy in devotional service brings eternal peace. By following the footsteps of great souls like Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Lord Caitanya, one transcends the trap of material accumulation and achieves the real treasure of prema-bhakti.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Accumulating Wealth. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.