Hare Krishna
Dandavat Pranam
"If you don't plan, you plan to fail."
But each plan requires a goal to guide it.
Devotee life can be divided into material and spiritual aspects.
Srila Prabhupada said that the ultimate goal of all spiritual practices should be Krishna prema.
However, what do the scriptures say about material duties? Should we be selfish and earn much money, or should we do our duties to benefit society?
In the above case, we would have created good karma, and then we would have to accept another body for the fruits. That is my understanding.
So, should the goal be to earn a lot of money and then donate it to the temple? This way, we would serve Krishna. And also, if we serve Krsna's children, i.e. the country or humanity, then wouldn't that make Krsna happy?
So, I have three questions.
1) Is there an even better goal in the scriptures? Kindly help me.
2) How would doing a business help in the service of Krishna?
3) Are there any rules stated in Krsna Conscious or the scripture related to the functioning of a business?
Haribol
Your humble servant
Rishi Nayyar
Replies
Hare Krishna,
When you die unfortunately ? fortunately? you don't get to carry any baggage filled with cash, gold or property papers to next life. What for we need to earn too much. Is it not sufficient to earn that much which is really needed by us. That which makes us have a comfortable life. If you have that fulfilled the basic needs the excess could be given to our next generation. The problem comes when we don't know what is the highest limit to earn. We have fear and insecurity in our life. What if tomorrow we might be sick or poor and don't have job or be on roads? what if what if what if... So we keep accumulating wealth and wealth somehow gives us a peace of mind that ya, we have enough that we can sit now and do some bhakti.
Look at the lives of some people--
1. One person who is just living by hand to mouth. He has to work otherwise he wont get a meal tonight and cannot feed his family. This person is going hither thither searching for job and he has no shaanti and cannot sit still and do bhakti. As he has to go find a job. His mind is hankering for making ends meet and he his mind is not stable to do bhakti.
2. Another person has no family no job no attachments he is a sanyasi and who goes to houses of grihasthas and collects some food and lives on that and if he gets food he offers to God and eats and if not he offers namaskaras and sleeps.
3. There is a businessman who is busy so much that if he drops a $10 off the pocket he has no time to even pick it up as by the time he picks up he will earn $1000. So he has no time for himselves, no time for family and no time for God also.
4. There is another person who is living a normal life with optimal bank balance, optimal income and all balanced life. Neither he has too much wealth to store neither he is too much busy like the business man or the pauper with no job. This person life is best for spiritual practice. He has happiness and contended life, has time for himselves, has time for his family, has time for God.
The ultimate goal of life is to finish this life and go back to Godhead. For that we need a peaceful, contended life.
In olden days people used to farming and grow some vegetables and fruits in their own garden and milk the cows and had a contended life. The came home all tired and did some sat sangah with saints and listened to harikatha did some nama smarana and slept. This simple living is lacking now.
One cannot eat max 2 any food offered. If you offer a person 3rd plate they say I am full thank you. We are having only a small tummy to fill but we we keep accumulating fat around the tummy that when there is starvation there is some fat to burn and we can survive. But how much fat one should accumulate?????? too much fat makes you sick isn't it.
Krsna is happy by sharing your money to his children the society good thinking but ...... KRISHNA IS SUPREME LORD..IF HE WANTS TO GIVE TO HIS CHILDREN IT IS A MATTER OF SPLIT SECOND. BUT HE SEES WHO IS DESERVING WHO IS NOT DESERVING. YOU NEEDN'T be worrying about others Children of Lord or Country/humanity.
ALL you need to worry is how to please Krishna by the way you are living. SIMPLE LIVING AND HIGH THINKING IS THE BEST. OFCOURSE IF LORD PROVIDED YOU WITH WEALTH SURELY YOU COULD SHARE IT WITH OTHERS that is greatly applauded.
WHAT IS GIVEN IN SCRIPTURES IS--
When one is provided with wealth in excess by Lord, use that for Bhakti prachaar seva. Best Seva for God is spreading the glories of the holy name of Lord. That is what Srila Prabhupada did. That is the ultimate goal of one's life.
Hare Krishna.
Hare Krsna
Thank you for your questions.
1) Is there an even better goal in the scriptures? Kindly help me.
aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanayas tad-dhama vrndavanam
ramya kacid-upasana vrajavadhu-vargena ya kalpita
srimad-bhagavatam pramanam-amalam prema pumartho mahan
sri caitanya mahaprabhur-matam-idam tatradaro nah parah
It is the conclusive opinion of Lord Chaitanya that
1. the most worshipable form of the Lord is that of Sri Krishna, the son of Nanda Maharaja.
2.Vrindavan-dhäma is the topmost worshipable abode.
3.The highest and most pleasing type of worship of Krishna is done by the Vraja gopis.
4. Srimad-bhagavatam is the spotless authority on everything. And
5. Krsna-prema is the fifth and highest goal of life. ( [Caitanya-manjusa commentary on Srimad-Bhagavatam by Srinath Chakravarti.]
2) How would doing a business help in the service of Krishna?
Doing material business in itself does not help in the service of Krsna. But those who do business can help in the service of Krsna.
For example, one may be engaged in business, but to transform that activity into Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one has to do business for Kṛṣṇa. If Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor of the business, then Kṛṣṇa should enjoy the profit of the business. If a businessman is in possession of thousands and thousands of dollars, and if he has to offer all this to Kṛṣṇa, he can do it. This is work for Kṛṣṇa. Instead of constructing a big building for his sense gratification, he can construct a nice temple for Kṛṣṇa, and he can install the Deity of Kṛṣṇa and arrange for the Deity’s service, as is outlined in the authorized books of devotional service. This is all kṛṣṇa-karma. One should not be attached to the result of his work, but the result should be offered to Kṛṣṇa, and one should accept as prasādam the remnants of offerings to Kṛṣṇa. (Purport BG 11.55)
Please read the full purport for this shloka here. Srila Prabhupada gives detailed explanation of how to do it.
what do the scriptures say about material duties?
dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ
viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ
notpādayed yadi ratiṁ
śrama eva hi kevalam
The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead. ( SB 1.2.8)
Should we be selfish and earn much money, or should we do our duties to benefit society? should the goal be to earn a lot of money and then donate it to the temple? if we serve Krsna's children, i.e. the country or humanity, then wouldn't that make Krsna happy?
Lord Sri Krsna in Bhagavad Gita mentions different grades of services for people in different levels of Krsna consciousness.
Just fix your mind upon Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt. (BG 12.8)
My dear Arjuna, O winner of wealth, if you cannot fix your mind upon Me without deviation, then follow the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga. In this way develop a desire to attain Me. ( BG 12.9)
If you cannot practice the regulations of bhakti-yoga, then just try to work for Me, because by working for Me you will come to the perfect stage. ( Bg 12.10)
If, however, you are unable to work in this consciousness of Me, then try to act giving up all results of your work and try to be self-situated. ( Bg 12.11)
If you cannot take to this practice, then engage yourself in the cultivation of knowledge. Better than knowledge, however, is meditation, and better than meditation is renunciation of the fruits of action, for by such renunciation one can attain peace of mind. ( Bg 12.12)
Srila Prabhupada Summarises all the above as follows -
In summary, to reach the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the highest goal, there are two processes: one process is by gradual development, and the other process is direct.
1. Devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the direct method, and
2. the other indirect method involves
a) renouncing the fruits of one’s activities.
b) Then one can come to the stage of knowledge,
c) then to the stage of meditation,
d) then to the stage of understanding the Supersoul, and
e) then to the stage of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. ( Purport BG 12.12)
I hope the above helps.
Hare Krsna
Namaste,
While advanced devotees might take a jab at your queries, I'm kinda motivated to give out my short reply, in the hope it is definitely going to be useful to you.
Yesterday I watched a video by Indradyumna Swami Maharaja of ISKCON wherein he states, as we learn about our acharyas, we make sure we follow their path but not imitate them.
What he means is that, take the example of a renunciate Sanyasi babaji who chants 300,000 names each day. We might try to do as much as possible for us but we don't despair if we cannot emulate them completely.
Which means, we do not become sanyasi babajis ourselves, unless and until we have the calling on our parts. We should feel innately the desirelessness for family life to take sanyas. Till then, we follow the footsteps of babajis in trying to follow their sayings and chant as much as we can. But our other responsibilities also need our attention till we are not as much desireless.
Therefore, as motivated by our prakriti, we should act. If we want to accumulate wealth, make money, have the right set-up/job/business/atmosphere, let us make all the money we want! But we will also take care to give priority to our spiritual life alongside and follow the path laid down by acharyas in practicing charity, dharma in dealing with others in worklife, etc.
Hope this really helps.
Many thanks,
Jayashree
*If experts opine my reply is not correct I welcome corrections.
hare krishna jayasree dd, your reply is so very nice, please be more active here if possible. I look forward to seeing more replies from you. Your answer was wonderful yet simple.
Namaste Punkech Patel,
Thank you very much. Warm wishes.
Jayashree