MONEY
Gnani Purush Dadashri Explains The Nature Of Money And The Science Behind
Money With Unprecedented Clarity
Editorial
In this very dangerous time of Kaliyug, it is very difficult to remain ethical and honest in matters of money. This is especially so regarding money that is attained easily versus money that is earned through ethical practices. The distinction between honestly earned money versus that which comes in dishonestly is critical especially because it is not easily apparent to the owner. The consequences are as clear as the difference between heaven and hell on earth.
Gnani Purush Dadashri has unfolded the final secrets to liberation for the seeker. In worldly matters he has exposed and presented the final keys to ideal interactions in all matters and especially in matters of money. A balance of both spiritual and worldly interaction is the ideal and fastest way to liberation, like the two wings of the bird. The most critical of worldly interaction is that of money. If this is tainted or impure, no progress can be made spiritually. If this wing is defective then one cannot fly to spiritual heights. The most fortunate of spiritual seekers have been graced with observations of the practical living example of Dadashri’s worldy interactions with money. These simple daily life examples and talks of the Gnani Purush are presented here.
By maintaining purity in religion, in business and in his home life, he has shown an extraordinary example of exemplary purity for the whole world. His eternal statement ‘Religion must exist in business but business must never exist in religion’, lays down the fundamental requirements of ideal business and spiritual practices.
He has never accepted money from anyone in his life for even his most crucial expenses. For spiritual discourses, he traveled extensively from villages to towns to cities, regardless of train and airfares with his own money. Many of his followers offered him thousands of rupees in cash and gold but he never accepted any of it. For those who had an earnest desire to give, he suggested they give for benefit of others, to the temples or the hungry. However, his suggestions only came after he was sure that the money was being offered willingly and within the means of the donor, and with the consent of the entire family.
Never before has this world seen a man, in this era of the time cycle, who had the most ideal worldly interactions and one who was completely free from any attachment. His speech, absolutely pure and free from any attachment flowed from him naturally and spontaneously. Money is a necessity for our livelihood, whether it comes in a form of wages, from one’s business or any other means. Despite conducting business, Dadashri has shown us how to walk the path of the Vitarag – the Omniscient Lords, through the essence of his own conduct and experiences.
This world has not seen or heard of an example of such an ideal role of a partner in a business, where he remained as an employee of the business throughout. Even the word ‘ideal’ does not do justice to this. This is because the concept of ideal has been arrived at based one’s individual views and experiences. Dadashri was a wonder of an exceptional ideal presence in this world. This will become apparent as you read this small book.
He maintained an ideal relationship with his business partner, a venture that started when he was 22 years of age. He continued the same with his partner’s children after the death of his partner Kantibhai Patel. Although his construction contract business was successful and profitable, he drew a salary of only five hundred to six hundred rupees a month, an amount equivalent to the salary of a person with non-metric qualification. The rest of the money was retained in the business in case there was a loss or demand. He maintained this principle during his entire life. He even paid half the cost of the marriage of his partner’s children! Where else can one find such an ideal, perfect partner in the world?
Dadashri conducted his business in the most perfect and unparalleled manner and yet his chit and attention remained entirely in the pursuit of the Soul. After his spontaneous Self-realization in 1958, his business continued for many years. He remained as the Self and observed the energies of the mind, speech and body, unfold for the salvation of the world. He traveled extensively in small towns and villages. What must be that vision which he attained that allowed him to remain at the zenith of the worldly affairs as well as spirituality!
Money is the prime force in human relationships. Money has been called the eleventh life.
In his enlightenment, which was a culmination of experiences of many previous lives Dadashri has the ultimate knowledge of all financial interactions that take place in the world, the relationship of the coming and going of money, profit-loss, the hidden principles that govern what a person leaves behind or takes with him when he dies and all principles guiding the slightest dealings with money. These experiences of his life, which have flowed through the medium of his speech, have been compiled in this book. It is our sincere hope that the reader may find this helpful in his efforts to live a life of purity and bliss.
Dr. Niruben Amin
The
World Of Money
[1]
Monetary Interactions
The world considers money and wealth as one of the most important. People have more love for money because it is needed in everything they do. Love for God cannot exist as long as there is love for money. Love towards money will disappear when a person develops love for God. There can only be love for either Laxmi (money) or Narayan (God). Love whichever one you want. Laxmi will disappoint you through betrayal. There is a saying “Mandave te randave” – ‘That which is built will also be destroyed!’ And Narayan, never builds nor destroys. He keeps you happy all the time. He keeps you in a state of liberation.
You will have to understand all this, won’t you? How long can you continue with this feebleness of yours? And yet you don’t like anxiety. This human life is meant for liberation from anxieties; it is not just for making money. How does a person earn money? Is it through his intellect or his hard work?
Questioner: Both.
Dadashri: If money can be earned through hard work, then these laborers would have lot of money because they work the hardest of all, don’t they? And if money could be earned through the intellect, then there are extremely well educated people out there and yet their shoes are all worn out! Earning money is never from the use of the intellect nor is it the fruits of hard labor. It is the reward of one’s merit karma (merit karmas) from one’s past life. So if you want money, you have to be cautious where merit and demerit (demerit karma) karmas are concerned.
(11)
Money goes to those with merit karma, whereas hard working people run after money. So from this you should realize that money would only come your way if you have merit karmas. Hard work will earn you some food and you may have some surplus to get your daughter married, but without merit karma, money will not come your way.
So reality says that if you are a person with a lot of merit karmas, why must you struggle? And if you are not, then why are you struggling? What you are going to earn in this life cannot be changed.
What is it life like for a person with a lot of merit karmas? Let me tell you what even these CEOs have to put with. How do their wives greet them when they come home after a hard day’s work at the office? ‘Where have you been, you are two hours late?’ Just look at this fortunate (!) one. Should someone with a lot of merit karma have to put up with this? In reality a truly fortunate one, who has earned a lot of merit karma from last life, does not have to face anything negative in his life. Such people belong to a different breed. From their very youth, they never experience any insults or tough times. Wherever they go, they are welcomed with a lot of respect. This is how they grow up, whereas other people do nothing but struggle. What does this mean? When a person’s merit karma runs out, he is back to where he started. If you do not have the credit of merit karma, then even if you were to go around begging all night, are you likely to get even fifty rupees by the morning? So do not live life struggling helplessly. Be content with what you have.
(12)
Your worldly life is the result of absolutely no effort. It is totally an outcome of your past life karma, for which no effort has been made. So enjoy it, but know how to enjoy it. Even the Lord concedes that when the basic necessities in life are missing, then it is natural for one to experience suffering. True suffering is, not having any air to breathe, or food to eat. These are the basic necessities in life – without which the body cannot survive. Nowadays people have so many different available to them and yet they do not enjoy them. They are involved in something else. They do not enjoy what is in front of them. When a wealthy businessman sits to dine, instead of enjoying his meal, he is preoccupied with his business. The fool! He does not even know what he eats. Everything is like this.
(16)
This world is a mixture of people who enjoy themselves and those who work very hard. It has a mixture of everything. Those who work very hard have the ego, ‘I am doing it all’. Those who enjoy themselves have the ego, ‘ I am enjoying all this’. The one who works hard enjoys the pleasure of doer ship.
A wealthy man once pleaded with me saying, ‘ please say something to my son. He does not want to do any work. All he does is to have a good time every day.’ I explained to the father, ‘ It is not worth saying anything. He is only enjoying the fruits of his merit karma. Why should we interfere in his enjoyment?’ He replied, ‘ Is it not important to make him wise?’ I told him, ‘the wise ones of the world enjoy. The foolish ones of the world waste the wealth. The one who works hard for money is the laborer’ Those who work hard derive pleasure from doing so because of their ego. The boss goes to his company wearing a long coat, so that all the workers would stand and welcome him as he enters the office. His ego is fed. While those who enjoy themselves, care little about power or authority. Whatever we enjoy of our share is the truth.
(17)
The law of the movement of money is this: In India as there is an increase in the number of unworthy people; money increases. Where there are forthright and ethical people, the money is lacking. So note that wealth has gone to the unworthy and the undeserving. They have food on their table and do not know how to enjoy it.
There are the naive and simple people. They are unaffected if they lose money or a valuable thing. They are not concerned with societal status. For such people, wealth flows in easily. Wealth does not go to those who have a lot of worldly awareness because these people have a lot of kashay, anger, pride, attachment and greed. The whole daylong they continue to have these inner negativities. The simple ones have no such worldly awareness and are free from these inner turmoil and weaknesses. They do not make a fuss. Wealth flows to them, but they do not know how to make good use of it and it passes away without their awareness.
(19)
Whatever money there is in the world today is all tainted and wrong. Very little of it is pure and right. There are two kinds of merit karma: One that binds demerit karma and takes a person into a lower life form and the other that binds merit karma which takes a person into a higher life form. The money that will result in a birth in a higher life form is very rare in the current era of the time cycle. Where such ‘pure and right’ money exists, there is continuous inner peace, all life’s comforts and true religion.
The money of today will bind demerit karma. That is its nature. It causes clashes all around, in the home and outside. It is better if such money does not enter the home. A simple meal of bread and vegetable is better than a gourmet meal with thirty-two varieties. In this time a single rupee of the right kind will bring tremendous peace and inner satisfaction. Such money creates an atmosphere of harmony in the family filled with spiritual atmosphere.
I once asked a woman from a reputable family in Bombay whether they had any quarrels in their home. She replied, “Every morning we have quarrels for breakfast!” I told her they must be saving a lot of money on food and she replied, “No, we still have to spend money. As we butter the toast, the quarrels go on and so does the breakfast!” What kind of people are these?
(20)
If the money is always pure and right, then all will be good, and the mind will be at peace. The clashes in the homes are caused by entry of impure and wrong money. From a very young age I had decided that as far as possible impure and wrong money must not enter the home. Sixty-six years have passed and no wrong money has entered the home. We had decided that we would live with a certain amount of money. The business may earn hundreds of thousands but if this Ambalal Patel were to work for somebody, how much would he earn? The answer came to six to seven hundred rupees. The business is a play of merit and demerit karma. Therefore use whatever sum was obtained in a job for the home. The rest have to be retained in the business for unforeseen events like letters from the tax authorities. Otherwise, the attack at the business would also happen at home. The attacks have entered all homes. Is this not a mistake? How can one call this life? We need to shatter this mistake.
Let money flow in naturally. Do not use it as a support. Never rest and think that it will be there forever. Proceed with caution of this awareness so that when it leaves you will not suffer.
Questioner: Describe the fragrance of pure money, please.
Dadashri: Pure money will never bring a trace of stress and tension. There is enough money in the home. Someone will announce suddenly that sugar will be rationed tomorrow. This will not cause any stress or tension to you in the home. The existing merit karma effect money is such that the owner’s words and actions are pleasant to all around. He does not have any thoughts of earning money or entering into businesses.
Here what we have all around us is the money of the wrong kind, which will lead to sin and demerit karma. This cannot be called money in the true sense. The thoughts that arise with such money are evil, and of demerit. The thoughts are, ‘ how can I accumulate a big bank balance?’ That is sin.
Some ask me, ‘ did the landlords of the past times have such pure money?’ Yes, they did. Their money accumulated naturally. They did not have to accumulate it. These people here are struggling to accumulate it. That other pure money came in naturally, even when they begged the Lord for it not to come. He may say, not material wealth Lord, only the spiritual wealth, but the money will flow in anyway. That is the merit karma, which brings pure money.
(21)
I never liked this worldly life. Let me tell you about myself. Nothing in this worldly life interested me. If someone gave me money, I found it burdensome, even when the money was mine. I felt a burden when I took my salary, and a burden in taking it home. Before this Gnan (Self-realization), I found everything bothersome.
Questioner: We are so involved in making money in our business that we are not able to turn away from it and we are constantly drowned in it.
Dadashri: Even then you are not satisfied. You think, let me make a million or two million and then when you have made two you think, I will stop when I make five. This does not end.
Even I would have made a decision to make a million. Then I came to the conclusion that life does not give you an extension. If we were given a thousand years instead of a hundred to live, this decision may work. There is no surety of anything in life.
(24)
There are two types of authority. One is independent authority and the other is dependent authority. It is your independent authority to become a God. To make money is not under your authority. So which is better, to make money or to realize the Self? I know how money comes. If the authority to make money were in one’s own hands, then one would even fight for it. But that is not the case and so no matter what you do, you will not accomplish anything. A person once asked me about the nature of money. I told him that money is like sleep. Some people fall asleep the moment they lie down; some toss and turn the whole nightlong and still cannot fall asleep, while some need to take sleeping pills. So money is not under your authority. It is under the authority of some other power, so what is the point in worrying about it and running after it?
(25)
Therefore, I tell you that money will not come to you if you go through extreme struggles to acquire it. It simply happens. You are merely an instrument, one of the many evidences when it comes to you. You are merely one of the evidences when you go and return from the court (talking to a lawyer disciple), so is the speech of yours in the trial. All this is not worth paying too much attention to. What is needed happens with the right amount of attention by itself. If you gain this understanding you will be free from all tension.
Currently you have the firm conviction that without you the case in the court will not proceed. This is not so.
(26)
When a whole lot of evidences come together, money comes. If you ask a doctor whose father is in the final stages of life in the hospital to do an operation to make him live longer, he will not be able to do so. So this is not under anyone’s control. The evidences have come together for the old man to leave this world. I became a Gnani because of scientific circumstantial evidences. And all these billionaires do not become so because of their efforts. They however do believe that it is because of their independent effort and hard work that they are billionaires. ‘ I became’ is the illusion. ‘It happened’ is knowledge. Gnani Purush is never under any illusion. He says it as it is, and says it as it happened. I was sitting at Surat station and it happened. The billionaire says, I made millions and I have had three wives. All these you have brought forth with you from your past life. This is nothing but just a belief in your mind that, ‘I am doing all this’. This is egoism. What does this egoism do? It plans for your next life, without your knowledge. Thus man creates life after life. He never comes to a life where there is no new life created. If planning stops then liberation is at hand.
There is no being in this world, which does not seek happiness. Everyone seeks eternal bliss, the kind that never leaves. His understanding and belief is that money will bring this happiness. But then, the problems and inner turmoil come with it. Eternal bliss and inner turmoil are enemies. They can never exist together. Here money is not at fault. He is the one who is at fault.
(26)
All things of this world will one day become unpleasant and unwelcome. The Soul is your own Self. There is no suffering here. The worldly existence is such that a time arrives when even money becomes burdensome. One worries about how to store and distribute it.
So in life there is suffering. Suffering with money, suffering without money, suffering as a pauper, suffering as a prime minister, suffering as widow, suffering as a wife, suffering even as a mistress, suffering, suffering, suffering. Why are all these big businessmen of Ahmedabad suffering? What is the cause?
Questioner: They are discontent and unhappy.
Dadashri: There never was any happiness in this work of theirs. Where is the happiness? This is the illusion. It is like a drunken man lying on the street with a hand in the cold contents of a gutter. He is under the inebriation and false belief of happiness. When the effect of the alcohol wears off he will feel the pain. This is all nothing but a gutter.
There is no happiness in this worldly life. If there were, this Bombay would not be like this. This is an illusion of happiness and is nothing but a temporary adjustment.
There is no need to carry a burden over money. When the bank balance grows he breathes a sigh of satisfaction and when there is a deficit he becomes sad and unhappy. There is nothing in this world worth breathing a sigh of satisfaction, because everything is temporary.
(27)
What is the nature of suffering in man? A man once came to me and said, ‘ I have no money in the bank. I am all broke and bankrupt’. I asked him, ‘ Do you have any debt?’ He told me he did not owe anyone anything. This is not bankruptcy. He had a couple of thousand rupees in the bank. Then I asked him, ‘ do you have a wife?’ He replied that the wife can not sold. I then told him, ‘ these two eyes of yours, would you give them for two hundred thousand rupees?’ These eyes, hands, feet, this brain is all your wealth. Count their value. Even without a penny you are a billionaire. Try and sell each of these assets of yours. You will not sell your two hands. This is your endless wealth. Consider all this as your wealth and be content. Money may come or not, all that you need is a square meal.
(28)
Questioner: What should one do when times are tough and there is no money coming in?
Dadashri: When rain does not fall for an entire year, the farmers cry and say that they are ruined. The rains return the next year and their financial position improves. So when times are tough, patience is necessary. Decrease your expenses and with hard work and frugal economy pass your time. Do this only during the tough period. When the going is good you do not have to do anything.
At such difficult times, give this body the necessary food. It does not demand anything else. Also if needed, recite these three mantras, the Trimantra, for an hour daily. When you do this, your life situation will improve. For thousands of people, the difficulties and obstructions in life have been eliminated by the name ‘Dada Bhagwan’, recited with understanding.
(29)
What is the nature of money? Money means pain in earning, pain in protecting, pain in spending. When a hundred thousand rupees arrive at home, the pain of protecting it begins. The search for the bank that will not disappear starts, and then some relatives and friends come to know about it and they pester you for loans and gifts. My buddy, do you not have this much trust for me? All I want is a mere ten thousand, and you have to give when you are pestered enough. So the pain exists when there is excess and when there is scarcity. It is best when it is just normal. Otherwise there is pain when spending.
People do not know how to take care of money nor do they know how to enjoy it. They complain about how things are so expensive even while they are enjoying them. The fools! Why not enjoy what you have peacefully? They have to work to make money in an environment, which makes them miserable. Many people will not give the money they owe, so there is suffering in earning money and suffering in safekeeping it also. Even when extreme care is taken in protecting the money in the bank, it does not remain there. A bank account means credit and debit, coming and going. Anguish results when money lives.
Many have become rich by evading income taxes. They have hidden millions from the government. They do not know that this money will leave someday. When the fines and demands come from the income tax department, where will they go? This is all a trap, nothing else. These persons who have risen up this way carry so much danger with them, but are unaware of it. They are all involved in schemes to avoid income taxes all day and this meditation of theirs is indeed the return ticket to an animal life form.
(30)
Life of making money is like that of an ox running circles around the stone mill to crush castor oil seeds. The farmer gives a bunch of fodder for the toil to the ox, and here the wife gives the plate of food for the toil of the day. No difference.
(34)
These big shots of Ahmedabad are owners of two or more cotton mills, yet their suffering is beyond description here. They are under constant tension of these mills not performing or shutting down. They passed in the educational school well, but have failed in the school of life. This is because they have adopted the best foolishness. Dishonesty is the best foolishness. There has to be a limit to foolishness, do you not think so? Yet here they have crossed the limit.
(36)
I have analyzed the nature of money from all aspects. How much money can a person accumulate? I came to the conclusion that no one has ever managed to remain the richest person in the world. People used to say that Ford was the richest man, but a few years later we heard that someone else was. What is the point to all this? The horse that wins the race gets the first prize, the second and third horse will get some recognition, but what about the horse that comes fourth? He just runs the race in vain, foaming at the mouth. I said ‘Why do I enter this race course?’ Why should one have to foam at the mouth unnecessarily? People enter this race to come first but instead they all lose the race. No body cares for these late arrivals.
(37)
Money is limited whereas people’s demands are unlimited.
Some people have an obsession for sex and some are obsessed with of pride, status and recognition. There are so many different types of inner obsessions. Some people are obsessed with money. They are constantly preoccupied with thoughts of money and ways of accumulating it. Preoccupation with money is a heavy obsession.
Questioner: But one cannot do without money.
Dadashree: Yes, one cannot do without it but people do not know how money comes to them and so they keep running after it. Money is like perspiration. It comes like perspiration. Some people perspire profusely while others perspire very little. Just as sweating is inevitable, so is the coming of money.
I never cared for money from the very beginning. I started business at the age of twenty-two and if someone came to visit me, they would have no knowledge about how my business was faring but I would ask them if they were having any financial difficulties.
(41)
It is dangerous to even have thoughts about money, so you can imagine how dangerous it is to run after and revere it.
(42)
Man can only go after one thing, either money or the Soul. It is not possible for a person to be attentive in two places at the same time. Either his attention is on money or it is on the Self. The focus of the worldly self can only be in one place. So what is one to do?
(43)
Once I met a wealthy man. He was a millionaire. He was fifteen years older than I but he would sit next to me. I asked him how was it that his children wore shirts and pants, but he wore a dhoti, which barely covered his knees! He looked half naked even when going to the temple! In such a short dhoti, it appeared like he was draped in a loincloth, and wearing a short sleeve shirt and a white cap and rushing to the temple to do darshan. I told him it appeared to me that he was going to take his wealth with him when he dies. He told me it was not possible to do such a thing. I told him we Patels are not as clever as the Jains and that people of his sect must have found a way to do so. He told me no one could take anything with him or her when they die. When I told his son about our conversation, his son exclaimed it was a good thing no one could do otherwise his dad would take out a loan of three million rupees and leave the debt for him to repay. He told me his dad is so shrewd that it would ruin him.
(43)
Questioner: Many big businessmen of Bombay accumulate money taken under the table, what effect will this bring on them?
Dadashri: It binds karmas. Both the black money and the white money bind karmas. Good money or bad money, all money binds karma. Karmas are being bound constantly. Until a person attains Self-realization, he or she continues to bind karmas. With black money, one binds bad karma and will spend a life in the animal kingdom.
Questioner: Why are people who run after money never satisfied?
Dadashri: If you tell someone to be content, he will retort and say the same thing to you and even ask why you are so discontent. Contentment is not something that can be acquired, even when a person wants to be. Contentment is attained through knowledge and worldly experience. It happens naturally and is directly proportional to the level of one’s knowledge. It is not something that will happen by doing anything. It is an effect, a result. Your grade will depend upon how well you write your examination. The examination was given in the past life. The result is the knowledge of this life. In the same way, your contentment will be as good as your knowledge in this life. It is for this contentment that people work so hard. However, what we see is the opposite. Even when they go to the latrine, they are performing two tasks. They shave their faces while sitting on the latrine. They have so much greed and are in such a hurry to make money. This is called the Indian puzzle.
(44)
A lawyer shaves as he sits on the toilet and his wife tells me that he does not even talk to her. He becomes so isolated. He is stuck in just one corner and he is constantly on the run. He makes money and he squanders it in those other useless places. He milks a cow and feeds the milk to a donkey.
(45)
In this day and age of kaliyug, the fifth era of the current time cycle, a person ruins his life by becoming greedy for money. By having aartadhyan (internal adverse meditation causing harm to ones own self) and raudradhyaan (adverse internal meditation implicating and causing hurt to others) people lose their right to be born as humans again. In their past life these very people have enjoyed the luxuries of grand kingdoms and royalty. They were never such beggars, but in this day and age their minds have become beggars. Their mind wants this and that! Otherwise a person whose mind is fulfilled will walk around like a king, even if he has nothing. Money is such a thing that it turns one’s vision towards greed. Money increases vengeance and such negative passions. The further you can stay away from money, the better it is for you. And if it is spent, it is better spent towards a noble cause.
The money that is going to flow in cannot be changed. This is not going to be changed whether one becomes religious or evil. If he falls into evil deeds, it will be a waste of money and invite more suffering. If he turns religious and spends the money rightly, he will invite happiness and this may show him the path to liberation. The amount of money will not change.
To delve constantly about making money is a bad habit. It is like giving a daily steam bath to a person with daily fever. There is an initial temporary relief, so he becomes habituated to it. The fever will come down, but the cause of the fever has not been treated so that it returns every day. Likewise, running after money is futile.
(45)
Money is a by-product. Do you worry whether your arms or legs will remain functional? No. Why not? Do we not need our limbs? We do, but it is not something we have to think about. In the same manner there is no need to think about money. If your arm hurts, you have to think about getting treatment for it but you do not have to worry about it. You should never be exclusively involved attending to money. When you devote too much attention to money, you miss out on other important attentions of life. And it is not just preoccupation with money that is forbidden, but also preoccupation with women. If you get obsessed with woman, you will become like a woman. If you become obsessed with money, then you will become restless. Money roams and so will you. One should never become give one’s attention to money. It is the highest raudradhyana (adverse internal meditation that hurts the person having it and also others around). It is not artadhyana (adverse meditation hurting only the person having it), because although a person may have food and everything else in his home, he still has expectations of more wealth. When a person runs after money, other people are deprived of their share of the wealth. Do not do anything that will create shortage for others. Do not break the proportion of the distribution of wealth in a way that will cause shortage for others. Otherwise you will be liable for it. If money comes to you spontaneously, then you are not liable. You may get five thousand or even fifty thousand rupees spontaneously, but once it comes to you, you cannot detain it or obstruct it from leaving. What is the natural law of money? It says, ‘do not detain and hoard me. Circulate me. Give away as much as comes your way’.
(47)
Obstacles to money will remain as long as you harbor the desire to earn it. When you become inattentive to money, it will come to you in abundance.
Is it not necessary to eat food? Is it not necessary to go to the toilet? Just like this, money is necessary. Just as the excretion happens in the toilet without attention or care, the money also will come without attention or care.
(48)
A wealthy landowner once came to me. He wanted to know how much money a person should accumulate. He told me he had about a thousand acres of land, a bungalow, two cars and a sizable bank balance. He wanted to know how much he should keep. I told him that every person should assess their needs based on what luxury he had at the time of his birth. That is the exact principle for happiness. Everything else falls in the category of excessiveness. Anything in excess is poisonous, and invites misery.
(49)
Each person finds happiness in his or her own home. A man living in a hut will not find happiness in a bungalow and a man living in a bungalow will not find happiness in a hut. The reason behind this is what people bring forth within their ‘receptacle’ of intellect from their past life. People will find or come across whatever they have brought forth within their receptacle of intellect. Whatever people bring forth in their receptacle of intellect (buddhi no ashay) can be divided in two parts: effects of merit karma and effects of demerit karma. If we divide up what people fill in their receptacle of intellect, most of it is to acquire material wealth and happiness and they use up their merit karma in order to acquire these two things, leaving them with only a very small amount to acquire spirituality.
A person brings forth in his receptacle of intellect that he wants to acquire a lot of money. He expends a lot of his merit karma and gets his desired wealth. Another person does the same but instead of effects of merit karma, he is faced with his effects of demerit karma, consequently he remains broke despite working very hard. These accounts are very exact and precise and no one can change that. And yet these foolish people believe that the wealth they have acquired is through their own efforts. They do not realize that they have expended their merit karma in the process and that too, on the wrong path. The merit karma effect has to be spent on religion and not on useless material things like cars, radios, televisions etc. Place the desire to know the Self, and the desire to do good for others, as the only things in your receptacle, which carries forth into the next life. Whatever has come your way at the moment, let it be, but from now on change this.
I have brought forth in my receptacle of intellect, a one hundred percent intention for the Soul and the salvation of the world. My merit karma has not been spent anywhere else, especially not for any material things.
Those who have met me and have attained Gnan, were able to do so because they had allocated some two to five percent of their merit karma for this. That is why they were able to meet me. Whereas I spent one hundred percent for the Self and that is why I have been granted the certificate of ‘No Objection’ from all sides.
(53)
If someone were to tell me that no matter what he does, he keeps running into a loss, I would tell him that it is because his demerit karma is in operation. I will tell him not to borrow any money from anyone, because that money is unlikely to help him. He will lose it. I tell him to sit at home, study his favorite scripture and pray to God.
(55)
People continue to bind demerit karma but when the effect of these karma manifest, they will suffer a lot. These effects will completely shake them. They will feel as if they are standing on burning coal. In the same token they will realize the sweet the rewards if they bind merit karma. So beware! Whatever karma you bind, think before you do so and realize the effect such karma will bring forth when they mature. Maintain extreme vigilance during the charging of karma. You are binding demerit karma when you increase your wealth by cheating others of their money; when you do this remember at the time that the effect of such karma is inevitable. And even if you deposit that money in the bank, it will eventually go away. That wealth too, is certain to dissipate. But in the process of trying to accumulate that wealth, you create raudradhyan, which will not only make you suffer immediately but also later when the result of demerit karma unfold. At that time you will suffer a lot again.
(56)
What does nature say? It is not concerned with how much money you spend, it is only concerned with the inner state of pain and pleasure. Nature only keeps account of how much pain or pleasure is felt within. A person is in pleasure even when there is no money whatsoever, and another suffers deeply when there is plenty of money. Pleasure and pain are not dependent on money.
Those who make relatively little money have peace; they do not have any problems. They even have time to go to the temple and do darshan of the Lord. But for those who are engrossed in trying to increase their money, there is a problem. They may have with them a million rupees, but when they incur a loss of fifty thousand rupees, they immediately experience distress and suffering. You foolish people! Just deduct the fifty thousand from the million that you have. But no! That would reduce the original sum. What are you defining as your original sum? The sum you lost, carried with it responsibility on your part, so do not complain when that sum decreases. But instead you feel happy when that sum increases and what happens when that sum decreases? Pain. The real sum is within you; the real wealth is within you. Why then do you frantically go around setting yourself up for a heart attack and risk loosing this real sum? If you were to die of a heart attack, will you not lose this sum, the Self?
A father gives his son a million rupees and then decides to embark on a spiritual path. The son squanders the money away, drinking, eating non-vegetarian food, gambling in the stock market, and enjoying himself. The reason behind this is that all money acquired through improper means will leave. Alas today not even honest money earned through earnest means remains with those who earn it, so how is dishonest money to remain? So you will need money that comes from your merit karma, pure money. This arises when money is gained through honest and clear intentions. Only the wealth from such a source will give you happiness. Otherwise, the impure money of the demerit karma will make one suffer even as it leaves, and will bind demerit karma in the process.
(57)
This worldly life is such that you cannot live in it, not even for a minute. Even when a person has tremendous merit karma, there is so much internal suffering that it is unbearable. He cannot contain his suffering. He is surrounded by the finest of circumstances and yet there is burning within, an internal suffering. How can this suffering be allayed? Eventually even his merit karma is exhausted. What is the principle of this world? It is that when all the merit karmas become depleted, the effect of demerit karma begins. As it is, a person already has a lot of internal suffering, but what will become of him when he is surrounded by externally induced suffering? Therefore, be aware! That is what the Lord says.
The nature of everything around is intake and output, filling and emptying (puran and galan). Whatever fills eventually drains, if it did not drain, there would be a problem. It is because there is an out flow that you are able to eat again. When you inhale it is an in flow and when you exhale it is an out flow. The intrinsic nature of everything is to flow in and out and that is why I have made the discovery that there should be neither feast nor famine as far as money is concerned. For me, always there is neither too much nor too little of wealth. Those with too little will shrink away and those with excess will bloat up. Excess means that money will last for two to three years. It is better to have wealth which is flowing otherwise it will bring suffering.
(58)
I have never had too little money, nor has there been an excess amount of money. Before the sum of saving approached a hundred thousand there would be an emergency in the business and it would be spent. That is why money never accumulated to the point of overflow nor was there ever any shortage.
(59)
Questioner: Why is there a shortage of money?
Dadashri: Money does not come because of stealing. Where there is no stealing through the mind, speech or body, money is abundant. Stealing is an obstacle to wealth. Deception and money are enemies. When a person stops stealing overtly he will take birth in a noble family. Deception is subtle stealing and that is regarded as severe raudradhyan, the consequence of which is a life in hell. There should be absolutely no deception. A shopkeeper may take pleasure in selling adulterated goods; he tells his customers that his goods are pure and of the highest quality, and when you question him about his tactics, he insists and says: ‘This is the only way to do business’ – that is deception. A person who has the desire to be honest can say to his customers, ‘My wish is to sell only the best but this is what my goods are like so take them if you want’. By merely stating this, he is freed from any liability.
People remain honest as long as they do not get the taste of black money. Once they start dealing with black money dishonesty creeps in.
(61)
Questioner: How much money should one earn?
Dadashri: There is no such rule. Do you worry about how much water you will get for your shower every morning? Similarly you should not think about money. Everything is preordained; whether you get one or two buckets of water, it has already been decided. No one is able to add or take away from this. Make all efforts to earn money through your mind, speech and body, but do not hold any desire for it. Money is a bank balance; will you not get it if it is meant to be for you? Desire for money will further delay the money coming to you. Nor should you shun money. If you were to say, ‘I don’t want any money’, that too is a great offence. There should be neither rejection nor desire for money. One should only have respect for money. Money will come when the time is right. Desire for it will create obstacles for its arrival. Laxmiji (representing the Godess of wealth) says: “Whatever the time and circumstances you find yourself, accept that situation for that time and from time to time I will send to you whatever is due to you. Whatever is due to you will come to you at its preordained time; however do not harbor a desire for me. I will send with interest what is rightfully yours. Those who do not harbor desire, to them I send their money on time’. What else does Laxmiji says? She says that if a person wants liberation, then he may take only the money that is his by right; he must not cheat or deceive anyone for money.
(62)
Whenever I meet Laxmiji, I tell her: ‘my address is house number six, in Mamanipoda, Baroda. Whenever it is convenient for you, grace us with a visit and leave whenever you please. That is your home and you are welcome there.’ This is what I tell her. I never forsake courtesy.
(63)
The other point is that you can never shun or reject Laxmi. Many people say: “I do not need money. I do not even touch money’. It is fine if they do not touch money, but when they speak this way and mean what they say from within, it is very dangerous. They will wander for many lives to come without any money. Laxmi is vitarag (without attachment). Money is inanimate. For that matter you should never shun anything either; whether it is animate or inanimate, because by doing so you will not encounter it again. I may say that I am aparigrahi (one who is not attached to material things), but I will never say that I will never touch money. Money is the center of all worldly interactions. All these deities have been organized to support the rules and principles of scientific circumstantial evidences, called vyavasthit. So you should never reject anything.
(64)
It is not money, but ignorance that needs to be renounced. Many people have contempt towards money. Whatever you have contempt towards, will never come your way. Disinterest or indifference for money in the absence of any real interest is the worst kind of madness.
(65)
I maintain indifference in matters of worldly life and absolute interest in matters of the Soul. There has to be both. Indifference for the worldly matters and interest for the Soul is needed for liberation. So gladly welcome each and every circumstance that comes your way.
(66)
Let me explain to you the nature of black market money. When there is flooding due to a heavy rainfall and the water enters your home through your front yard, you feel glad that the water is coming to you without any effort, but when that water drains away, it will leave behind mud. You will have a hard time getting rid of that mud. Black money is like the water of the flood. It will sting you all over before it leaves. This is why I have to caution all the wealthy businessmen.
Money will not leave as long as you do not indulge in deceptive business tactics. Deceptive business practice is the cause of money leaving your home.
The current time is such that people are preoccupied with how they can acquire and enjoy other more wealth and in this they do not care if it does not belong to them rightfully. They are blinded by their greed. They can only look for other things if they become free from their preoccupation with cheating others, making a profit by selling contaminated goods and enjoying adulterous relationships. Happiness does not lie in such practices. Happiness is to be found when you make your spiritual path as your main production agenda. All worldly gains are a by-product of such a production. You have acquired this body because of something you did in your previous life. You have acquired material wealth, a wife, a bungalow etc. All this is a by-production. If all these things were attainable through only hard work, then all these laborers would also have the same, but it is not so. People today have misunderstood this and that is why they have started factories of ‘by-production’. Effort made in the path of liberation is considered the ‘main production’. You should acquire liberation from the ‘Gnani Purush’, after which the worldly ‘by-production’ will automatically come to you, free of cost. You have wasted so many lives for this ‘by-production’. Just once come and get your liberation so that this entire wandering around in misery comes to an end.
(67)
Instead of worldly happiness, you should have happiness that is beyond this world, spiritual happiness; such happiness is one that will make you content. Worldly happiness, on the contrary, increases restlessness, and is temporary. If a person makes a sale of fifty thousand rupees, he will count and recount his money and his mind becomes exhausted in this counting. People’s minds have become so agitated that they do not even like to eat. I too have experienced such sales and I have observed what it does to the mind. This is not something that is outside my own experience. I myself have crossed through this very ocean and gone across. So I understand what you are going through. The more money you make the more restless you become and the mind becomes dull and you do not remember anything. You are in a state of constant agitation. People keep counting their bills; the bills are left behind and the counter passes on. Money says to us, ‘understand this much if you want: you will move on and we will stay behind’. Therefore do not create any animosity with it. Invite money to come to you because you need it. We have a need for everything. But people become obsessed with it. However you have no choice but count it anyway. There are some rare businessmen who will delegate the bookkeeping and the counting and safekeeping to their clerks. They instruct their clerks not to disturb them when they are dinning. They tell their clerks to count the money on their own as they take the money in and out of the safe. They will not interfere with their assistants. There are such men around. In the whole of India, there are a handful of such men who remain completely unaffected. They are like me. I never count money. What interference! I have not handled money for the last twenty years and that is why I am filled with bliss.
There is no denying that as long as there are monetary interactions, there is a need for it. But one cannot become preoccupied with it. One can however become preoccupied with the Lord. If you only pursue money (Laxmi), then Narayan (God) will be enraged. Do we not have temples of Laxmi-Narayan? Is Laxmiji an ordinary thing?
Whatever enjoyment you get from earning money, you should also experience the same enjoyment whilst spending it. But instead people keep commenting on how much money has been spent away.
You should never be engrossed with the thought that your money will be spent away. At whatever time the money goes, that is correct and that is why it has been said that money should be spent because in doing so people will lessen their tendencies of greed and consequently will be able to give over and over again.
The Lord has said that you should not keep an account of your money. If you have some knowledge of what the future holds, do keep an account. And if you want to keep an account then keep the account that guarantees that one day you will not be around in this world.
(69)
The law of money is such that it will linger for some time and then it will leave, and leave it will. Money will wander around, whether it will bring you profit, loss or interest, but w it will wander. It will not remain in one place forever. Money by nature is restless. People rise with their money to the top but when they get there, they find it very difficult. They feel trapped and it is difficult for them to come back down. They climb to the top with a lot enthusiasm but while coming down their predicament is like the cat that forces its face into a jar of milk. What happ