Wanting Money Unlimitedly to Satisfy Insatiable Desires
Śrīla Prabhupāda observes that the entire material world runs on the engine of lust and greed. People work tirelessly not out of love for their occupation, but simply to earn money for their own sense enjoyment. This relentless pursuit leaves society frustrated and unsatisfied at every step. However, when we understand that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the supreme proprietor and we direct our energy toward His service, the artificial need for unlimited wealth vanishes, replaced by the profound peace and joy of devotional service.
The Snare of Sense Gratification
The primary reason people want money is to facilitate their sense enjoyment. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that this drive is rooted in kāma (lust) and lobha (greed). A person may start by wanting a little, but soon they want more and more, even committing sinful or criminal acts to maintain their kuṭumba (family) and fund their illicit desires. This unlimited wanting is a dangerous snare of the illusory energy.
- The whole world is going on kama and lobha. One is getting money. When he has got one thousand, he wants one lakh. If he gets one lakh, he wants more and more and more. This is called kama. And why? Lobha. They are making profit.
- Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura herein (SB 9.5.27) gives a very good example. When one is very eager for more and more money, he is not satisfied even when he is a millionaire or a multimillionaire, but wants to earn more and more money by any means.
- So by any means money wanted. So he adopted all disrespectful profession - cheating, gambling and stealing, any way to live… The only attraction is family, kutumba. So for the sake of maintaining family, he was committing all kinds of sinful activities.
- Sometimes we commit so many criminal activities to satisfy our senses, because we want money. So palita durnidesah. My conscience says, "You don't do it." But, because I want to enjoy my senses, I must do it.
The Illusion of Unlimited Wealth
Modern civilization has conditioned people to believe they need unlimited wealth to be happy. Instead of being satisfied with enough to maintain a family nicely and cultivate spiritual life, citizens are driven by insatiable desires. This leads to exploitation by incompetent governments and a frustrated society. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that true wealth cannot be forced; trying to extract happiness from material advancement alone simply blinds the populace.
- The citizens are no longer satisfied with just enough money to maintain a family nicely and cultivate spiritual knowledge, both of which are essential in human life. Now everyone wants money unlimitedly to satisfy insatiable desires.
- What is this nonsense civilization? Simply want of money and unsatisfied in every step. Especially in the Western countries they're becoming hippie. Why? The training is different.
- The government will be incompetent, the more the citizens will be exploited. Ultimately the citizens will suffer. Because they will want money and plunder the citizens, they will be disgusted.
- They spend fifty thousand dollars weekly for seeing naked dance. You see? So money is being misused in this way. Everyone wants sense gratification. And for sense gratification, they want money. And they are earning money.
Approaching God for Wealth
When people are in financial distress, they often turn to religion. The Vedic scriptures even recommend worshiping demigods if one wants money. While approaching the Supreme Lord in distress is a pious beginning to bhakti, Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that this is still a material concept of life. The supreme objective should not be to turn God into an order-supplier for our financial needs.
- Initiation into bhakti begins when one is in a distressed condition or in want of money, or when one is inquisitive to understand the Absolute Truth. Nonetheless, people who approach the Supreme Lord in this way are not actually devotees.
- When enlightened by pious activities, they (living entities) approach the Supreme Lord in different capacities-as the distressed, those in want of money, the inquisitive, and those in search of knowledge. That is also described.
- The distressed and the man in want of money are in the material concept of life because distress and need of money are both in relationship with this body.
- It is recommended in the Vedic scriptures that if one wants money, health or education, then he should worship the various demigods.
The Vaiṣṇava Standard of Renunciation
A pure Vaiṣṇava does not want money, followers, or beautiful women for personal enjoyment. Following the teachings of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, devotees reject the professional recitation of scriptures for financial gain. If money comes to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, it is engaged entirely in the service of the Lord. By seeking spiritual happiness first, all other necessities are automatically fulfilled without separate endeavor.
- Everyone wants money, everyone wants good wife, good family, good comfortable life. Caitanya Mahaprabhu denies, that "I don't want all these things."
- We want money to become happy, but if we take to Krsna consciousness, automatically we will become so happy that we will neglect money. Money will automatically come. Happiness will come. There is no need to endeavor for these things separately.
- We do not want money. But they are having money by so many ways. So we take their money and construct a temple. We can sit down here and chant Hare Krsna. We don't require that temple.
- He (Sanatana Goswami) has strictly forbidden. Those who are not Vaisnavas, professional, for money's sake they recite Bhagavata, any, anything. They want money.
Conclusion
In summary, Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that the endless pursuit of wealth is a symptom of a spiritually disconnected civilization. Working solely for money to satisfy the senses only binds the living entity tighter to the material world through sinful reactions and anxiety. While approaching the Lord for financial relief is better than remaining an atheist, it is not the perfection of life. The pure Vaiṣṇava path is to desire nothing but the service of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. When one fully engages in devotional service, the feverish want of money naturally disappears, replaced by a complete and automatic happiness that no amount of material wealth could ever purchase.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Wanting Money. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.