The other day I was reading some of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Prabhupad's writings. Included was a short narrative called Duties of a Married Man.
It started when some married devotee refused to give charity to beggars outside of Sakshi Gopal mandir. He said that the duty of a married man was to give in charity, distribute prasadam, and engage in devotional service to Lord Krishna. If a married devotee thinks that his money is reserved only for Lord Krishna, and doesn't give to the destitute, eventually he will become stone-hearted and greedy. Seeing this, Krishna will not become compassionate on us, we will become offensive in our service because eventually we will even refuse to spend money on devotional activities. Even though everyone suffers according to his own karma, they are still in Krishna's family; therefore, we should spend to those who need it. We receive wealth through Krishna's blessings, so we should distribute it as well. This way Krishna is pleased. That is why we distribute prasadam freely. So, according to Srila Prabhupada BSST, it is the proper use of wealth and resources.
I thought about this situation and concluded, I would not have wanted to be in that lot of grhastha devotees who held their purse strings. Could you imagine getting the sauce from Srila Saraswati Thakur?
It started when some married devotee refused to give charity to beggars outside of Sakshi Gopal mandir. He said that the duty of a married man was to give in charity, distribute prasadam, and engage in devotional service to Lord Krishna. If a married devotee thinks that his money is reserved only for Lord Krishna, and doesn't give to the destitute, eventually he will become stone-hearted and greedy. Seeing this, Krishna will not become compassionate on us, we will become offensive in our service because eventually we will even refuse to spend money on devotional activities. Even though everyone suffers according to his own karma, they are still in Krishna's family; therefore, we should spend to those who need it. We receive wealth through Krishna's blessings, so we should distribute it as well. This way Krishna is pleased. That is why we distribute prasadam freely. So, according to Srila Prabhupada BSST, it is the proper use of wealth and resources.
I thought about this situation and concluded, I would not have wanted to be in that lot of grhastha devotees who held their purse strings. Could you imagine getting the sauce from Srila Saraswati Thakur?
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