Wealth

bhidyate bhrātaro dārāḥ pitaraḥ suhṛdas tathā

bhidyate bhrātaro dārāḥ pitaraḥ suhṛdas tathā |
ekāsnigdhāḥ kākiṇinā sadyaḥ sarve’rayaḥ kṛtāḥ ||
arthenālpīyasā hy ete saṁrabdhā dīpta-manyavaḥ |
tyajanty āśu spṛdho ghnanti sahasotsṛjya sauhṛdam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.23.20–21)

“[Even] United and greatly affectionate brothers, wives, parents, and friends are all immediately turned into enemies and divided by twenty cowries [i.e., even by an extremely small amount of money]. For even a small amount of wealth, they quickly become disturbed, inflamed, and inimical, reject one another, give up their affection, and destroy one another.”

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anyāyopārjitaṁ dravyam artha-dūṣaṇam ucyate

anyāyopārjitaṁ dravyam artha-dūṣaṇam ucyate |
apātra-dānaṁ pātrārtha-haraṇaṁ tasya lakṣaṇam ||
(Mahābsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 1806)

“An object acquired unjustly is called polluted wealth. Its characteristics are giving [wealth] to an underserving person and taking away the wealth of a deserving person.”

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tvayaiva dattaṁ padam aindram ūrjitaṁ

tvayaiva dattaṁ padam aindram ūrjitaṁ
hṛtaṁ tad evādya tathaiva śobhanam |
manye mahān asya kṛto hy anugraho
vibhraṁśito yac chriya ātma-mohanāt ||
yayā hi vidvān api muhyate yatas
tat ko vicaṣṭe gatim ātmano yathā |
tasmai namas te jagad-īśvarāya vai
nārāyaṇāyākhila-loka-sākṣiṇe ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 8.22.16–17)

“[Prahlāda Mahārāja to Vāmanadeva:] That this splendorous abode of Indra was [previously] given entirely [to Bali] and today taken entirely [back from Bali] by you is indeed proper, as I consider great favor has been shown to him [by you] in [his] being deprived of wealth, which is bewildering regarding the ātmā (self). Who perceives [i.e., can perceive] the actual nature of the ātmā in the presence of [wealth,] that by which even a learned and regulated person is bewildered? Obeisance unto him, the Lord of the universe, Nārāyāṇa, the observer of all beings [i.e., unto he who has greatly favored Bali by graciously depriving him of the wealth in his possession].”

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svargāpavargayor dvāraṁ prāpya lokam imaṁ pumān

svargāpavargayor dvāraṁ prāpya lokam imaṁ pumān |
draviṇe ko’nuṣajjeta martyo’narthasya dhāmani ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.23.23)

“What mortal man, having attained this [human] body, which is the door to Svarga and liberation, would become attached to property, which is the dwelling place of detriment (anartha)?”

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steyaṁ hiṁsānṛtaṁ dambhaḥ kāmaḥ krodhaḥ smayo madaḥ

steyaṁ hiṁsānṛtaṁ dambhaḥ kāmaḥ krodhaḥ smayo madaḥ |
bhedo vairam aviśvāsaḥ saṁspardhā vyasanāni ca ||
ete pañcadaśānarthā hy artha-mūlā matā nṛṇām |
tasmād anartham arthākhyaṁ śreyo’rthī dūratas tyajet ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.23.18–19)

“Theft, violence, falsity, deceit, lust, anger, perplexity, pride, quarrel [alt. treachery, disunion], enmity, mistrust, jealousy [alt., rivalry] and vices—these are considered the fifteen detriments (anarthas) of human beings rooted in wealth (artha) [i.e., wealth is a cause not only of forms of suffering but of sin as well]. Therefore, a seeker of well-being should give up the detriment (anartha) known as wealth (artha) from afar.”

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arthasya sādhane siddhe utkarṣe rakṣaṇe vyaye

arthasya sādhane siddhe utkarṣe rakṣaṇe vyaye |
nāśopabhoga āyāsas trāsaś cintā bhramo nṛṇām ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.23.17)

“In the earning, attainment, increasing, protecting, expending, loss, and enjoyment of wealth (artha), human beings undergo strain, fear, anxiety, and delusion [i.e., causes of suffering].”

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yasyāsti vittaṁ sa naraḥ kulīnaḥ

yasyāsti vittaṁ sa naraḥ kulīnaḥ
sa paṇḍitaḥ sa śrutavān guṇajñaḥ |
sa eva vaktā sa ca darśanīyaḥ
sarve guṇāḥ kāñcanam āśrayanti ||
(Nīti-śatakam: 1.41)

“One who has wealth is noble person.

He is wise.

He is learned and expert.

He is eloquent, and he is handsome.

All qualities take shelter in gold [i.e., wealth].”

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alabdhe vā vinaṣṭe vā bhakṣyācchādana-sādhane

alabdhe vā vinaṣṭe vā bhakṣyācchādana-sādhane |
aviklava-matir bhūtvā harim eva dhiyā smaret ||
(Padma Purāṇa; cited in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.1.114)

“Whether food and clothing are attained, not attained, or lost, one should remain undisturbed in mind and with understanding remember Hari alone.”

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tulayāma lavenāpi na svargaṁ nāpunar-bhavam

tulayāma lavenāpi na svargaṁ nāpunar-bhavam |
bhagavat-saṅgi-saṅgasya martyānāṁ kim utāśiṣaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.18.13 and 4.30.34; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.284, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.2.228; Bhakti Sandarbha: 134, 247; Prīti Sandarbha: 31, 112)

[The sages at Naimiṣāraṇya to Sūta Gosvāmī and the Pracetās to Bhagavān:] “We cannot equate Svarga or non-repetition of birth, much less benedictions had by human beings, with even an instant of association with those who are attached to Bhagavān.”

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