Daily Devotion - Aug 22, 2025 (English)- Who is Truly Rich?

Yahāṃ hai (wealthy in the material world), vahāṃ nahīṃ hai (poor in the spiritual realm), and yahāṃ nahīṃ hai (poor here), vahāṃ hai (wealthy in the spiritual realm) - these two rules are natural in the world. In other words -

1. Those who possess worldly opulence cannot progress spiritually because they remain attached to the world.
   nahiṃ kou asa janamā jaga māhīṃ, prabhutā pāi jāhi mada nāhīṃ। śrīmada vakra na kīnha kehi prabhutā badhira na kāhi।
   When someone attains worldly objects, their intellect becomes filled with pride. A wealthy person is constantly surrounded by people trying to extract money from him. They also shower false praise upon him. This inflates his ego, making him think, "Ten people bow down to me. I must be an assistant God." As his pride grows, he forgets God. This is a natural rule.

Even an ordinary sub-inspector walks around flaunting his badge, puffed up with his position, thinking, "I am in charge of this area. I can put anyone in jail." The higher the post, the greater the feeling of superiority. Who can get rid of it? He will forget God because people will worship and cling to him to fulfill their self-interest. Otherwise, no one pays attention to others. Everyone is attracted to others only for their own selfish motives. This is because everyone’s underlying goal is the same: to attain happiness. People constantly devise strategies to extract happiness from others, thinking, "What should I say so they accept my words? How should I behave to gain what I want?" This is the only contemplation, reflection, planning, and practice we engage in.

This is why when God told Kunti to ask for a boon, Kunti said to God, "Give me calamity." This means sorrow and a lack of worldly possessions. "If I have worldly possessions due to my destiny, then take them away, too."
sukha ke māthe sila pare nāma hiye te jāya। balihārī vā duḥkha kī jo pala pala nāma raṭāya॥ -
However great an atheist one may be, when one gets into severe trouble, one becomes a theist, visiting temples, mosques, and holy men, asking for wishes to be granted. However, this devotion lasts only until their problem is resolved. Once their work is done, they revert to their earlier state.

1. Those who lack worldly wealth (e.g., paupers, who starve, are sick, bear ill-fame, people talk ill of them, even their relatives do not inquire about their well-being, and so on) but have spiritual wealth. No one cares for such people. The world's nature is such that when a tree bears fruit, birds flock to it uninvited, chirp, eat the fruit, and then fly away. When the fruits fall off, even if it "calls" out, the birds don’t return, saying they will return when the tree bears fruit again. A millionaire who was once surrounded by crowds loses those so-called "admirers" if he becomes bankrupt. When a high-ranking official retires, even a constable no longer shows him respect. He lies in a corner of his bungalow and reads novels. His life becomes sorrowful as he dwells on his past glory. He thinks, "I was a governor one day, but no one cares for me anymore." Only he can truly understand his sorrow - common people cannot comprehend it. In the absence of worldly possessions, however, one believes in God in some form or another.

And these two are rare -
3) Rare is the individual who possesses both worldly wealth and spiritual wealth. This is seen in those who have practiced devotion in past lives or taken shelter of a genuine saint in this birth and received divine philosophical knowledge from their Guru. Even if wealthy, they walk towards God. That is why even high-ranking officials attend Shri Maharaj Ji's Satsang. Due to the sadhana they did in their past births, they were forcibly turned towards God. But this is not a common occurrence.

1. Even rarer and more unfortunate ones are those who possess neither worldly wealth nor have the inclination to tread towards God. Instead, they speak ill of God. Instead of blaming their own karma, they verbally attack God.

Therefore, you should not chase after attaining more material wealth because doing so is a sin. Having material wealth as per your destiny is acceptable, but it is essential to remember that material possessions are not permanent. You came into this world with nothing and will even leave the body behind. Only your karma will accompany you. Those blessed with material wealth should remain extra careful and maintain control over themselves, attend Satsang, and continuously cultivate humility and the realization that God resides in all. Such a person will not commit sins by misusing their wealth. Even if he walks slowly towards God, he will at least get a human body in the next life. Otherwise, one will have to roam among 84 lakh species after death. By misusing the human body, what can be said of a prime minister? Even Indra becomes a dog in his next birth. God has graced you with a human body in this birth for devotion. Instead, if you trouble others, create conflicts, and accumulate endless material wealth, then it is considered a sin for which you will have to suffer the consequences.

Recommended books by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj related to this topic:

Kamna Aur Upasna - Hindi

Hello True Happiness! - English