50% for Krsna, 25% to relatives, and 25% for emergencies. How is this possible?

Srila Prabhupada mentions that when Srila Rūpa Goswami left the governmental service, he got a large sum of money that he divided in a very exemplary manner. How to apply that in our practical life?

Srila Prabhupada mentions that when Srila Rūpa Goswami left the governmental service, he got a large sum of money that he divided in a very exemplary manner. He distributed 50% of this accumulated income to Kṛṣṇa conscious persons, 25% to relatives and he kept 25% for personal expenditures and as a reserve for emergencies.

Srila Prabhupada mentions that this is the gold standard for householders, but we can see that in practice, that's very difficult to do. Most families are already struggling to live even with 100% of their income, what to say about living with just half of that? How can we understand this instruction?

One way to understand it is literally that one should donate 50% of his income to preachers and saintly persons. If one can do this, it's going to be very wonderful, but this may not be a real possibility for most.

Another way to consider it is in terms of disposable income. We can see that in the example of Srila Rūpa Goswami. During the time he was working as a minister, he was maintaining his family appropriately, as well as maintaining his personal expenditures according to his social position. However, as his salary was greater than his expenses, there was always a surplus that accumulated over the course of many years. When he finally renounced and decided to follow Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he took all the accumulated money and divided it in the above-mentioned manner.

This means that the money he divided was actually his disposable income accumulated over the course of several years, discounting what he used for his basic maintenance and the maintenance of his family, including housing, food, clothes, and so on.

For most of us who live on a salary or a limited budget, 50% of our gross incoming may sound unrealistic, since in many cases we spend more than 50% of our incoming just on rent and utilities. If we were to donate 50% of our gross incoming, we would have to choose between donating the part we spend on housing or the part we spend on food and everything else. It sounds like one of these absurd rules that everyone talks about but no one really follows.

However, when we think in terms of disposable income, discounting essential expenses like rent, food, and clothing, it becomes more realistic. To donate 50% of one's disposable income means to cut expenses on luxury items, gadgets, and unnecessary recreation, which may actually be a good thing.

It's also worth considering that Srila Prabhupada made this point in two lectures, one in 1966 and another in 1972, a time when practically all devotees were living in temples or communities. When one is living in the temple, he is being provided with housing, food, and other basic necessities, which means that by definition, almost all his income will be disposable income. In this situation, it is quite reasonable to expect one to donate half of it back.

However, when devotees are living outside, they need to pay for all their expenditures, including housing and food. If he can donate 50% of his liquid income, after discounting these essential expenditures, that's already quite praiseworthy.

Another system devotees often employ is to donate part of their time. Instead of working 48 hours per week and donating half of the paycheck, they may work for less hours in their jobs and spend the balance in non-remunerated Krsna Conscious activities. I believe this is also an interesting option for both young devotees (who can participate in all kinds of activities) and older devotees, who can use the time to teach and share their experience. I this model, one may gradually advance to the point of donating practically all his time to serving Krsna.

The main point is that we should not be satisfied with just being spiritual parasites, just taking but not giving back. We should always strive to be useful members of society, contributing back as much as we can according to our means, be it in terms of money, time, knowledge, or any other asset we may have.