Is wealth favorable for practicing bhakti? Is poverty an impediment?
Often we see devotees in financial difficulties having trouble maintaining their sadhana. We may conclude that economic development would be the solution, but the question is a little more complicated
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Sometimes we see that devotees who struggle with material difficulties have trouble in maintaining regular sādhana, attending programs, or maintaining focus in their spiritual practice. Since the material struggle appears to be the cause of the problem, we may conclude that economic development would be the solution, but the question is, in reality, a little more complicated than that.
On the one hand, no amount of material struggles can prevent one from practicing devotional service and developing up to the stage of pure devotion. In fact, many pure devotees voluntarily remain in a position of poverty, considering it more favorable to their devotional practice. One extreme example is Kolaveca Sridhara, who was a poor banana leaf seller in Navadvīpa. Sridhara was materially destitute, but his example in maintaining very high devotional standards despite a material situation that most would define as desperate attracted Lord Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who was personally visiting him daily, attracted by his devotion and his sincerity in chanting the holy names.
On the other hand, we need material facilities to perform different types of services, especially in order to spread Krsna Consciousness. Devotees in kaupinas, walking on foot, may not be able to do much compared with a better-equipped group. Prabhupada would probably not be able to spread Krsna Consciousness in the same way he did if he had no money to print his books, establish temples, and travel by plane.
Even if one is not going to travel, open temples and print books as Prabhupada did, still, basic facilities are necessary for practically any type of service. Cooking for Krsna requires a properly stocked kitchen, preaching over the internet requires a computer, a table, internet connection, etc., book distribution requires a car, proper clothes, carts and bags, as well as proper logistics, and so on. When these facilities are not available, even the most sincere devotees are hampered in their services.
Another point is that while pure devotees can be peaceful in sitting under a tree and just chanting 24 hours, most devotees have material responsibilities, such as maintaining families, and the lack of minimal material resources can hamper their spiritual practice by forcing them to spend more of their time trying to fulfill these responsibilities instead of investing the same time in their practice. If one has a child, buying milk and medicines must have priority even over chanting and worshiping. If one has difficulty in affording such basic necessities, one will not be able to dedicate the same attention to his or her spiritual practice.
It also depends on our spiritual level. When one is very advanced, no amount of material difficulties will shake his or her determination. However, as long as we are not at this level, excessive material struggles will distract us, as we can see in our practical situation. While Kuntī famously prayed for difficulties to come again and again so she could always remember Krsna, we shouldn’t necessarily presume we are on the same level as her. In our case, tragedies, accidents, and other unexpected difficulties can often make us forget about Krsna instead of the opposite. In a neophyte or even intermediate stage, we usually do better when we have a stable situation.
In this way, while in the absolute sense poverty is not an obstacle to bhakti, this is applicable in the case of advanced devotees. In general, excessive material difficulties are a problem. Devotees should have proper means of subsistence, where they can perform some type of honest work and, through this endeavor, obtain what is needed. One may get more, and others less, according to karma and other factors, but everyone should be able to obtain basic necessities. That’s one of the reasons Prabhupada encouraged devotees to establish communities based on agriculture and cow protection, where devotees could make a living while simultaneously living in an environment conducive to their devotional service.
In this connection, it is important to observe devotees around us and try to help when we see that someone is in difficulties. It is not possible to live in this world without facing difficulties (we can see that even pure devotees face difficulties). Krsna can always help, but He prefers to act through His devotees. In this way, by helping other devotees around us, we can become instruments of Krsna’s mercy. Compassion and support for struggling devotees are part of devotional service.
There is another side, however. Often, we have material ambition and unreasonable material desires. Nowadays, we are bombarded with images that fill up our unconscious minds with material desires. Because of this, even if we are perfectly well covered in terms of basic material facilities, with a place to live, good food, etc., we will still feel dissatisfied, hankering for expensive trips, hotels, beauty treatments, etc. In this case, more money will not solve the problem, because this type of material desire just increases with more resources. On the contrary, more money in this case will probably just make us more distracted in our service.
Basic material necessities are not difficult to obtain. If nothing else works, there are plenty of devotee communities that are eager to accept sincere devotees who can serve in exchange for lodging, prasāda, and sometimes even a small salary. However, when we get lost in the desires of the mind, we will not feel satisfied no matter how much we get.
We can see that in the Gītā, Krsna says:
prāpya puṇya-kṛtāṁ lokān, uṣitvā śāśvatīḥ samāḥ
śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe, yoga-bhraṣṭo ’bhijāyate“The unsuccessful yogī, after many, many years of enjoyment on the planets of the pious living entities, is born into a family of righteous people, or into a family of rich aristocracy.”
Here, two types of favorable births for the practice of devotional service are described. The first is a birth in a pious family, where we can receive good moral and spiritual education and live a pure life in our early years, which will make it easier for us to follow the path of devotional service later. The second is to take birth in a well-to-do family, where we will have our basic maintenance assured, and will thus be able to focus on our devotional service.
Birth in a well-to-do family is considered more favorable than birth in a poor family, because a comfortable life while children make it easier for us to become renounced later in life, especially when paired with a good education.
There is, however, something better that is reserved for devotees who attain an elevated stage of devotional practice in this life, and are meant to go back to godhead in their next birth:
atha vā yoginām eva, kule bhavati dhīmatām
etad dhi durlabha-taraṁ, loke janma yad īdṛśam“Or [if unsuccessful after long practice of yoga] he takes his birth in a family of transcendentalists who are surely great in wisdom. Certainly, such a birth is rare in this world.”
The most valuable and rare type of birth is birth in a family of pure devotees, where we can be trained on the path of pure devotion since birth. In this case, the material situation is irrelevant because this type of environment helps us to surpass all types of material ambitions and understand that developing our devotional service is the true goal. This type of birth is, however, very rare and reserved for advanced devotees, since others would just spoil the opportunity.
In short, at a high level, devotional service is ahaituky apratihatā (unmotivated and uninterrupted). An advanced devotee will continue to faithfully serve the Lord, even in the most desperate material conditions. However, as long as we are on a lower level, having basic material necessities makes it easier for us. We need, however, to be attentive to uncontrolled material ambitions, because they can never be fully satisfied. If unchecked, they will enslave us and make us lose our human lives.
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Hari bol......