18 Nov 2021
[A question by Ms. Lakshmi Trailokya]
Swami Replied:- If you have earned money in sinful ways, it is better to sacrifice it to God’s work so that your future generations will not be destroyed by such sinful money. After knowing this fact, you shall strictly avoid earning of sinful money. In any case, you must be always careful in not enjoying the sinful money or in not giving sinful money to your future generations. Gopikas sacrificed a part of butter to Krishna and their practical participation in preparing butter exists partially. The contribution of their husbands also exists in this butter-wealth because they lead the cows to fields for eating the grass. Anyhow, by selling butter in Mathura city, they used to get groceries and hence total sacrifice of the entire butter was out of question. A little part of the butter was stored by Gopikas for their children and Krishna used to steal that stored butter only, which is a joint test for bond with money (Dhaneṣaṇā) and for bond with children (Putreṣaṇā). In this way, the part of the butter stored by Gopikas was their self-earned fruit of work (Karmaphalatyāga). They did not steal the part of butter earned by their life partners through cheating, which would have been injustice and even God will not be happy with such sinful sacrifice. Sacrifice of justified self-earned wealth will only please the God.
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