Is saving money a sin?

[Ms. Laxmi Thrylokya asked: When I travel in a cab, I have to pay more. But, alternatively, I can travel in metro train and save at least half the amount? Am I doing a sin by this?]

Swami Replied:- It is not such a sin that you will go to hell to receive punishment because by this, you are harming yourself and not harming others. Unfortunately, you have asked Me this question and I am a big miser! Money shall be not only earned, but must be also saved and not shaved for unnecessary expenditure. Saving is not the characteristic of a miser (This means that everybody who saves money shall not be treated as miser. Miser saves the money and does not spend for proper things also. A wise peson saves the money to spend it for proper actions). You must have not only the talent of earning, but also, you must have the talent of saving. You must always remember that tiny drops always form the mighty ocean (Bindubhiḥ sindhuḥ). We go wrong in this point: we think that after all, we are wasting just one rupee for one small unnecessary work and with this attitude, we waste one rupee. There is also an English saying – A penny saved is a penny earned. The actual wrong thing in this context is that – that one rupee wasted is wasted again and again many a time and all these one rupee coins join to become lakhs and lakhs just like many tiny drops join to become the ocean. Of course, a person born with golden spoon may waste like this, but he shall also think about the ocean that is formed by the union of many drops. In the case of ordinary public, like us, the earning ways are also limited.

I am not saying that one shall save like this without spending anything at all and to become the king of misers. While spending, you must analyse whether the expenditure is justified in both Pravrutti and Nivrutti. If you give money to an undeserving fellow, you are purchasing the ticket for hell since you will share the sin done by him with your help. Hence, you must be very very patient in donating money. Donation is a double-edged sword. If you do it to a deserving receiver, you will gain heaven and if you do it to an undeserving receiver, you will go to hell. Donation to undeserving is not only a waste as many people think because such a donation is also purchasing sin. Hence, the final essence is that you shall save the money wherever possible and finally, you can spend it for good purposes by which God is pleased with you. There is a saying in Telugu ‘if wealth is possessed by a human being, it brings value to him/her. If wealth in the form of food is eaten by animals, it brings value to them’ (mānavulaku unṭe puṣṭi, paśuvulaku tinṭe puṣṭi). If a human being eats a lot by spending more and more, he/she may become very stout and unable to move even. This will not bring any value to the human being from society. If the wealth is accumulated by the human being, society gives a lot of value as we see now. But, if a bull or buffalo eats much and becomes very stout, the value of the animal increases and therefore, over eating brings value to the animal and not to the human being.

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