Question on greediness in materialistic life.

Shri Anil aked: "Your greediness in practical devotion to God is only the reflection of your greediness in your materialistic life". Please elaborate on this.

Swami replied: Lack of charity towards deserving receivers in the worldly life (Pravrutti) induces greediness in to the mind. The same human being appears in Nivrutti and hence this greediness doesn’t leave the mind there also. When one is not donating even little food to a hungry beggar in Pravutti, how can you expect him to give food even to human incarnation in Nivrutti? The clever greedy person fears for God and hence eradicates the very concept of human incarnation and offers food to the statue representing God since it doesn’t eat the food. If God appears in the place of statue to eat the food offered on every day, the practice of offering food to God will be also be rejected by such greedy person. He offers food to God every day since the statue always remains without turning into God. God also knows this fact and hence is not appearing in the place of statue to save His value and dignity! Sacrifice of matter is the most important aspect of the spiritual effort, which is always attacked by the virus of greediness. Even in worldly life, there is a saying that true love exists only when charity of wealth exists.

Hence, the Veda and the Gita gave the highest importance to this sacrifice, which alone is the acid test of true love. All the other worldly bonds also depend on this sacrifice of fruit of work and hence this is told as the root of entire world (Dhanamulamidam jagat). Stopping with theoretical knowledge and theoretical devotion has no use since practical sacrifice of the fruit (mango plant) associated with knowledge (water) and devotion (fertilizer) can alone prove the true love that alone yields the true fruit (mango fruit appearing on mango plant) also. The true love exists only on the issues since every one sacrifices the fruit of work to issues only. You can judge your devotion to God taking the love towards your issues as the standard scale. Hence, analysis of greediness is very important in the spiritual effort.