Poverty Stricken King Receives the Wealth of Mercy

2012-06-28
Srimad Bhagavatam 10.10.17 - Poverty Stricken King Receives the Wealth of Mercy (download mp3) , (download flv) and (download mp4)
by Shadbhuja Prabhu at ISKCON Chowpatty
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 SB 10.10.17

daridrasyaiva yujyante

sadhavah sama-darsinah

sadbhih ksinoti tam tarsam

tata arad visuddhyati

Translation:

Saintly persons may freely associate with those who are poverty-stricken, but not with those who are rich. A poverty-stricken man, by association with saintly persons, very soon becomes uninterested in material desires, and the dirty things within the core of his heart are cleansed away.

Purport:

It is said, mahad-vicalanam nrnam grhinam dina-cetasam (Bhag. 10.8.4). The only business of a saintly person or sannyasi, a person in the renounced order, is to preach Krsna consciousness. Sadhus, saintly persons, want to preach to both the poor and the rich, but the poor take more advantage of the sadhus’ preaching than the rich do. A poor man receives sadhus very quickly, offers them obeisances, and tries to take advantage of their presence, whereas a rich man keeps a big greyhound dog at his door so that no one can enter his house. He posts a sign saying “Beware of Dog” and avoids the association of saintly persons, whereas a poor man keeps his door open for them and thus benefits by their association more than a rich man does. Because Narada Muni, in his previous life, was the poverty-stricken son of a maidservant, he got the association of saintly persons and later became the exalted Narada Muni. This was his actual experience. Therefore, he is now comparing the position of a poor man with that of a rich man.

satam prasangan mama virya-samvido

bhavanti hrt-karna-rasayanah kathah

taj-josanad asv apavarga-vartmani

sraddha ratir bhaktir anukramisyati

(Bhag. 3.25.25)

If one gets the advantage of association with saintly persons, by their instructions one becomes more and more purified of material desires.

krsna-bahirmukha haiya bhoga-vañcha kare

nikata-stha maya tare japatiya dhare

(Prema-vivarta)

Material life means that one forgets Krsna and that one increases in one’s desires for sense gratification. But if one receives the advantage of instructions from saintly persons and forgets the importance of material desires, one is automatically purified. Ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam (Siksastaka 1). Unless the core of a materialistic person’s heart is purified, he cannot get rid of the pangs of bhava-maha-davagni, the blazing fire of material existence.