namahatta.org - Congregational Development Ministry

We have seen that material nature is everywhere, even in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

“Home, country, family, society, wealth and all sorts of corollaries are all causes of bondage in the material world, where the threefold miseries of life are concomitant factors.”

SB 1.10.11-12

“Passion and ignorance increase the material propensities of hankering for material enjoyment, and a strong sense of lust provokes the accumulation of wealth and power.”

SB 1.13.54

“In this verse the word mahodayodayat indicates that by the blessings of a great soul one becomes materially opulent, but when one gives up attachment to material wealth, that should be considered an even greater blessing from the great souls.”

SB 4.13.47

I have noted frequently in the past that while renunciation is considered an opulence (along with wealth, knowledge, strength, beauty and fame), it is often most glorified when wealth is not an option. This definitely happened in early New Vrindaban, and probably most of ISKCON, where Kirtanananda was so austere and amongst the brahmacaries being austere was a badge of honor.

Of course, there wasn’t much money around so renunciation was pretty much a necessity, and once the blood, sweat and tears of the Palace building period in the 1970s was over and the paradigm shifted to availability of wealth, most capitulated easily to its allure.

There was one brahmacari who used to routinely denigrate the householders for our material attachments when we lived in a small single cramped room along with our children. That room was one of 16 with other householders that shared a single set of unisex bathrooms and no kitchen. The rooms were in corridors on the second floor of the barn at Bahulaban. We shared the building with cows. The rooms are still there, go check them out.

Now that (former) brahmacari lives in a single family dwelling that exceeds in size the totality of all the householders’ rooms he used to disrespect.

Renunciation by necessity is not true renunciation. The real test is when wealth becomes available — can one stay aloof and not become attached to the power that comes from access to resources, to put Krishna’s interest and the interest of  whole community of devotees ahead of one’s own personal ambition and desire for adoration and distinction.

Can one  look at the long term broad picture or simply be caught up in how immediate expediencies effect one’s personal career and make short term decisions simply to avoid hassles.

I hope we can learn from the mistakes of the past and not let wealth destroy what vestige of community remains.