There are two kinds of opulence. One, which results from one’s karma, is material, whereas the other is spiritual. A surrendered soul who fully depends upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not want material opulence for sense gratification. Therefore when a pure devotee is seen to possess exalted material opulence, it is not due to his karma. Rather, it is due to his bhakti. In other words, he is in that position because the Supreme Lord wants him to execute service to Him very easily and opulently. The special mercy of the Lord for the neophyte devotee is that he becomes materially poor. This is the Lord’s mercy because if a neophyte devotee becomes materially opulent, he forgets the service of the Lord. However, if an advanced devotee is favored by the Lord with opulence, it is not material opulence but a spiritual opportunity. Material opulence offered to the demigods causes forgetfulness of the Lord, but opulence was given to Bali Mahārāja for continuing service to the Lord, which was free from any touch of māyā.
Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 5.24.22 Purport
The ISKCON guru, nearly 70, says his energy never came back after an illness this…
The poster the GBC shared on 5 November names the clothes it prefers for whoever…
Image: Akincana Gocara (AI-generated), from a photo of Srila Prabhupada published by Nandgram Dham GLOBAL…
An updated briefing note from the Mumbai side of the ISKCON Bengaluru dispute sets out…
A Facebook reel asks whether a clip of Bhakti Vikasa Swami and Basu Ghosh Das…
Image: Akincana Gocara (AI-generated) ONLINE — Mukunda Hari, a Sanskrit teacher, is opening an online…