Subhashita #0020

Misers are everywhere and in every field of life. Some are misers in giving money to the needy, while some others are misers in giving the gift of knowledge.

There is also a special category of devotee misers who although have received the wonderful treasure of Krishna-bhakti, do not distribute it to others. Seeing all these varieties of misers, a Sanskrit poet composed the following subhāṣita-verse:

kṛpaṇaḥ sva-vadhū-saṅgaṁ
na karoti bhayād iha
bhavitā yadi me putraḥ
sa me vittaṁ hared iti

"If a son is born to me, he will grow up to squander away all my wealth" — Thinking in this way, the miser refuses to sleep with his wife.

— (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Kṛpaṇa-nindā, page 71, verse 16)

(Originally posted on Facebook on 9th April 2015).