Friday, 17 April 2015

Subhashita #0026



When Srila Rupa Goswami retired from government service, he saved a part of his retirement pension for his personal emergency. This is a good practice for sādhūs because in times of emergency, one should not have to borrow a loan from someone. A sādhu who doesn't have any creditors is a happy sādhu, and such a sādhu can perform bhajana peacefully.

The last thing a sādhu would want is to see the angry face of a demanding creditor. Therefore, intelligent souls save enough money so that they may not have to borrow a loan ever in life. The following subhāṣita-verse illustrates this point:

loka-dvaya-prati-bhayaika-nidānam etad-
dhik prāṇinām ṛṇam aho pariṇāma-ghoram
ekaḥ sa eva hi pumān param asti loke
kruddhasya yena dhanikasya mukhaṁ na dṛṣṭam

"Alas! Taking a loan is one of the most disturbing acts in the world. It spoils this life [because one is always in anxiety about paying it back] and [if not paid back] it spoils one's next life [because one gets a severe reaction]. A truly fortunate person in this world is one who never has to see the frowny face of an angry creditor."

— (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Ṛṇam, page 98, verse 3)

[PS: If one does not pay back a loan, one has to pay multiple times the same amount in his/her next life. Therefore śāstra suggests that if someone dies while a loan is pending, the son should take responsibility and try to pay it back. This will avoid the sinful reaction for the father.]

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