Text 37
dharmāya yaśase ’rthāya
kāmāya sva-janāya ca
pañcadhā vibhajan vittam
ihāmutra ca modate
dharmāya — for religion; yaśase — for one’s reputation; arthāya — for increasing one’s opulence; kāmāya — for increasing sense gratification; sva-janāya ca — and for maintaining one’s family members; pañcadhā — for these five different objectives; vibhajan — dividing; vittam — his accumulated wealth; iha — in this world; amutra — the next world; ca — and; modate — he enjoys.
Therefore one who is in full knowledge should divide his accumulated wealth in five parts — for religion, for reputation, for opulence, for sense gratification and for the maintenance of his family members. Such a person is happy in this world and in the next.
The śāstras enjoin that if one has money one should divide all that he has accumulated into five divisions — one part for religion, one part for reputation, one part for opulence, one part for sense gratification and one part to maintain the members of his family. At the present, however, because people are bereft of all knowledge, they spend all their money for the satisfaction of their family. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī taught us by his own example by using fifty percent of his accumulated wealth for Kṛṣṇa, twenty-five percent for his own self, and twenty-five percent for the members of his family. One’s main purpose should be to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This will include dharma, artha and kāma. However, because one’s family members expect some profit, one should also satisfy them by giving them a portion of one’s accumulated wealth. This is a śāstric injunction.