152 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 14
adhikam yo "bhimanyeta
sa steno dandam arhati
yavat—as much as; bhriyeta—may be filled; jatharam—the stomach;
tavat—that much; svatvam—proprietorship; hi—indeed; dehinam—of
the living entities; adhikam—more than that; yah—anyone who;
abhimanyeta—may accept; sah—he; stenah—a thief; dandam—
punishment; arhati—deserves.
TRANSLATION
One may claim proprietorship to as much wealth as required to
maintain body and soul together, but one who desires proprietor-
ship over more than that must be considered a thief, and he
deserves to be punished by the laws of nature.
PURPORT
By God’s favor we sometimes get large quantities of food grains or
suddenly receive some contribution or unexpected profit in business. In
this way we may get more money than needed. So, how should that be
spent? There is no need to accumulate money in the bank merely to in-
crease one’s bank balance. Such a mentality is described in Bhagavad-
gita (16.13) as asuric, demoniac.
idam adya maya labdham
imam prapsye manoratham
idam astidam api me
bhavisyati punar dhanam
“The demoniac person thinks, ‘So much wealth do I have today, and |
will gain more according to my schemes. So much is mine now, and it
will increase in the future, more and more.’ The asura is concerned
with how much wealth he has in the bank today and how it will increase
tomorrow, but unrestricted accumulation of wealth is not permitted
either by the sdstra or, in the modern age, by the government. Actually,
if one has more than one requires for his necessities, the extra money
should be spent for Krsna. According to the Vedic civilization. it should
