40 Teachings of Lord Chaitanya

of this process is that three times a day one has to worship and offer respects
to one’s forefathers, offer oblation to the fire, and respectfully offer foodstuffs
to a learned Brahmin. Five items; the time, the worship, the offering of
respect, the offering of oblation into the fire, and the offering of foodstuffs
to a Brahmin; comprise Purascharya. In the Hari Bhakti Vilas, the directional
authoritative book, these rituals are mentioned.

After performance of these religious rituals, the younger brother Shakar
Mallik (Rupa Goswami), returned to his home with an immense amount
of money which he had acquired during his government service. The silver
and gold coins he brought back filled a large boat. After arriving home he
divided the accumulated wealth first into two, and distributed one part to
the Brahmins and Vaishnavas. Thus, for the satisfaction of the Supreme Per-
sonality of Godhead, he distributed fifty per cent of his accumulated wealth
to persons engaged in the Supreme Lord’s transcendental loving service.
The Brahmins are meant to understand the Absolute Truth; and thereafter,
when one is actually engaged in the loving service of the Lord, he is called
a Vaishnava. Both the Brahmins and the Vaishnavas are supposed to be fully
engaged in transcendental service, and Rupa Goswami, considering their
important transcendental position, gave them fifty per cent of his wealth.
The balance was again divided into two: one part he distributed to his relatives
or dependent family members, and the other he kept against personal
emergency.

This distribution of personal wealth is very instructive for all who desire
to be elevated to the advancement of spiritual knowledge. Generally, a person
bequeaths all his accumulated wealth to the family members, and then retires
from family activities for progress in spiritual knowledge. But here we find
the exemplary behavior of Rupa Goswami: he gave fifty per cent of his
wealth for spiritual purposes. This should be the example for every one of us.
The twenty-five per cent of his accumulated wealth which he kept against
personal emergency he deposited with a good business firm, since in those
days there were no banks. Another ten thousand coins were deposited for
expenditures by his elder brother, Sanatan Goswami.

Rupa Goswami at this time received information that Lord Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu was preparing to proceed toward Vrindaban from Jagannath
Puri. He sent two messengers to receive actual information of the Lord’s
itinerary, and he made his own plans to go to Mathura to meet the Lord there.
It appears that Rupa Goswami got permission to join Lord Chaitanya, but
Sanatan Goswami did not. Therefore, Sanatan Goswami entrusted his respon-
