The Property of the Impoverished 67

When our material assets are taken away, we become very morose. But
that is the test. That was stated by Krsna Himself to Yudhisthira
Maharaja. Yudhisthira Maharaja inquired from Krsna, ‘‘We are com-
pletely dependent on You, but still we are suffering materially so much.
Our kingdom has been taken away, our wife has been insulted, and our
enemies attempted to burn us in our house. How can this be so?’” Krsna
replied, yasyaham anugrhnami harisye tad-dhanam sanaih: ‘‘Yes, that is
My first business. If I especially favor someone, then I take away all his
sources of income and place him into great difficulty.”’ In this way, Krsna
is very dangerous.

I have actual experience in this connection. I do not wish to narrate
this whole story, but it is a fact that I received Krsna’s special favor in this
way. When I was twenty-five years old, my Guru Maharaja, my spiritual
master, ordered me to go preach. But I thought, ‘‘First of all I shall be-
come arich man, and then I shall use my money to finance the preaching
work.” I had good opportunities to become a very rich businessman. An
astrologer even told me that I should have become as rich as the
wealthiest man in India. There were very good chances. I was the
manager of a big chemical factory. I started my own factory, and the busi-
ness was very successful. But eventually everything collapsed, and in this
way I was forced into the position of carrying out the orders of my Guru
Maharaja. When all my material assets were taken away, then I ap-
proached Krsna, saying, ‘‘You are the only shelter.’’ Therefore Krsna is
akificana-vitta, the property of the materially impoverished. When one is
bereft of all material opulences, then one turns to Krsna. And now I am
realizing that I have not lost but gained.

So to lose material opulences for Krsna’s sake is not a loss. Rather, it is
the greatest gain. When one becomes akificana, having nothing to
possess, Krsna becomes one’s only riches. Expressing this understand-
ing, Narottama dasa Thakura says:

ha ha prabhu nanda-suta vrsabhanu-suta-yuta
karuna karaha ei-bara
narottama dasa kahe na theliya ranga-paya
tumi vind ke ache amara

‘*Krsna, but for You I have nothing to claim. I have no possessions. You
are my only possession, so please don’t neglect me.”’

This position is very nice. When one does not depend on anything ma-
terial but simply depends on Krsna, one has attained the first-class
