Bhaja Govindam Verse 2

मूढ जहीहि धनागमतृष्णाम् कुरु सद्बुद्धिं मनसि वितृष्णाम् ।
यल्लभसे निजकर्मोपात्तं वित्तं तेन विनोदय चित्तम् ॥
mūḍha jahīhi dhanāgamatṛṣṇām kuru sadbuddhiṃ manasi vitṛṣṇām |
yallabhase nijakarmopāttaṃ vittaṃ tena vinodaya cittam ||

• The Two Extremes Regarding Wealth: Swamiji explains that people face widespread delusion regarding wealth (artha or vitta). There are two extreme attitudes: overestimating money by believing it is everything and falling in love with it, versus underestimating money by looking down upon it as an evil illusion (māyā). The śāstrāḥ advise maintaining a balanced vision to replace indiscrimination (aviveka) with wisdom (viveka).
• The Three Fundamental Forces: Everything in creation is a manifestation of bhagavan (aiśvaram). Our tradition divides the forces of creation into three complementary factors: knowledge (sarasvatī devī), power or physical health (durgā devī), and wealth (lakṣmī). All three are vital for human life; without wealth, a person cannot accomplish anything, as even a sannyāsīḥ requires funding to establish centers of learning.
• Respecting Wealth: The deities themselves respected these forces. For instance, Lord viṣṇu does not look down upon wealth as a devil or māyā; he keeps lakṣmī devī respectfully on his chest. Swamiji notes we should never look down upon money as evil. Instead, we must respect it—even touching a torn one-rupee note to our eyes out of reverence for lakṣmī devī.
• The Limitations of Money: While money provides physical comfort (like air conditioning or a nice bed), the scriptures clarify what it cannot give. The biggest misconception is thinking there is a cause-and-effect relationship (kārya kāraṇa sambandha) between money and happiness. Happiness is an inner condition, completely separate from external physical comfort.
• The Logic of Co-presence and Co-absence: Swamiji uses the tarkaśāstra logic of anvaya vyatireka (co-presence and co-absence) to test this delusion. If money truly caused happiness, then wherever money exists, happiness must uniformly exist; wherever money is absent, happiness must be uniformly absent. Yet, we see wealthy individuals—even famous actors—miserable and committing suicide, proving this logical connection fails entirely.
• True Happiness Without Wealth: To further illustrate that happiness does not depend on wealth, Swamiji quotes a later verse from Bhaja Govindam (Verse 18):
  सुरमन्दिरतरुमूलनिवासः शय्या भूतलमजिनं वासः । सर्वपरिग्रहभोगत्यागः कस्य सुखं न करोति विरागः ॥ 18
  suramandiratarumūlanivāsaḥ śayyā bhūtalamajinaṃ vāsaḥ |
  sarvaparigrahabhogatyāgaḥ kasya sukhaṃ na karoti virāgaḥ || 18
  This verse describes renunciates (sannyāsīḥ) living under trees without bank balances, who are nonetheless embodiments of joy (ānanda). This effectively knocks off the delusion that money is the source of happiness.
• Failure to Provide Security and Contentment: The second delusion is that money provides security. Ironically, immense wealth often breeds immense insecurity. A wealthy person worries about protecting the money itself or fears for the safety of their children from kidnappers, thus cursing their own richness. Conversely, people with nothing can feel maximum security, relying entirely on bhagavan. Swamiji quotes the Gita to show true security: अनन्याश्चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जनाः पर्युपासते । तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम् ॥ ananyāścintayanto māṃ ye janaḥ paryupāsate | teṣāṃ nityābhiyuktānāṃ yogakṣemaṃ vahāmyaham || Furthermore, money fails to provide contentment. Human greed is endless, as illustrated by a verse describing how a poor person wants a hundred, someone with a hundred wants a thousand, kings want to be emperors, and even the gods desire higher positions:
  निःस्वो ह्येको शतं शती दश शतं लक्षं सहस्राधिपः ।
  लक्षेशः क्षितिपालतां क्षितिपतिः चक्रेशतां वाञ्छति ॥
  चक्रेशः पुनरिन्द्रतां सुरपतिः ब्रह्मास्पदं वाञ्छति ।
  ब्रह्मा विष्णुपदं हरिः हरपदं तृष्णावधिं को गतः ॥
  niḥsvo hyeko śataṃ śatī daśa śataṃ lakṣaṃ sahasrādhipaḥ |
  lakeśaḥ kṣitipālatāṃ kṣitipatiḥ cakreśatāṃ vāñchati ||
  cakreśaḥ punarindratāṃ surapatiḥ brahmāspadaṃ vāñchati |
  brahmā viṣṇupadaṃ hariḥ harapadaṃ tṛṣṇāvadhiṃ ko gataḥ ||
• The True Purpose of Money: If money cannot buy happiness, security, or contentment, what is its actual purpose according to the śāstra?
• The Vedic Ritual for Wealth: Swamiji references Adi Shankaracharya’s commentary on the taittirīya upaniṣad, which features a special ritual for acquiring wealth called śrīkāmasya homaḥ or āvahantī homaḥ:
  आवहन्ती वितन्वाना । कुर्वाणा चीरमात्मनः ॥ वासांसि मम गावश्च । अन्नपाने च सर्वदा ॥ ततो मे श्रियमावह । लोमशां पशुभिः सह स्वाहा ॥
  āvahantī vitanvānā | kurvāṇā cīramātmanaḥ || vāsāṃsi mama gāvaśca | annapāne ca sarvadā || tato me śriyamāvaha | lomaśāṃ paśubhiḥ saha svāhā ||
  Shankaracharya asks, why does the veda provide a ritual for wealth?
• Wealth is for Dharma: The answer is dhanam dharmārtham—the primary purpose of wealth is to perform noble works. Money is the tool to maintain the family infrastructure so that one can engage in righteous duties (dhārmika karmāḥ) known as the pañca mahāyajñāḥ (the five great sacrifices). It is this dharma or spiritual merit (puṇyam) that actually causes immediate peace and ultimate liberating joy (mokṣānandaḥ), regardless of whether one is materially rich or poor.
• Legitimate Earning and Contentment: Consequently, Shankaracharya commands us to give up greed (tṛṣṇā) and instead cultivate a healthy attitude of contentment (vitṛṣṇā). We must learn to be pleased with whatever wealth we acquire legitimately through our own honest efforts (nijakarmopāttaṃ vittaṃ). Swamiji shares a verse categorizing the types of earned wealth:
  उत्तमम् स्वार्जितम् वित्तम् मध्यमम् पितुरर्जितम् । अधमम् भ्रातृवित्तम् च स्त्रीवित्तम् अधमाधमम् ॥
  uttamam svārjitam vittam madhyamam piturarjitam | adhamam bhrātṛvittam ca strīvittam adhamādhamam ||
  Wealth earned by one’s own effort is best (uttamam), living on inherited wealth is secondary (madhyamam), relying on siblings’ wealth is inferior (adhamam), and living on dowry is the lowest (adhamādhamam). By legitimately earning and using wealth for noble acts, we generate the puṇyam that brings true internal happiness.

• The Delusion of Worldly Education: śaṅkarācārya addresses the delusion surrounding worldly education, using the grammar root ḍukṛñkaraṇe to represent all of aparā vidyā (material sciences and secular knowledge). The fundamental mistake people make is treating this worldly education as an ultimate end in itself. In reality, it is merely a means that should eventually lead to spiritual education, which is the only true source of fulfillment in life.
• The Delusion of Wealth: The exact same principle applies to money. Treating wealth as the ultimate goal is a profound delusion because money can never directly produce peace or happiness. Instead, money is simply a tool intended to be used for performing noble karma and righteous activities. These noble actions, in turn, lead to the purification of the mind, and it is this purified mind that ultimately yields lasting peace and happiness.