If I am born in a middle-class family, should I not aspire to be rich?

[An online spiritual discussion was conducted on December 12, 2020, in which several devotees participated. Some of the questions of devotees answered by Swāmi are given below.]

[Śrī Ganesh asked: Swāmiji, recently I had a discussion with Dr. Nikhil. During the discussion, he said that if we are born in a middle-class family, it is better to take up a good and stable job to meet our basic needs. It is better not to aspire to be rich. Instead, one can focus on spiritual knowledge. The reason given by him is that in order for a middle-class person to get rich, he would have to put in too much effort and take big risks, such as by starting one’s own business. In that case, it would be impossible to focus on spiritual growth. But my thought is that King Janaka was able to succeed in spiritual life, in spite of being rich. But Dr. Nikhil seems to be saying that it is better for a poor or middle-class person to not aspire to become rich. Could You kindly clarify?]

Swāmi replied: King Janaka was born to a king. He became the king by the force of tradition. It was inevitable for him to become the king. We cannot compare ourselves with King Janaka because the difference between us and him got solidified the moment we were born. This does not mean that we should not become rich. It only means that we should not try to become rich through risky ways such as by starting your own business etc. Today, due to the wide-spread aspiration for earning a lot of money, everybody wants to do business and thus, there is a lot of competition. It means that there is an abundant chance of incurring a loss. Even if you start a totally new line of business, in no time, people copy it and become your competitors, which damages your earnings. Anyway, if we are willing to earn the grace of God by entering into the service of God, such risks must be avoided. This allows us to do our work peacefully, without any risk and tension. A job is the best for maintaining such mental peace. This is what is meant by Dr. Nikhil.

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