3.136
thakura kahe,--"gharera dravya brahmane kara dana
ei ghare asi’ tumi karaha visrama
SYNONYMS
thakura kahe—Srila Haridasa Thakura said; gharera—at home; dravya—articles; brahmane—to the brahmanas; kara dana—give as charity; ei ghare—in this room; asi’-returning; tumi—you; karaha visrama—stay.
Haridasa Thakura replied, "Immediately go home and distribute to the brahmanas whatever property you have.
Then come back to this room and stay here forever in Krsna consciousness.
PURPORT
Haridasa Thakura’s instruction that the prostitute should distribute to the brahmanas all the property she had at home is very significant.
Haridasa Thakura never advised the prostitute to give charity to the so-called daridra-narayana (“poor Narayana”) or any other such persons.
According to Vedic civilization, charity should be given only to the qualified brahmanas.
As stated in Bhagavad-gita (18.42):
samo damas tapah saucam
ksantir arjavam eva ca
jnanam vijnanam astikyam
brahma-karma svabhava-jam The brahminical qualifications are truthfulness, control of the senses and mind, tolerance, simplicity, knowledge, practical application of transcendental knowledge in one’s life, and full faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead persons engaged in pursuing spiritual understanding have no time to earn their livelihood.
They depend completely on the mercy of the Lord, who says in Bhagavad-gita (9.22) that He personally carries to them all their necessities (yoga-ksemam vahamy aham).
The Vedic civilization recommends that one give charity to brahmanas and sannyasis, not to the so-called daridra-narayana.
Narayana cannot be daridra, nor can daridra be Narayana, for these are contradictory terms.
Atheistic men invent such concoctions and preach them to fools, but charity should actually be given to brahmanas and sannyasis because whatever money they get they spend for Krsna.
Whatever charity one gives to a brahmana goes to Krsna, who says in Bhagavad-gita (9.27):
yat karosi yad asnasi
yaj juhosi dadasi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kurusva mad-arpanam “O son of Kunti, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me.” Everything actually belongs to Krsna, but so-called civilized men unfortunately think that everything belongs to them.
This is the mistake of materialistic civilization.
The prostitute (vesya) had earned money by questionable means, and therefore Haridasa Thakura advised her to distribute to the brahmanas whatever she possessed.
When Srila Rupa Gosvami retired from family life, he distributed fifty percent of his income to the brahmanas and Vaisnavas.
A brahmana knows what the Absolute Truth is, and a Vaisnava, knowing the Absolute Truth, acts on behalf of the Absolute Truth, the Supreme personality of Godhead.
Generally one earns money by many questionable means.
Therefore at some time one should retire and distribute whatever one has to the brahmanas and Vaisnavas who engage in devotional service by preaching the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.