Poor means

Expressions researched:
"poor means"

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Poor means one who is poor in knowledge. Material poverty, that is no consideration. That is coming and going.

Lecture on SB 1.2.7 -- Hyderabad, April 21, 1974:

Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati..., sadā tuccha-vat. Tuccha-vat means very... We are seeking after aristocratic society's association, to become big man, but these Gosvāmīs, although they were ministers, they decided, tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati..., sadā tuccha-vat. Then what did they become? Bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau: "For the benefit of whole human society, they took the mendicant's dress." Just like in our political movement, Mahatma Gandhi also took the mendicant's dress, loincloth, these Gosvāmīs also... That is Indian culture.

So in a renounced... This vairāgya, vairāgya. Political vairāgya is different. The political vairāgya is that "I don't want things, anything, anything for me, but for my son, for my grandson, for my countrymen, for my this, that." Not like that. This vairāgya means vāsudeve: "I don't want anything personally for me, but I want everything for Vāsudeva." This is the difference between political mendicant and the spiritual mendicant. So these Gosvāmīs were spiritual mendicants, vairāgya. That vairāgya... Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tuccha-vat bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā. Dīna. Dīna means this poor mass of people. They are very poor. Because they have no knowledge what is the aim of life, therefore poor in knowledge. Poor means one who is poor in knowledge. Material poverty, that is no consideration. That is coming and going. Tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata. That has been advised, that if you are little... Nobody is actually happy, even if you have got enough money. But still, there is unhappiness. But that they cannot understand. But actually, poverty is want of knowledge. Therefore the acquiring knowledge, that is real richness. That is real richness. That is called brāhmaṇa. Brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. Therefore brāhmaṇa is respected by even the king. That was the system in India. Because they were rich in knowledge.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Poor means who has no knowledge. He is rascal. He is poor. Poor means poor in knowledge. Otherwise nobody is poor. Everyone is getting his food according to his karma.

Second Meeting with Mr. Dwivedi -- April 24, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: There are... Poor people, so far concerned, that... Are we not taking care of the poor people? That is automatically taken. Who is poor? A man who is poor in knowledge, he is poor.

Mr. Dwivedi: Yes, correct. Yes.

Prabhupāda: Otherwise nobody's poor.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Americans are very rich from...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: ...material point of view.

Prabhupāda: Poor means poor in knowledge. Otherwise even a small ants, it is not poor. It is eating. You are not giving food. In this room you'll find some hole. Hundreds and thousands of ants will come out. Are you giving him food? And you go to the jungle. Thousands of elephants are there. Are you giving them food? Why you are concerned about the poor? Who is poor? Poor means who has no knowledge. He is rascal. He is poor. Poor means poor in knowledge. Otherwise nobody is poor. Everyone is getting his food according to his karma. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur deha upapattaye (SB 3.31.1). These are wrong theories. Wrong means because they are rascals, they are putting something rascal, idea. Mūḍhaḥ nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam, avyayam. Nityo nityānāṁ ceta... This is Vedic version. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). (Hindi) We want to stop all this nonsense. That is our mission. Our Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission is that "You become guru," as I was telling, "and teach, deliver persons where you are." If you say, "How can I become guru?" there is no difficulty. Simply repeat the words of Bhagavad-gītā. That's all. You become guru. So our mission is to create real guru, not these jugglers. And real guru is he who speaks on behalf of Kṛṣṇa. And that is wan... It is very simple. Do you accept or not? Boliye.