Worldly Prosperity Comes as a By-Production!

Questioner: Are the desire and efforts to acquire worldly prosperity actually detrimental to spiritual progress and if they are, then in what way? If they are not, then in what way?

Dadashri: If you want to acquire worldly prosperity, then you have to go in one direction, and if you want to acquire spiritual prosperity, then you should to go in this other direction. So instead of going in this direction, if you are going in the other direction, then is it actually detrimental or not?

Questioner: Yes, that is considered detrimental!

Dadashri: Meaning, it is completely detrimental. If spirituality is in this direction, then worldly [prosperity] is in the opposite direction.

Questioner: But how can one do without worldly prosperity? Dadashri: Has anyone ever truly attained prosperity in this world? Everyone is chasing after worldly prosperity. Has anyone ever really achieved it?

Questioner: Some, only a rare person has it, everyone does not have it. Dadashri: It is not something that a person has any control ( satta) over. Where there is no control, what is the point in unnecessarily making a lot of noise about it? It is meaningless!

Questioner: As long as a person has any desire for it, how can he go towards spirituality?

Dadashri: Yes, it is fine that there is a desire. The desire may be there, but the control is not in your hands. Questioner: How can that desire come to an end?

Dadashri: All the circumstances to bring the desire to an end will also come. You should not fret too much over it. Just keep pursuing spirituality. This worldly prosperity is simply a byproduct. As you begin the ‘production’ of spirituality; as you go in this direction and begin spiritual ‘production’, then worldly prosperity will come to you as a by-product, free of cost.

Questioner: What do you mean to say if one wants to pursue spirituality? How are we supposed to do that?

Dadashri: No, but first, do you understand that when the ‘production’ is spiritual, then worldly prosperity will be the by-product; has that come into your understanding?

Questioner: I believe what you are saying, but I do not understand it.

Dadashri: So even if you believe it, then too, all this is a by-product. By-product means that it is free of cost. All the temporary pleasures of this world have been acquired free of cost. In trying to obtain spiritual happiness, this has been gained along the way as a by-production.

Questioner: I have seen many people who are not spiritually inclined, but they are very prosperous in the world and they are happy in that.

Dadashri: Yes, they do not appear to be spiritually inclined, but they have practiced spirituality [in their past life] and this is the result of that.

Questioner: Does that mean that the spiritual endeavors of this life will pay off in material pleasures in the next life?

Dadashri: Yes, you will reap its benefits in the next life. The results may be evident in this life though that person may not be spiritually inclined in this life.

(From Param Pujya Dadashri’s Gnanvani)