CC Madhya 25.101
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 101
ātmāvāsyam idaṁ viśvaṁ
yat kiñcij jagatyāṁ jagat
tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā
mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam
SYNONYMS
ātma-āvāsyam—the expansion of the energy of the Supreme Soul, the Personality of Godhead; idam—this; viśvam—universe; yat—whatever; kiñcit—something; jagatyām—within the universe; jagat—all that is animate or inanimate; tena—by Him; tyaktena—by things allotted to every person; bhuñjīthāḥ—you should accept for your maintenance; mā—never; gṛdhaḥ—encroach; kasya svit—someone else’s; dhanam—property.
TRANSLATION
“‘Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things for himself that are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong.’
PURPORT
This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (SB 8.1.10). Communists and socialists are trying to propagate the philosophy that everything belongs to the mass of people or to the state. Such an idea is not perfect. When this idea is expanded, we can see that everything belongs to God. That will be the perfection of the communistic idea. The purpose of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is here very nicely explained. Every one of us must be satisfied with those things the Supreme Personality of Godhead has allotted us. We should not encroach upon the possessions of others. This simple idea can be expanded in our daily lives. Everyone should have a piece of land given by the government, and everyone should possess a few cows. Both of these should be utilized for one’s daily bread. Above that, if something is manufactured in a factory, it should be considered the property of the Supreme Personality of Godhead because the ingredients belong to the Supreme Lord. Actually, there is no need to manufacture such things artificially, but if it is done, one should consider that the goods produced belong to the Supreme Lord. Spiritual communism recognizes the supreme proprietorship of the Supreme Lord. As Lord Kṛṣṇa explains in the Bhagavad-gītā (BG 5.29):
- bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram
- suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati
“A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.”
It is further explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that no one should claim anything as his property. Whatever property one claims to be his actually belongs to Kṛṣṇa. One should be satisfied with whatever has been allotted by the Supreme Lord and should not encroach upon the property of others. This will lead to peace in the whole world.