Pay your tax to God

[dattaswami]

Pay your tax to God

 

Infact you should feel that you are paying tax to the Lord for all the cosmic facilities that He has provided to us. The Lord says that first this divine tax must be paid to the Lord and only then can you should enjoy (Yajnashishtaamruta—The Gita) the facilities. He condemns the atheists who enjoy the cosmic facilities and even deny the existence of the Lord. The Lord says that such atheists are actually enjoying sin (Bhunjate tetvagham). It is very important to note that getting all the amenities for one’s self and one’s family members are included under the mission of the Lord [unless one provides for the basic needs of one’s self and one’s family, one cannot be fit to serve in the mission of God]. But there should be some limit for these basic amenities. Luxuries should not be argued to be basic needs or facilities.

 

Therefore you can divide the people into three categories. The first category has earned money beyond all their needs. They should sacrifice the excess wealth for the sake of the mission of the Lord. In the case of the second category of people, who do not have much excess wealth, whatever they waste in the name of entertainment, can be sacrificed to the Lord. By this, they will avoid going to hell and instead will go to the divine abode of the Lord. The third category of people is those who earn and store only for their basic needs. Such people need not pay the divine tax but in their case, another point comes: Are they are capable of doing more work so that they can earn more? If they are capable but are not doing the extra work, such people are instructed by the Lord to do work to the full extent. By doing such extra work, the fruit of that work may be paid as the divine tax or may be stored for their basic needs. But under any circumstances, one should not enter into luxuries. All luxuries, if properly analyzed, lead to loss of health and peace and finally lead to hell.