Who Is the Wealthiest Man?

Five hundred years ago, in Bengal, there lived a sanyasi named Gadhara Pandit. When he first met Pundarik Vidyanidhi, a wealthy householder, he took him to be a materialistic person. But then, one day, when someone recited Krishna's pastimes, Pundarik went into ecstacy and displayed symptoms of love for God. Gadadhar was taken aback; he thought this man is living responsibly within this world, and appears rich and materialistic, yet he is completely detached.

Seeing his deep attachment to Krishna, Gadadhar accepted Pundarik to be a real saint and also his own guru.

Therefore, it is not a question of whether you have wealth; it is a question of whether you are attached to Krishna. This is real wealth. In the path of Bhakti, the standard of success is detachment from sense gratification and attachment to God. One who takes pleasures in the chanting of the holy name is the wealthiest man on earth.

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