Spiritual Seeker’s Personal Relationship to Money

Having established the principle, Sri Aurobindo next takes up the attitude the individual seeker should take in relation to the money power.

“In your personal use of money look on all you have or get or bring as the Mother’s. Make no demand but accept what you receive from her and use it for the purposes for which it is given to you. Be entirely selfless, entirely scrupulous, exact, careful in detail, a good trustee; always consider that it is her possessions and not your own that you are handling. On the other hand, what you receive for her, lay religiously before her; turn nothing to your own or anybody else’s purpose.”

The seeker aligns himself with the manifestation undertaken by the Divine Shakti. All force that comes to the seeker, whether it be the money force or any other power, needs to be put to work to carry out that manifestation. The individual acts as the nexus of action, and thus, modulates the application of the force. The Divine Force (including the Money Force) originates outside of the individual and is not “owned” or “possessed” by the individual. In order to overcome the deformations caused by the ego-consciousness, one can act as a “trustee” for the resource. This implies power of action, but not attachment to the results of that action. In that sense, it accords with the famous dictum of the Bhagavad Gita that the individual has a right to action, but not to the fruits of the action.

Inasmuch as money is one of the major forces that tend to distract the spiritual seeker or attract the lower forces of desire at the very least, it is important to achieve the proper relationship and focus on the money power. Non-attachment implies the ability to handle and use money without greed or desire, while also accepting the lack of money with equanimity and a quiet goodwill.

Sri Aurobindo,