What is the karma required to become a very rich person?
A male devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Hare Krishna. Sir according to Bhagvat Gita what kind of karma should I do so that we can be highly successful and rich both in mind and heart in our next life? I mean there are very big business tycoons like Elon Musk, Sundar Pichai. So according to Bhagvat Gita what was their past live karmas, so for that reason they got immense success and fame in this life?”
REPLY:
A simple karma concept can explain the karma required to become a very rich person.
What we give, comes back to us either in the same birth or in the next birth.
Some actions can be given the reactions in the same birth;
Some other actions can be given the reactions only in the next birth or further births.
To become rich like Elon Musk, you should have helped liberally to others in your previous birth.
(Is firing our employees adds to Karma even in unavoidable cases? READ HERE!)
Had you spent your hard earned earnings for the welfare of others, you would have got the blessings of those who received your support in the previous birth.
The continuous addition of those blessings into your karma account would have reduced your negative karma.
So, you can get more earnings for normal efforts.
Those who had been a miser without helping others in their previous births, will be given less wealth status in spite of hard work.
In a company, two persons may do similar work. One will get promoted faster than the other person.
Reason?
The person who had been liberal in helping others in his previous birth will grow faster than the person who had been a miser in the previous births.
There are persons who help others even by borrowing from others.
The present day billionairs might have been like them in their previous births.
Sacrifice gives rewards later.
(Is firing our employees adds to Karma even in unavoidable cases? READ HERE!)
Even in the devotional life, if we sacrifice our attachment to the comforts, food, ego, etc for the Lord, it is rewarded with the mercy by the Lord.
The fasts for ekadasi, festivals, etc are meant for sacrificing.
When we sacrifice our food for a day, it is called Tapas, ie, Penance.
Penance is nothing but Sacrificing our enjoyments and also focusing on God.
If we sacrifice our needs and belongings for the Lord, it will liberate us from the material bondage and give an eternal life with the Lord.
But, if we sacrifice our earnings for the welfare of other people in need, it makes us rich in our next birth and it will also give more attachments and addition of new karma.
So, if you live for others, you become rich.
If you live for the Lord, you get the Lord Himself who is the richest of all and source of all.
Hope you are clear now about the karma required to become a very rich person.
(Why Krishna wants us to desert everything, but He wears rich ornaments? READ HERE!)