You say, ‘We should be rich’, you say, ‘We should achieve a lot; we should grow business, we should be entrepreneurs…’ But our saints always say that ‘You should not desire money. You should not go after money. You should only practice spirituality.’

There seems to be a conflict. What should we do?

If you are clear about what to do, you won’t ask this question? You don’t know what to do, that’s why you’re asking this question.

Everybody asked me this question.

I will come to what they are trying to say one minute later. One minute later I will come and explain what they are asking you to do. But before I come to that, I want to ask you this question.

‘How many people in life, we look up to, because they are nice human beings?’

We appreciate a nice human being for nice human being. We only look up to a successful human being.

All of you, if you have to become Chairman, President here…, Rotary, CII, EO, YPO… if you have to become… nice human being is enough, or you have to be successful human being?

Without money, how will you build the next temple? Without money, how will you give donation to all the social organizations? Without money, how will you do a program in High-Tech City?

You can’t do anything in the world without money.

Money is not bad. I know a lot of people have already told you, ‘Money can’t do everything. Can money buy you God? Can money buy you sleep? Can money buy you life? Can money buy you love?’ Lot of people have told this. Agreed. I agree with all of them. But let me also tell you this – ‘Money can’t do everything. But what money can do, money alone can do. Nothing else can do’.

Money cannot buy God. I agree. But for that God, if you have to create a sacred place called Temple, Money is required. Without that it cannot be done.

Money cannot buy love. But if I have to ensure that I create a very secured life for my family, money is required.

If you have to create a world class infrastructure to provide the best education, let’s take – Flame University in Pune. If we have to create an infrastructure like this where children throng to go and study there, money is required. Without it, if you have to create a world class healthcare facility, money is required. Nothing can be done without it.

While God created a few people who can sing, God created a few people who can dance. God created a few people who can teach, God created a few people who can attain moksha, God created a few people who know how to make money and you have to play your Swadharma! You have to create money, for the larger good of the world.

The simple understanding is this. ‘Money in the hands of a bad human being will destroy the world. Money in the hands of a good human being will create a beautiful world’.

In fact, I will go to the extent of saying, ‘Every Jain who lives by Jain Dharma should be rich in my opinion, because the world will benefit!’ So much more good will happen to the world. Because you have been brought up in a culture, let live, let live, let live… In fact, you have heard, let live more than live. You have heard Jeene Dho more than Jio.

Hundred crores in the hands of Osama bin Laden, two more buildings will be destroyed. Hundred crores, in the hands of say, Rakesh Bhai Javeri. One example. OK. I don’t know what example to give… Swami Vivekananda… Any example I can give… probably we’ll have little more schools… one more hospital… one more very good educational system can be created.

All I’m trying to drive is only one point.

Financial surplus in the hands of a good human being will build a better world; Financial surplus in the hands of a bad human being will destroy the existing world.

So if all good people keep saying contentment, contentment. Buz hogaya! Buz, buz, buz. Buz. Enough, enough, enough, enough. All the money will go to the hands of bad people and the bad people will exploit the world. I feel the only way to end all the wrong in the world is, all bad people should become poor, and the only way for all bad people to become poor is, good people have to become rich.

Let all the money reach few of us. Let there not be enough money with all the wrong people. Automatically wrong and bad will come down.

So in fact I insist good people should be ambitious.

Then why in the religion, they are talking about it?

All they’re trying to say is… You can’t be a Jain only inside the puja room. Or during the 10 days of Paryushan. Or when you are sitting in front of a Jain Saint. If you can be a fulltime Jain in your life…
Which means, how much you can earn without compromising on Dharma, earn that much. There’s nothing wrong about it.

When becoming rich becomes wrong is, when you feel, two crores profit keliye, jute chalega. Five crores profit keliye compromise on product quality chalega. Because I want to maximize my profit, exploitation of people, even child labor chalega…

Bluntly put, what the entire spiritual masters are telling is this. ‘Don’t be a part-time Jain, fulltime Rascal. Be a fulltime Jain’. Then everything is OK. That’s all they are saying. That’s all they are saying.

So as long as… if anyone of you, instead of creating 500 crores with compromising our values and principles let us earn 350 crores, honestly by delivering quality products to the world.

You will still attain God, I’m telling you, you’ll still attain God. There’s absolutely no difference.

In fact, the amount of good you can do to the world. Remain a very, very good human being in your heart and see how much good you can do to the world.

One generation, if we can work together, I think, we can give our children a much more beautiful world than what they have right now.