Really monks do not money for their needs are negligible. Monks can live without money all their lives.

But If monks start serving the poor, then they also need money. Of course, if monks serve the poor by preaching Vedanta, then also they need no money. But Swami Vivekananda says, it is blasphemy to preach vedanta to an empty stomach. So out of sheer necessity monks have to handle money for serving man!

The subject matter of this book is MONEY. It is perhaps very difficult to find a more interesting, fascinating and exasperating subject than this. Money has a charm that is difficult to resist, a lure that is difficult to reject, and a power that is difficult to subdue: it is no wonder that so many people have fallen prey to it.

In this booklet, you will find Swami Purushottamananda's reflections on money. These reflections, however, have no pretence to anything profound. They in fact, come to you in the garb of humour; but hidden in this garb is a message that is worth considering.

Has money no value? Yes, it certainly has a value. It is a very important means to attain most of our goals; but sadly, most people mistake this means for an end. Wisdom consists in knowing that money can never be an end in itself. Writes Swami Purushottamananda:

Money cannot be the
aim of our lives; never.
Money will remain
a means forever.

The swamiji regrets that man first gave value to a piece of paper and later let this piece of paper rule the roost. The observation that Currency is Currency, so long as it is in currency" highlights the need for keeping money in circulation without letting it lie idly.

**Contents and Sample Pages**