Those who are in sense, gṛhasthas, they must give in charity, at least fifty percent of their income. That was shown by Rūpa Gosvāmī. He, fifty percent. Dānam means not to the daridra-nārāyaṇa. Dānam means to the brāhmaṇa, Vaiṣṇava. In our śāstra, charity is recommended to be given to the high-class men, brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas. They know how to spend money. Therefore dātavyam iti yad dānaṁ tad dānaṁ sāttvikam ucyate (BG 17.20). Just like this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, they are appreciating. So all the charity should come here. Then it is properly utilized. Because we do not use a single paisa for anything of sense gratification. We do not even smoke, we do not take tea, we lie down on the floor. Not a single paisa is spent for our sense gratification. Everything is utilized for Kṛṣṇa. Therefore all charity should come here. Properly spent. But if we misspend, that is our fault. Single paisa we spend for our sense gratification, that is fault of us. And people should give at least fifty percent of their income to this movement. Twenty-five percent to the family, and twenty-five percent let him keep for himself in case of emergency. This is the example shown by Rūpa Gosvāmī. So there was emergency. Everything they showed practically. Sanātana Gosvāmī was arrested. Whatever money they kept for themselves, that was given as bribe to the jail superintendent and got out of jail. This is example given by Gosvāmīs, that fifty percent was given to the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas, fifty percent they deposited with the local . . . formerly, the bāniyās were bankers, village bankers. Whatever one has got, extra money, they should deposit, and the bāniyās will give him some interest and utilize the money. He will not usurp the money. People believe, just like bank, everywhere, crores of rupees they are collecting daily, because people know, "As soon as I shall want the money, it will be paid." So bāniyās were very honest. By others' money they would prosper, and the money is ready. Because they were doing with commodities, even he has no cash money he can immediately sell something and pay. That was the credit. That was the credit. Then people believed them. The village bankers were these grocers, especially the gold merchants. Therefore the gold merchants were bankers and dealers in gold. Suvarṇa-vaṇik. They had position. They have got stock of ornaments, gold ornaments, silver utensils. So you can believe in him, that by putting in his custody one hundred, one thousand rupees, he can deliver, at any moment, the bankers. And Rūpa Gosvāmī did it practically. Some money for emergency, some money . . . relatives, they also expect. That is allowed. So they should be given something. Not that cent percent. At least twenty-five percent to the relatives and twenty-five percent for personal. And fifty percent for Kṛṣṇa. This is the system.
So this is called dānam. Kṛṣṇa also says, kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam (BG 9.27): "If you want to give in charity, give it to Me." Kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam. Dadāsi yat. "If you have got some capacity to give something, give it to Me." He never said to daridra-nārāyaṇa. I do not know how they manufacture these things. Kṛṣṇa says: "Give it to Me." He's not daridra. He's Nārāyaṇa, but He's not daridra. So the principle is to give to the richest Nārāyaṇa, not daridra-nārāyaṇa. But these rascals misinterpret that daridra has become Nārāyaṇa. How daridra can become Nārāyaṇa? This is going on. And therefore there is no effect. There is no effect. See from practical what Vivekananda has done? But they have made propaganda, false propaganda—they have got roads. In a city like Bombay, big road, Vivekananda. But they do not care what Vivekananda has done.
Indian devotee: Even they got road, in the road so many nonsense going on.
Prabhupāda: That every road is there. We have no such thing. But he's not recognized in . . . wherefrom he has got the advertisement that in America he has done tremendous work? What they have done?
Girirāja: The government may like to popularize him because he preached the cult of "work hard."
Prabhupāda: What "work hard" he has . . . (indistinct)
Indian man: He can't do anything himself.
Indian devotee: Other day one man was telling me they bought two of your Bhāgavatams, Ramakrishna Mission. He said that one Ranganath Swami from South India, from Hyderabad, he was lecturing there, but he was . . . when he was lecturing he had your Bhāgavatam, First Canto, Part One in his hand, and he was speaking from there. (laughter) I said it is very good.