FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.14.26

क्‍वचिन्मिथो व्यवहरन् यत्किञ्चिद्धनमन्येभ्यो वा काकिणिकामात्रमप्यपहरन् यत्किञ्चिद्वा विद्वेषमेति वित्तशाठ्यात् ॥ २६ ॥
kvacin mitho vyavaharan yat kiñcid dhanam anyebhyo vā kākiṇikā-mātram apy apaharan yat kiñcid vā vidveṣam eti vitta-śāṭhyāt.
[kvachin mitho vyavaharan yat kinchid dhanam anyebhyo vaa kaakinikaa-maatram apy apaharan yat kinchid vaa vidvesham eti vitta-shaathyaat.]
kvacit — sometimes mithaḥ — with one another vyavaharan — trading yat kiñcit — whatever little bit dhanam — money anyebhyaḥ — from others vā — or kākiṇikā-mātram — a very small amount (twenty cowries) api — certainly apaharan — taking away by cheating yat kiñcit — whatever small amount vā — or vidveṣam eti — creates enmity vitta-śāṭhyāt — because of cheating.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
kvacin mitho vyavaharan yat kiñcid dhanam anyebhyo vā kākiṇikā-mātram apy apaharan yat kiñcid vā vidveṣam eti vitta-śāṭhyāt.
kvacit
sometimes
mithaḥ
with one another
vyavaharan
trading
yat kiñcit
whatever little bit
dhanam
money
anyebhyaḥ
from others
vā
or
kākiṇikā-mātram
a very small amount (twenty cowries)
api
certainly
apaharan
taking away by cheating
yat kiñcit
whatever small amount
vā
or
vidveṣam eti
creates enmity
vitta-śāṭhyāt
because of cheating.
As far as transactions with money are concerned, if one person cheats another by a farthing or less, they become enemies.

This is called saṁsāra-dāvānala. Even in ordinary transactions between two people, there is invariably cheating because the conditioned soul is defective in four ways — he is illusioned, he commits mistakes, his knowledge is imperfect, and he has a propensity to cheat. Unless one is liberated from material conditioning, these four defects must be there. Consequently every man has a cheating propensity, which is employed in business or money transactions. Although two friends may be living peacefully together, due to their propensity to cheat they become enemies when there is a transaction between them. A philosopher accuses an economist of being a cheater, and an economist may accuse a philosopher of being a cheater when he comes in contact with money. In any case, this is the condition of material life. One may profess a high philosophy, but when one is in need of money, he becomes a cheater. In this material world, so-called scientists, philosophers and economists are nothing but cheaters in one way or another. The scientists are cheaters because they present so many bogus things in the name of science. They propose going to the moon, but actually they end up cheating the entire public of large sums of money for their experiments. They cannot do anything useful. Unless one can find a person transcendental to the four basic defects, one should not accept advice and become a victim of the material condition. The best process is to take the advice and instructions of Śrī Kṛṣṇa or His bona fide representative. In this way one can be happy in this life and the next.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Sometimes, whatever he transacts during business or whatever small amount he takes from others creates enmity, because of the tendency to cheat for wealth. This verse explains the mutual transactions mentioned in SB 5.13.11. Whatever small mount one transacts during business or by taking even twenty cowries from others creates enmity.
A farthing's worth of cheating turns friends into enemies. Conditioned souls are illusioned, mistake-making, imperfect, and cheating — these four defects guarantee broken transactions. Don't be naive about money in relationships.
Reflection Questions
  • Which relationships in your life have soured over small sums that no one wanted to address openly?
  • Where could you preempt that pattern with clearer agreements now?
📝 My note

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