In this world, we see so many people flog to so many gods and temples, doing special pujas to receive boons and blessings. What kind of blessings do they run for? They ask for a good job, a lot of money, relief from diseases, a comfortable life, a good wife, good children, high positions and so on. And when they receive those they become so busy in sense enjoyment. But actually they are living a cursed life!
On the other hand, take a look at a glimpse from the life of Srila Prabhupada. He had a wife addicted to coffee and tea that she even sold his translation works of scriptures by paper weight to buy dry-bread (rusk) to enjoy with her coffee. He left his wife and subsequently took sannyas. His sons were atheists and later even filed a court case to get all the temples he established later and only Srila Gurudeva went to court and saved the temples.
When as a grhastha, Srila Prabhupada wanted to become a manager and high position but he did not get. He was not ‘blessed’ to get it. Then he started an ayurvedic medicine business with few centers. But everything collapsed one after another. He was not ‘blessed’ to become successful. Finally he was so poor that he had only a small medicine shop in Bombay to survive. Then that also was robbed and destroyed. He had nothing to support. He was literally on the street. He was given a small room in Sri Damodara Mandir in Vrindavan to stay. This was a great opportunity that he met Srila Gurudeva and became very close friends. Effective Sadhu sanga happens like this.
Now we can imagine what would have happened if Srila Prabhupada advanced in his big materialistic career such as manager, director, vice president, CEO, and so on and lived a comfortable life like other people who do not want to see or associate with sadhus and hear spiritual truths. Instead they will be so busy enjoying or merry making. If Srila Prabhupada was like these people, he would not have met his gurudeva Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakura also who ordered him to preach Krishna Consciousness to the west.
Lord Krishna says in Srimad Bhagavatam (10.88.8):
yasyāham anugṛhṇāmi
hariṣye tad-dhanaṁ śanaiḥ
tato ’dhanaṁ tyajanty asya
svajanā duḥkha-duḥkhitam
“If I especially favor someone, I gradually deprive him of his wealth. Then the relatives and friends of such a poverty-stricken man abandon him. In this way he suffers one distress after another.”
In fact Srila Prabhupada quoted this same sloka when the news about the robbery and destruction of his last small shop came to his ears. He wept about how Lord Krishna was favoring him as He exactly promised..
This is the real blessing!
Material opulence is actually a big curse for spiritual progress. It will be a big hindrance to associate with sadhus, and instead lead us only to waste our rare human birth. It is a big curse!
We at Gokul Bhajan enacted a drama on this that you may want to watch:
https://youtu.be/ICHFJRupOWQ