In plain words
With such songs they would lay the child in the cradle and rock it. The parents of today do not sing lullabies like that. Our son must study high, great studies. He must land in-laws who will give a large dowry; he must be sent abroad. Such are the desires of the parents of today. What honour do you think all this is? These parents are selling their own son. A vow that my son will not marry your daughter unless you give so many lakhs. In the old days the parents would bring their daughter and give her away in kanyādāna. They would have him take the vow, "Dharme ca, arthe ca, kāme ca nāticarāmi". Then he too would promise, ‘Nāticarāmi’. They would bring their daughter and give her to this young man. That is why she became the half of his body. That is why they shaped her as the Lakṣmī of the home. She became a pure wife of the house. The educated of today, all of them, must first of all, the moment they get a degree, get into some medical college or some engineering college. The parents borrow here and there, pay that fee, and get the seat. For this a dowry twice as large must come. If he studies medicine, ten lakhs; if engineering, five lakhs; it has become pure business. So the parents are selling their son. When you have been sold, you are your wife's slave, not her master. How do they take that money, without shame! You have sold yourself to the girl. So, students! You must recognise this well. Do not enter into dowry in the least. You must not even open your mouth to ask. If her parents give something to their daughter, let them give it. There is nothing wrong in that. And some cruel-hearted students too are turning up. They agree to give so much money. If it is a thousand or two thousand short, the coward gets into the car and goes back. Is this the mark of education? When she leaves the parents who bore her and raised her for twenty years, her brothers and sisters, everything, and comes with you, a stranger, trusting you, is it for you to betray her? When she leaves those parents, leaves her sisters, leaves her brothers, and comes with you who are a stranger, in how many ways you must protect her! In how many ways you must make her happy! But the students of today, the men, make the girls weep all the more. Whenever they need money they send her to her parents' home to bring it. This fellow is a big beggar. Our students must not enter into such things at all. All this must be taught to the children from a young age. Money is not what matters. Character is what matters. So do not buy good qualities with money. Satyabhāmā made a plan: if she bought Kṛṣṇa with money, that Kṛṣṇa would stay with her. Jamunā, who acted well in the role of that Satyabhāmā, came here. She had the Śyamantaka jewel. She had all the wealth she wanted. "I will buy Kṛṣṇa," she said, and laid down all the wealth she had. But Kṛṣṇa did not move in the least. Does God yield to wealth! Satyabhāmā proclaimed to the world the truth that He never yields. What happened in the end? Rukmiṇī came. As she was doing her worship, she came holding a tulasī leaf in her hand. ‘Nārada! The Name of Kṛṣṇa is the right weight for the form of Kṛṣṇa,’ she said. The Name shows the form. The form calls the Name to mind. For these two, that alone is the right weight. For the form the Name, for the Name the form. So, ‘Kṛṣṇa!’ said poor Rukmiṇī. Nārada was the mind-born son of Brahmā, one who had studied well. He could deceive everyone, but no one could deceive him. ‘Mother! If you give a formless name for Kṛṣṇa with form, what do I gain? So you too must give a fitting value for the one with form,’ he said. Rukmiṇī took that tulasī leaf:
If You are won by a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water from one who has Bhakti, may You be weighed against this tulasī leaf!
What is the leaf? The body is the leaf. What is the flower? The heart is the flower. What is the fruit? The mind is the fruit. What is the water? Tears of Ānanda are the water. For these four You will weigh, will You not! ‘Kṛṣṇa!’ she said, and laid down the tulasī leaf. The Name "Kṛṣṇa" came to the right weight for Kṛṣṇa. This tulasī leaf became extra weight. In this way God is weighed against Bhakti, not against wealth. So keep your heart pure. Fill it with true Prema. Share this Prema you have filled it with among many, and be happy yourself. Give joy to others. This is your duty.
He takes one thing and gives another. So God too is just like that. If you offer Him just one tear of Ānanda, He will surely give you a boundless result. What did Kucela give? He gave a handful of flattened rice. God gave him abundant fortune. What did Rukmiṇī give? She gave a tulasī leaf. He was won over by it. We must give the principle of Prema to God, and receive the principle of Prema. God needs nothing. He desires nothing. He desires only one thing.