No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. —Matthew 6:24
In this website we are writing a series of articles on Swami Vivekananda’s quotes on Jesus Christ and New Testament. Now the topic of this article is Swami Vivekananda‘s quotes and comments on the last part of the verse Matthew 6:24— “Ye Cannot Serve God And Mammon“. To know more about Matthew 6:24, please read this article of BibleHub.
- It is still so everywhere, this tremendous sectarianism, the low narrowness of the mind. The thing which a man has is the only thing worth having; the only life worth living is his own little life of dollar-worship and mammon-worship; the only little possession worth having is his own property, and nothing else. If he can manufacture a little clay nonsense or invent a machine, that is to be admired beyond the greatest possessions. That is the case over the whole world in spite of education and learning.[Source]
- Renunciation means that none can serve both God and Mammon.[Source]
- The desire for fame, for riches, for enjoyment is quite natural to every mortal, dear brother, and if that agrees well with serving both ways (i.e. serving both God and mammon), why, all men would exhibit great zeal! It is only the great saint who can work, making a mountain of an atom of virtue in others and cherishing no desire but that of the good of the world.[Source]
- The way to God is the opposite to that of the world. And to few, very few, are given to have God and mammon at the same time.[Source]
- You cannot serve God and Mammon at the same time. All this prosperity, all this from Christ! Christ would have denied all such heresies. All prosperity which comes with Mammon is transient, is only for a moment. Real permanence is in Him. If you can join these two, this wonderful prosperity with the ideal of Christ, it is well. But if you cannot, better go back to him and give this up. Better be ready to live in rags with Christ than to live in palaces without him.[Source]