brÄhmaṇa-vaiṣṇave dilÄ tÄra ardha-dhane
eka cauá¹­hi dhana dilÄ kuá¹­umba-bharaṇe

 brÄhmaṇa-vaiṣṇave - to the brÄhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas; dilÄ - gave as charity; tÄra - of the riches; ardha-dhane - fifty percent; eka cauá¹­hi dhana - one-fourth of the riches; dilÄ - gave; kuá¹­umba-bharaṇe - to satisfy the relatives.


Text

ÅšrÄ«la RÅ«pa GosvÄmÄ« divided the wealth that he brought back home. He gave fifty percent in charity to brÄhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas and twenty-five percent to his relatives.

Purport

This is a practical example of how one should divide his money and retire from household life. Fifty percent of one’s money should be distributed to qualified and pure devotees of the Lord. Twenty-five percent may be given to family members, and twenty-five percent may be kept for personal use in case of emergency.