| Canto 11: General History | Chapter 17: Lord Krishna's Description of the Varnāśrama System |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.17.30
vased bhoga-vivarjitah
bibhrad vratam akhanditam
SYNONYMS
evam — thus; vrittah — engaged; guru-kule — in the āśrama of the spiritual master; vaset — he should live; bhoga — sense gratification; vivarjitah — freed from; vidyā — Vedic education; samāpyate — is completed; yāvat — until; bibhrat — maintaining; vratam — the vow (of brahmacarya); akhanditam — unbroken.
TRANSLATION
Until the student has completed his Vedic education he should remain engaged in the āśrama of the spiritual master, should remain completely free of material sense gratification and should not break his vow of celibacy [brahmacarya].
PURPORT
This verse describes the upakurvāna-brahmacārī, who enters grihastha-āśrama, or family life, after completing his Vedic education. The word evam-vrittah indicates that although one may eventually marry and become prominent in society as an intellectual, politician or businessman, during student life one must remain without false prestige as a humble servant of the bona fide spiritual master. The naishthiki-brahmacārī, who never marries, is described in the following verse.
Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari