Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.14.4

yathā hy anuvatsaram krishyamānam apy adagdha-bījam kshetram punar evāvapana-kāle gulma-trina-vīrudbhir gahvaram iva bhavaty evam eva grihāśramah karma-kshetram yasmin na hi karmāny utsīdanti yad ayam kāma-karanda esha āvasathah

SYNONYMS

yathā — just as; hi — certainly; anuvatsaram — every year; krishyamānam — being plowed; api — although; adagdha-bījam — in which the seeds are not burned; kshetram — the field; punah — again; eva — certainly; āvapana-kāle — at the times for sowing the seeds; gulma — by bushes; trina — by grasses; vīrudbhih — by the creepers; gahvaram iva — like a bower; bhavati — becomes; evam — thus; eva — certainly; griha-āśramah — family life; karma-kshetram — the field of activities; yasmin — in which; na — not; hi — certainly; karmāni utsīdanti — fruitive activities disappear; yat — therefore; ayam — this; kāma-karandah — the storehouse of fruitive desire; eshah — this; āvasathah — abode.

TRANSLATION

Every year the plowman plows over his grain field, completely uprooting all weeds. Nonetheless, the seeds lie there and, not being completely burned, again come up with the plants sown in the field. Even after being plowed under, the weeds come up densely. Similarly, the grihastha-āśrama [family life] is a field of fruitive activity. Unless the desire to enjoy family life is completely burned out, it grows up again and again. Even though camphor may be removed from a pot, the pot nonetheless retains the aroma of camphor. As long as the seeds of desire are not destroyed, fruitive activities are not destroyed.

PURPORT

Unless one's desires are completely transferred to the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the desire for family life continues. even after one has taken sannyāsa. Sometimes in our society, ISKCON. a person out of sentiment may take sannyāsa, but because his desires are not burned completely, he again takes to family life, even at the risk of losing his prestige and disgracing his good name. These strong desires can be burned out completely when one fully engages in the service of the Lord in devotional service.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness