Canto 7: The Science of GodChapter 15: Instructions for Civilized Human Beings

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 7.15.30

yaś citta-vijaye yattaḥ

syān niḥsańgo 'parigrahaḥ

eko vivikta-śaraṇo

bhikṣur bhaikṣya-mitāśanaḥ

SYNONYMS

yaḥ — one who; citta-vijaye — conquering the mind; yattaḥ — is engaged; syāt — must be; niḥsańgaḥ — without contaminated association; aparigrahaḥ — without being dependent (on the family); ekaḥ — alone; vivikta-śaraṇaḥ — taking shelter of a solitary place; bhikṣuḥa renounced person; bhaikṣya — by begging alms just to maintain the body; mita-aśanaḥ — frugal in eating.

TRANSLATION

One who desires to conquer the mind must leave the company of his family and live in a solitary place, free from contaminated association. To maintain the body and soul together, he should beg as much as he needs for the bare necessities of life.

PURPORT

This is the process for conquering the agitation of the mind. One is recommended to take leave of his family and live alone, maintaining body and soul together by begging alms and eating only as much as needed to keep himself alive. Without such a process, one cannot conquer lusty desires. Sannyāsa means accepting a life of begging, which makes one automatically very humble and meek and free from lusty desires. In this regard, the following verse appears in the Smṛti literature:

dvandvāhatasya gārhasthyaḿ

dhyāna-bhańgādi-kāraṇam

lakṣayitvā gṛhī spaṣṭaḿ

sannyased avicārayan

In this world of duality, family life is the cause that spoils one's spiritual life or meditation. Specifically understanding this fact, one should accept the order of sannyāsa without hesitation.

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