Canto 11: General HistoryChapter 18: Description of Varṇāśrama-dharma

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.18.16

dṛṣṭi-pūtaḿ nyaset pādaḿ

vastra-pūtaḿ pibej jalam

satya-pūtāḿ vaded vācaḿ

manaḥ-pūtaḿ samācaret

SYNONYMS

dṛṣṭi — by the sight; pūtam — ascertained as pure; nyasethe should place; pādam — his foot; vastra — by his cloth; pūtam — filtered; pibethe should drink; jalam — water; satya — by truthfulness; pūtāmpure; vadethe should speak; vācam — words; manaḥ — ascertained by the mind; pūtamto be pure; samācarethe should perform.

TRANSLATION

A saintly person should step or place his foot on the ground only after verifying with his eyes that there are no living creatures, such as insects, who might be injured by his foot. He should drink water only after filtering it through a portion of his cloth, and he should speak only words that possess the purity of truth. Similarly, he should perform only those activities his mind has carefully ascertained to be pure.

PURPORT

While walking, a saintly person is careful not to kill any tiny creatures on the ground. Similarly, he filters his drinking water through cloth to avoid swallowing small creatures living within the water. Speaking untruths simply for sense gratification is detrimental to devotional service and should be avoided. Speaking impersonal philosophy and glorifying the sense gratification of the material world, even that found in heavenly planets, contaminates the heart and must be avoided by those desiring perfection in the loving service of the Lord. By serious consideration one can understand that any activity other than devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa has no ultimate value; therefore one should exclusively engage in the purified activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

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