Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.18.6

svayaḿ sañcinuyāt sarvam

ātmano vṛtti-kāraṇam

deśa-kāla-balābhijño

nādadītānyadāhṛtam

SYNONYMS

svayam — himself; sañcinuyāt — should gather; sarvam — everything; ātmanaḥ — his own; vṛtti — sustenance; kāraṇam — facilitating; deśa — the particular place; kāla — the time; bala — and one's strength; abhijñaḥ — understanding pragmatically; na ādadīta — should not take; anyadā — for another time; āhṛtam — provisions.

TRANSLATION

The vānaprastha should personally collect whatever he requires for his bodily maintenance, carefully considering the time, place and his own capacity. He should never collect provisions for the future.

PURPORT

According to Vedic regulations, one practicing austerity should collect only what he requires for immediate use, and upon receiving gifts of foodstuff he should immediately give up that which he has previously collected, so that there will be no surplus. This regulation is meant to keep one fixed in faithful dependence on the Supreme Lord. One should never stock food or other bodily necessities for future use. The term deśa-kāla-balābhijña indicates that in a particularly difficult place, or in time of emergency or personal incapacity, this strict rule need not be followed, as confirmed by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura.

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura points out that unless one is completely incapacitated, one should not depend on others for one's personal maintenance, as this will create a debt that can only be repaid by taking another birth in the material world. This applies only to those endeavoring for personal purification and not to those engaged full time in devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa. A pure devotee eats, dresses and speaks only for the service of the Lord, and thus whatever assistance he accepts from others is not for himself. He is fully surrendered to the mission of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However, one not so surrendered will certainly have to take birth again in the material world to repay all of his debts to others.

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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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