Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.8.3

śayītāhāni bhūrīṇi

nirāhāro 'nupakramaḥ

yadi nopanayed grāso

mahāhir iva diṣṭa-bhuk

SYNONYMS

śayīta — he should remain peacefully; ahāni — days; bhūrīṇi — for many; nirāhāraḥ — fasting; anupakramaḥ — without endeavor; yadi — if; na upanayet — does not come; grāsaḥ — food; mahā-ahiḥ — the great python; iva — like; diṣṭa — whatever is provided by providence; bhuk — eating.

TRANSLATION

If at any time food does not come, then a saintly person should fast for many days without making endeavor. He should understand that by God's arrangement he must fast. Thus, following the example of the python, he should remain peaceful and patient.

PURPORT

If by God's arrangement one is forced to suffer material hardship, then one should think, "Due to my past sinful activity I am now being punished. In this way, God is mercifully making me humble." The word śayīta means one should remain peaceful and patient without mental agitation. Diṣṭa-bhuk means one must accept the Personality of Godhead as the supreme controller and not foolishly give up one's faith due to material inconvenience. Tat te 'nukampāḿ su-samīkṣamāṇo bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaḿ vipākam (Bhāg. 10.14.8). A devotee of the Lord always accepts material hardship as the mercy of Lord Kṛṣṇa; thus he becomes eligible for supreme liberation.

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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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