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a—even up to; sva—the dog; agha—sinful animals or living entities; ante avasayibhyah—unto the candalas, the lowest of men (dog-eaters and hog-eaters); kaman—the necessities of life; samvibhajet—should divide; yatha—as much as (deserved); api—even; ekam—one; atmanah—own; daram—the wife; nrnam—of the people in general; svatva-grahah—the wife is accepted as being identical with one’s self; yatah—because of which.

Dogs, fallen persons and untouchables, including candalas [dog-eaters], should all be maintained with their proper necessities, which should be contributed by the householders. Even one’s wife at home, with whom one is most intimately attached, should be offered for the reception of guests and people in general.

jahyad yad-arthe svan pranan

Although in modern society the dog is accepted as part of one’s household paraphernalia, in the Vedic system of household life the dog is untouchable; as mentioned here, a dog may be maintained with proper food, but it cannot be allowed to enter one’s house, what to speak of the bedroom. Outcastes or untouchable candalas should also be provided with the necessities for life. The word used in this connection is yatha, which means “as much as deserved.” The outcastes should not be given money with which to indulge in more than they need, for otherwise they will misuse it. At the present moment, for example, low-class men are generally paid quite amply, but instead of using their money to cultivate knowledge and advance in life, such low-class men use their extra money for wine-drinking and similar sinful activities. As mentioned in Bhagavad-gita (4.13), catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah: there must be four divisions of human society according to the work and qualities of men. Men with the lowest qualities cannot do any work that requires higher intelligence. However, although such a division of men must exist according to their quality and work, it is suggested herewith that everyone must have the necessities of life. The communists of the present day are in favor of supplying the necessities of life to everyone, but they consider only the human beings and not the lower animals. The Bhagavatam’s principles are so broad, however, that it recommends that the necessities of life be supplied to everyone, man or animal, regardless of good or bad qualities.

The idea of giving even one’s wife to the service of the public is that one’s intimate relationship with his wife, or one’s excessive attachment for his wife, by which one thinks his wife to be his better half or to be identical with himself, must gradually be given up. As formerly suggested, the idea of ownership, even of one’s family, must be abandoned. The dream of material life is the cause of bondage in the cycle of birth and death, and therefore one should give up this dream. Consequently, in the human form of life one’s attachment for his wife should be given up, as suggested herein.

SB7.14.12

TEXT 12

hanyad va pitaram gurum

tasyam svatvam striyam jahyad

yas tena hy ajito jitah

jahyat—one may give up; yat-arthe—for whom; svan—one’s own; pranan—life; hanyat—one may kill; va—or; pitaram—the father; gurum—the teacher or spiritual master; tasyam—unto her; svatvam—ownership; striyam—unto the wife; jahyat—one must give up; yah—one who (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); tena—by him; hi—indeed; ajitah—cannot be conquered; jitah—conquered.

One so seriously considers one’s wife to be his own that he sometimes kills himself for her or kills others, including even his parents or his spiritual master or teacher. Therefore if one can give up his attachment to such a wife, he conquers the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is never conquered by anyone.

Every husband is too much attached to his wife. Therefore, to give up one’s connection with his wife is extremely difficult, but if one can somehow or other give it up for the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then the Lord Himself, although not able to be conquered by anyone, comes very much under the control of the devotee. And if the Lord is pleased with a devotee, what is there that is unobtainable? Why should one not give up his affection for his wife and children and take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Where is the loss of anything material? Householder life means attachment for one’s wife, whereas sannyasa means detachment from one’s wife and attachment to Krsna.

SB7.14.13

TEXT 13

krmi-vid-bhasma-nisthantam

kvedam tuccham kalevaram

kva tadiya-ratir bharya

kvayam atma nabhas-chadih

krmi—insects, germs; vit—stool; bhasma—ashes; nistha—attachment; antam—at the end; kva—what is; idam—this (body); tuccham—very insignificant; kalevaram—material tabernacle; kva—what is that; tadiya-ratih—attraction for that body; bharya—wife; kva ayam—what is the value of this body; atma—the Supreme Soul; nabhah-chadih—all-pervading like the sky.

Through proper deliberation, one should give up attraction to his wife’s body because that body will ultimately be transformed into small insects, stool or ashes. What is the value of this insignificant body? How much greater is the Supreme Being, who is all-pervading like the sky?

siddhair yajnavasistarthaih

Here also, the same point is stressed: one should give up attachment for his wife—or, in other words, for sex life. If one is intelligent, he can think of his wife’s body as nothing but a lump of matter that will ultimately be transformed into small insects, stool or ashes. In different societies there are different ways of dealing with the human body at the time of the funeral ceremony. In some societies the body is given to the vultures to be eaten, and therefore the body ultimately turns to vulture stool. Sometimes the body is merely abandoned, and in that case the body is consumed by small insects. In some societies the body is immediately burned after death, and thus it becomes ashes. In any case, if one intelligently considers the constitution of the body and the soul beyond it, what is the value of the body? Antavanta ime deha nityasyoktah saririnah: [Bg. 2.18] the body may perish at any moment, but the soul is eternal. If one gives up attachment for the body and increases his attachment for the spirit soul, his life is successful. It is merely a matter of deliberation.

SB7.14.14

TEXT 14

kalpayed vrttim atmanah

sese svatvam tyajan prajnah

padavim mahatam iyat

siddhaih—things obtained by the grace of the Lord; yajna-avasista-arthaih—things obtained after a sacrifice is offered to the Lord or after the recommended panca-suna yajna is performed; kalpayet—one should consider; vrttim—the means of livelihood; atmanah—for the self; sese—at the end; svatvam—so-called proprietorship over one’s wife, children, home, business and so on; tyajan—giving up; prajnah—those who are wise; padavim—the position; mahatam—of the great personalities who are fully satisfied in spiritual consciousness; iyat—should achieve.

An intelligent person should be satisfied with eating prasada [food offered to the Lord] or with performing the five different kinds of yajna [panca-suna]. By such activities, one can give up attachment for the body and so-called proprietorship with reference to the body. When one is able to do this, he is firmly fixed in the position of a mahatma.

Nature already has an arrangement to feed us. By the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is an arrangement for eatables for every living entity within the 8,400,000 forms of life. Eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman. Every living entity has to eat something, and in fact the necessities for his life have already been provided by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord has provided food for both the elephant and the ant. All living beings are living at the cost of the Supreme Lord, and therefore one who is intelligent should not work very hard for material comforts. Rather, one should save his energy for advancing in Krsna consciousness. All created things in the sky, in the air, on land and in the sea belong to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and every living being is provided with food. Therefore one should not be very much anxious about economic development and unnecessarily waste time and energy with the risk of falling down in the cycle of birth and death.

SB7.14.15

TEXT 15

devan rsin nr-bhutani

pitrn atmanam anvaham

sva-vrttyagata-vittena

yajeta purusam prthak

devan—unto the demigods; rsin—unto the great sages; nr—unto human society; bhutani—unto the living entities in general; pitrn—unto the forefathers; atmanam—one’s self or the Supreme Self; anvaham—daily; sva-vrttya—by one’s means of livelihood; agata-vittena—money that automatically comes; yajeta—one should worship; purusam—the person situated in everyone’s heart; prthak—separately.

Every day, one should worship the Supreme Being who is situated in everyone’s heart, and on this basis one should separately worship the demigods, the saintly persons, ordinary human beings and living entities, one’s forefathers and one’s self. In this way one is able to worship the Supreme Being in the core of everyone’s heart.

SB7.14.16

TEXT 16

yarhy atmano ’dhikaradyah

sarvah syur yajna-sampadah

vaitanikena vidhina

agni-hotradina yajet

SYNONYMS

yarhi—when; atmanah—of one’s self; adhikara-adyah—things possessed by him under full control; sarvah—everything; syuh—becomes; yajna-sampadah—paraphernalia for performing yajna, or the means for pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead; vaitanikena—with authorized books that direct the performance of yajna; vidhina—according to regulative principles; agni-hotra-adina—by offering sacrifices to the fire, etc.; yajet—one should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

TRANSLATION

When one is enriched with wealth and knowledge which are under his full control and by means of which he can perform yajna or please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one must perform sacrifices, offering oblations to the fire according to the directions of the sastras. In this way one should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT

If a grhastha, or householder, is sufficiently educated in Vedic knowledge and has become sufficiently rich to offer worship to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he must perform yajnas as directed by the authorized scriptures. Bhagavad-gita (3.9) clearly says, yajnarthat karmano ’nyatra loko ’yam karma-bandhanah: everyone may be engaged in his occupational duties, but the result of these duties should be offered for sacrifice to satisfy the Supreme Lord. If one is fortunate enough to possess transcendental knowledge as well as the money with which to perform sacrifices, one must do it according to the directions given in the sastras. It is said in Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.3.52):

krte yad dhyayato visnum
tretayam yajato makhaih
dvapare paricaryayam
kalau tad dhari-kirtanat

The entire Vedic civilization aims at satisfying the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This was possible in Satya-yuga by meditation upon the Supreme Lord within the core of one’s heart and in Treta-yuga by the performance of costly yajnas. The same goal could be achieved in Dvapara-yuga by worship of the Lord in the temple, and in this age of Kali one can achieve the same goal by performing sankirtana-yajna. Therefore one who has education and wealth must use them to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead by helping the sankirtana movement that has already begun—the Hare Krsna movement, or Krsna consciousness movement. All educated and wealthy persons must join this movement, since money and education are meant for service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If money and education are not engaged in the service of the Lord, these valuable assets must be engaged in the service of maya. The education of so-called scientists, philosophers and poets is now engaged in the service of maya, and the wealth of the rich is also engaged in maya’s service. The service of maya, however, creates a chaotic condition in the world. Therefore the wealthy man and the educated man should sacrifice their knowledge and opulence by dedicating them for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord and joining this sankirtana movement (yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi sumedhasah [SB 11.5.32]).

SB7.14.17

TEXT 17

na hy agni-mukhato ’yam vai

bhagavan sarva-yajna-bhuk

ijyeta havisa rajan

yatha vipra-mukhe hutaih

na—not; hi—indeed; agni—fire; mukhatah—from the mouth or the flames; ayam—this; vai—certainly; bhagavan—Lord Sri Krsna; sarva-yajna-bhuk—the enjoyer of the results of all kinds of sacrifices; ijyeta—is worshiped; havisa—by offering of clarified butter; rajan—O King; yatha—as much as; vipra-mukhe—through the mouth of a brahmana; hutaih—by offering him first-class food.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, is the enjoyer of sacrificial offerings. Yet although His Lordship eats the oblations offered in the fire, my dear King, He is still more satisfied when nice food made of grains and ghee is offered to Him through the mouths of qualified brahmanas.

tais taih kamair yajasvainam

As stated in Bhagavad-gita (3.9), yajnarthat karmano ’nyatra loko ’yam karma-bandhanah: all fruitive activities should be performed for sacrifice, which should be directed toward pleasing Krsna. As stated elsewhere in Bhagavad-gita (5.29), bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram: He is the Supreme Lord and enjoyer of everything. However, although sacrifice may be offered to please Krsna, He is more pleased when grains and ghee, instead of being offered in the fire, are prepared as prasada and distributed, first to the brahmanas and then to others. This system pleases Krsna more than anything else. Furthermore, at the present time there is very little chance to offer sacrifices by pouring oblations of food grains and ghee into the fire. Especially in India, there is practically no ghee; for everything that should be done with ghee, people use a certain type of oil preparation. Oil, however, is never recommended for offering in a sacrificial fire. In Kali-yuga, the available quantity of food grains and ghee is gradually diminishing, and people are embarrassed that they cannot produce sufficient ghee and food grains. Under the circumstances, the sastras enjoin, yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi sumedhasah: [SB 11.5.32] in this age, those who are intellectual offer yajna, or perform sacrifices, through the sankirtana movement. Everyone should join the sankirtana movement, offering to the fire of this movement the oblations of his knowledge and riches. In our sankirtana movement, or Hare Krsna movement, we offer sumptuous prasada to the Deity and later distribute the same prasada to the brahmanas, the Vaisnavas and then to the people in general. Krsna’s prasada is offered to the brahmanas and Vaisnavas, and the prasada of the brahmanas and Vaisnavas is offered to the general populace. This kind of sacrifice—chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra and distribution of prasada—is the most perfect and bona fide way of offering sacrifice for the pleasure of Yajna, or Visnu.

SB7.14.18

TEXT 18

tasmad brahmana-devesu

martyadisu yatharhatah

ksetra-jnam brahmanan anu

tasmat—therefore; brahmana-devesu—through the brahmanas and the demigods; martya-adisu—through ordinary human beings and other living entities; yatha-arhatah—according to your ability; taih taih—with all those; kamaih—various objects of enjoyment such as sumptuous food, flower garlands, sandalwood paste, etc.; yajasva—you should worship; enam—this; ksetra-jnam—Supreme Lord situated in the hearts of all beings; brahmanan—the brahmanas; anu—after.

Therefore, my dear King, first offer prasada unto the brahmanas and the demigods, and after sumptuously feeding them you may distribute prasada to other living entities according to your ability. In this way you will be able to worship all living entities—or, in other words, the supreme living entity within every living entity.

To distribute prasada to all living entities, the process is that we must first offer prasada to the brahmanas and the Vaisnavas, for the demigods are represented by the brahmanas. In this way the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is situated in everyone’s heart, will be worshiped. This is the Vedic system of offering prasada. Whenever there is a ceremony for distribution of prasada, the prasada is offered first to the brahmanas, then to the children and old men, then to the women, and then to animals like dogs and other domestic animals. When it is said that Narayana, the Supreme Being, is situated in everyone’s heart, this does not mean that everyone has become Narayana or that a particular poor man has become Narayana. Such a conclusion is rejected herein.

SB7.14.19

TEXT 19

kuryad apara-paksiyam

masi praustha-pade dvijah

sraddham pitror yatha-vittam

tad-bandhunam ca vittavan

kuryat—one should perform; apara-paksiyam—during the fortnight of the dark moon; masi—in the month of Asvina (October–November); praustha-pade—in the month of Bhadra (August–September); dvijah—twice-born; sraddham—oblations; pitroh—unto the forefathers; yatha-vittam—according to one’s means of income; tat-bandhunam ca—as well as relatives of forefathers; vitta-van—one who is sufficiently rich.

A brahmana who is sufficiently rich must offer oblations to the forefathers during the dark-moon fortnight in the latter part of the month of Bhadra. Similarly, he should offer oblations to the relatives of the forefathers during the mahalaya ceremonies in the month of Asvina.*

SB7.14.20-23

TEXTS 20–23

ayane visuve kuryad

vyatipate dina-ksaye

candradityoparage ca

dvadasyam sravanesu ca

trtiyayam sukla-pakse

navamyam atha kartike

catasrsv apy astakasu

hemante sisire tatha

maghe ca sita-saptamyam

magha-raka-samagame

rakaya canumatya ca

masarksani yutany api

dvadasyam anuradha syac

chravanas tisra uttarah

tisrsv ekadasi vasu

janmarksa-srona-yoga-yuk

SYNONYMS

ayane—on the day when the sun begins to move north, or Makara-sankranti, and on the day when the sun begins to move south, or Karkata-sankranti; visuve—on the Mesa-sankranti and on the Tula-sankranti; kuryat—one should perform; vyatipate—in the yoga named Vyatipata; dina-ksaye—on that day in which three tithis are combined; candra-aditya-uparage—at the time of the eclipse of either the moon or the sun; ca—and also; dvadasyam sravanesu—on the twelfth lunar day and in the naksatra named Sravana; ca—and; trtiyayam—on the Aksaya-trtiya day; sukla-pakse—in the bright fortnight of the month; navamyam—on the ninth lunar day; atha—also; kartike—in the month of Kartika (October–November); catasrsu—on the four; api—also; astakasu—on the Astakas; hemante—before the winter season; sisire—in the winter season; tatha—and also; maghe—in the month of Magha (January–February); ca—and; sita-saptamyam—on the seventh lunar day of the bright fortnight; magha-raka-samagame—in the conjunction of Magha-naksatra and the full-moon day; rakaya—with a day of the completely full moon; ca—and; anumatya—with a full-moon day when the moon is slightly less than completely full; ca—and; masa-rksani—the naksatras that are the sources of the names of the various months; yutani—are conjoined; api—also; dvadasyam—on the twelfth lunar day; anuradha—the naksatra named Anuradha; syat—may occur; sravanah—the naksatra named Sravana; tisrah—the three (naksatras); uttarah—the naksatras named Uttara (Uttara-phalguni, Uttarasadha and Uttara-bhadrapada); tisrsu—on three; ekadasi—the eleventh lunar day; va—or; asu—on these; janma-rksa—of one’s own janma-naksatra, or birth star; srona—of Sravana-naksatra; yoga—by a conjunction; yuk—having.

TRANSLATION

One should perform the sraddha ceremony on the Makara-sankranti [the day when the sun begins to move north] or on the Karkata-sankranti [the day when the sun begins to move south]. One should also perform this ceremony on the Mesa-sankranti day and the Tula-sankranti day, in the yoga named Vyatipata, on that day in which three lunar tithis are conjoined, during an eclipse of either the moon or the sun, on the twelfth lunar day, and in the Sravana-naksatra. One should perform this ceremony on the Aksaya-trtiya day, on the ninth lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Kartika, on the four astakas in the winter season and cool season, on the seventh lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Magha, during the conjunction of Magha-naksatra and the full-moon day, and on the days when the moon is completely full, or not quite completely full, when these days are conjoined with the naksatras from which the names of certain months are derived. One should also perform the sraddha ceremony on the twelfth lunar day when it is in conjunction with any of the naksatras named Anuradha, Sravana, Uttara-phalguni, Uttarasadha or Uttara-bhadrapada. Again, one should perform this ceremony when the eleventh lunar day is in conjunction with either Uttara-phalguni, Uttarasadha or Uttara-bhadrapada. Finally, one should perform this ceremony on days conjoined with one’s own birth star [janma-naksatra] or with Sravana-naksatra.

PURPORT

The word ayana means “path” or “going.” The six months when the sun moves toward the north are called uttarayana, or the northern path, and the six months when it moves south are called daksinayana, or the southern path. These are mentioned in Bhagavad-gita (8.24–25). The first day when the sun begins to move north and enter the zodiacal sign of Capricorn is called Makara-sankranti, and the first day when the sun begins to move south and enter the sign of Cancer is called Karkata-sankranti. On these two days of the year, one should perform the sraddha ceremony.

Visuva, or Visuva-sankranti, means Mesa-sankranti, or the day on which the sun enters the sign Aries. Tula-sankranti is the day on which the sun enters the sign Libra. Both of these days occur only once within a year. The word yoga refers to a certain relationship between the sun and moon as they move in the sky. There are twenty-seven different degrees of yoga, of which the seventeenth is called Vyatipata. On the day when this occurs, one should perform the sraddha ceremony. A tithi, or lunar day, consists of the distance between the longitude of the sun and that of the moon. Sometimes a tithi is less than twenty-four hours. When it starts after sunrise on a certain day and ends before the sunrise of the following day, the previous tithi and the following tithi both “touch” the twenty-four-hour day between the sunrises. This is called tryaha-sparsa, or a day touched by some portion of three tithis.

Srila Jiva Gosvami has given quotations from many sastras stating that the sraddha ceremony of oblations to the forefathers should not be performed on Ekadasi tithi. When the tithi of the death anniversary falls on the Ekadasi day, the sraddha ceremony should be held not on Ekadasi but on the next day, or dvadasi. In the Brahma-vaivarta Purana it is said:

ye kurvanti mahipala
sraddham caikadasi-dine
trayas te narakam yanti
data bhokta ca prerakah

If one performs the sraddha ceremony of oblations to the forefathers on the Ekadasi tithi, then the performer, the forefathers for whom the sraddha is observed, and the purohita, or the family priest who encourages the ceremony, all go to hell.

SB7.14.24

TEXT 24

ta ete sreyasah kala

nrnam sreyo-vivardhanah

kuryat sarvatmanaitesu

sreyo ’mogham tad-ayusah

te—therefore; ete—all these (descriptions of astronomical calculations); sreyasah—of auspiciousness; kalah—times; nrnam—for human beings; sreyah—auspiciousness; vivardhanah—increase; kuryat—one should perform; sarva-atmana—by other activities (not only the sraddha ceremony); etesu—in these (seasons); sreyah—(causing) auspiciousness; amogham—and success; tat—of a human being; ayusah—of the duration of life.

All of these seasonal times are considered extremely auspicious for humanity. At such times, one should perform all auspicious activities, for by such activities a human being attains success in his short duration of life.