Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 7: “The Science of God”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Fourteen
Ideal Family Life
SB7.14Summary
This chapter describes the occupational duties of the householder according to the time, the country and the performer. When Yudhisthira Maharaja became very much inquisitive about the occupational duties for the householder, Narada Muni advised him that a grhastha’s first duty is to be fully dependent on Vasudeva, Krsna, and to try to satisfy Him in all respects by executing one’s prescribed devotional service. This devotional service will depend on the instructions of authorities and the association of devotees who are actually engaged in devotional service. The beginning of devotional service is sravanam, or hearing. One must hear from the mouths of realized souls. In this way the grhastha’s attraction to his wife and children will gradually be reduced.
As for the maintenance of his family, a grhastha, while earning what he requires for his living, must be very conscientious and must not undergo extraordinary endeavor simply to accumulate money and unnecessarily increase in material comforts. Although a grhastha should externally be very active in earning his livelihood, he should internally be situated as a fully self-realized person, without attachment for material gains. His dealings with family members or friends should be performed simply to fulfill their purpose; one should not be extravagantly engaged in this way. Instructions from family members and society should be accepted superficially, but in essence the grhastha should be engaged in occupational duties advised by the spiritual master and sastra. Specifically a grhastha should engage in agricultural activities to earn money. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (18.44), krsi-go-raksya-vanijyam—agriculture, cow protection and trade—are special duties of grhasthas. If by chance or by the grace of the Lord more money comes, it should be properly engaged for the Krsna consciousness movement. One should not be eager to earn more money simply for sensual pleasure. A grhastha should always remember that one who is endeavoring to accumulate more money than necessary is to be considered a thief and is punishable by the laws of nature.
A grhastha should be very much affectionate toward lower animals, birds and bees, treating them exactly like his own children. A grhastha should not indulge in killing animals or birds for sense gratification. He should provide the necessities of life even to the dogs and the lowest creatures and should not exploit others for sense gratification. Factually, according to the instructions of Srimad-Bhagavatam, every grhastha is a great communist who provides the means of living for everyone. Whatever a grhastha may possess he should equally distribute to all living entities, without discrimination. The best process is to distribute prasada.
A grhastha should not be very much attached to his wife; he should engage even his own wife in serving a guest with all attention. Whatever money a grhastha accumulates by the grace of God he should spend in five activities, namely worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, receiving Vaisnavas and saintly persons, distributing prasada to the general public and to all living entities, offering prasada to his forefathers, and also offering prasada to his own self. Grhasthas should always be ready to worship everyone as mentioned above. The grhastha should not eat anything not offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As it is said in the Bhagavad-gita (3.13), yajna-sistasinah santo mucyante sarva-kilbisaih: “The devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because they eat food that is offered first for sacrifice.” The grhastha should also visit the holy places of pilgrimage mentioned in the puranas. In this way he should fully engage in worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead for the benefit of his family, his society, his country, and humanity at large. SB7.14.1 TEXT 1 sri-yudhisthira uvaca grhastha etam padavim vidhina yena canjasa yayad deva-rse bruhi madrso grha-mudha-dhih SYNONYMS sri-yudhisthirah uvaca—Yudhisthira Maharaja said; grhasthah—a person living with his family; etam—this (the process mentioned in the previous chapter); padavim—position of liberation; vidhina—according to the instructions of Vedic scripture; yena—by which; ca—also; anjasa—easily; yayat—may get; deva-rse—O great sage among the demigods; bruhi—kindly explain; madrsah—such as me; grha-mudha-dhih—completely ignorant of the goal of life. TRANSLATION Maharaja Yudhisthira inquired from Narada Muni: O my lord, O great sage, kindly explain how we who are staying at home without knowledge of the goal of life may also easily attain liberation, according to the instructions of the Vedas. PURPORT In the previous chapters the great sage Narada has explained how a brahmacari, a vanaprastha and a sannyasi should act. He first explained the dealings of a brahmacari, vanaprastha and sannyasi because these three asramas, or statuses of life, are extremely important for fulfillment of the goal of life. One should note that in the brahmacari-asrama, vanaprastha-asrama and sannyasa-asrama there is no scope for sex life, whereas sex is allowed in grhastha life under regulations. Narada Muni, therefore, first described brahmacarya, vanaprastha and sannyasa because he wanted to stress that sex is not at all necessary, although one who absolutely requires it is allowed to enter grhastha life, or household life, which is also regulated by the sastras and guru. Yudhisthira Maharaja could understand all this. Therefore, as a grhastha, he presented himself as grha-mudha-dhih, one who is completely ignorant of the goal of life. A person who remains a householder in family life is certainly ignorant of life’s goal; he is not very much advanced in intelligence. As soon as possible, one should give up his so-called comfortable life at home and prepare to undergo austerity, or tapasya. Tapo divyam putraka. According to the instructions given by Rsabhadeva to His sons, we should not create a so-called comfortable situation, but must prepare to undergo austerity. This is how a human being should actually live to fulfill life’s ultimate goal. SB7.14.2 TEXT 2 sri-narada uvaca grhesv avasthito rajan kriyah kurvan yathocitah vasudevarpanam saksad upasita maha-munin SYNONYMS sri-naradah uvaca—Sri Narada Muni replied; grhesu—at home; avasthitah—staying (a householder generally stays home with his wife and children); rajan—O King; kriyah—activities; kurvan—performing; yathocitah—suitable (as instructed by the guru and sastra); vasudeva—unto Lord Vasudeva; arpanam—dedicating; saksat—directly; upasita—should worship; maha-munin—the great devotees. TRANSLATION Narada Muni replied: My dear King, those who stay at home as householders must act to earn their livelihood, and instead of trying to enjoy the results of their work themselves, they should offer these results to Krsna, Vasudeva. How to satisfy Vasudeva in this life can be perfectly understood through the association of great devotees of the Lord. PURPORT The format for grhastha life should be dedication to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Bhagavad-gita (6.1) it is said: anasritah karma-phalam “One who is unattached to the fruits of his work and who works as he is obligated is in the renounced order of life, and he is the true mystic, not he who lights no fire and performs no work.” Whether one acts as a brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha or sannyasi, he must act only for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva—Krsna, the son of Vasudeva. This should be the principle for everyone’s life. Narada Muni has already described the principles of life for a brahmacari, vanaprastha and sannyasi, and now he is describing how a grhastha should live. The basic principle is to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The science of satisfying the Supreme Lord can be learned as described here: saksad upasita maha-munin. The word maha-munin refers to great saintly persons or devotees. Saintly persons are generally known as munis, or thoughtful philosophers concerned with transcendental subject matters, and maha-munin refers to those who have not only thoroughly studied the goal of life but who are actually engaged in satisfying the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva. These persons are known as devotees. Unless one associates with devotees, one cannot learn the science of vasudevarpana, or dedicating one’s life to Vasudeva, Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In India the principles of this science were followed strictly. Even fifty years ago, I saw that in the villages of Bengal and the suburbs of Calcutta, people engaged in hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam daily when all their activities ended, or at least in the evening before going to bed. Everyone would hear the Bhagavatam. Bhagavata classes were held in every village, and thus people had the advantage of hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam, which describes everything about the aim of life—liberation or salvation. This will be clearly explained in the next verses. SB7.14.3-4 TEXTS 3–4 srnvan bhagavato ’bhiksnam avatara-kathamrtam sraddadhano yatha-kalam upasanta-janavrtah sat-sangac chanakaih sangam atma-jayatmajadisu vimuncen mucyamanesu svayam svapnavad utthitah SYNONYMS srnvan—hearing; bhagavatah—of the Lord; abhiksnam—always; avatara—of the incarnations; katha—narrations; amrtam—the nectar; sraddadhanah—being very faithful in hearing about the Supreme Personality of Godhead; yatha-kalam—according to time (generally a grhastha can find time in the evening or in the afternoon); upasanta—completely relieved of material activities; jana—by persons; avrtah—being surrounded; sat-sangat—from such good association; sanakaih—gradually; sangam—association; atma—in the body; jaya—wife; atma-ja-adisu—as well as in children; vimuncet—one should get free from the attachment for such association; mucyamanesu—being severed (from him); svayam—personally; svapna-vat—like a dream; utthitah—awakened. TRANSLATION A grhastha must associate again and again with saintly persons, and with great respect he must hear the nectar of the activities of the Supreme Lord and His incarnations as these activities are described in Srimad-Bhagavatam and other Puranas. Thus one should gradually become detached from affection for his wife and children, exactly like a man awakening from a dream. PURPORT The Krsna consciousness movement has been established to give grhasthas all over the world an opportunity to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita specifically. The process, as described in many ways, is one of hearing and chanting (srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah [Bhag. 1.2.17]). Everyone, especially the grhasthas, who are mudha-dhi, ignorant about the goal of life, should be given opportunities to hear about Krsna. Simply by hearing, by attending lectures in the different centers of the Krsna consciousness movement, where topics of Krsna from Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam are discussed, they will be purified of their sinful inclination for constant indulgence in illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling, which have all become prominent in modern days. Thus they can be raised to the status of light. Punya-sravana-kirtanah. Simply by joining the kirtana—Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare—and by hearing about Krsna from Bhagavad-gita, one must be purified, especially if he also takes prasada. This is all going on in the Krsna consciousness movement. Another specific description here is srnvan bhagavato ’bhiksnam avatara-kathamrtam. It is not that because one has once finished Bhagavad-gita he should not hear it again. The word abhiksnam is very important. We should hear again and again. There is no question of stopping: even if one has read these topics many times, he should go on reading again and again because bhagavat-katha, the words spoken by Krsna and spoken by Krsna’s devotees about Krsna, are amrtam, nectar. The more one drinks this amrtam, the more he advances in his eternal life. The human form of life is meant for liberation, but unfortunately, due to the influence of Kali-yuga, every day the grhasthas are working hard like asses. Early in the morning they rise and travel even a hundred miles away to earn bread. Especially in the Western countries, I have seen that people awaken at five o’clock to go to offices and factories to earn their livelihood. People in Calcutta and Bombay also do this every day. They work very hard in the office or factory, and again they spend three or four hours in transportation returning home. Then they retire at ten o’clock and again rise early in the morning to go to their offices and factories. This kind of hard labor is described in the sastras as the life of pigs and stool-eaters. Nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye: “Of all living entities who have accepted material bodies in this world, one who has been awarded this human form should not work hard day and night simply for sense gratification, which is available even for dogs and hogs that eat stool.” (Bhag. 5.5.1) One must find some time for hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita. This is Vedic culture. One should work eight hours at the most to earn his livelihood, and either in the afternoon or in the evening a householder should associate with devotees to hear about the incarnations of Krsna and His activities and thus be gradually liberated from the clutches of maya. However, instead of finding time to hear about Krsna, the householders, after working hard in offices and factories, find time to go to a restaurant or a club where instead of hearing about Krsna and His activities they are very much pleased to hear about the political activities of demons and nondevotees and to enjoy sex, wine, women and meat and in this way waste their time. This is not grhastha life, but demoniac life. The Krsna consciousness movement, however, with its centers all over the world, gives such fallen and condemned persons an opportunity to hear about Krsna. In a dream we form a society of friendship and love, and when we awaken we see that it has ceased to exist. Similarly, one’s gross society, family and love are also a dream, and this dream will be over as soon as one dies. Therefore, whether one is dreaming in a subtle way or a gross way, these dreams are all false and temporary. One’s real business is to understand that one is soul (aham brahmasmi) and that his activities should therefore be different. Then one can be happy. brahma-bhutah prasannatma “One who is transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments nor desires to have anything; he is equally disposed toward all living entities. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me.” (Bg. 18.54) One who is engaged in devotional service can very easily be liberated from the dream of materialistic life. SB7.14.5 TEXT 5 yavad-artham upasino dehe gehe ca panditah virakto raktavat tatra nr-loke naratam nyaset SYNONYMS yavat-artham—as much endeavor for one’s livelihood as necessary; upasinah—earning; dehe—in the body; gehe—in family matters; ca—also; panditah—one who is learned; viraktah—not at all attached; rakta-vat—as if very much attached; tatra—in this; nr-loke—human society; naratam—the human form of life; nyaset—one should depict. TRANSLATION While working to earn his livelihood as much as necessary to maintain body and soul together, one who is actually learned should live in human society unattached to family affairs, although externally appearing very much attached. PURPORT This is the picture of ideal family life. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked Ramananda Raya about the goal of life, Ramananda Raya described it in different ways, according to the recommendations of the revealed scriptures, and finally Sri Ramananda Raya explained that one may stay in his own position, whether as a brahmana, a sudra, a sannyasi or whatever, but one must try to inquire about life’s goal (athato brahma jijnasa). This is the proper utilization of the human form of life. When one misuses the gift of the human form by unnecessarily indulging in the animal propensities of eating, sleeping, mating and defending and does not try to get out of the clutches of maya, which subjects one to repeated birth, death, old age and disease, one is again punished by being forced to descend to the lower species and undergo evolution according to the laws of nature. prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah [Bg. 3.27]. Being completely under the grip of material nature, the living entity must evolve again from the lower species to the higher species until he at last returns to human life and gets the chance to be freed from the material clutches. A wise man, however, learns from the sastras and guru that we living entities are all eternal but are put into troublesome conditions because of associating with different modes under the laws of material nature. He therefore concludes that in the human form of life he should not endeavor for unnecessary necessities, but should live a very simple life, just maintaining body and soul together. Certainly one requires some means of livelihood, and according to one’s varna and asrama this means of livelihood is prescribed in the sastras. One should be satisfied with this. Therefore, instead of hankering for more and more money, a sincere devotee of the Lord tries to invent some ways to earn his livelihood, and when he does so Krsna helps him. Earning one’s livelihood, therefore, is not a problem. The real problem is how to get free from the bondage of birth, death and old age. Attaining this freedom, and not inventing unnecessary necessities, is the basic principle of Vedic civilization. One should be satisfied with whatever means of life comes automatically. The modern materialistic civilization is just the opposite of the ideal civilization. Every day the so-called leaders of modern society invent something contributing to a cumbersome way of life that implicates people more and more in the cycle of birth, death, old age and disease. SB7.14.6 TEXT 6 jnatayah pitarau putra bhratarah suhrdo ’pare yad vadanti yad icchanti canumodeta nirmamah SYNONYMS jnatayah—relatives, family members; pitarau—the father and mother; putrah—children; bhratarah—brothers; suhrdah—friends; apare—and others; yat—whatever; vadanti—they suggest (in regard to one’s means of livelihood); yat—whatever; icchanti—they wish; ca—and; anumodeta—he should agree; nirmamah—but without taking them seriously. TRANSLATION An intelligent man in human society should make his own program of activities very simple. If there are suggestions from his friends, children, parents, brothers or anyone else, he should externally agree, saying, “Yes, that is all right,” but internally he should be determined not to create a cumbersome life in which the purpose of life will not be fulfilled. SB7.14.7 TEXT 7 divyam bhaumam cantariksam vittam acyuta-nirmitam tat sarvam upayunjana etat kuryat svato budhah SYNONYMS divyam—easily obtained because of rainfall from the sky; bhaumam—obtained from the mines and the sea; ca—and; antariksam—obtained by chance; vittam—all property; acyuta-nirmitam—created by the Supreme Personality of Godhead; tat—those things; sarvam—all; upayunjana—utilizing (for all human society or all living beings); etat—this (maintaining body and soul together); kuryat—one must do; svatah—obtained of itself, without extra endeavor; budhah—the intelligent person. TRANSLATION The natural products created by the Supreme Personality of Godhead should be utilized to maintain the bodies and souls of all living entities. The necessities of life are of three types: those produced from the sky [from rainfall], from the earth [from the mines, the seas or the fields], and from the atmosphere [that which is obtained suddenly and unexpectedly]. PURPORT We living entities in different forms are all children of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as confirmed by the Lord in Bhagavad-gita (14.4): sarva-yonisu kaunteya “It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kunti, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.” The Supreme Lord, Krsna, is the father of all living entities in different species and forms. One who is intelligent can see that all living entities in the 8,400,000 bodily forms are part of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and are His sons. Everything within the material and spiritual worlds is the property of the Supreme Lord (isavasyam idam sarvam), and therefore everything has a relationship with Him. Srila Rupa Gosvami says in this regard: prapancikataya buddhya “One who rejects anything without knowledge of its relationship to Krsna is incomplete in his renunciation.” (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.256) Although Mayavadi philosophers say that the material creation is false, actually it is not false; it is factual, but the idea that everything belongs to human society is false. Everything belongs to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for everything is created by Him. All living entities, being the Lord’s sons, His eternal parts and parcels, have the right to use their father’s property by nature’s arrangement. As stated in the Upanisads, tena tyaktena bhunjitha ma grdhah kasya svid dhanam. Everyone should be satisfied with the things allotted him by the Supreme Personality of Godhead; no one should encroach upon another’s rights or property. In Bhagavad-gita it is said: annad bhavanti bhutani “All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from rains. Rains are produced by performance of yajna [sacrifice], and yajna is born of prescribed duties.” (Bg. 3.14) When food grains are sufficiently produced, both animals and human beings can be nourished without difficulty for their maintenance. This is nature’s arrangement. prakrteh kriyamana-ni gunaih karmani sarvasah. Everyone is acting under the influence of material nature, and only fools think they can improve upon what God has created. The householders are specifically responsible for seeing that the laws of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are maintained, without fighting between men, communities, societies or nations. Human society should properly utilize the gifts of God, especially the food grains that grow because of rain falling from the sky. As stated in Bhagavad-gita, yajnad bhavati parjanyah [Bg. 3.14]. So that rainfall will be regulated, humanity should perform yajnas, sacrifices. Yajnas were previously performed with offerings of oblations of ghee and food grains, but in this age, of course, this is no longer possible, for the production of ghee and food grains has diminished because of the sinful life of human society. However, people should take to Krsna consciousness and chant the Hare Krsna mantra, as recommended in the sastras (yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi sumedhasah [SB 11.5.32]). If people throughout the world take to the Krsna consciousness movement and chant the easy sound vibration of the transcendental name and fame of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there will be no scarcity of rainfall; consequently food grains, fruits and flowers will be properly produced, and all the necessities of life will be easily obtained. Grhasthas, or householders, should take the responsibility for organizing such natural production. It is therefore said, tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovidah. An intelligent person should try to spread Krsna consciousness through the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, and all the necessities of life will automatically follow. SB7.14.8 TEXT 8 yavad bhriyeta jatharam tavat svatvam hi dehinam adhikam yo ’bhimanyeta sa steno dandam arhati SYNONYMS yavat—as much as; bhriyeta—may be filled; jatharam—the stomach; tavat—that much; svatvam—proprietorship; hi—indeed; dehinam—of the living entities; adhikam—more than that; yah—anyone who; abhimanyeta—may accept; sah—he; stenah—a thief; dandam—punishment; arhati—deserves. TRANSLATION One may claim proprietorship to as much wealth as required to maintain body and soul together, but one who desires proprietorship over more than that must be considered a thief, and he deserves to be punished by the laws of nature. PURPORT By God’s favor we sometimes get large quantities of food grains or suddenly receive some contribution or unexpected profit in business. In this way we may get more money than needed. So, how should that be spent? There is no need to accumulate money in the bank merely to increase one’s bank balance. Such a mentality is described in Bhagavad-gita (16.13) as asuric, demoniac. idam adya maya labdham “The demoniac person thinks, ‘So much wealth do I have today, and I will gain more according to my schemes. So much is mine now, and it will increase in the future, more and more.’ ” The asura is concerned with how much wealth he has in the bank today and how it will increase tomorrow, but unrestricted accumulation of wealth is not permitted either by the sastra or, in the modern age, by the government. Actually, if one has more than one requires for his necessities, the extra money should be spent for Krsna. According to the Vedic civilization, it should all be given to the Krsna consciousness movement, as ordered by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gita (9.27): yat karosi yad asnasi “O son of Kunti, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me.” Grhasthas should spend extra money only for the Krsna consciousness movement. The grhasthas should give contributions for constructing temples of the Supreme Lord and for preaching of Srimad Bhagavad-gita, or Krsna consciousness, all over the world. Srnvan bhagavato’bhiksnam avatara-kathamrtam. In the sastras—the puranas and other Vedic literatures—there are so many narrations describing the transcendental activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and everyone should hear them again and again. For example, even if we read the entire Bhagavad-gita every day, all eighteen chapters, in each reading we shall find a new explanation. That is the nature of transcendental literature. The Krsna consciousness movement therefore affords one an opportunity to spend his extra earnings for the benefit of all human society by expanding Krsna consciousness. In India especially we see hundreds and thousands of temples that were constructed by the wealthy men of society who did not want to be called thieves and be punished. This verse is very important. As stated here, one who accumulates more money than needed is a thief, and by the laws of nature he will be punished. One who acquires more money than necessary becomes desirous of enjoying material comforts more and more. Materialists are inventing so many artificial necessities, and those who have money, being allured by such artificial necessities, try to accumulate money to possess more and more. This is the idea of modern economic development. Everyone is engaged in earning money, and the money is kept in the bank, which then offers money to the public. In this cycle of activities, everyone is engaged in getting more and more money, and therefore the ideal goal of human life is being lost. Concisely, it may be said that everyone is a thief and is liable to be punished. Punishment by the laws of nature takes place in the cycle of birth and death. No one dies fully satisfied by the fulfillment of material desires, for that is not possible. Therefore at the time of one’s death one is very sorry, being unable to fulfill his desires. By the laws of nature one is then offered another body to fulfill his unsatisfied desires, and upon taking birth again, accepting another material body, one voluntarily accepts the threefold miseries of life. SB7.14.9 TEXT 9 mrgostra-khara-markakhu- sarisrp khaga-maksikah atmanah putravat pasyet tair esam antaram kiyat SYNONYMS mrga—deer; ustra—camels; khara—asses; marka—monkeys; akhu—mice; sarisrp—snakes; khaga—birds; maksikah—flies; atmanah—of one’s self; putra-vat—like the sons; pasyet—one should see; taih—with those sons; esam—of these animals; antaram—difference; kiyat—how little. TRANSLATION One should treat animals such as deer, camels, asses, monkeys, mice, snakes, birds and flies exactly like one’s own son. How little difference there actually is between children and these innocent animals. PURPORT One who is in Krsna consciousness understands that there is no difference between the animals and the innocent children in one’s home. Even in ordinary life, it is our practical experience that a household dog or cat is regarded on the same level as one’s children, without any envy. Like children, the unintelligent animals are also sons of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore a Krsna conscious person, even though a householder, should not discriminate between children and poor animals. Unfortunately, modern society has devised many means for killing animals in different forms of life. For example, in the agricultural fields there may be many mice, flies and other creatures that disturb production, and sometimes they are killed by pesticides. In this verse, however, such killing is forbidden. Every living entity should be nourished by the food given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Human society should not consider itself the only enjoyer of all the properties of God; rather, men should understand that all the other animals also have a claim to God’s property. In this verse even the snake is mentioned, indicating that a householder should not be envious even of a snake. If everyone is fully satisfied by eating food that is a gift from the Lord, why should there be envy between one living being and another? In modern days people are very much inclined toward communistic ideas of society, but we do not think that there can be any better communistic idea than that which is explained in this verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Even in the communistic countries the poor animals are killed without consideration, although they also should have the right to take their allotted food with which to live.
karyam karma karoti yah
sa sannyasi ca yogi ca
na niragnir na cakriyah
na socati na kanksati
samah sarvesu bhutesu
mad-bhaktim labhate param
murtayah sambhavanti yah
tasam brahma mahad-yonir
aham bija-pradah pita
hari-sambandhi-vastunah
mumuksubhih parityago
vairagyam phalgu kathyate
parjanyad anna-sambhavah
yajnad bhavati parjanyo
yajnah karma-samudbhavah
imam prapsye manoratham
idam astidam api me
bhavisyati punar dhanam
yaj juhosi dadasi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kurusva mad-arpanam