Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.17.51
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyMaintain Dependents Honestly and Worship Within Means
“A householder should comfortably maintain his dependents either with money that comes of its own accord or with that gathered by honest execution of one’s duties. According to one’s means, one should perform sacrifices and other religious ceremonies.”
What the purport teaches
- A householder should comfortably maintain those who depend on him.
- He may use money that comes of its own accord or money earned through the honest execution of his duties.
- Sacrifices and religious ceremonies should be performed according to one’s means, as far as possible and when there is opportunity.
Try this today
Check that one essential need of a dependent is provided for before planning a religious expense.
Ask yourself
Do my religious commitments fit my means while allowing proper care for my dependents?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.