Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.18.42
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyEach Order Has Its Main Duties
“The main religious duties of a sannyāsī are equanimity and nonviolence, whereas for the vānaprastha austerity and philosophical understanding of the difference between the body and soul are prominent. The main duties of a householder are to give shelter to all living entities and perform sacrifices, and the brahmacārī is mainly engaged in serving the spiritual master.”
What the purport teaches
- The brahmacārī lives in the spiritual master's āśrama and personally assists him. Householders perform sacrifices and Deity worship and should provide maintenance for all living entities.
- The vānaprastha should perform austerities and clearly understand the difference between body and soul. This understanding helps maintain renunciation.
- The sannyāsī should absorb body, mind and words in self-realization. With equanimity and nonviolence, he becomes the well-wisher of all living entities.
Try this today
Provide one living entity with needed food or shelter today.
Ask yourself
How can you become a better well-wisher of living entities through your present duties?
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.