Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.18.5
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyEat Simply to Reduce Sense Gratification
“One may eat foodstuffs prepared with fire, such as grains, or fruits ripened by time. One may grind one’s food with mortar and stone or with one’s own teeth.”
What the purport teaches
- The vānaprastha may eat food cooked with fire, such as grains, or fruit ripened by time.
- Food may be ground with mortar and stone or with one’s own teeth. Simple living includes personally preparing grains and other foods.
- Retiring to a holy place or forest is recommended for spiritual perfection. Without restaurants and other conveniences, one eats simply and reduces sense gratification.
Try this today
Prepare one simple meal yourself today.
Ask yourself
How could simpler eating help me reduce sense gratification?
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.