Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.18.6
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyDepend Faithfully on the Supreme Lord
“The vānaprastha should personally collect whatever he requires for his bodily maintenance, carefully considering the time, place and his own capacity. He should never collect provisions for the future.”
What the purport teaches
- The vānaprastha should personally gather only what is needed for immediate maintenance, without keeping a surplus. This discipline fosters faithful dependence on the Supreme Lord.
- Time, place and personal capacity must be considered. In a difficult place, an emergency or personal incapacity, the strict rule against storing provisions need not be followed.
- Depending on others for personal maintenance creates a debt for one seeking personal purification. This does not apply to a fully surrendered devotee who accepts assistance only for service to Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Try this today
Before acquiring one extra item today, consider your actual need and circumstances.
Ask yourself
Am I seeking support for personal comfort or using it in service to the Lord?
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.