Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 7.15.4
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyAvoid Excess in Sacred Ceremonies
“If one arranges to feed many brāhmaṇas or relatives during the śrāddha ceremony, there will be discrepancies in the time, place, respectability and ingredients, the person to be worshiped, and the method of offering worship.”
What the purport teaches
- Feeding many brāhmaṇas or relatives during śrāddha can create discrepancies in the ceremony.
- Proper time, place, respect, ingredients, suitable recipients, and methods of worship can all suffer when arrangements become too large.
- Nārada Muni prohibits unnecessarily lavish arrangements. The śāstras especially prohibit excessive spending on inviting many people to śrāddha.
Try this today
Review one planned religious observance and remove one unnecessary expense.
Ask yourself
Could making an observance larger distract me from performing it properly and respectfully?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.