1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter

Canto

Canto 7 · The Science of God · 15 chapters

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.

Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›

Canto 7 · Chapter 12: The Perfect Society: Four Spiritual Classes

7.12.17 7.12.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.12.18

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Nārada Munisince 7.12.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira

न कृष्टपच्यमश्नीयादकृष्टं चाप्यकालत: ।

अग्निपक्व‍मथामं वा अर्कपक्व‍मुताहरेत् ॥ १८ ॥

na kṛṣṭa-pacyam aśnīyād

akṛṣṭaṁ cāpy akālataḥ

agni-pakvam athāmaṁ vā

arka-pakvam utāharet

Translation

A person in vānaprastha life should not eat grains grown by tilling of the fields. He should also not eat grains that have grown without tilling of the field but are not fully ripe. Nor should a vānaprastha eat grains cooked in fire. Indeed, he should eat only fruit ripened by the sunshine.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Vānaprastha Food Is Strictly Regulated

1
A person in vānaprastha life should not eat grains produced by tilling fields.
2
Even grains grown without tilling should not be eaten when unripe. Grains cooked in fire are also prohibited.
3
The prescribed food here is fruit ripened naturally by sunshine.

How it feels

Seriousness → Principled living. The example of bhakti becomes a guide to daily life.

Chapters 11–15 of Canto 7: Teachings on social and spiritual conduct. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 12: The Perfect Society: Four Spiritual Classes

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

A person in the vānaprastha order is restricted in eating food grains and forbidden to eat fruits that have not ripened on the tree. Nor should he cook food with fire, although he is allowed to eat caru, grains that have been offered in a sacrificial fire.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 7.12