Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.4.8
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
Śukadeva Gosvāmī met Emperor Parīkṣit and explained the text of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. He was not accustomed to stay at any householder’s residence for more than half an hour (at the time of milking the cow), and he would just take alms from the fortunate householder. That was to sanctify the residence by his auspicious presence. Therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī is an ideal preacher established in the transcendental position. From his activities, those who are in the renounced order of life and dedicated to the mission of preaching the message of Godhead should learn that they have no business with householders save and except to enlighten them in transcendental knowledge. Such asking for alms from the householder should be for the purpose of sanctifying his home. One who is in the renounced order of life should not be allured by the glamor of the householder’s worldly possessions and thus become subservient to worldly men. For one who is in the renounced order of life, this is much more dangerous than drinking poison and committing suicide.
Śukadeva must have remained a long time with Parīkṣit in order to explain this work. It could not be otherwise. On the pretext of begging alms, he would wait in a house for only the time it took to milk a cow. However, he actually purified their houses. He went there to give all the jīvas the spiritual goal of life.
- Whose brief presence in my home has had a lasting effect, and what did they bring?
- How could I be the kind of guest who 'sanctifies' rather than just visits?
My note
Source: vedabase.io