FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.4.8

స గోదోహనమాత్రం హి గృహేషు గృహమేధినామ్ । అవేక్షతే మహాభాగస్తీర్థీకుర్వంస్తదాశ్రమమ్ ॥ ౮ ॥
sa go-dohana-mātraṁ hi
[sa go-dohana-maatram hi]
gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām
[griheshu griha-medhinaam]
avekṣate mahā-bhāgas
[avekshate mahaa-bhaagas]
tīrthī-kurvaṁs tad āśramam
[teerthee-kurvams tad aashramam]
saḥ — he (Śukadeva Gosvāmī) go-dohana-mātram — only for the time of milking the cow hi — certainly gṛheṣu — in the house gṛha-medhinām — of the householders avekṣate — waits mahā-bhāgaḥ — the most fortunate tīrthī — pilgrimage kurvan — transforming tat āśramam — the residence.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sa go-dohana-mātraṁ hi
saḥ
he (Śukadeva Gosvāmī)
go-dohana-mātram
only for the time of milking the cow
hi
certainly
gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām
gṛheṣu
in the house
gṛha-medhinām
of the householders
avekṣate mahā-bhāgas
avekṣate
waits
mahā-bhāgaḥ
the most fortunate
tīrthī-kurvaṁs tad āśramam
tīrthī
pilgrimage
kurvan
transforming
tat āśramam
the residence.
He [Śukadeva Gosvāmī] was accustomed to stay at the door of a householder only long enough for a cow to be milked. And he did this just to sanctify the residence.

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.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The great devotee would wait in the houses of married couples only as long as it took to milk a cow, purifying the inhabitants by giving spiritual benefit.
Commentary

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.

📝 My note

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