SB 1.19.39 (1965)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT No. 39
- Nunam bhagawato brahman grihesu grihamedhinam
- Na lakshyate hi avasthanam api godahanam kachit.
ENGLISH SYNONYMS
Nunan—because, Bhagawato—of you the powerful, Brahman—oh the brahmin, Grihesu—in the houses, Grihamedhinam—of the householders, Na—not, Laksate—is seen, Hi—exactly, Asasthanan—staying in, Api—even, Godahanam—milking the cow, Kachit—rarely.
TRANSLATION
"Oh the powerful Brahmin, because you hardly stay up to the time of milking the cow in the houses of the householders."
PURPORT
Saints and sages in the renounced order of life, do go to the houses of the householders at the time of milking the cow early in the morning expecting some quantity of milk for subsistence. A pound of milk fresh from the milk bag of a cow is sufficient to feed an adult with all vitamin values derived from food and therefore saints and sages would live only on drinking milk. Even the poorest of the householders would keep at least ten cows, each delivering five to ten killo meters of milk and therefore nobody would hesitate to spare a few pounds of milk for the mendicants. It is duty of the householders to mintain the saints and sages like the children at home. So a saint like Sukdeva Goswami would hardly stay at the house of the householders for more than five minutes in the morning. In other words such saints are very rarely seen in the house of householders and Maharaj Parikshi therefore prayed for instructing him about his questions as soon as possible. The house holders also should be intilligent enough to get some informations from the visiting sages in the matter of transcendental subject. The householder may not foolishly ask a saint to deliver which is available in the market. That is the reciprocal relation between the saints and the householders.