Prabhupāda:
- sāyaṁ prātaś cared bhaikṣyaṁ
- gurave tan nivedayet
- bhuñjīta yady anujñāto
- no ced upavaset kvacit
- (SB 7.12.5)
Very strict life. The brahmacārī should go out of the āśrama for begging alms: "Mother, we are coming from such and such temple or āśrama. Give us some alms." So every home, gṛhastha, they will give some little atta. It doesn't matter he gives so much. A little, that is nice. Little atta or little rice or little ḍāl, little fruits or little vegetable—everyone can contribute. And the brahmacārī should go neighboring householders' place to take something from him. This collection is not for his personal sense gratification. This collection is made from these persons to offer to the Deity. Offer. They are simply eating. Gṛhiṇāṁ dīna-cetasām, mahad-vicalanaṁ nṛṇāṁ, gṛhiṇāṁ dīna-cetasām (SB 10.8.4). The householders especially, they have become very cripple-minded. In the śāstra it is said that sannyāsīs, brahmacārīs, they are supposed to be maintained by the gṛhastha as their children. As they are maintaining their own children—there is no disgust—similarly, if a brahmacārī or a gṛhastha comes . . . er, brahmacārī or sannyāsī, so he should not be refused. Give something. If you give little rice, that is also good, but don't refuse. This is Vedic system. Bhaikṣyam. When this is stopped, that is called durbhikṣa. When this alms collection is impossible, that is called durbhikṣa. Even brahmacārī and sannyāsīs cannot get any alms, that is the period of durbhikṣa.
So in the Kali-yuga there is durbhikṣa. Nobody can give even little rice. That is called durbhikṣa. Anāvṛṣṭi durbhikṣa kara-pīḍitāḥ (SB 12.2.9). People in this age will be harassed by three things. One thing is anāvṛṣṭi: there will be scarcity of rainfall or no rainfall. When I first went to Hyderabad they said that for three, four years there was no rain. Is it not?
Devotee: Yes.