SB 07.12.05 sayam pratas cared bhaiksyam... cited

Expressions researched:
"bhunjita yady anujnato" |"gurave tan nivedayet" |"no ced upavaset kvacit" |"sayam pratas cared bhaiksyam"

SB Canto 7

SB 7.12.5, Translation:

The brahmacārī should go out morning and evening to collect alms, and he should offer all that he collects to the spiritual master. He should eat only if ordered to take food by the spiritual master; otherwise, if the spiritual master does not give this order, he may sometimes have to fast.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 7.12.5 -- Bombay, April 16, 1976:

Pradyumna: "The brahmacārī should go out morning and evening for collecting alms. All the collections should be offered to the spiritual master. The brahmacārī is supposed to eat only if he is ordered to take foodstuffs by the spiritual master; otherwise, without being so ordered by the spiritual master, he may sometimes have to observe fasting."

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 attar. It doesn't matter he gives so much. A little, that is nice. Little attar or little rice or little dahl, little fruits, or little vegetable—everyone can contribute. And the brahmacārī should go to 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. 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..., 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.

Lecture on SB 7.12.5 -- Bombay, April 16, 1976:

So durbhikṣa means these brahmacārīs, sannyāsīs, they should go to every householder's house and take some alms. When this is refused, that means we are calling durbhikṣa, scarcity of food grain. It should be given. That is... A small collection, it is going to the temple for offering prasādam to the Lord and the prasādam to the Vaiṣṇavas, brāhmaṇas. Therefore something must be given. If we open this guru-kula as we are contemplating, the students should be trained up to go house to house and take little alms. It doesn't matter one has to give one kilogram. No. Whatever you can, you must give. This is the system all over India still. So here it is said that sāyaṁ prātaś cared bhaikṣyam. Twice in a day the brahmacārīs should be trained up to collect alms: in the morning, in the evening. And bhaikṣyam, and gurave tan nivedayet. And whatever collection is there, it should be offered to the guru. Not that something kept for my own purpose. No. Everything should be offered, whatever you collect. You cannot keep because everything in the gurukula or in the temple, it is for the interest of the guru. In the beginning it was said, vasan dānto guror hitam. Everything, all collection, either in cash or kind, that is for the benefit of guru, not the personal benefit. No. Therefore only the gṛha, I mean to say, sannyāsīs and the brahmacārīs, they can beg. They can collect, not others. That is prohibited. Sāyaṁ prātaś cared bhaikṣyam gurave tan nivedayet.

Now, as soon as you bring the collection before the guru... It was meant for the guru, so it is guru's property. It is not your property. "Then what I shall do? Everything is given to guru. Then what shall I do?" That is said: bhuñjīta yady anujñātaḥ. Now, these things will be prepared. The brahmacārī will collect dahl, rice, attar, and everything. It will be prepared, offered to the Deity. That's a fact. But if by mistake guru forgets to call a particular disciple—"My dear son, please come, take your prasādam"—then he should not take prasādam. "Guru has forgotten, so I shall not go and take, myself, the foodstuff. I shall fast." This is brahmacārī. Here it is said, bhuñjīta yady anujñāto. Everything is there, prasādam is ready, but you can eat if you are ordered by the spiritual master. This is called tapasya. Not that "Guru is not here and so much foodstuff... Let me eat sumptuously and sleep twenty-four hours." This is not brahmacārī. We should be very careful. Without order of guru... Of course, our students are trained up. They ask permission. But here it is said that he should not ask permission even. If guru calls him, then he can take; otherwise guru has forgotten to call him somehow or other, so he should starve, or he should fast on that day.

So this is discipline and hardship, voluntary hardship. The brahmacārī may come from the royal house... Just like our Kṛṣṇa is actually son of Vasudeva, and He was brahmacārī. And when Sudāmā Vipra... Kṛṣṇa was supposed to be kṣatriya and Sudāmā Vipra was brāhmaṇa, so brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas are especially meant for going to the gurukula and live very strictly according to the principle of gurukula. So Kṛṣṇa and Sudāmā Vipra went to collect dry fuel from the woods. When Sudāmā Vipra came to Kṛṣṇa's house, He reminded, "My dear Sudāmā, do you remember that day that both of us, we went to the forest and there was cyclone and rain, we could not come out?" So that means so much painstaking for the matter of guru. One cannot refuse, that "I am coming from very rich family. Why should you ask me to go to collect some... I can purchase it. I have money." No. If you have to... Here it is said that brahmacārī gurukule vasan dānto guror hitam, ācaran dāsavan nīcaḥ. Even if you are coming from the royal family, even if you are coming from the very respectable brāhmaṇa family, when you are under the control of guru you should act like servant. And what kind of servant? Menial servant, nīca. Not that "I am very rich man's son. You are asking me to do this? No, I cannot do it." No. This is called tapasya. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13).