Charity, sense control and performance of sacrifice, are meant for the householders -BG#16.04

Posted by dinesh

Bhagavad-gita As It Is | Part [BG.16.04]

(Purport to 16.01-16.03 continued)

The next item is charity. Charity is meant for the householders. The
householders should earn a livelihood by an honorable means and spend fifty
percent of their income to propagate Krishna consciousness all over the
world. Thus a householder should give in charity to institutional societies
that are engaged in that way. Charity should be given to the right receiver.
There are different kinds of charity, as will be explained later on—charity
in the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. Charity in the mode of
goodness is recommended by the scriptures, but charity in the modes of
passion and ignorance is not recommended, because it is simply a waste of
money. Charity should be given only to propagate Krishna consciousness all
over the world. That is charity in the mode of goodness.

Then as far as dama (self-control) is concerned, it is not only meant for
other orders of religious society, but is especially meant for the
householder. Although he has a wife, a householder should not use his senses
for sex life unnecessarily. There are restrictions for the householders even
in sex life, which should only be engaged in for the propagation of
children. If he does not require children, he should not enjoy sex life with
his wife. Modern society enjoys sex life with contraceptive methods or more
abominable methods to avoid the responsibility of children. This is not in
the transcendental quality, but is demoniac. If anyone, even if he is a
householder, wants to make progress in spiritual life, he must control his
sex life and should not beget a child without the purpose of serving
Krishna. If he is able to beget children who will be in Krishna
consciousness, one can produce hundreds of children, but without this
capacity one should not indulge only for sense pleasure.

Sacrifice is another item to be performed by the householders, because
sacrifices require a large amount of money. Those in other orders of life,
namely brahmacarya, vanaprastha and sannyasa, have no money; they live by
begging. So performance of different types of sacrifice is meant for the
householders. They should perform agni-hotra sacrifices as enjoined in the
Vedic literature, but such sacrifices at the present moment are very
expensive, and it is not possible for any householder to perform them. The
best sacrifice recommended in this age is called sankirtana-yajna. This
sankirtana-yajna, the chanting of Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna
Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, is the best
and most inexpensive sacrifice; everyone can adopt it and derive benefit. So
these three items, namely charity, sense control and performance of
sacrifice, are meant for the householder.

Translation and commentary by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada
--
Yours
Dinesh
Blog:http://dinesh-krsna.blogspot.com