Shloka 39
Parīkṣit’s Vow on the Gaṅgā and the Advent of Śukadeva Gosvāmī
नूनं भगवतो ब्रह्मन् गृहेषु गृहमेधिनाम् । न लक्ष्यते ह्यवस्थानमपि गोदोहनं क्वचित् ॥ ३९ ॥
nūnaṁ bhagavato brahman gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām na lakṣyate hy avasthānam api go-dohanaṁ kvacit
ഹേ ബ്രാഹ്മണാ, ഭഗവത്സമനായ നിങ്ങൾ ഗൃഹമേധികളുടെ വീടുകളിൽ താമസിക്കുന്നതായി കാണപ്പെടുന്നില്ല; ചിലപ്പോൾ പശുവിനെ പാലെടുക്കുന്നത്ര സമയവും പോലും നിൽക്കാറില്ലെന്ന് പറയുന്നു।
Saints and sages in the renounced order of life go to the houses of the householders at the time they milk the cows, early in the morning, and ask 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, and therefore saints and sages live only on milk. Even the poorest of the householders keep at least ten cows, each delivering twelve to twenty quarts of milk, and therefore no one hesitates to spare a few pounds of milk for the mendicants. It is the duty of householders to maintain the saints and sages, like the children. So a saint like Śukadeva Gosvāmī would hardly stay at the house of a householder for more than five minutes in the morning. In other words, such saints are very rarely seen in the houses of householders, and Mahārāja Parīkṣit therefore prayed to him to instruct him as soon as possible. The householders also should be intelligent enough to get some transcendental information from visiting sages. The householder should not foolishly ask a saint to deliver what is available in the market. That should be the reciprocal relation between the saints and the householders.
FAQs
This verse says the Lord’s presence is not perceived in the homes of gṛhamedhīs (materialistic householders), and He does not remain there even for a short time—symbolically, not even as long as it takes to milk a cow.
In the context of Parīkṣit’s renunciation and urgency to hear Bhāgavatam before death, Śukadeva contrasts spiritual hearing and devotion with worldly absorption, warning that materialistic attachment obscures awareness of the Lord.
Transform “house life” into devotional life: keep sādhana (hearing/chanting), offer food to the Lord, cultivate sāttvika habits, and center family duties around bhakti so the home becomes a place where the Lord is remembered and welcomed.