Shloka 6
Nārada’s Instructions: Śrāddha, True Dharma, Contentment, Yoga, and Devotion-Centered Renunciation
देवर्षिपितृभूतेभ्य आत्मने स्वजनाय च । अन्नं संविभजन्पश्येत्सर्वं तत्पुरुषात्मकम् ॥ ६ ॥
devarṣi-pitṛ-bhūtebhya ātmane sva-janāya ca annaṁ saṁvibhajan paśyet sarvaṁ tat puruṣātmakam
देवता, ऋषी, पितर, सर्व प्राणी, स्वतः, कुटुंब व स्वजन यांना प्रसादरूप अन्न वाटताना, सर्वांमध्ये त्या परम पुरुषाचेच स्वरूप व सेवकभाव पाहावा।
As mentioned above, it is recommended that everyone distribute prasāda, considering every living being a part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. Even in feeding the poor, one should distribute prasāda. In Kali-yuga there is a scarcity of food almost every year, and thus philanthropists spend lavishly to feed the poor. For this they invent the term daridra-nārāyaṇa-sevā. This is prohibited. One should distribute sumptuous prasāda, considering everyone a part of the Supreme Lord, but one should not juggle words to make a poor man Nārāyaṇa. Everyone is related to the Supreme Lord, but one should not mistakenly think that because one is related to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he has become the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa. Such a Māyāvāda philosophy is extremely dangerous, especially for a devotee. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has therefore strictly forbidden us to associate with Māyāvādī philosophers. Māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa: if one associates with the Māyāvāda philosophy, his devotional life is doomed.
FAQs
This verse teaches that when one distributes food—to devas, sages, ancestors, other beings, oneself, and family—one should do so with the vision that everything is pervaded by the Supreme Person and thus the act becomes devotional service.
Prahlada frames charity as bhakti: giving is not merely social duty but an offering done with spiritual vision, recognizing all recipients and resources as connected to the Supreme Lord.
Share food and resources responsibly—supporting family, guests, the needy, and living beings—while cultivating the mindset that serving others is service to God present in the heart of all.