Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam

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<< VERSE 43 >>

अपि स्वित्पर्यभुङ्क्थास्त्वं सम्भोज्यान्वृद्धबालकान्
जुगुप्सितं कर्म किञ्चित्कृतवान्न यदक्षमम्

api svit parya-bhuṅkthās tvaṁ
sambhojyān vṛddha-bālakān
jugupsitaṁ karma kiñcit
kṛtavān na yad akṣamam

WORD BY WORD

api svit — if it were so that; parya — by leaving aside; bhuṅkthāḥ — have dined; tvam — yourself; sambhojyān — deserving to dine together; vṛddha — the old men; bālakān — boys; jugupsitam — abominable; karma — action; kiñcit — something; kṛtavān — you must have done; na — not; yat — that which; akṣamam — unpardonable;

TRANSLATION

Have you not taken care of old men and boys who deserve to dine with you? Have you left them and taken your meals alone? Have you committed some unpardonable mistake which is considered to be abominable?

PURPORT

It is the duty of a householder to feed first of all the children, the old members of the family, the brāhmaṇas and the invalids. Besides that, an ideal householder is required to call for any unknown hungry man to come and dine before he himself goes to take his meals. He is required to call for such a hungry man thrice on the road. The neglect of this prescribed duty of a householder, especially in the matter of the old men and children, is unpardonable.

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