We have repeatedly discussed. Just like in the morning the birds get up, they do not work very hard. They know that, “We shall go in some, upon some tree, and there is food, there is some fruit, and we shall eat.” There is no, no very great problem. The animals also, they are assured, everyone is assured. And even human being, just like sannyasis, they are also assured. Just like when I came to your country, there was no friend, there was no relative, but assurance was there that “I am going for Krsna’s business. So there is some provision, never mind where it is.” That much faith we must have. Actually, for even one is not Krsna conscious, one is not devotee of Krsna, he has also provision. That provision is there. Why should we work so hard? Our business is to save time how to become advanced in Krsna consciousness. But people cannot understand this.

Now, how to become detached from this habit of hard working, that is suggested here. It is said, mahat-sevam dvaram ahur vimuktes. Mahat-seva, saintly persons, if you associate with them, if you serve them, try to serve them, that practice is still in India. If a sannyasi, you’ll find from Caitanya-caritamrta, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is going from village to village, but any village he goes… Generally, the sannyasi goes to a temple because temple is meant for the traveling sannyasi. And as soon as one sannyasi… Still this custom is prevalent in India, as soon as somebody sees a sannyasi has come in a temple, somebody from the village, not somebody, but many will come, “Sir, you can take your lunch at my place.” So there is no scarcity. Many people will come to invite you still. Therefore many pseudo or phony swamis, they have taken this profession because there is no difficulty getting food. So, mahat-seva. The… What is the idea? The idea is the grhasthas, they know that “We are simply engaged in the matter of sense gratification. If we invite some saintly person at home, if he eats at my place, then, we commit so many sinful activities, we’ll be saved.” This is the process. Therefore, a sannyasi is advised to accept prasadam in the house of a brahmana, because a brahmana is supposed to be, become very pious. If you take foodstuff from impious men, then that means you are taking share of his impious activities. But a saintly person, they can digest, but if (they) cannot digest, then you have to suffer. This is the process. Then he has to suffer. Therefore the safety principle is to accept luncheon in a pious family, where there is Vaisnava family or brahmana family. Not that anywhere we can accept cooked food. Sometimes we have to do it, but that is against principle. We should not accept food anywhere and everywhere, unless he is pious. The brahmanas are supposed to be pious; therefore, a sannyasi is advised to accept food, luncheon in the brahmana family. And brahmana family, still, not all, a few families still in India, they worship regularly Narayana-sila, salagrama-sila.

Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.1-2
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Stockholm, September 7, 1973