SRIMAD-BHAGAVATAM 8 CHAPTER 19 TEXT  42

athaitat pūrṇam abhyātmaṁ
yac ca nety anṛtaṁ vacaḥ
sarvaṁ nety anṛtaṁ brūyāt
sa duṣkīrtiḥ śvasan mṛtaḥ

TRANSLATION

Therefore, the safe course is to say no. Although it is a falsehood, it protects one completely, it draws the compassion of others toward oneself, and it gives one full facility to collect money from others for oneself. Nonetheless, if one always pleads that he has nothing, he is condemned, for he is a dead body while living, or while still breathing he should be killed.


PURPORT

Beggars always present themselves as possessing nothing, and this may be very good for them because in this way they are assured of not losing their money and of always drawing the attention and compassion of others for the sake of collection. But this is also condemned. If one purposely continues this professional begging, he is supposed to be dead while breathing, or, according to another interpretation, such a man of falsity should be killed while still breathing. The Vedic injunction in this regard is as follows: athaitat pūrṇam abhyātmaṁ yan neti sa yat sarvaṁ neti brūyāt pāpikāsya kīrtir jāyate. sainaṁ tatraiva hanyāt. If one continuously poses himself as possessing nothing and collects money by begging, he should be killed (sainaṁ tatraiva hanyāt).

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Last newsletters

Friday, August 30, 2024
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.9.3 — Los Angeles, May 17, 1973 So in another place these brāhmaṇas were addressed, ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ: "You are all brāhmaṇa, the topmost of the human society." There are divisions of the human...
Thursday, August 29, 2024
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.9.2 — Los Angeles, May 16, 1973 Just like some of you are suffering from cough. Now there has been some hygienic law disregarded. So I have caught cold and cough. So why shall I deride upon it? It must be created either you say...
Wednesday, August 28, 2024
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.52 — Los Angeles, May 14, 1973 Therefore, spiritual education begins from this body. As Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, dehino 'smin yathā dehe [Bg. 2.13]. Asmin dehe, in this body there is the spiritual spark who is the...
Tuesday, August 27, 2024
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.49 — Māyāpura, October 29, 1974 So in this way, you are all indebted. You cannot take any service from anyone without being indebted. You cannot take. You must be... So we are becoming entangled, complicated with indebtedness....