Text 19
gāṁ paryaṭan medhya-vivikta-vṛttiḥ
sadāpluto ’dhaḥ śayano ’vadhūtaḥ
alakṣitaḥ svair avadhūta-veṣo
vratāni cere hari-toṣaṇāni
gām — earth; paryaṭan — traversing; medhya — pure; vivikta-vṛttiḥ — independent occupation for living; sadā — always; āplutaḥ — sanctified; adhaḥ — on the earth; śayanaḥ — lying; avadhūtaḥ — without dressing (of the hair, etc.); alakṣitaḥ — without being seen; svaiḥ — by his relatives; avadhūta-veṣaḥ — dressed like a mendicant; vratāni — vows; cere — performed; hari-toṣaṇāni — that pleased the Lord.
While so traversing the earth, he simply performed duties to please the Supreme Lord Hari. His occupation was pure and independent. He was constantly sanctified by taking his bath in holy places, although he was in the dress of a mendicant and had no hair dressing nor a bed on which to lie. Thus he was always unseen by his various relatives.
The first and foremost duty of a pilgrim is to satisfy the Supreme Lord Hari. While traveling as a pilgrim, one should not be worried about pleasing society. There is no need to depend on social formalities or occupation or dress. One should remain always absorbed in the function of pleasing the Lord. Thus sanctified by thought and action, one is able to realize the Supreme Lord by the process of a pilgrim’s journey.