Text 8
sa go-dohana-mātraṁ hi
gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām
avekṣate mahā-bhāgas
tīrthī-kurvaṁs tad āśramam
saḥ — he (Śukadeva Gosvāmī); go-dohana-mātram — only for the time of milking the cow; hi — certainly; gṛheṣu — in the house; gṛha-medhinām — of the householders; avekṣate — waits; mahā-bhāgaḥ — the most fortunate; tīrthī — pilgrimage; kurvan — transforming; tat āśramam — the residence.
He [Śukadeva Gosvāmī] was accustomed to stay at the door of a householder only long enough for a cow to be milked. And he did this just to sanctify the residence.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī met Emperor Parīkṣit and explained the text of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. He was not accustomed to stay at any householder’s residence for more than half an hour (at the time of milking the cow), and he would just take alms from the fortunate householder. That was to sanctify the residence by his auspicious presence. Therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī is an ideal preacher established in the transcendental position. From his activities, those who are in the renounced order of life and dedicated to the mission of preaching the message of Godhead should learn that they have no business with householders save and except to enlighten them in transcendental knowledge. Such asking for alms from the householder should be for the purpose of sanctifying his home. One who is in the renounced order of life should not be allured by the glamor of the householder’s worldly possessions and thus become subservient to worldly men. For one who is in the renounced order of life, this is much more dangerous than drinking poison and committing suicide.