8
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 7, Ch. 6]
śarīram pauruṣam yāvan na vipadyeta puṣkalam
tataḥ —therefore;  yateta —should endeavor;  kuśalaḥ —an intelligent man interested in the ultimate goal of life;  kṣemāya —for the real benefit of life, or for liberation from material bondage;  bhavam āśritaḥ —who is in material existence;  śarīram —the body;  pauruṣam —human;  yāvat —as long as;  na —not;  vipadyeta —fails;  puṣkalam —stout and strong.
TRANSLATION
Therefore, while in material existence [ bhavam āśritaḥ ], a person fully competent to distinguish wrong from right must endeavor to achieve the highest goal of life as long as the body is stout and strong and is not embarrassed by dwindling.
PURPORT
As stated by Prahlāda Mahārāja at the beginning of this chapter,  kaumāra ācaret prājñaḥ . The word  prājña  refers to one who is experienced and who can distinguish right from wrong. Such a person should not waste his energy and valuable human lifetime simply working like a cat or dog to develop his economic condition.
For one word in this verse there are two readings— bhavam āśritaḥ  and  bhayam āśritaḥ —but accepting the meaning of either of them will bring one to the same conclusion.  Bhayam āśritaḥ  indicates that the materialistic way of life is always fearful because at every step there is danger. Materialistic life is full of anxieties and fear ( bhayam ). Similarly, accepting the reading  bhavam āśritaḥ , the word  bhavam  refers to unnecessary trouble and problems. For want of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one is put into  bhavam , being perpetually embarrassed by birth, death, old age and disease. Thus one is surely full of anxieties.
Human society should be divided into a social system of  brāhmaṇas ,  kṣatriyas ,  vaiśyas  and  śūdras , but everyone can engage in devotional service. If one wants to live without devotional service, his status as a  brāhmaṇa ,  kṣatriya ,  vaiśya  or  śūdra  certainly has no meaning. It is said,  sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ patanty adhaḥ : whether one is in a higher or lower division, one certainly falls down for want of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. A