Text 18]
The Behavior of a Perfect Person
101
who is poor and skinny gradually endeavors to earn money through business or some other means and he then gets the money, he enjoys the senses to his satisfaction. By enjoying the senses one becomes fat. Therefore in spiritual advancement becoming fat is not at all satisfactory.
TEXT 18
न ते शयानस्य निरुद्यमस्य
ब्रह्मन् नु हार्थो यत एव भोगः ।
अभोगिनोऽयं तव विप्र देहः
पीवा यतस्तद्वद नः क्षमं चेत् ॥१८॥
na te śayānasya nirudyamasya
brahman nu hārtho yata eva bhogaḥ
abhogino 'yam tava vipra dehaḥ
pīvā yatas tad vada naḥ kṣamam cet
na —not;  te —of you;  śayānasya —lying down;  nirudyamasya —without activities;  brahman —O saintly person;  nu —indeed;  ha —it is evident;  arthaḥ —money;  yataḥ —from which;  eva —indeed;  bhogaḥ —sense enjoyment;  abhoginaḥ —of one who is not engaged in sense enjoyment;  ayam —this;  tava —your;  vipra —O learned  brāhmaṇa ;  dehaḥ —body;  pīvā —fat;  yataḥ —how is it;  tat —that fact;  vada —kindly tell;  naḥ —us;  kṣamam —excuse;  cet —if I have asked an impudent question.
TRANSLATION
O  brāhmaṇa , fully in knowledge of transcendence, you have nothing to do, and therefore you are lying down. It is also understood that you have no money for sense enjoyment. How then has your body become so fat? Under the circumstances, if you do not consider my question impudent, kindly explain how this has happened.
PURPORT
Generally those engaged in spiritual advancement take food only once, either in the afternoon or in the evening. If one takes food only once, naturally he does not become fat. The learned sage, however, was quite