148
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 7, Ch. 14]
should not endeavor for unnecessary necessities, but should live a very simple life, just maintaining body and soul together. Certainly one requires some means of livelihood, and according to one's  varṇa  and  āśrama  this means of livelihood is prescribed in the  śāstras . One should be satisfied with this. Therefore, instead of hankering for more and more money, a sincere devotee of the Lord tries to invent some ways to earn his livelihood, and when he does so Kṛṣṇa helps him. Earning one's livelihood, therefore, is not a problem. The real problem is how to get free from the bondage of birth, death and old age. Attaining this freedom, and not inventing unnecessary necessities, is the basic principle of Vedic civilization. One should be satisfied with whatever means of life comes automatically. The modern materialistic civilization is just the opposite of the ideal civilization. Every day the so-called leaders of modern society invent something contributing to a cumbersome way of life that implicates people more and more in the cycle of birth, death, old age and disease.
TEXT 6
श्रातयः पितरौ पुत्रा भ्रातरः सुहृदोऽपरे । यद् वदन्ति यदिच्छन्ति चानुमोदेत निर्ममः ॥ ६ ॥
jñātayaḥ pitarau putrā bhrātaraḥ suhṛdo 'pare yad vadanti yad icchanti cānumodeta nirmamaḥ
jñātayaḥ—relatives, family members; pitarau—the father and mother; putrāḥ—children; bhrātaraḥ—brothers; suhṛdaḥ—friends; apare—and others; yat—whatever; vadanti—they suggest (in regard to one's means of livelihood); yat—whatever; icchanti—they wish; ca—and; anumodeta—he should agree; nirmamaḥ—but without taking them seriously.
TRANSLATION
An intelligent man in human society should make his own program of activities very simple. If there are suggestions from his