112 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 13

enjoyment and fear cannot be regulated, but for human society the plan
is that although men, like animals, must be allowed to eat, sleep, enjoy
sex and take protection from fear, they must be regulated. The Vedic
plan for eating recommends that one take yajfia-sista, or prasdda, food
offered to Krsna. Yajfia-Sistasinah santo mucyante sarva-kilbisaih: “The
devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because they eat
food that is offered first for sacrifice.” (Bg. 3.13) In material life, one
commits sinful activities, especially in eating, and because of sinful ac-
tivities one is condemned by nature’s laws to accept another body, which
is imposed as punishment. Sex and eating are essential, and therefore
they are offered to human society under Vedic restrictions so that accord-
ing to the Vedic injunctions people may eat, sleep, enjoy sex, be protected
from fearful life and gradually be elevated and liberated from the
punishment of material existence. Thus the Vedic injunctions for mar-
riage offer a concession to human society, the idea being that a man and
woman united in a ritualistic marriage ceremony should help one
another advance in spiritual life. Unfortunately, especially in this age,
men and women unite for unrestricted sexual enjoyment. Thus they are
victimized, being obliged to take rebirth in the forms of animals to fulfill
their animalistic propensities. The Vedic injunctions therefore warn,
nayarn deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye.
One should not enjoy sex life like hogs, and eat everything, even to the
limit of stool. A human being should eat prasdda offered to the Deity and
should enjoy sex life according to the Vedic injunctions. He should
engage himself in the business of Krsna consciousness, he should save
himself from the fearful condition of material existence, and he should
sleep only to recover from fatigue due to working hard.

The learned bréhmana said that since everything is misused by
fruitive workers, he had retired from all fruitive activities.

TEXT 27

qaqa si aden: |
WAAR CE AVTRATAT AATAT. LVI!

sukham asyatmano riipam
sarvehoparatis tanuh
