10.50
pratigraha nahi kare, na laya kara dhana
atma-vrtti kari’ kare kutumba bharana
SYNONYMS
pratigraha nahi kare—he did not accept charity from anyone; na—not; laya—take; kara—anyone’s; dhana—wealth; atma-vrtti—own profession; kari’-executing; kare—maintained; kutumba—family; bharana—provision.
Srila Murari Gupta never accepted charity from friends, nor did he accept money from anyone.
He practiced as a physician and maintained his family with his earnings.
PURPORT
It should be noted that a grhastha (householder) must not make his livelihood by begging from anyone.
Every householder of the higher castes should engage himself in his own occupational duty as a brahmana, ksatriya or vaisya, but he should not engage in the service of others, for this is the duty of a sudra.
One should simply accept whatever he earns by his own profession.
The engagements of a brahmana are yajana, yajana, pathana, pathana, dana and pratigraha.
A brahmana should be a worshiper of Visnu, and he should also instruct others how to worship Him.
A ksatriya can become a landholder and earn his livelihood by levying taxes or collecting rent from tenants.
A vaisya can accept agriculture or general trade as an occupational duty.
Since Murari Gupta was born in a physician’s family (vaidya-vamsa), he practiced as a physician, and with whatever income he earned he maintained his family.
As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam, everyone should try to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the execution of his occupational duty.
That is the perfection of life.
This system is called daivi-varnasrama.
Murari Gupta was an ideal grhastha, for he was a great devotee of Lord Ramacandra and Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
By practicing as a physician he maintained his family and at the same time satisfied Lord Caitanya to the best of his ability.
This is the ideal of householder life.