cÄ«rÄṇi kiá¹ pathi na santi diÅ›anti bhiká¹£Äá¹
naivÄá¹…ghri-pÄḥ para-bhá¹›taḥ sarito 'py aÅ›uá¹£yan
ruddhÄ guhÄḥ kim ajito 'vati nopasannÄn
kasmÄd bhajanti kavayo dhana-durmadÄndhÄn
cÄ«rÄṇi - torn old clothes; kim - whether; pathi - on the path; na - not; santi - are; diÅ›anti - give; bhiká¹£Äm - alms; na - not; eva - certainly; aá¹…ghri-pÄḥ - the trees; para-bhá¹›taḥ - maintainers of others; saritaḥ - rivers; api - also; aÅ›uá¹£yan - have dried up; ruddhÄḥ - closed; guhÄḥ - caves; kim - whether; ajitaḥ - the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is unconquerable; avati - protects; na - not; upasannÄn - the surrendered; kasmÄt - for what reason, therefore; bhajanti - flatter; kavayaḥ - the devotees; dhana-durmada-andhÄn - persons who are puffed up with material possessions.
This is a quotation from ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam (2.2.5). In this verse, Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« advises MahÄrÄja ParÄ«ká¹£it that a devotee should be independent in all circumstances. The body can be maintained with no problem if one follows the instructions given in this verse. To maintain the body, we require shelter, food, water and clothing, and all these necessities can be obtained without approaching puffed-up rich men. One can collect old garments that have been thrown out, one can eat fruits offered by the trees, one can drink water from the rivers, and one can live within the caves of mountains. By nature’s arrangements, shelter, clothing and food are supplied to the devotee who is completely surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such a devotee does not need a puffed-up materialistic person to maintain him. In other words, devotional service can be discharged in any condition. This is the version of ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam (1.2.6):
sa vai puá¹sÄá¹ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoká¹£aje
ahaituky apratihatÄ yayÄtmÄ suprasÄ«dati
“The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted in order to completely satisfy the self.†This verse explains that devotional service cannot be checked by any material condition.