alabdhvÄ na viṣīdeta
kÄle kÄle 'Å›anaá¹ kvacit
labdhvÄ na hṛṣyed dhá¹›timÄn
ubhayaá¹ daiva-tantritam

 alabdhvÄ - not obtaining; na - not; viṣīdeta - he should be depressed; kÄle kÄle - at different times; aÅ›anam - food; kvacit - whatever; labdhvÄ - obtaining; na - not; hṛṣyet - should rejoice; dhá¹›ti-mÄn - fixed in determination; ubhayam - both (obtaining and not obtaining good food); daiva - of the supreme power of God; tantritam - under the control.


Text

If at times one does not obtain proper food one should not be depressed, and when one obtains sumptuous food one should not rejoice. Being fixed in determination, one should understand both situations to be under the control of God.

Purport

Because we desire to enjoy the material body, the varieties of material experience bring us flickering happiness and inevitable suffering. We foolishly consider ourselves to be controllers and doers, and thus through false egotism we are subjected to the volatile feelings of the material body and mind.