यावता स्यात्स्वनिर्वाहः स्वीकुर्यात्तावदर्थवित् ।
आधिक्ये न्यूनतायां च च्यवते परमार्थतः ॥
yāvatā syāt sva-nirvāhaḥ svīkuryāt tāvad artha-vit |
ādhikye nyūnatāyāṁ ca cyavate paramārthataḥ ||
(Nāradīya Purāṇa; cited in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.2.108)
“One who is sagacious [lit., ‘a knower of utility’] should accept as much as shall be supportive for oneself. One becomes deviated from the ultimate goal as a result of excess and deficiency.”
Commentary
Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmīpāda cites this verse as an illustration of the limb of bhakti he terms in BRS 1.2.76 as vyāvahāreṣu sarveṣu yāvad-arthānuvartitā, attending as far as required to all practical matters, meaning, one should only accept resources such as food and clothing, as far as is supportive for one’s bhakti-sādhana, not more and not less.
Śrī Jīva Gosvāmīpād and Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda comment:
sva-nirvāha iti svasya bhakti-nirvāha ity arthaḥ |
(Durgama-saṅgamanī-ṭīkā; Bhakti-sāra-pradarśinī-ṭīkā)
“‘Supportive for oneself’ (sva-nirvāhaḥ) means supportive for one’s bhakti [i.e., bhakti is the ultimate goal (paramārtha), and one should accept resources in proper measure, neither in excess nor in dearth, so that one’s sādhana is duly supported and thus able to be performed effectively].”