Never abandon sacrifice, charity, and austerity; they purify the wise across all life's stages.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī's Appearance Day Bhagavad-gītā 18.5 — September 5, 1973, London 730905BG-LONDON [38:43 Minutes] Bg-18.05_730905BG-LONDON Radhastami_730905BG-LONDON Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [break] [leads chanting of verse, etc.] [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-karma na tyājyaṁ kāryam eva tat yajño dānaṁ tapaś caiva pāvanāni manīṣiṇām [Bg. 18.5] [break] [01:15]
Prabhupāda: ...yajño dānaṁ tapaś caiva pāvanāni manīṣiṇām. There are four stages of spiritual life: the brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. For brahmacārī, yajña. Yajña means to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Varṇāśramācāravatā puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān, viṣṇur ārādhyate [Cc. Madhya 8.58]. The whole scheme... [aside:] I thinking I am feeling very hot.
I have to take off... In another place it is said, yajñārthāt karmaṇaḥ anyatra karma-bandhanaḥ [Bg. 3.9]. [sounds of Prabhupāda's sweater being removed] [aside:] Hmm. That's all right. That's all right.
Keep it now. So brahmacārī, in the beginning of life—brahmacārī means beginning of life, student life—they must be trained up how to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the first training. The brahmacārī is trained up to rise early in the morning and offers fire sacrifice, then studies of Vedas, then saṅkīrtana. There are so many routine work for brahmacārī.
So this must be executed. And for gṛhastha, dāna, charity. Gṛhastha must be prepared or trained up to give charity. And who will accept the charity?
The charity will be accepted by the brahmacārī and sannyāsa. Not the vānaprastha. Brahmacārī will accept charity on behalf of the spiritual master. And a sannyāsī will accept charity only for his maintenance.