Mahaprabhu's Teachings (4):
Pillars of Renunciation

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Kolkata-Worldwide, 17 May 2020, part 4

All devotees must follow the example of Mahaprabhu's associates (parsada), the example of the grihastha devotees—they must read about the character and life history of Sri Raya Ramananda, Sri Pundarik Vidyanidhi, Sri Srivas Pandit, Sri Sivananda Sen, Sri Satyaraj Khan, Sri Advaita Prabhu, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur also, and see how they maintained their family, how they practised their Krishna consciousness life. Everyone must read about their pastimes and see how their lived their lives.

Mahaprabhu says that if your house is favourable to devotion, it is not necessary to reject that house, it is not necessary to leave it, but if your house is not favourable to devotion, then you can leave that house and become a sannyasi. This is why Sri Srivas Pandit, for example, never left his house.

When Raghunath Das Goswami finally left his house and came to Mahaprabhu, Mahaprabhu told him,

ভাল কৈল, বৈরাগীর ধর্ম্ম আচরিল ॥
বৈরাগী করিবে সদা নাম-সঙ্কীর্ত্তন ।
মাগিয়া খাঞা করে জীবন রক্ষণ ॥

bhala kaila, vairagira dharma acharila
vairagi karibe sada nama-sankirtana
magiya khana kare jivana raksana

"Raghunath Das has done well," He said. "He has acted suitably for a person in the renounced order. A person in the renounced order should always chant the holy name of the Lord. He should beg some alms to eat, and he should sustain his life in this way."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.6.222-223)

"Yes, it is good. It is very nice that he has left everything!" At first, Mahaprabhu told him to go back to his house, but after that his house became unfavourable to practising Krishna consciousness because there were so many problems in the house, so Mahaprabhu arranged for Srila Raghunath Das Goswami to come and meet with Him. Mahaprabhu accepted his service and handed him over, engaged him in the service of Svarup Damodar. At that time, Mahaprabhu gave him advice, "What will a vairagi do? A vairagi will always do Nama-sankirtan and maintain his life by going door to door and begging."

বৈরাগী হঞা করে জিহ্বার লালস ।
পরমার্থ যায়, আর হয় রসের বশ ॥

vairagi hana kare jihvara lalasa
paramartha yaya, ara haya rasera vasa

"If a renunciant is eager for his tongue to taste different foods, his spiritual life will be lost, and he will be subservient to the tastes of his tongue."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.6.225)

"If a vairagi follows his tongue, his paramartha (spiritual life) will be finished."

জিহ্বার লালসে যেই ইতি-উতি ধায় ।
শিশ্নোদরপরায়ণ সে কৃষ্ণ নাহি পায় ॥

jihvara lalase yei iti-uti dhaya
sisnodara-parayana se krsna nahi paya

"One who is subservient to the tongue and who thus goes here and there, devoted to the genitals and the belly, cannot attain Krishna."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.6.227)

গ্রাম্যকথা না শুনিবে, গ্রাম্যবার্ত্তা না কহিবে ।
ভাল না খাইবে আর ভাল না পরিবে ॥
অমানী মানদ হঞা কৃষ্ণনাম সদা ল'বে ।
ব্রজে রাধাকৃষ্ণ সেবা মানসে করিবে ॥

gramya-katha na sunibe, gramya-varta na kahibe
bhala na khaibe ara bhala na paribe
amani manada hana krsna-nama sada la'be
vraje radha-krsna seva manase karibe

"Do not listen to the mundane talks, do not listen to the mundane news. Do not eat fancy food, do not wear fancy clothes. Do not expect honour to yourself, but offer all respect to others. Always chant the Holy Name of Krsna, and in your mind serve Radha-Krsna."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.6.236-237)

It means it is necessary to be humble, tolerant and give respect, give honour to others. This how one must maintain their life—and always chant the Holy Name.

Sriman Mahaprabhu also advised:

সন্ন্যাসীর ধর্ম্ম,—নহে সন্ন্যাস করিঞা ।
নিজ জন্মস্থানে রহে কুটুম্ব লঞা ॥

sannyasira dharma nahe—sannyasa karina
nija janma-sthane rahe kutumba lana

"After accepting sannyas, it is not the duty of a sannyasi to remain at his birthplace, encircled by relatives."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.3.177)

It is not a sannyasi's dharma (religion) to stay with his relatives. Those who have taken sannyas cannot stay in their birthplace with their relatives.

Sriman Mahaprabhu also said:

বিরক্ত সন্ন্যাসী আমার রাজ-দরশন
স্ত্রী-দরশন-সম বিষের ভক্ষণ

virakta sannyasi amara raja-darasana
stri-darasana-sama visera bhaksana

"I am a sannyasi, I am vexed by the material world. For Me, meeting a king is same as to meet a woman or take poison."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.11.7)

"I do not want to meet with King Prataparudra, because I am a virakta-sannyasi, I am always annoyed and do not want to see anybody—if I meet with Prataparudra, it is like meeting with a lady and taking poison!"

শুক্লবস্ত্রে মসি-বিন্দু যৈছে না লুকায় ।
সন্ন্যাসীরে অল্প ছিদ্র সর্ব্বলোকে গায় ॥

sukla-vastre masi-bindu yaichhe na lukaya
sannyasira alpa chhidra sarva-loke gaya

"As soon as the general public finds a little fault in the behavior of a sannyasi, they advertise it like wildfire. A black spot of ink cannot be hidden on a white cloth. It is always very prominent."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.12.51)

প্রভু কহে,—পূর্ণ যৈছে দুগ্ধের কলস ।
সুরাবিন্দু-পাতে, কেহ না করে পরশ ॥

prabhu kahe,—purna yaichhe dugdhera kalasa
sura-bindu-pate keha na kare parasa

"Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, 'There may be much milk in a big pot, but if it is contaminated by a drop of liquor, it is untouchable.'"

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.12.53)

If you wear a white cloth and put some black spot on it, it is very bad. A sannyasi must be always clean—if any black spot comes, it is very bad for his life. Mahaprabhu explained to Chhota Haridas also what is kapata-vairagya:

প্রভু কহে,—"বৈরাগী করে প্রকৃতি সম্ভাষণ ।
দেখিতে না পারোঁ আমি তাহার বদন ॥

prabhu kahe,—"vairagi kare prakrti sambhasana
dekhite na paron ami tahara vadana"

The Lord said, "If someone mixes with women, I do not want to see their face!"

দুর্ব্বার-ইন্দ্রিয় করে বিষয়-গ্রহণ ।
দারু-প্রকৃতি হরে মুনেরপি মন ॥

durvara indriya kare visaya-grahana
daravi prakrti hare munerapi mana

"So strongly do the senses adhere to the objects of their enjoyment that indeed a wooden statue of a woman attracts the mind of even a great saintly person."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.2.117-118)

Chhota Haridas brought some rice from Madhavi Devi, and Mahaprabhu did not like it, so in order to teach him, Mahaprabhu said, "You are a brahmachari, but you go to take something from a lady, you go to see ladies! I do not want to see your face!"

প্রভু কহে,—মোর বশ নহে মোর মন ।
প্রকৃতিসম্ভাষী বৈরাগী না করে দর্শন ॥

prabhu kahe,—"mora vasa nahe mora mana
prakrti-sambhasi vairagi na kare darsana

"Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, 'My mind is not under My control. It does not like to see anyone in the renounced order who talks intimately with women.'"

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.2.124)

'গৃহস্থ' হঞা নহে রায় ষড়্­বর্গের বশে ।
'বিষয়ী' হঞা সন্ন্যাসীরে উপদেশে ॥

'grhastha' hana nahe raya sad-vargera vase
'visayi' hana sannyasire upadese

"Although Ramananda Raya was a householder, he was not under the control of the six kinds of bodily changes. Although apparently a pounds-and-shillings man, he advised even persons in the renounced order."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.5.80)

"Raya Ramananda is a grihastha, and I am a sannyasi—why am I taking advice from Raya Ramananda? Because even though he is a grihastha, he is free from a particular kind of a disease—sad-varga (six faults—kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, matsarya) cannot control him. That is why although he is a householder, he advises a sannyasi."

বিষয়ীর অন্ন খাইলে মলিন হয় মন ।
মলিন মন হৈলে, নহে কৃষ্ণ-নাম গ্রহণ ॥
বিষয়ীর অন্ন হয় 'রাজস' নিমন্ত্রণ ।
দাতা, ভোক্তা,—দুঁহার মলিন হয় মন ॥

visayira anna khaile malina haya mana
malina mana haile, nahe krsna-nama grahana
visayira anna haya 'rajasa' nimantrana
data, bhokta,—dunhara malina haya mana

"If you take food that comes from materialistic people, your mind becomes contaminated. When your mind is contaminated, you cannot chant the Name of Krishna. When one accepts an invitation from a person contaminated by the material mode of passion, the person who offers the food and the person who accepts it are both mentally contaminated."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.6.278-279)

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