Life beyond Renunciation

Question: I have always understood that renunciation means to utilise everything in the service of Krishna. Especially in the Western countries, there is very much opulence, and this opulence is often utilised in Krishna's service to attract living entities or people to Krishna consciousness. So, in the midst of all this opulence, it seems almost like a paradox to live a very simple life because this opulence, especially in the West, brings a lot of complexities and entanglement with this material world...

It depends on the case. Although there is a general law regarding vairagya (renunciation, detachment), it must still be applied differently in each individual case. For example, what is vairagya to Ramananda Ray may not be vairagya to Raghunath Das. Ramananda Ray can handle the most tempting things for service of Krishna, he has shown his ideal in that way, but that is not to be accepted as the general direction. And Raghunath Das showed extreme and very strict abnegation, which is not possible for an ordinary soul.

So, the general rule to renounce everything is not what vairagya is. Real vairagya is to handle everything for Krishna. But in particular cases, when that is not possible or when it creates temptation in you, you will try to be aloof and indifferent from that sort of handling and do as much as you can manage. Suppose rich food like ghee or milk is required to carry out some hard labour for the service of Krishna's mission, but if you are a patient who cannot digest milk, what should you do? You will serve according to your capacity, and you must be satisfied with that sort of service. So, there is a general law as well as a special law for each individual. We should adjust according to our capacity.

The highest law is that you must not leave anything but try to utilise everything for His service. You are a servant. You are to serve, and there are many objects through which you are to serve. At the same time, it does not look good if you feel tempted. If you see something that is to be offered to Krishna and feel tempted to use it for your own pleasure, then you are not a standard servitor. The highest type of servant will handle everything for Krishna without feeling any tendency to exploit, or enjoy, that. This is the highest standard. If you are not on that highest plane, you will adjust accordingly so that you may not become entangled in the land of exploitation. At the same time, we should be careful so that we may not enter the group of renunciates, thinking, 'This is bad! That is bad! Everything is bad!' Because I cannot utilise something in service of Krishna, I become disturbed and think that this thing is bad, that thing is bad – this hateful temperament is also dangerous. Both renunciation and exploitation are bad.

The highest ideal is to use everything for the service of Krishna, but we must adjust ourselves so that we may not become entangled. Each individual case is different, so renunciation is adopted according to one's individual capacity, but the highest ideal to utilise everything.

Nothing is bad. Everything can be utilised in Krishna's service. If we can do that, we will be real servitors. But if we are unfit – if enjoying spirit comes in the way – it will be bad, so we shall try to avoid such things. At the same time, we will think that there is nothing bad in the thing – the bad is in me. The environment is not to be hated; the hated thing is within me, and this is what is to be eliminated. If we can do that, then 'visva purna sukhayate' ('the whole universe is filled with happiness'): we will see that everything is meant for Krishna and that we are also meant for His service. Until and unless we realise this position, we must be careful in discharging our duties towards our Lord so that we may not tamper along the way, so that we may not become thieves.

We should handle everything carefully, thinking that everything is meant for the service of Krishna, and the day will come when I will feel enjoyment by seeing that everything is for Krishna. My inner enjoyment lies only in that stage, in that feeling that everything is His – just as a mother may not eat a thing but feel pleasure feeding her child, or one who loves another would rather give a thing to their beloved than take it themselves. It is possible. 'Krsna-sukhe sukha. We can be happy by seeing Krishna's happiness.' That should be our model.

We do not want any independent pleasure for ourselves. Our quest will always be to draw pleasure from Krishna's pleasure. We will serve Krishna, and when we find that He is happy, then we will be happy. Our happiness will depend on the happiness of Krishna or kasna (Vaishnavs, Krishna's servitors). This should be our ideal. We will always try to derive happiness from the happiness of Vaishnavs and Krishna, not independently. This should be our safe and happy position, and this is what is normal. It is abnormal to try to exploit or enjoy a particular thing or to cast it off hatefully thinking that it will harm me. Both are artificial. The only natural thinking is to feel, 'My master's happiness will sustain me. This is my happiness.' This should be our normal position. We should feel happy by tracing happiness in Krishna (Krsna-sukhe sukhi), in our guru (guru-sukhe sukhi) and Vaishnavs (vaisnaver sukhe sukhi hon). That happiness will be the purest happiness and pleasure. If our happiness depends on the happiness of Krishna and His own, then we are safe and have attained our best position; otherwise, independent search for gratification is condemnable for a Vaishnav. Always remain in an organic whole – the centre should be our life and the centre of all our attention. Everything around the centre must be connected with the centre. This shall be our genuine quest.

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Read more:

• The All-Auspicious Name of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math

• A Fugitive's Plea

• Service to Gaura-Gadadhar

• Soul's Svakiya and Parakiya

• Overthrowing Anarthas

• Self-Purification

• Srila Svarup Damodar Goswami: Master Acharya

• Exclusive Conception of Srila Prabhupad's Line

• Life beyond Renunciation

• Scope of Sacrifice

• Journey from Misguidance to Absolute Guidance

• Renunciation of Renunciation