20221221 The Basic Principle Sustaining the Lives of Lord Caitanya’s Devotees Is Renunciation

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on December 21st,2022 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Hare Kṛṣṇa! Dear Devotees! Today we will continue with the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book. Today's chapter is entitled as:

The Basic Principle Sustaining the Lives of Lord Caitanya’s Devotees is Renunciation

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.214

paradina haite raghunāthera rātrite siṁhadvāre prasādārthirūpe pratīkṣā:—

āra dina haite ’puṣpa-añjali’ dekhiyā
siṁha-dvāre khāḍā rahe bhikṣāra lāgiyā

Translation: Beginning from the sixth day, Raghunātha dāsa would stand at the gate known as Siṁha-dvāra to beg alms after the puṣpa-añjali ceremony, in which flowers were offered to the Lord.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, although Raghunatha dāsa was from a multi-millionaire family, he was showing extreme renunciation by his begging at the door of Jagannātha Purī temple.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.215

gṛhagamanodyata gṛhavrata jagannāthasevakagaṇera rātrite pūjānte. dvārasthita prasādārthī vaiṣṇavake prasāda-dāna rīti:—

jagannāthera sevaka yata—‘viṣayīra gaṇa’
sevā sāri’ rātrye kare gṛhete gamana

Translation: After finishing their prescribed duties, the many servants of Lord Jagannātha, who are known as viṣayīs, return home at night.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.216

siṁha-dvāre annārthī vaiṣṇave dekhiyā
pasārira ṭhāñi anna dena kṛpā ta’ kariyā

Translation: If they see a Vaiṣṇava standing at the Siṁha-dvāra begging alms, out of mercy they arrange with the shopkeepers to give him something to eat.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, in this way from the sixth day Raghunatha dāsa was taking prasāda by begging.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.217

puruṣottamakṣetre niṣkiñcana virakta bhaktera vyavahāra varṇana:—

ei-mata sarva-kāla āche vyavahāra
niṣkiñcana bhakta khāḍā haya siṁha-dvāra

Translation: Thus it is a custom for all time that a devotee who has no other means of support stands at the siṁha-dvāra gate to receive alms from the servants.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this was the system followed by Raghunatha dāsa, although in his formal life he was a rich man’s son, here he is exhibiting extreme renunciation.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.218

sarva-dina karena vaiṣṇava nāma-saṅkīrtana
svacchande karena jagannātha daraśana

Translation: A completely dependent Vaiṣṇava thus chants the holy name of the Lord all day and sees Lord Jagannātha with full freedom.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Jagannātha Baladeva Subhadrā and Sudarśana-cakra are seen by the devotees who are fully surrendered chanting the harināma-saṅkīrtana so this process was followed by Raghunatha dāsa.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.219

keha chatre māgi’ khāya, yebā kichu pāya
keha rātre bhikṣā lāgi’ siṁha-dvāre raya

Translation: It is a custom for some Vaiṣṇavas to beg from the charity booths and eat whatever they obtain, whereas others stand at night at the Siṁha-dvāra gate, begging alms from the servants.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.220

prabhubhaktera vyavahāra; kṛṣṇaprītyarthe svabhoga-tyāga vā akhilaceṣṭā:—

mahāprabhura bhakta-gaṇera vairāgya pradhāna
yāhā dekhi’ prīta hana gaura-bhagavān

Translation: Renunciation is the basic principle sustaining the lives of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s devotees. Seeing this renunciation, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is extremely satisfied.

Purport: Anyone, whether an ordinary materialistic person or a pure devotee, can understand the behavior of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s devotees if he studies it minutely. One will thus find that the devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu are not at all attached to any kind of material enjoyment. They have completely given up sense enjoyment to engage fully in the service of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and dedicate their lives and souls to serving Kṛṣṇa without material desires. Because their devotional service is free from material desires, it is unimpeded by material circumstances. Although ordinary men have great difficulty understanding this attitude of the devotees, it is greatly appreciated by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, understanding these principles His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, he made a simple system, following the four regulative principles and chanting 16 rounds minimum every day. This is the renunciation which he considered suitable for this day and age, taking prasāda and avoiding meat eating, intoxication, gambling and illicit sex and engaging in devotional service as much as possible. The six Gosvāmīs in Vṛndāvana would live under tree. But Śrīla Prabhupāda saw that the devotees of the present time they could not follow or imitate the six Gosvāmīs. But if they lived in the āśrama or in the home, if they would regularly worship deity and take prasāda that would be the level of renunciation that they could maintain. In Kali yuga, to take sannyāsa or going to the forest is prohibited, therefore one is recommended to be a gṛhastha, there we want the ladies, then husbands and wife to both practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness and thus follow the standard of renounced life, not taking non-veg etc.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.221

prabhuke govindakarttṛka raghunāthera siṁhadvāre prasādārtha pratīkṣā-saṁvāda-jñāpana:—

prabhure govinda kahe,—“raghunātha ’prasāda’ nā laya
rātrye siṁha-dvāre khāḍā hañā māgi’ khāya”

Translation: Govinda said to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, “Raghunātha dāsa no longer takes prasādam here. Now he stands at the Siṁha-dvāra, where he begs some alms to eat.”

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.222

raghunāthera tyaktagṛha vā ‘vairāgī’-saṁjñā; tāṅhāra vairāgye prabhura santoṣa:—

śuni’ tuṣṭa hañā prabhu kahite lāgila
“bhāla kaila, vairāgīra dharma ācarila

Translation: When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu heard this, He was greatly satisfied. “Raghunātha dāsa has done well,” He said. “He has acted suitably for a person in the renounced order.

Jayapatākā Swami: Since Raghunatha dāsa had taken a renounced life, left his home and went to Jagannātha Purī to join Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So his life also transformed and he practiced vairāgya or renunciation.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.223

prabhurttṛka vairāgī vā tyaktagṛhera vaidha o avaidha ācāra vā dharma varṇana:—

vairāgī karibe sadā nāma-saṅkīrtana
māgiyā khāñā kare jīvana rakṣaṇa

Translation: “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.

Purport: As stated in the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa at the end of the twentieth vilāsa (366, 379, 382):

A well-to-do householder Vaiṣṇava cannot live like a person in the renounced order who completely takes shelter of the holy name. Such a householder should chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa in the morning, at midday and in the evening. Then he will be able to cross beyond nescience. Pure devotees in the renounced order, however, who fully surrender to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, should chant the holy name of the Lord with great love and faith, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. They should have no occupation other than chanting the holy name of the Lord.

In the Bhakti-sandarbha (283), Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī says:

“It is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam’s opinion that the process of Deity worship is not actually necessary, just as the specific prescriptions of the Pañcarātra and other scriptures do not have to be followed. The Bhāgavatam enjoins that even without practicing Deity worship one can achieve the complete success of human life by any of the other devotional processes, such as simply offering oneself at the Lord’s feet for His protection.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda had engaged his disciples in distributing books. In the Western world if we beg from people, they think that you are a parasite of the society, so had had us give out books or prasāda and take donations, to live in the temple or āśrama and take some prasada. But what is possible in India is not necessarily possible in the modern world. Five hundred year ago the situation was much different. Even when I came to India 50 years ago sādhus could ride free on trains but they had to sit on the floor.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.224

vairāgī hañā yebā kare parāpekṣā
kārya-siddhi nahe, kṛṣṇa karena upekṣā

Translation: “A vairāgī [a person in the renounced order] should not depend on others. If he does so, he will be unsuccessful, and he will be neglected by Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: This is the process of vairagya, that was practiced fife hundred years ago.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.225

vairāgī hañā kare jihvāra lālasa
paramārtha yāya, āra haya rasera vaśa

Translation: “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.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, that’s why one must take veg, no fish, no eggs, no meat, in this way we take prasāda offered to the deities. Raghunatha dāsa was getting the prasāda at the Siṁha-dvāra of the Jagannātha Purī temple, so that he would get Jagannatha prasāda.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.226

vairāgīra kṛtya—sadā nāma-saṅkīrtana
śāka-patra-phala-mūle udara-bharaṇa

Translation: “The duty of a person in the renounced order is to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra always. He should satisfy his belly with whatever vegetables, leaves, fruits and roots are available.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.227

jihvāra lālase yei iti-uti dhāya
śiśnodara-parāyaṇa kṛṣṇa nāhi pāya”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this verse is very famous that the system of satisfying the tongue, belly and genital means that you don’t achieve Kṛṣṇa. So that’s why the devotee, he or she takes Kṛṣṇa-prasāda and engages in devotional service. Even if they are householder they also chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, all the time, at least morning, noon and night. They read Bhagavad-gītā and Caitanya-caritāmṛta and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and in their home they may engage in deity worship in this way their home is like a temple.

Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Thus ends the chapter entitled, The Basic Principle Sustaining the Lives of Lord Caitanya’s Devotees is Renunciation
Under the section: How Pradyumna Miśra Received Instructions from Rāmānanda Rāya