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Chapter 9 Renunciation Through Utilisation True and False renunciation

ONE DAY Srila Sanatana Gosvami humbly asked the Lord to explain yukta-vairagya (renunciation through utilisation)

Srila Sanatana said, "According to Mayavadis, the perfectly
renounced sannyasi considers the material world and matter to be
crow's stool at best. I have the desire to learn the proper duties of a
Vaisnava. Be merciful and instruct me on this subject, so that I may
treasure these instructions and always follow them."
The Lord replied, "Renunciation is of two kinds: yukta and
phalgu, (true and false). I have taught this repeatedly."
False Renunciation
Lord Caitanya continued, :When fruitive workers and empirical
philosophers deviate from the Vedic instructions, the devil of false
renunciation creeps into their hearts. At this juncture a transient
feeling of cloyingness with family life overwhelms them and they
frantically seek a life apart from materialism.
However, they neither find any interest in serving the Supreme
Lord (Krsna) and the saintly Vaisnavas, nor in enjoying sense
gratification. In this bizarre situation their hearts dry up and life
becomes joyless. They are unable to develop a taste for chanting the
Lord's holy name, or remembering His form, attributes and
transcendental pastimes.
Yukta-vairagya or true renunciation
Lord Caitanya continued, "A true renunciant is successful in all
of his devotional practices, He accepts everything that is favourable for
the execution of devotional service to Krsna and attains the goal He
can easily give up attachment for material things and family life, and
having taken shelter of the Lord's spiritual potency, he very soon
tastes the nectar of transcendental devotional service.
"Lord Krsna is very pleased with His devotees who engage in
unalloyed devotional service. Thus, He promises in the Bhagavad-
gita: na me bhakta pranasyati - 'My devotee never perishes'.
"When the Lord is pleased with His devotee, He showers him
with unlimited mercy. He becomes fortunate and a rare soul. The
super-excellent spiritual emotions of Goloka, the highest transcendental
abode, manifest within his heart. He becomes an eternal resident of
Goloka Vrndavana in the spiritual sky even while residing in Gokula
on the earth planet where the supreme Lord performed His
transcendental pastimes. He is never again deluded by the material
energy."
Root out dry and joyless renunciation
My dear brothers! Stop practicing dry, joyless renunciation and
cultivate within your heart the taste for real renunciation by utilising
matter without attachment for it.
Tell me where can you live in this world without material
contact? Even if you escape to the forest, you will find material
entanglement, material life, and so on all around you. The stomach
will accompany you to the forest to maintain your body. Just try and
imagine the dilemma you have to face.
Without food and care the body will become quickly wasted,
and if we give up the body prematurely, then the rare opportunity to
conquer maya, the illusory potency, is lost. And if you manage to
somehow live, you will still be too weak and ineffectual. An extremely
debilitated physical condition obfuscates the mind. Thus, with a
diminishing intellect and hazy mind, how can you realise absolute
knowledge?
Cultivate Yukta-vairagya
Remain in your house and chant the name of Lord Krsna
constantly. Utilise different material objects properly but without any
attachment for them. Realise the true purport of the word yatha-
yogya (real or appropriate). Do not misconstrue its meaning and then
lead a life of debauchery. Accept everything favourable and reject
everything unfavourable for the execution of pure devotional service.
One who rejects the true meaning of the instruction and follows
the misconstrued meaning becomes attracted to sense gratification, and
is forced to remain on the crooked path of self-deceit. amassing
immense wealth he pampers his palate with good food, wears fine
clothes, and spends days and nights in carnal pursuits in the company
of ladies. At other times, the fool hunts for comfortable beds and
lavish houses.
It is essential to maintain body and soul, so strive to keep this
body fit. Consume food that is pure and in the mode of goodness,
and do not use intoxicants. Be kind to all living entities and chant
the holy name of the Lord loudly and clearly.
Do not use demigod worship and a show of religiosity as an
excuse to enjoy the senses. Be detached from the material sense
objects and rise above the dualities of attraction and repulsion. At all
times be free from envy and deceit. Befriend every living and live
purely. This is my advice for those who value it.
Cultivate undeviating resolve in devotional service in the quiet of
seclusion. Utilise all your time in lovingly serving the Supreme Lord
(Krsna). Do not endeavour to build big temples or massive mansions
to live in. If you have wealth, then use it properly and fulfil your
spiritual wishes.
In case you are poor, live purely, offer water and tulasi to the Lord
and hold Him always within your heart. With feelings of genuine
love implore to the Lord saying, "O Lord, I am Yours! Kindly place
Your lotus feet on the throne of my heart."
Be always affectionate and respectful to the Vaisnavas, taking
care to serve them with offering prasadam and other personal services.
Again, in case you are without any means, then satisfy them with your
kindness and sweet words. Endear yourself to Lord Krsna's eternal
associates, servitors and the gopi damsels that serve the Lord so well.
Embrace them within your heart with deep love.
A yukta-vairagi, or real renunciant, practices constant devotional
service, remembering and chanting the Lord's names and pastimes.
He will show compassion to all living beings.
Lord Krsna may not provide us the association of His eternal
servitors; or He may confiscate everything we possess which He
Himself had kindly given, yet to us He will always remain the source
of divine, unlimited bliss. This is the way of Lord Gauranga Krsna
but I will never leave Him. Therefore, discard your lamentation and
illusion and chant the holy names of Krsna incessantly. Jagai humbly
declares that he prefers this transcendental mellow of always fighting
with Lord Gauranga, than anything else.

Caste and Family Lineage Eligibility to worship the Lord FAITH ALONE QUALIFIES a man to chant the holy name of Krsna, not the mundane hair-splitting analysis of caste, creed or family lineage. an elevated birth in a brahmana family does not necessarily make him eligible for chanting the Lord's name, similarly a lowborn person having proper faith is certainly not rejected from the path of devotional service. Non-devotees are puffed up by high birth

In ordinary materialistic society those taking high birth are a
privileged class, but to a devotee of Krsna all such material
designations are inconsequential.
Persons becoming puffed up by high birth disparage the process
of devotional service and thus pave their way to hell. They disrespect
the devotees of the Lord and cannot discriminate between religion and
irreligion. Confounded by self-conceit they engage in sinful and illicit
activities.
A low born devotee is superior to a high born non devotee
If a low born cobbler,, who must handle animal hide, worships
the Supreme Lord Krsna, certainly receives the full mercy of the
Lord. But if a brahmana born of a high lineage does not worship the
Supreme Lord Krsna, becomes bereft of all good qualities and forfeits
the Lord's mercy. A well-bred brahmana may possess the twelve
brahmanical qualities as enumerated in the scriptures, but if he does
not serve the Supreme Lord (Krsna) then he paves his path to hell.
A devotee engaged in devotional service to Lord Krsna is
immediately decorated with all good qualities. These manifest in him
automatically and become his constant companion. Decorations on a
dead body look grotesque and shocking, similarly devotional practices
like chanting and austerities performed by non-devotees are superficial
and a sham.
Freedom form attraction and repulsion for matter
My dear brothers, cultivate undeviating devotion for Lord
Caitanya, the son of Mother Saci. Then you can easily forget all the
false identifications of this body. Caste, race, etc. will not matter to
you any more.
If you can discard false ego and pride, you can facilely give up
attachment for material life. Once detachment comes, your heart will
become pure. Withdraw your senses and subdue the passion for
material life; simultaneously, develop attachment and attraction for the
Lord's lotus feet.
You may be born as a brahmana, but you must root out the
pride of being born in a high class family and become meek and
humble.
The Lord is compassionate to the humble
The Supreme Lord is always mercifully disposed towards
humbler persons. Arrogance and humility cannot reside harmoniously
in a person.
Pride draws one to hell, so scrupulously avoid it. Become
humble and surrender yourself to the lotus feet of Sri Radha and Sri
Govinda and experience the greatest joy.
O Lord Nityananda! When will I receive Your mercy so that I
can take shelter of Your lotus feet and give up my insolence and false
pride?

Chapter 11 The Lamp of Navadvipa Sri Navadvipa and Sri Vrndavana are non-different THE EARTH IS THE FOREMOST PLANET in the entire universe and Gauda, Bengal, is the most elevated country on this earth. In Bengal, Navadvipa, consisting of 164sq. miles, is incalculably auspicious tract of land in the entire cosmos.

The holy Ganga flows through this land, and the sacred waters
of the rivers Yamuna and Sarasvati converge here into the Ganga.
On Ganga's eastern bank is Mayapura, the direct manifestation and
exact replica of Goloka Vrndavana in the spiritual sky. In the house
of Sri Saci-devi in Mayapura, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Sri Gauranga, appeared for the pleasure of His parents.
Towards the end of the previous yuga, namely in Dvapara-yuga,
the Supreme Personality as Krsna had performed super-excellent and
transcendental pastimes that of the rasa dance, with Srimati Radhika
and all the young damsels of Vraja. As Lord Krsna, the son of
Mother Yasoda and Nanda Maharaja, He descended to this material
world with His associates, paraphernalia, the spiritual abode Vraja,
etc. He brought with Him the highest precious treasure of Goloka
Vrndavana, namely the parakiya-bhava, or the loving conjugal
exchanges in the mood of a paramour lover. He had exhibited this
mood in the rasa dance with the young damsels of Vrndavana.
That same Supreme Personality has now descended again to the
material world in His own transcendental abode of Mayapura in
Bengal and brought with Him that same spiritual, loving mood. But
this time It is carefully camouflaged.
The esoteric reason for Lord Gauranga's appearance
The Supreme Lord Sri Krsna had three intimate desires which
remained unfulfilled, even after having performed so many pastimes.
Therefore, appearing as Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu, He came to relish
the fulfilment of all those desires.
He always wanted to understand the glory of Radharani's love
for Him, the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes
through Her love, the divine ecstasy She experiences when She
realises the sweetness of His love for Her. Lord Krsna, as the
Supreme Enjoyer and Hero of all pastimes, had never tasted the three
mellows of happiness relished by Srimati Radharani. The divine
ecstasy She experiences when She realises the sweetness of His love
for Her.
Therefore, Lord Krsna decided to manifest Himself as His own
devotee in the form of Lord Caitanya, imbued with the inner
sentiment and bodily lustre of Srimati Radharani.
Having considered all this, Lord Krsna appeared in Navadvipa,
Bengal, with all His associates, paraphernalia, transcendental abode,
etc. accompanied by feelings of great happiness.
Serving Krsna is part of worshipping Lord Gauranga
My dear brothers! Give up your material aspirations and plans
and come and reside in Navadvipa. Serve the Supreme Lord Sri
Gauranga by remembering His most confidential transcendental
pastimes He performs throughout the day and night (asta-kaliya-lila).
All your miseries and distresses will disappear.
Lord Krsna's transcendental pastimes in Goloka are divided into
eight three-hourly pastimes covering day and night. These pastimes
are known as asta-kaliya-lila and are eternally going on. Each of
these eight pastimes inspires a particular mood. When they are
relished in the mood set by Lord Caitanya, one experiences the
highest ecstatic prema.
One who has developed a single-minded resolve to worship Lord
Krsna, should meditate on the eight three hourly by pastimes of Lord
Caitanya in Navadvipa. They are the repositories of priceless gems of
ecstatic love of Krsna. If one wants to worship Lord Krsna but is
not submerged in the devotional mood of Lord Caitanya, he can
never perceive the most confidential and esoteric truth about Krsna.
An acarya is not restricted by varnasrama system
To be a real acarya does not depend on whether one is a
sannyasi or belongs to any of the three other orders of the varnasrama
system, or even whether he is born outside of the varnasrama society.
What decides the issue is whether he has realised the Absolute Truth
about Lord Krsna.
If one rejects the Absolute Truth for the non-essential, material
system of varnasrama, then he is led to a bogus spiritual master. This
association jeopardises his spiritual birth.

Chapter 12 The Glories of the Vaisnavas Devotional and places of pilgrimage A PERSON WHO GOES to a place of pilgrimage only for taking a bath in holy rivers and worships the deity, whom he considers to be made of stone, will take a very long time to develop true religious sentiments.

On the other hand, as soon as one sees a pure devotee of the
Lord, his heart is cleansed of all unwanted material desires. He is
put into touch with the highest objective of life, and transcendental
devotional service dawns within his heart like the rising morning sun
that dissipates all darkness.
Associating with a pure devotee
After many births, when the living entity receives the causeless
mercy of the Supreme Lord, he comes into contact with a pure
devotee of the Lord and by this association he becomes gradually free
from the material disease.
The pure devotee purified the conditioned soul's heart and he
understands unequivocally that Lord Krsna is the Supreme Personality
of Godhead and the Lord of all other lords.
The kanistha-adhikari (neophyte devotee)
A neophyte devotee is one who has received formal initiation
from a spiritual master and worships the Deity form of the Lord
strictly adhering to rules and regulations. He cannot distinguish
between an intermediate devotee and a pure devotee. He does not
know how to properly respect a pure, elevated devotee of the Lord.
The madhyama-adhikari (intermediate devotee)
An intermediate devotee is one who has developed love for the
Supreme Lord Krsna, is affectionate and friendly to the Lord's
devotees, is compassionate to the innocent and avoids the association
of envious non-devotees. Very soon, on the strength of his
devotional service and Krsna's mercy, an intermediate devotee
becomes a first class devotee or uttama-adhikari.
The uttama-adhikari (first class devotee)
According to the instructions of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, a
first class (or pure) devotee of the Lord is one who sees Krsna in
every living entity and sees every living entity as part and parcel of the
Supreme Lord. He is completely free from envy, anger or hate, and
he has no friends or enemies. He is spiritually highly enlightened and
is best amongst the Lord's devotees.
The best of the first class devotees utilises his senses and things
of this material world in executing pure devotional service. Free from
the vices of greed, hate, anger, etc. he constantly perceives the
Supreme Lord and His energies manifest everywhere.
The wise devotee spends his days remembering and meditating
on Lord Krsna's pastimes. He is no longer deluded by the temporary
nature of mundane life and material duties. He is free from the urges
of his body and sense, mind and material intelligence, and he is
transcendental to the dualities of birth and death, fear, hunger and
thirst.
One whose heart has become the permanent abode of Lord
Krsna, the son of Mother Yasoda, executes his duties only to
maintain the body. He cleanses his heart of any desire to engage in
fruitive activities. Such is the process of pure devotional service.
Devotee is free from all material designations
The natural propensity for one who is in the material concept of
life is to be attracted to speculative knowledge, fruitive activities and
the designations of caste and social order. when the pure soul begins
associating with the body, he develops the mood of false identification,
such as 'me' and 'mine'. But one who is free from such false
identification is to be considered an eternally liberated soul and dear
to the Supreme Lord Hari.
He who is free from possessiveness and is completely detached
from material things does not make bodily distinctions like 'you' and
'me', which create imaginary friends and enemies. One who looks
equally upon all living entities, making no distinctions between them,
is an equiposed person, free from anxiety. He is certainly to be
counted amongst the best of the devotees of the Lord.
He never leaves the shelter of the Lord's lotus feet, even if he is
offered all the opulences of the entire universe in exchange. The
Lord's lotus feet are the most coveted object of the demigods and
sages. Never for a single moment does he forget the lotus feet of Sri
Krsna, he is foremost amongst the pure devotees of the Lord, and he
is always in a blissful state of consciousness.
Devotee is free from the threefold miseries
One who comes into contact with Lord Krsna's lotus feet has
extinguished the fire of material desire within his heart by the
soothing, iridescent rays emanating from the moonlike nails of the
Lord's lotus feet. Why should he crave for the conflagration of
material existence when his heart can always remain cool under the
comforting shade of the Lord's lotus feet?
Other symptoms of a firs-class devotee
Once the devotee fastens Lord Krsna's lotus feet with the bonds
of love, the Supreme Lord can never leave the throne of his heart. A
first-class devotee of the Lord is automatically free from all duties and
responsibilities, because he is wholly surrendered to the holy name of
the Lord. Even in an unconscious state, he utters the Lord's name
purely.
One who understands the temporary nature of material duties
and responsibilities, leaves all material activities and takes complete
shelter of Krsna's lotus feet is certainly a first-class, elevated devotee
and is very rarely found. The devotee engaged in devotional service,
fully cognisant of the transcendental truth about Lord Krsna's original
form, holy name, pure devotees and the process of devotional service,
is indeed foremost amongst the Vaisnavas.
One who worships the Supreme Lord and His holy name with
undivided faith, knowing Them to be non-different, although he does
not understand the intricacies of his own spiritual identity, is also to
be considered a very elevated, first-class Vaisnava. This is Lord
Caitanya's opinion.

Chapter 13 Eagerness to see Lord Gauracandra

O MY DEAR LORD GAURANGA! I am to be deprived of the association of Your lotus feet, because I wished to go to Sri Vrndavana-dhama. It suddenly came to my mind that I want to see Your pastimes there. I do not know why I was overcome and goaded on by such a desire,, but now I am regretting it. I feel like putting an end to my life. I cannot continue to live without seeing You. I do not know what I should do presently.

Those lovely, reddish lotus feet of Lord Gauranga are my most
treasured object. Alas! I am so foolish I left them behind me in Puri.
Now I cannot see them as they tenderly leave their impression on the
sands of Purusottama-ksetra. I do not know the reason for my
coming here; it is only my restless mind that must fly about like a
loose bird. I am loosing my head in this confusion.
My feet drag me away from Him although my mind refuses to
follow. My stubborn nature goads me on; oh! the whimsical ways of
love, they turn me into a dancing doll. Completely confused, I feel
like a lifeless man. Lord Gauranga's playful ways are
incomprehensible to me, and it plunges me into an ocean of distress.
That which I most desire remains beyond my reach. I do not know
my own mind any more.
I want to relinquish my life for Lord Gauranga, yet death
escapes me. I throw myself into the ocean wanting to drown, I choke,
and splutter being profusely dunked in the salty ocean water. But the
intense yearning to see the moon-like face of my beloved Lord, makes
me quickly swim to the sandy beach. And when I search for Him,
He is not there any more. My mind takes wings; swiftly, I run to the
temple of Tota Gopinatha.
In the courtyard of Sri Gopinatha's temple I see the divine face
of my Lord, and I fall down unconscious in a state of ecstasy. On
regaining consciousness, I look around and find that I have been
brought inside. It must have been Gadadhara Pandita who brought
me in. I faintly hear my Lord Gauranga and Gadadhara Pandita
discussing me. Right away, tears well up in my eyes, and I roll on
the ground, losing composure.
I cannot bear even a moment's separation from the Lord,
because my beloved Sri Gaurasundara always dances in the chambers
of my heart. He does not allow me to end my life, and if I remain
alive, then we constantly quarrel with each other. I don't know what
can sustain my life.
Therefore, it is incomprehensible to me what intelligence
prompted me to act in this way. although I am aware of my own
nature, yet I wanted to leave the association of the Lord's lotus feet
and go to Vrndavana. This would have certainly dashed all my
spiritual hopes for success in this lifetime and the next. I received
permission to go to Vrndavana, and now if I do not fulfil His wishes,
then I stand to commit a grave offense. On the other hand, I will
surely die if I am unable to see the blooming, full-moon face of my
beloved Lord Gauranga. I am thus tortured on the horns of a
dilemma.
Whoever has been captivated by Lord Gauranga's love is in
deep waters, a precarious situation where there is a tug-of-war
between life and death. This is the woeful condition of all the
followers of Gadadhara Pandita. Even now you can hear everyone
whispering to each other about these facts

Chapter 14 Contradictory Transformation Perceiving Vrndavana in Navadvipa

ALAS! I COULD NOT visit Vrndavana. Each time I made an attempt to go the memory of my Lord's beautiful face brought me back. I began to meditate on His golden transcendental form, and immediately I lost composure. I became confused about the direction and arrived at some unknown place. First, I had set out in one direction; then retracted my steps, and after some walking I started to recognise landmarks, so I finally sat down.

I don't know what is to become of me. If I continue in this
manner, I doubt if I will ever reach Vrndavana. Sometimes I spend
days and nights sitting wide awake under a tree, and at other times, I
fall into a deep slumber deliberating on this matter.
I sleep and dream that I have travelled to a faraway place.
There on the ocean shore I see my beloved Lord Sri Gauranga's
beautiful dancing figure. Gadadhara Pandita and all the devotees
around Him and dance in ecstasy to sweet music and singing, which
is like sprinklings of nectar to the senses.
After the dancing and singing stopped, my Lord Gauranga
approached me, and taking me by the hand, said, "You left because
you are angry with Me, but tell Me what is My fault if you are
feeling restless. Now you have run away to Vraja, leaving Me here.
Enough of this now. Come, let Me embrace you and hold My
breast against yours to drive away the desolation in My heart.
"Cook rice and spinach (sak) for Me this afternoon and satisfy
My hunger. O Jagadananda, My mind is bereft of joy since you left.
In My condition I have just mechanically consumed food. You are
always so cruel to Me. I am yet to fathom the cause of your sudden
departure, but all I know is that you left Me morose and pining.
"Go and see Vraja-dhama, this will make you happy. But
return very quickly, because I want to eat rice and sak prepared by
you. Your cooking will resuscitate Me, and I know this will also
please you. And then, never again leave Me in a huff."
When I awoke from my dream, I noticed that Vrndavana
(Vrajabhumi), was far away, but Ganga was very near. Oh, how
wonderful is Navadvipa-dhama, the transcendental abode where my
Lord Gauranga performed His eternal pastimes. It is the exact replica
of Vraja dhama in every respect.
Bounding with gleeful exuberance, I cam to Mayapura and went
straight to the house of my Lord. Entering into the inner quarters, I
found Mother Saci and offered my obeisances. We spoke about
Lord Gauranga, the subject which is closest to our hearts, and then I
went out to savour the opulence of Navadvipa.
I thought I was in Vrndavana as I went around looking at the
different places in Navadvipa. Thus, it finally occurred to me that
there was no need to go so far away to see Vrndavana. If I can see
my beloved Lord, then I forget all of my miseries and thus escape the
excruciating pain of separation from Him and His abode.

Chapter 15 The Forenoon Pastimes of Navadvipa-dhama

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