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GAUDIA VAISNAVA DHARMA
AND
SANNYASA
by
Dr. Radhagovinda Nath
(From the Appendix to his edition of the
Caitanya-caritamrta of Krsnadasa Kaviraja)
translation by
Neal Delmonico (Nitai Das)
Some people ask about the place of the
institution of sannyasa
(formal
renunciation) in
the religious tradition of Gaudiya
Vaisnavism. Therefore, a little reflection on this topic
will be done here. In what condition is
taking sannyasa appropriate? That is the first thing
that should be considered. The Maitreyi Upanisad says:
yada manasi vairgyam jatam sarvesu vastusu |
tadaiva sannyased vidvan anyatha patito
bhaved ||(2.19)
"When detachment to all things is born
in the mind, then one should renounce.
Otherwise one would become fallen."
That Upanisad also says:
dravyartham anna-vastrrtham yah
pratiharthameva va |
sannyased ubhaya-bhrastah sa muktim naptum
arhati || (2.20)
"For things, for food and clothing, or
for power, one who renounces for any of those
things is fallen both now and in the future
and does not deserve liberation."
But Mahaprabhu himself has said that in the
Age of Kali there is no prescription for
sannyasa citing as evidence the Brahma-vaivarta Purana:
asvamedham gavlambham sannyasam palapaitrikam
|
devarena sutotpattim kalau pañca vivarjayet
|| (1.17.7)
"The asvamedha sacrifice, cow-killing
(in the Madhuparka rite), renunciation, offering
meat to the forefathers (?), begetting sons
by means of the husband's younger brother;
these five are to be rejected in the Age of
Kali."
36
From this it is understood that even for one
who has the qualification specified in the
sruti cited above sannyasa is not recommended in the Age
of Kali.
In Varanasa, after listening to the primary
meaning of the Vedanta-sutra
from
Mahaprabhu at the house of the Maharastrian
brahmana, one of Prakasnanda Sarasvati's
chief disciples sitting in the ashram
thinking about the Lord's explanation of Vedanta
said:
"I consider the statements
of Sri Krsnacaitanya
to be completely true.
In the Age of Kali
we do not overcome
the cycle of rebirth by sannyasa."
(C.c., Madhya, 25.27)
From this, too, it is understood that in the
Age of Kali sannyasa is without utility.
What has been said above, however, is only
the general rule. Let us see whether there is
any specific rule mentioned in the statements
of Mahaprabhu or not.
In Varanasi, in the context of describing
"that which is to be conveyed" (abhidheya-tattva,
ie. bhakti) to Sanatana Gosvamin, on the
topic the behavior of Vaisnavas, Sri
Mahaprabhu said:
Giving up association with the unholy,
this is the practice of Vaisnavas.
One who associates with women is one;
the other is the unholy non-devotee of Krsna.
Rejecting all these and varnasrama-dharma,
without possessions one should find
one's only shelter in Krsna. (C.c., Madhya,
22.49-50)
This instruction of Mahaprabhu is about the
rejection of varnasrama-dharma
for
Vaisnavas. Varnasrama-dharma means the caste system and
system of stages of life. In
scripture is found the prescription for four
stages of life – the student stage of celibacy,
the householder stage of marriage, the stage
of the hermit, and the stage of renunciation
(sannyasa). Renunciation is the fourth stage
of life. For those who practice the path of
bhakti, Mahaprabhu has said that this
(sannyasa) is also to be rejected. Rejection of the
system of castes and stages is counted as one
of the
practices of Vaisnavas.
In the context of the sixty-four limbs of
bhakti as means (sadhana-bhakti), the Lord has
37
not given any instruction for sannyasa.
Instead he has said: "knowledge and renunciation
are never parts of bhakti." (C.c.,
Madhya, 22.82)
The Gosvamin headed by Rupa, who follow the
footsteps of Sri Mahaprabhu, have
established the example of worship in the
Vaisnava tradition and have published books,
such as the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu showing the path of worship.
In their books, an
instruction for the practice of sannyasa is
not found anywhere. Also, none of them took
sannyasa. They only wore the cloth of those
without possessions (niskiñcana). Sri
Sanatana Gosvamin received one piece of an
old cloth from Tapana Misra at Varanasi
and with that made a kaupin and outer cloth.
This is the dress of one without possessions.
When Sri Jagadananda went to Vrindaban, he
one day invited Sanatana Gosvamin for
food. A sannyasi by the name of Mukunda
Sarasvati gave Sanatana an outer cloth.
Sanatana tied that outer cloth on his head
and went to keep
Jagadananda's invitation. Then:
Seeing the reddish cloth, the Pandita
became overwhelmed with love.
Thinking it the remnant of
Mahaprabhu, he questioned him:
"Where did you get this reddish
cloth?"
"Mukunda Sarasvati gave it,"
replied Sanatana.
Hearing that, sadness arose in the Pandita's
mind.
Taking up the rice pot, he came to hit him.
(C.c., Antya.13.51-53)
Sanatana was embarrassed. Seeing that,
Jagadananda Pandita placed the pot on the stove
and said to Sanatana:
You are the chief of the associates of Mahaprabhu;
There is no other as dear to Mahaprabhu as
you.
You wear another sannyasi's cloth on your
head.
When something like this happens, how can one
tolerate it?
(C.c., Antya, 13.55-6)
Then Sanatana said:
Right! Pandita Mahasaya!
No one is as dear to Caitanya as you.
This kind of unwavering faith in Caitanya is
suitable in you.
If you did not show me, how would I learn
this?
To see that, this cloth was tied on my head;
Unprecedented love have I seen before my very
eyes.
38
It is not fitting for a Vaisnava to wear
reddish cloth.
I will give it to some visitor; what need
have I with it?
(C.c., Antya, 13. 57-60)
Here Sanatana has said: "It is not
fitting for a Vaisnava to wear reddish cloth." Here this
is not a reddened cloth or a red-colored
cloth. This is the color of cloth that Mahaprabhu
used as an outer cloth (saffron), because
Jagadananda Pandita mistook it for a remnant
of Mahaprabhu. This was the outer cloth of a
sannyasi named Mukunda Sarasvati. This
was the color of cloth that sannyasis used as
outer cloths. Reddened (rakta) means dyed
or colored cloth. From Sri Sanatana's
statement it is understood that far from taking
sannyasa, Vaisnavas should not even wear
cloth colored like that of sannyasis. Someone is
perhaps able to say that the Ramanuja Sampradya
or the Madhva Sampradaya is
Vaisnava, but in these communities sannyasi
are found. In answer to this it is said that the
practices of each community of practitioners
is in accordance with attainment of that
community's desired goals. The objective of
the Ramanuja Sampradaya or of the Madhva
Sampradaya is not the same as that of the
Gaudiya Sampradaya. The object of worship of
those two communities is the Lord of the
Supreme Heaven, Narayana; the object of
worship of the Gaudiya community is Sri Krsna,
the son of leader of Vraja in Vraja. The
mood of those two communities is the mood of
godliness in Vaikuntha; the mood of the
Gaudiya community is the mood of pure
sweetness free of knowledge of godliness in
Vraja. The desired objective of those two
communities is the liberations headed by
sharing of a world (salokya), etc.; the desired
objective of the Gaudiya community is
service (seva) whose purpose is only the happiness of Krsna in Vraja. Desire
for
liberation is contrary to the mood of the
Gaudiya community, contrary to worship
(bhajana). For this community:
Obstacles to Krsna-bhakti
are all auspicious and inauspicious works.
That is one living being's
trait of the darkness of ignorance. (C.c.,
Adi, 1.52)
The darkness of ignorance
is called the fraudulent (kaitava):
All desire for piety, wealth,
sensuality, liberation, and so forth. (C.c,
Adi, 1.50)
The Bhagavata's "highest religion free from fraud" is
the religion to be practiced by the
Gaudiya community. The observance of varnasrama-dharma is favorable to the
attainment of the liberations headed by
sharing a world. For this reason, those who desire
liberation observe varnasrama-dharma.
The Tattvavadi teacher who followed Sri
Madhvacarya said to Mahaprabhu in connection
with his community's means and goal:
39
Offering varnasrama-dharma to Krsna,
this is the highest means for the devotee of
Krsna.
Attaining the five kinds of liberation and
going to Vaikuntha,
this is the highest objective according to
scripture.
(C.c., Madhya, 9.238-9)
Sri Ramanujacarya, too, in his commentary on
the Brahma-sutra
and on the Gita has
talked about the observance of varnasrama-dharma.
Previously it was said that sannyasa is a
part of varnasrama-dharma. Since the Ramanuja
community and the Madhva community, both
desirous of liberation, observe varnasramadharma,
taking sannyasa is not prohibited for them.
This for them is a specific rule. But
the Gaudiya community is not desirous of
liberation; varnasrama-dharma
and the
sannyasa that is included in it is not
suitable to their form of worship. The sannyasa that
is found in Vedic scriptures is the sannyasa
of varnasrama-dharma. Other forms of
sannyasa are not found in Vedic scriptures.
The sannyasa that was started in the Buddhist
community, which is inimical to the Vedas, is
not the sannyasa that is approved by the
Vedic scriptures. The community of sannyasi
of ten names was started by Sri
Sankaracarya, to many in imitation of the
Buddhists. Whether the titles of the ten-named
sannyasi, Giri, Puri, Vana, Bharati, and so
forth, were in use among the sannyasi who
followed the Vedic scriptures is not known.
In later times many accepted the form of
sannyasa in imitation of Sri Sankara, but did
not take the titles of the Sankara tradition.
Whether their sannyasa is the sannyasa endorsed
by the Vedic scriptures or not is a
subject for the consideration of scholars.
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