750721IN.SF
Gurudasa Sannyasa Initiation

San Francisco, July 21, 1975
Prabhupada: So the mantra means etam, "by accepting this danda or sannyasa order," sa asthaya, "taking shelter of it," paratma-nistham... This accepting of this danda means full faith in the Supreme. There are four rods within this bundle. One rod is representing himself, and the other three rods means his body, mind, and word. So the person who is accepting sannyasa order, he is dedicating from this moment his personality, his body, his mind and his words. Why? Now, paratma-nistham, simply for service of the Supreme. So am I accepting something new? No. Upasitam purvatamair mahadbhih. All the great personalities in our guru parampara system, all the four acarya system, they have done it. Ramanujacarya, Visnu Svami, Madhvacarya, Nimbarkathere are four Vaisnava sampradayas. So they were all sannyasis. Now, directly, our sampradaya is Madhva-Gaudiya-sampradaya. Gaudiya-sampradaya means the Vaisnavas of the Bengal. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu is accepted as the supreme guru of this sampradaya. So His guru was Isvara Puri, and his guru was Madhavendra Puri. And this Madhavendra Puri belonged to the Madhva-sampradaya; therefore our sampradaya, this disciplic succession, is called Madhva-Gaudiya sampradaya.
So Caitanya Mahaprabhu also accepted sannyasa in very young age, when He was only twenty-five years. So why? Tyaktva turnam, rajya-laksmim dharmistha arya-vacasa yad agad aranyam. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was very, very well situated. He was born in a very respectable high brahmana family, Jagannatha Misra, and mother's side, the Nilambara Cakravarti, he was very respectable brahmana. And Caitanya Mahaprabhu's learning, nobody could excel Him, He was so learned scholar. And when He was sixteen years old, He defeated one of the most learned scholar of India, Kesava Bharati. So learning, family... And wife? Personally goddess of fortune, Laksmipriya and Visnupriya, most beautiful and young. Visnupriya was His second wife, so faithful, so beautiful, personally goddess of fortune, such wife. And mother, most affectionate. There is no comparison with Saci-mata. So this was... And influence? When He was twenty years old, He could, by His command, gather 100,000 people to protest against Kazi, He was so popular. So popularity, born in high family, having good wife and good mother, everything completestill, He took sannyasa. Therefore it is said, purvatamair mahadbhih. Why? Now, just to show mercy to the fallen souls. Maya-mrgam dayitaya [SB 11.5.34]. Just to show mercy to the fallen souls. This the the meaning of sannyasa. One must be very merciful. Vaisnavas, they are merciful. All devotees of God, Vaisnava, they are merciful. You know Lord Jesus Christ, how he was merciful.
So this human life is meant for paropakara, for doing good to others. So therefore sannyasa order means one that dedicates his whole life by word, by body and by mind, everything. So the result is that because he is sacrificing his all material connection-sannyasa means all material connectionso the result will be, aham tarisyami duranta-param. Result will... Because he is sacrificing everything for dedicating life for the service of Krsna... And Krsna warns that all these rascals should give up everything and surrender to Him. So you have to teach this, that's all. Yare dekha, tare kaha krsna-upadesa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. What Krsna desires? He comes personally, and He instructs rascals like us, "You rascal, give up all these things, material engagement. Come to Me, back to home, back to Godhead." This is Krsna's desire. So we have to preach that. We haven't got to manufacture anything. Krsna says everything. We have to simply bear the message. Krsna says like this. You do like this. That's all. You become a perfect sannyasi and you perfect. And by doing this, result will be, aham tarisyami duranta-param. This material world, the ocean of nescience, it is very, very difficult to cross it over, but by doing this service to Krsna, one can easily... Padam padam yad vipadam [SB 10.14.58]. Bhavambudhir vatsa-padam param padam. Bhavambudhih, the great ocean, becomes just like a water spot in the hoofprint of a calf. There is hoofprint, and there is some water. So there is no difficulty to cross over it. So the bhavambudhih becomes like that. Duranta-param. Why it is duranta? Tama, darkness. So mukundanghri-nisevaya. Mukunda means Krsna. Muk means liberation, mukti. So Mukunda, "one who gives liberation." That is Krsna's name. Mukundanghri. Anghri means His lotus feet.
So this is our life. Everyone should take sannyasa. But because it is Kali-yuga, it is restricted because it is very difficult. But as far as possible, we have to preach the Krsna consciousness. So although it is little difficult, so we should practice it, especially those who are in Krsna consciousness movement, and for preaching work should take sannyasa, particularly of our Guru dasa. Now he is Guru dasa Swami, his name is. So his particular life is: since the beginning of Krsna consciousness movement, he is my faithful disciple, and from 1965 or '6, he is with me. And he is very innocent boy, and I got him married. His wife is also great devotee, you know, Yamuna. So now Yamuna has taken a very nice path. She has also become sannyasini. Although there is no sannyasini for women, but she has voluntarily taken. She is doing very nice; therefore I advised her husband that "You also take sannyasa." Because wife's affection is very, very tight knot. It is stated, pumsah striya mithuni-bhavam etad tayor mitho hrdaya-granthim ahuh [SB 5.5.8]. Naturally there is tendencya man wants woman; a woman wants man. This is the material world, pumsam striya mithuni-bhavam, sex impetus. That is natural. But when they are united, that impact becomes very, very tight. It is very difficult. It is very difficult to give it up. But Krsna is so kind that his wife has voluntarily has become like sannyasini. So it is very good fortune. Therefore I advised him that instead of accepting another wife, you also become sannyasi. So he is my faithful disciple. He has accepted. And all of you Vaisnavas, give your good wishes that he can keep the sannyasa order very nicely and preach Krsna through the rest of the life. His life will become successful.
Thank you very much. [break] Next? Your spiritual name, Kaviraja dasa.
Prabhupada: Ramyaka dasa. Ramyaka means very beautiful. That is Krsna. Nobody is more beautiful than Krsna. Asitambuda-sundarangam. Although He is blackish, but nobody is more beautiful than Krsna. You are all white. (laughter) Hare Krsna.
(next devotee approaches) Alambana dasa. Alambana means reference to the context. Just like there was a great devotee of Lord Caitanya, Murari Gupta. He was a physician of the Nawab. So he was going on the back of the elephant with the Nawab, and he saw one peacock. So as soon as saw the feather of peacock, immediately he fell down. How? Because the peacock feather is on the head of Krsna, he immediately remembered Krsna. This is called alambana, "with reference to the context."
(next devotee approaches) Meru-devi, yes. Hare Krsna.
Nitai: Next, Tom... Gohita dasa.
Prabhupada: So Gohita dasa, yes.
Nitai: Mahakrama.
Prabhupada: Mahakrama dasa.
Prabhupada: Pravala-devi. Sundari-dasi. Darpada dasa. Hare Krsna. Danakeli dasi. Vaiyasaki dasa. Vaiyasaki means Sukadeva Gosvami's another name. So Badarayani dasa. Sadartheya dasa. Samapriya dasi. That's all? So, I shall go?
Devotees: Srila Prabhupada! Srila Prabhupada! Srila Prabhupada! (end)

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