Bhagavad Gita -Srila Prabhupada 629

Shrimad Bhagavad Gita As It Is -Shri Shrimad A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

The Divine And Demoniac Natures Chapter 16: Verse- 1-3 PURPORT Then he has to purify his existence. There are so many rules and regulations to be followed in the renounced order of life. Most important of all, a sannyäsI is strictly forbidden to have any intimate relationship with a woman. He is even forbidden to talk with a woman in a secluded place. Lord Caitanya was an ideal sannyäsi, and when He was at Puré His feminine devotees could not even come near to offer their respects. They were advised to bow down from a distant place. This is not a sign of hatred for women as a class, but it is a stricture imposed on the sannyäsI not to have close connections with women. One has to follow the rules and regulations of a particular status of life in order to purify his existence. For a sannyäsi, intimate relations with women and possession of wealth for sense gratification are strictly forbidden. The ideal sannyäsé was Lord Caitanya Himself, and we can learn from His life that He was very strict in regards to women. Although He is considered to be the most liberal incarnation of Godhead, accepting the most fallen conditioned souls, He strictly followed the rules and regulations of the sannyäsa order of life in connection with association with woman. One of His personal associates, namely Choöa Haridäsa, was associated with Lord Caitanya along with His other confidential personal associates, but somehow or other this Choöa Haridäsa looked lustily on a young woman, and Lord Caitanya was so strict that He at once rejected him from the society of His personal associates. Lord Caitanya said, “For a sannyäsi or anyone who is aspiring to get out of the clutches of material nature and trying to elevate himself to the spiritual nature and go back home, back to Godhead, for him, looking toward material possessions and women for sense gratification—not even enjoying them, but just looking toward them with such a propensity—is so condemned that he had better commit suicide before experiencing such illicit desires.” So these are the processes for purification. The next item is jnäna-yoga-vyavasthiti: being engaged in the cultivation of knowledge. Sannyäsi life is meant for distributing knowledge to the householders and others who have forgotten their real life of spiritual advancement. A sannyäsi is supposed to beg from door to door for his livelihood, but this does not mean that he is a beggar. Humility is also one of the qualifications of a transcendentally situated person, and out of sheer humility the sannyäsi goes from door to door, not exactly for the purpose of begging, but to see the householders and awaken them to krsna consciousness. This is the duty of a sannyäsi. If he is actually advanced and so ordered by his spiritual master, he should preach krsna consciousness with logic and understanding, and if one is not so advanced he should not accept the renounced order of life. But even if one has accepted the renounced order of life without sufficient knowledge, he should engage himself fully in hearing from a bona fide spiritual master to cultivate knowledge. A sannyäsi, or one in the renounced order of life, must be situated in fearlessness, sattva-samsuddhi and jnäna-yoga