Gauriya Vaisnav Acharya Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Deva Goswami Small books Golden Staircase Chapter four:Test,Taste and Triumph The Meaning of Sannyasa for the Vaisnava Devotee: Since the general order to go out and preach has been very broadly given to all devotees by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, what is the special utility of the sannyasa order in our sampradaya when Mahaprabhu has said that it is forbidden in this age of Kali-yuga? Sridhara Maharaja: The answer is explained in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta. This is a general question not only for the Gaudiya Sampradaya, but also for the followers of Ramanuja, Madhvacarya, and even Sankaracarya. The Buddhists may not care for the directions of the Puranas, but the Sankara school and the Vaisnava schools accept sannyasa. Sankara was a sannyasi and for the most part his successors were all sannyasis as well. This is true of Ramanuja also, Madhvacarya, and the Visnuswami Sampradaya also. The interpretation is this: in Kali-yuga, sannyasa in the strict sense of karma-sannyasa is forbidden. Karma-sannyasa means that you leave everything, and that type of sannyasa is not possible in Kali-yuga. It is described in the sastras that in Satya-yuga, as long as a man's bones exist, that is how long he will live. Along with the longevity of the bones, the life will be there. In Treta-yuga, life may be maintained by the nervous system; but it is stated that in Kali-yuga, kalav annagatah pranah - one's longevity depends on food. Therefore sannyasa in the strict sense is not possible in Kali-yuga. Previously, Valmiki was engaged in tapasya for so many years that the insects captured his whole body and reduced the flesh into earth, yet he remained present within his bones. Then later, by the help of some spiritual miracle his whole body was restored. But in Kali-yuga, without food it is not possible to live. All penances have been especially adjusted for Kali-yuga, and the only continuous fast allowed in Kali-yuga is for twenty-four hours; not more than that. In other ages, at least twelve days fasting was generally done. If a person had done anything wrong, then according to the Smrti sastra, twelve days fasting was the standard punishment for any sins. But in Kali-yuga, twenty-four hour fasting is the maximum because without food a man cannot survive.If he were to take karma-sannyasa while being so extremely dependent on material giving and taking, then he wouldn't he able to maintain his existence. But the life of Vaisnava tridanda-sannyasa, which is not very extreme - take prasadam, do service - is a sort of modified form based on yuktahara viharas ca, and one living according to this principle can take sannyasa. Mahaprabhu took sannyasa, Sankaracarya, Ramanuja - all the pioneers of the different sampradayas took sannyasa. That has been interpreted as karma-sannyasa, but still, sannyasa is of several kinds. There is also vidvat-sannyasa, which is considered by the salvationist section to be the highest. Their idea is that when one has fully realized that his connection with this material realm is a negative one, he will finish his material encasement and enter into the spiritual sphere. When he is fully established in this firm consciousness that "my connection with the material world will be injurious to me," he will then relinquish his body and go away to the spiritual sky. That is vidvat-sannyasa.There is also narottama-sannyasa: yah svakat parato veha jata-nirveda atmavan hrdi krtva harim geyat pravrajet sa narottamah (Bha: 1.13.27) In the narottama system of sannyasa, one has realized the presence or existence of God within his heart, and thinking of Him, he leaves his present engagement and duties of the household and remains outside, anywhere and everywhere - under a tree or in a cave or wherever - careless of his physical needs. He does not immediately relinquish his body, but he takes whatever food he gets, and when he does not get any food he fasts, and in this way he goes on. He leaves the household for good; that is narottama-sannyasa. And there are also different stages of sannyasa mentioned in the sastra: kuticaka, bahudaka, hamsa, and paramahamsa, progressively. But tridanda-sannyasa is when the sannyasi engages himself fully in the service of Godhead by spreading His messages and doing some good to the public, and that characteristic is different. It is categorically different. The tridandi-sannyasi is not adopting an attitude or tactic of leaving all of the engagements of this world as a result of becoming disgusted with its many temptations. Rather, he is engaging himself in the higher duty of the upper world through an agent, so his body has got utility. Remaining here, maintaining connection here, he is drawing some higher thing from above and distributing that in the environment. That is another conception of sannyasa, and it has positive value. This is a similar engagement to that performed by the Lord's closest associates. When an incarnation of God comes down, His favorite parsadas, His friends and servitors, are also sent by Him to come down to do some service to help Him. There are also sub-agents who have received some engagement from the higher agent, and by moving within this world in that capacity, they can earn more spiritual wealth than those who are very eager to disconnect completely from this material plane. They want to try to utilize their connection with this mundane plane to earn some substantial wealth of the upper house. So like the Lord's parsadas, the tridandi-sannyasis want to work as God's agents.