In the Vedic culture, the spirit of renunciation, not for the sake of renunciation but in a spirit of compassion, is encouraged. Therefore there would be a class of people, called sannyasis, brahmacharis and brahmanas who were expected to live by the standard of selfless service. This selflessness constitutes real renunciation. One who has deep love for God, Krishna and is detached from sensual pursuits is a real sannyasi, renunciant, irrespective of whether he or she lives at home or in the forest or in an ashram.
Five hundred years ago in Bengal lived a sannyasi named Gadhadhar Pandit. When he first met Pundarik Vidyanidhi, a wealthy householder, he considered this man to be materialistic. But then one day, when someone recited Krishna's pastimes,Pundarik went into ecstacy and displayed symptoms of love forGod. Gadhadhar was taken aback; he thought this man is living responsibly within this world, and appears rich and materialistic, yet he is completely detached. Seeing his deep attachment to Krishna, Gadhadhar accepted Pundarik to be a real saint and also his own guru. Therefore it’s not a question of whether you havewealth; it’s a question of whether you are attached to Krishna. This is real wealth. In the path of bhakti, the standard of success is detachment from sense gratification and attachment to God.
One who takes pleasure in the chanting of the holy name is the wealthiest man on earth. But when Bhakti yogis see a person devoid of connection to God, even if he’s living in a castle, they cryin compassion, for that person is devoid of real wealth.
In the Vedic civilization, householders belonged to one of the following divisions; teachers, administrators, businessmen and farmers, and laborers. The teacher class also called as Brahmins accepted a voluntary life of poverty. A brahmin would give knowledge free of charge and would accept bare minimum to maintain his body and family. He’d give away the excess money for the benefit of others, either by publishing books or by distributing in charity to uplift the spiritual consciousness of others.The whole society respects, adores and trusts such a high character brahmin because people could see he’s genuine and has no personal agenda. He has nothing to gain; his only business is giving. Even the kings and businessmen would bow their heads before such a qualified brahmin. To the degree we have people living by this spirit of renunciation and to the degree people learn to honor and respect this spirit of renunciation, to that degree the whole society advances spiritually. In the Srimad Bhagavatm,Narada Muni instructs Maharaj Yudhistira that the real opulence of the brahmin is his simplicity, faith in God, his detachment from this material world and his attachment to the Lord. And whatever walk of life we may be in, we must really try to cultivate within our heart this aspiration as the goal of life.
Some feel renounced order is useless and impractical; everyone should get married, should have a staunch professional image and at the same time serve. This is perfect householder life. But the fact is that householders cannot be like that unless there are those in the renounced order of life, setting a standard of selflessness to show them the way. The great kings of the Vedic times were responsible men, but they understood that they are completely depending on the examples and instructions of those in the renounced order of life to maintain the integrity of their spiritual consciousness. Although the majority of society would beresponsible householders, there also has to be a class ofrenounced sannyasis and Brahmacharis who maintain the pure standards by which the householders are inspired to remain Krishna conscious. This is because the tendency in society is to become illusioned by the fantastic glitter and glamour of this world;we are inclined to make these ephemeral things as our aspirations rather than service to God and society. Seeing exemplaryrenunciates inspires the householders to cultivate the spirit of renunciation. Such examples protect the householder from falling into illusion; one sees and learns that renunciation means detachment, a simple life attached to Krishna.
About Radhanath Swami
Radhanath Swami was born in Chicago in 1950. In his teenage years, the longing for knowledge about God lead Radhanath Swami as young Richard Slavin on a journey throughout Europe and the Middle East, during which he undertook a careful study of the scriptures of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. This journey ultimately led him to India, where he lived for several years, and met Srila Prabhupada, Founder of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and the Hare Krishna movement in the west. By choosing A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami (1896-1977), a spiritual activist, as his guru, Radhanath Swami cast his fate to the wind, cut his matted locks, and entered back into the society.
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