Free from debt

Expressions researched:
"free from all debts" |"free from his debt" |"free from his debts" |"free yourself completely of debt" |"freed from all debts" |"freed from my debt" |"freed from the debts" |"freed from their three debts"

SB Canto 6

The son of a brāhmaṇa must undergo celibacy (brahmacarya) to clear his debts to the saintly persons, he must perform ritualistic ceremonies to clear his debts to the demigods, and he must beget children to become free from his debts to his father.

SB 6.5.37, Translation and Purport:

Prajāpati Dakṣa said: My sons were not at all freed from their three debts. Indeed, they did not properly consider their obligations. O Nārada Muni, O personality of sinful action, you have obstructed their progress toward good fortune in this world and the next because they are still indebted to the saintly persons, the demigods and their father.

As soon as a brāhmaṇa takes birth, he assumes three kinds of debts—debts to great saints, debts to the demigods and debts to his father. The son of a brāhmaṇa must undergo celibacy (brahmacarya) to clear his debts to the saintly persons, he must perform ritualistic ceremonies to clear his debts to the demigods, and he must beget children to become free from his debts to his father. Prajāpati Dakṣa argued that although the renounced order is recommended for liberation, one cannot attain liberation unless one fulfills his obligations to the demigods, the saints and his father.

If one fully surrenders to Kṛṣṇa, Mukunda, who can give one liberation, even if one performs no yajñas, one is freed from all debts.

SB 6.5.37, Purport:

Everyone is indebted to the demigods, to living entities in general, to his family, to the pitās and so on, but if one fully surrenders to Kṛṣṇa, Mukunda, who can give one liberation, even if one performs no yajñas, one is freed from all debts. Even if one does not repay his debts, he is freed from all debts if he renounces the material world for the sake of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose lotus feet are the shelter of everyone. This is the verdict of the śāstra.

SB Cantos 10.14 to 12 (Translations Only)

SB 10.84.40, Translation:

But you, O magnanimous soul, are already free from two of your debts—those to the sages and the forefathers. Now absolve yourself of your debt to the demigods by executing Vedic sacrifices, and in this way free yourself completely of debt and renounce all material shelter.

Teachings of Lord Caitanya

If one is fully surrendered unto Kṛṣṇa, there is no obligation. One becomes free from all debts.

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 12:

"Whoever fully engages himself in the service of the Lord, O King, is no longer indebted to the demigods, the sages, other living entities, his relatives, the forefathers or to any man." Every man, just after his birth, immediately becomes indebted to so many people, and one is expected to discharge many kinds of ritualistic functions because of this indebtedness. However, if one is fully surrendered unto Kṛṣṇa, there is no obligation. One becomes free from all debts.

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

I am glad to see that bona fide students like you will undergo any kind of trouble for the satisfaction of the spiritual master. That is the way for a bona fide disciple to become free from his debt to the spiritual master.

Krsna Book 80:

“With great compassion our gurudeva said, “My dear boys, it is very wonderful that you have suffered so much trouble for me. Everyone likes to take care of his body as the first consideration, but you are so good and faithful to your guru that without caring for bodily comforts you have taken so much trouble for me. I am glad to see that bona fide students like you will undergo any kind of trouble for the satisfaction of the spiritual master. That is the way for a bona fide disciple to become free from his debt to the spiritual master. It is the duty of the disciple to dedicate his life to the service of the spiritual master. My dear best of the twice-born, I am greatly pleased by your acts, and I bless you: May all your desires and ambitions be fulfilled. May the understanding of the Vedas which you have learned from me always continue to remain within your memory, so that at every moment you can remember the teachings of the Vedas and quote their instructions without difficulty. Thus you will never be disappointed in this life or the next.'“

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

The conclusion is that you can be freed from the debts of devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṟṇāṁ nāyam ṛṇī na kiṅkaraḥ (SB 11.5.41). Who? Sarvātmanā ye śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam. One who has taken full shelter of Kṛṣṇa, sarvātmanā, without any reservation, he's no more ṛṇī.

Lecture on SB 1.8.49 -- Mayapura, October 29, 1974:

Śukrācārya was rejected by Bali Mahārāja, Śukrācārya. "No, this family guru or the jāta-gosāi, no." Real guru. So why rejected? When Śukrācārya was thinking that "This man Bali is going to give everything to Viṣṇu. Here is Vāmana. Then how I shall live? Because I get something from this man, and I live. So if he's going to give everything to Viṣṇu, then what is our position? We shall starve." That is their business only, how to exploit the disciple and take money from him and fill up the belly. That is Śukrācārya's business. Therefore Bali Mahārāja rejected, "No, no, I don't want you." So there are many instances. Svajana-tyāga. The gopīs, when they were going to Kṛṣṇa, they, all the svajana, their brother, the husband, their sons and everyone forbade, "Oh, where you are going, where you are going?" Or the yājñika brāhmaṇas' patnī, they also did not care for Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore the conclusion is that you can be freed from the debts of devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṟṇāṁ nāyam ṛṇī na kiṅkaraḥ (SB 11.5.41). Who? Sarvātmanā ye śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam. One who has taken full shelter of Kṛṣṇa, sarvātmanā, without any reservation, he's no more ṛṇī. He's no more. He's fully liquidated.

If you perform one yajña, saṅkīrtana-yajña, then you become clear from everyone's debt. Gato mukundam śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyam. Then we are freed from all debts.

Lecture on SB 7.6.9 -- New Vrindaban, June 25, 1976:

We have got so many obligations, devarṣi, to the demigods, to the saintly great sages, ṛṣis. Because ṛṣis are giving us... Just like Vyāsadeva has given us this literature. So we are obliged to him, we are indebted to him. We are indebted to the demigods. The sun is giving sunshine, the moon is giving at night shine, and the cloud, Indra, is giving us water. So we are all indebted. Devarṣi-bhūta... Therefore there are so many different types of yajñas mentioned in the Vedic literature. But if you perform one yajña, saṅkīrtana-yajña, then you become clear from everyone's debt. Gato mukundam śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyam. Then we are freed from all debts. So in this way we have to execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement very carefully, and the simple process is chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.