Going to the forest means

Expressions researched:
"going to the forest means"

SB Canto 7

Going to the forest means accepting vānaprastha life, which is between gṛhastha life and sannyāsa.

SB 7.5.5, Purport:

In the varṇāśrama system, one first becomes a brahmacārī, then a gṛhastha, a vānaprastha and finally a sannyāsī. Going to the forest means accepting vānaprastha life, which is between gṛhastha life and sannyāsa. As confirmed in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa (3.8.9), varṇāśramācāravatā puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān viṣṇur ārādhyate: (CC Madhya 8.58) by accepting the institution of varṇa and āśrama, one can very easily elevate himself to the platform of worshiping Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Otherwise, if one remains in the bodily conception, one must rot within this material world, and his life will be a failure. Society must have divisions of brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra, and for spiritual advancement one must gradually develop as a brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsī. Prahlāda Mahārāja recommended that his father accept vānaprastha life because as a gṛhastha he was becoming increasingly demoniac due to bodily attachment. Prahlāda recommended to his father that accepting vānaprastha life would be better than going deeper and deeper into gṛham andha-kūpam, the blind well of life as a gṛhastha. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we therefore invite all the elderly persons of the world to come to Vṛndāvana and stay there in retired life, making advancement in spiritual consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Araṇyam means, going to the forest means, to take sannyāsa. Going to the Himalaya does not mean or going to the forest does not mean that he should actually go there. One should give up this family affection, and dedicate the whole life for Kṛṣṇa's service. That is really going to the forest.

Lecture on SB 1.13.11 -- Geneva, June 2, 1974:

Tyaktvā sudustyaja-surepsita-rājya-lakṣmīṁ dharmiṣṭha ārya-vacasā yad agād araṇyam (SB 11.5.34). Agād araṇyam. Araṇyam means, going to the forest means, to take sannyāsa. Going to the Himalaya does not mean or going to the forest does not mean that he should actually go there. One should give up this family affection, and dedicate the whole life for Kṛṣṇa's service. That is really going to the forest. Not that unnecessarily. It may be beneficial for person, for his personal self. But real renunciation is to have no more interest in so-called limited jurisdiction of family, social, international, national, but the whole interest is for Kṛṣṇa. That is real renunciation. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. Renunciation does not mean give up this world. That I was explaining. Our philosophy is not the jagat is mithyā. Why jagan mithyā? We don't say that. Jagat is fact. It may be temporary, but it is a fact. Now, so long we have got this jagat, let us utilize it for Kṛṣṇa. That is renunciation. We cannot say this microphone is mithyā. So long the microphone is in my possession, let it be used for Kṛṣṇa's service. This is renunciation. Everyone using this microphone, these modern machines, for his personal gain. But we are not using for personal gain. We are traveling all over the world, spending so much money, jet plane, and this plane, just to push Kṛṣṇa consciousness as much as possible. This is renunciation, not that sitting one place doing nothing and become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Then there will be fall down. Don't imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura. That is not possible. You must work.