Principle of renunciation

Expressions researched:
"principle of renunciation" |"principles of renunciation"

BG Chapters 7 - 12

With your mind fixed on Me in this principle of renunciation, you will be liberated and come to Me.

BG 9.28, Purport:

In this way you will be freed from bondage to work and its auspicious and inauspicious results. With your mind fixed on Me in this principle of renunciation, you will be liberated and come to Me."

SB Canto 3

The principles of renunciation are four: to avoid illicit sex life, to avoid meat-eating, to avoid intoxication and to avoid gambling.

SB 3.20.53, Purport:

The word viraktimat in this verse means "possessed of the qualification of renunciation." Spiritual realization cannot be attained by materialistic persons. For those who are addicted to sense enjoyment, spiritual realization is not possible. In Bhagavad-gītā it is stated that those who are too attached to seeking material possessions and material enjoyment cannot reach yoga-samādhi, absorption in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Propaganda that one can enjoy this life materially and at the same time spiritually advance is simply bogus. The principles of renunciation are four: (1) to avoid illicit sex life, (2) to avoid meat-eating, (3) to avoid intoxication and (4) to avoid gambling. These four principles are called tapasya, or austerity. To absorb the mind in the Supreme in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the process of spiritual realization.

CC Madhya-lila

In every revealed scripture, whether stressing jñāna-kāṇḍa or karma-kāṇḍa, the principle of renunciation is always praised.

CC Madhya 9.263, Purport:

One cannot be elevated to the highest platform of devotional service by karma-kāṇḍa or jñāna-kāṇḍa. Pure devotional service can be understood and attained only through the association of pure devotees. In this regard, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura states that there are two types of karma-kāṇḍa activities—pious and impious. Pious activities are certainly better than impious activities, but even pious activities cannot bring about ecstatic love of God, Kṛṣṇa. Pious and impious activities can bring about material happiness and distress, but there is no possibility of one's becoming a pure devotee simply by acting piously or impiously. Bhakti, devotional service, means satisfying Kṛṣṇa. In every revealed scripture, whether stressing jñāna-kāṇḍa or karma-kāṇḍa, the principle of renunciation is always praised.

Renunciation Through Wisdom

Real perfection in yoga comes when we forget our personal demands and determine what service the Lord wants from us just like that great warrior Arjuna.

Renunciation Through Wisdom 5.1:

As the Lord says in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.28):

śubhāṣubha-phalair evaṁ

mokṣyase karma-bandhanaiḥ

sannyāsa-yoga-yuktātmā

vimukto mām upaiṣyasi

"In this way you will be freed from bondage to work and its auspicious and inauspicious results.With your mind fixed on Me in this principle of renunciation, you will be liberated and come to Me."

Real perfection in yoga comes when we forget our personal demands and determine what service the Lord wants from us. Personal interest must be sacrificed, along with our conceptions of good and bad, right and wrong, necessary and unnecessary, ans so on. We must emulate that great warrior Arjuna and try to find out what service the Supreme Lord wants from us. Such Kṛṣṇa conscious activities alone will lead us to the full consummation of all our duties, and the results will be all-auspicious. This degree of fixed faith is indispensable to progress.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Renunciation means you have to stop nonsense sense gratification and then begin real sense gratification by utilizing everything for Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 15.15 -- August 5, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda? Trying to satisfy Kṛṣṇa's senses and not our own senses, that is the principle of renunciation. How can one develop and cultivate renunciation.

Prabhupāda: Renunciation means you must first stop your sense gratification. That is renunciation. If you engage in your sense gratification, how you can satisfy Kṛṣṇa's senses? So you have to stop this nonsense sense gratification, you have to adopt the real sense gratification. That is renunciation. Renunciation does not mean you become idle. Renunciation means you have to stop nonsense things and then begin real thing. That is renunciation. The Māyāvādī philosophy is stop everything. Stop everything, what is the gain? Stop nonsense, do something sensible, that is wanted. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66), give up everything. Does He say, "And then stop"? No. Mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, "Come here." That is wanted. Just like the dictaphone. Stop recording cinema songs, record kṛṣṇa-kathā, discussion of Kṛṣṇa. That is utilization properly. So everything has got utility. When it is used for Kṛṣṇa, that is proper utility. When it is used for other purpose, that is māyā.

1976 Correspondence

The Gurukula must be based on the principle of renunciation.

Letter to Jayatirtha -- Mayapur 20 January, 1976:

The Gurukula must be based on the principle of renunciation; vairagya vidya nija bhakti yogam (CC Madhya 6.254). Bhakti is based on the principle of the renunciation of material desires beginning from the earliest age; kaumaram acaret prajna dharman bhagavatan iha (SB 7.6.1). From the very beginning, a boy must be trained to perform devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and not to be attached as the fruitive workers, the karmis, to the so-called fallible soldiers; dehapatya kalatradisu atma-sainyesu asatsv api tesam prammato nidhanam pasyanapi na pasyati (SB 2.1.4). The karmis are attached too much to their bodies, children and wives, who are like fallible fighting soldiers who must ultimately be destroyed. Although they are sufficiently experienced, they still cannot see this.

Therefore our young men must be trained at the earliest age to not be attached to so many things like the home, family, friendship, society, and nation. To train the innocent boy to be a sense gratifier at the early age when the child is actually happy in any circumstance is the greatest violence.