View source for Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted at the age of twenty-four years. We are not, of course, imitating Caitanya Mahaprabhu. But for executing Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission, if we are sincerely working for Him, then we can take sannyasa at an early age

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{{terms|"Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted at the age of twenty-four years. We are not of course imitating Caitanya Mahāprabhu, but for executing Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, if we are sincerely working for Him, then we can take ''sannyāsa'' at an early age"}}
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{{compiler|Krsnadas}}
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[[Category:Caitanya's Acceptance of Sannyasa, the Renounced Order of Life]]
[[Category:Caitanya - 24 Years of Age]]
[[Category:At the Age of Twenty-four]]
[[Category:We Are Not (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Imitating Caitanya]]
[[Category:Executing Caitanya's Mission]]
[[Category:Executing the Mission]]
[[Category:If We Are (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Our Sincerity (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Our Work (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:We Can (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Can Take]]
[[Category:Sannyasi (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:early]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Lectures, 1966 - 1977]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Lectures, 1972]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Lectures, Srimad-Bhagavatam]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - in Europe, England - London]]
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<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2>
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<div id="Srimad-Bhagavatam_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="1" parent="Lectures" text="Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures"><h3>Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures</h3>
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<div id="LectureonSB1156LondonAugust231971_0" class="quote" parent="Srimad-Bhagavatam_Lectures" book="Lec" index="16" link="Lecture on SB 1.1.5-6 -- London, August 23, 1971" link_text="Lecture on SB 1.1.5-6 -- London, August 23, 1971">
<div class="heading">Sometimes younger generation also offered sannyāsa. Because Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted at the age of twenty-four years. We are not, of course, imitating Caitanya Mahāprabhu. But for executing Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission,if we are sincerely working for Him, then we can take sannyāsa at an early age. Then... But when one is actually a sannyāsa, a sannyāsī, master of the senses, he can be addressed as gosvāmī or svāmī.
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<mp3player>https://vanipedia.s3.amazonaws.com/clip/720715SB-LONDON_clip2.mp3</mp3player>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on SB 1.1.5-6 -- London, August 23, 1971|Lecture on SB 1.1.5-6 -- London, July 17, 1972]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">
Prabhupāda: ''Vyāsāsana'' means . . . ''Vyāsa'' means ''guru'', because he is our original ''guru''. When spiritual master's birthday is observed, it is called Vyāsa-pūjā. This Vyāsa-pūjā means a spiritual master is representative of Vyāsa. Just like we are teaching this ''bhāgavat-dharma'', the ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'', we are following the footsteps of Vyāsadeva. So actually the preacher's seat is Vyāsadeva's ''āsana''.

It is the seat of Vyāsa. Just like in the high court the seat, the seat of judgment, or . . . what is called? That seat, nobody else can sit there, in that seat. Only the high-court judge, representative of king or giving law to the citizens, he can sit down. Similarly, the ''vyāsāsana'' is occupied by the representative of Vyāsadeva, who can speak on behalf of Vyāsadeva. This is the system.

Go on.

Pradyumna: "Vyāsadeva is the original spiritual preceptor for all men, and all other preceptors are considered to be his representatives. A representative is one who can exactly present the viewpoint of Śrī Vyāsadeva. Śrī Vyāsadeva impregnated the message of ''Bhāgavatam'' unto Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī heard it from him, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī. All bona fide representatives of Śrī Vyāsadeva in the chain of disciplic succession are to be understood to be ''gosvāmīs''. These ''gosvāmīs'' restrain all their senses, and they stick to the path made by the previous ''ācāryas''."

Prabhupāda: Yes. ''Gosvāmī'' or ''svāmī'', the same meaning: one who has been able to control the senses. Generally everyone is controlled by the senses. When one becomes controller of the senses, then he is ''gosvāmī''. So generally we give this designation to the ''sannyāsīs'', because ''sannyāsa'' means who has fully controlled all the senses. One should not accept ''sannyāsa'' whimsically. One must know about himself how far he can control the senses. Therefore generally ''sannyāsa'' is not accepted until one is sixty years old.

But in this age there is no guarantee whether we are going to live up to sixty years old age. So sometimes, younger generation also offered ''sannyāsa'', because Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted at the age of twenty-four years. We are not of course imitating Caitanya Mahāprabhu, but for executing Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, if we are sincerely working for Him, then we can take ''sannyāsa'' at an early age. That . . . when one is actually a ''sannyāsa'', a ''sannyāsī'', master of the senses, he can be addressed as ''gosvāmī'' or ''svāmī''.

Yes?

Pradyumna: "The ''gosvāmīs'' do not deliver lectures on the ''Bhāgavatam'' capriciously. Rather, they execute their services most carefully, following their predecessors, who delivered the spiritual message unbroken to them. Those who listen to the ''Bhāgavatam'' may put questions to the speaker in order to elicit the clear meaning, but this should not be done in a challenging spirit. One must submit questions with a great regard for the speaker and the subject matter. This is also the way recommended in the ''Bhagavad-gītā''. One must learn the transcendental subject by submissive aural reception from the right sources. Therefore these sages addressed the speaker Sūta Gosvāmī with great respect."