So when this Choṭa Haridāsa found it impossible to again go into the assembly of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he found it hopelessness. Then he went to Triveṇī and committed suicide. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu knows everything. Then, sometimes after, He inquired, "What about Choṭa Haridāsa?" Somebody said, "Sir, You rejected him. Out of disappointment, he has committed suicide in the . . ." "Oh, that's nice." (laughter) Just see how strict. "That's nice." He never expected any sympathy: "Oh, I rejected this person and he has committed suicide? Oh." No. He said, "Oh, that's nice. That's all right." He said like that. This is one thing.
Another thing: Śivānanda, one of His very exalted devotee, he was taking care of all devotees who were coming to Caitanya Mahāprabhu to visit during Ratha-yātrā. So his wife came and offered Caitanya Mahāprabhu obeisances, and he saw that the wife is pregnant. So immediately asked, "Śivānanda, your wife is pregnant?" "Yes". "All right, when she gives birth to a child, you keep his name like that." Now see. One man, simply he saw with lusty desire to a young man (woman); he was rejected. And one man has his wife pregnant; He adored him: "That's all right." So sex life is not forbidden in this movement, but hypocrisy is forbidden. If you become hypocrite, then there is nowhere to . . . That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's teaching. Choṭa Haridāsa, he presented himself as a brahmacārī and he was looking after a young woman. Then He understood, "He is a hypocrite. Reject him." And Śivānanda Sena, he was gṛhastha. Gṛhastha must have children. What is wrong there? He said, "Yes, my remnants of foodstuff should be given." This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement.
So our request is, don't be hypocrite. There are four āśramas: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. Whichever āśrama is suitable for you, you accept. But sincere. Don't be hypocrite. If you think that you want sex, all right, you marry and remain like a gentleman. Don't be hypocrite. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement. He did not like hypocrisy. Nobody likes. But for a person who is seriously engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, for him sex life and material opulence is not very good. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's opinion. Pāraṁ paraṁ jigamiṣor bhava . . . niṣkiñcanasya bhajanonmukhasya, pāraṁ param . . . Therefore voluntarily Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted sannyāsa. He was very nicely situated in His family life. When He was family man, He married twice. One wife died; He married again. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught us not to become . . . But when He took sannyāsa, He was very, very strict. No woman could come very near to Him. From distance. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's teaching.
So you have to follow strictly the rules and regulation. If you are serious, then this is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement.
- niṣkiñcanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya
- pāraṁ paraṁ jigamiṣor bhava-sāgarasya
- viṣayināṁ sandarśanam atha yoṣitāṁ ca
- ha hanta hanta viṣa-bhakṣanato 'py asādhu
- (CC Madhya 11.8)
Those who are determined that "In this life we shall finish this material way of life, or material . . ." That is real struggle for existence. Actually, everyone is trying. Material life means it is full of distress, duḥkhālayam. Kṛṣṇa says. So, so long you'll prolong this material way of life, that is called struggle for existence. The "struggle for existence" and "survival of the fittest," this word is very common, but nobody knows what is that struggle for existence and what is the platform of becoming fittest. Nobody knows. It is we are preaching that "If you remain in this material world, then struggle for existence will continue." And fittest means one who has come to the spiritual platform, he is fittest to survive. What is survival? Who is going to survive? Do you mean to say by cultivating health culture, very strong, you'll survive? Nobody will survive. So who will survive? Only Kṛṣṇa conscious. If he is strictly Kṛṣṇa conscious, then he will survive. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). The Kṛṣṇa conscious person who has studied Kṛṣṇa only, nothing more, perfectly, then he is fit. This body also, this body is not permanent. That's a fact. But tyaktvā deham, after giving up this body, no more material body; spiritual body, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (BS 5.1).