Devotee (2): What gives a man the right to take the renounced order of life, Śrīla Prabhupāda?
Prabhupāda: Hmm?
Devotee (2): What . . . what gives a man the right to accept the renounced order of life?
Devotee (1): What . . . who gives?
Devotee (2): What qualifications?
Devotee (1): What qualifications should the man have to take sannyāsa?
Prabhupāda: Sannyāsa?
Devotee (1): What qualifications.
Prabhupāda: For sannyāsī?
Devotee (1): Yes.
Prabhupāda: Who has got no more material desires. Then he is fit for taking sannyāsa. Sarvopādhi. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ. Śūnyam means zero. All material desires made into zero. Then sannyāsa.
- anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ
- jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam
- ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-
- śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā
- (CC Madhya 19.167)
Sannyāsa. Anāsakta. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ sa sannyāsī . . . (BG 6.1). Who is a sannyāsī? Anāsakta. Anāsakta means he is working day and night, but no attachment for the result. Karmīs . . . what is the difference between karmī and sannyāsa? Karmī is working so hard, day and night; he is expecting that "I shall get some money out of it and I shall enjoy." That is karmī. And sannyāsī, he is working in the same way, day and night, but he is not expecting the profit for his personal use. For Kṛṣṇa. That is sannyāsa. Where is the difference? There is no . . . in the activities there is no difference, but the one is accepting the result for his personal benefit, and one is creating good result but not for his personal benefit, but Kṛṣṇa's service. This is the definition of sannyāsa. Anāsakta . . . anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryam: he is doing as my duty. I am Kṛṣṇa's servant, I have to do it. If I do not do it, then it is my misbehavior. Anāsakta . . . anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryaṁ karma ka . . . sa sannyāsī ca yogī ca. Such person is yogī, such person is sannyāsī, na niragnir na cākriyaḥ (BG 6.1). Not that artificially I have taken the dress of a sannyāsī and talking nonsense. He is not sannyāsī. Sannyāsī means one who has completely devoted his life for Kṛṣṇa. He is sannyāsī, sa sannyāsī, and he is yogī.
Devotee (1): Yes.
Devotee (3): Śrīla Prabhupāda, how . . . how is one able to draw the distinction between working very hard for Kṛṣṇa and over-endeavoring?
Prabhupāda: Hmm. What is that—phalena paricīyate. By the result you can understand. By service Kṛṣṇa, he will understand more about Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa will be clear to him. That is the test. Because it is said, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam (CC Madhya 17.136). Kṛṣṇa cannot be realized by so-called speculation, but if you render service to Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa will reveal to you. Revelation. So he, how much service he is giving, that will be tested how much he has, I mean to say, realized Kṛṣṇa. This is the test. If Kṛṣṇa is still vague idea to him, then he has not advanced. This is the test. Just like if you have eaten something, then you will feel satisfaction. You are hungry, you have been given some food, but you cannot say that, "I am eating, also I am not satisfied in my hunger." That cannot be. If you are actually serving Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa will reveal to you. You will know what is Kṛṣṇa, asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ mām, without any doubt, and fullness. Here is the test. If somebody comes, "What is Kṛṣṇa?" You say: "Yes, I am serving Kṛṣṇa, but I do not know what is Kṛṣṇa," what is his service? He must know, because here it is said, asaṁśayaṁ samagram (BG 7.1), without any doubt . . . (break) (end)