Srila Prabhupada explains -
Srila Prabhupada - “A female is never awarded the order of Sannyasam. Because a female is never considered independent and Sannyasam was never awarded to any female in the past by the great Acaryas like Sankara, Ramanuja etc.
The female Sannyasins are to be immediately understood as pretenders or prostitutes. In India they have organized so many organizations where specially young females are maintained to attract rich women-hunters who pretend to pose as righteous in the society.
This is the age of Kali which plunders away spiritual sense of the human being and it is only the Divine Grace of Lord Caitanya Who can protect us from all these dangerous pitfalls.” (Letter to Brahmananda, 14th March, 1967)
In ISKCON women sannyasis are forbidden by Srila Prabhupada himself, ISKCON's founder Acharya!!
And women sannyasis never existed in the Gaudiya Math when Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, their founder Acharya and Prabhupada's Guru, was here, even when he said a qualified women could take sannyas.
The fact is, he NEVER gave sannyas to a women because none WERE qualified, that is his example.
Sannyas does have different views in the past
Even Bhaktivinode Thakur has written qualified women can take sannys too, however, the evidence is to the contrary is overwhelming. Many say Bhaktivenode said that as to point out women are NOT qualified because he also never gave a women sannyas.
So what he and Srila Bhatta Goswami, who also wrote qualified women can take sannyas, should CLEARLY be taken with a very small grain of salt, and not seized to overhaul what is already well established by ISKCON.
Which is women should NOT take the sannyasa order.
Hare krishna
ReplyDeleteAll glories to srila prabhupad
Prabhu in the image who is the lady sannyasin. Is he got sannyas initiation? Does all women have to marry?
AccordInga to lord chaitanya mahaprabhu sannyas initiation is not essential in bhakti.
Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 6
DeleteSrila Prabhupada - "Sannyāsa is compulsory, at least for every brāhmaṇa, every first-class human being".
SB 6.10.8, Purport:
"We offer our respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of the Lord, upon whom one should always meditate.
He left His householder life, leaving aside His eternal consort, whom even the denizens of heaven adore. He went into the forest to deliver the fallen souls, who are put into illusion by material energy."
To accept sannyāsa means to commit civil suicide, but sannyāsa is compulsory, at least for every brāhmaṇa, every first-class human being. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had a very young and beautiful wife and a very affectionate mother.
Indeed, the affectionate dealings of His family members were so pleasing that even the demigods could not expect such happiness at home.
Nevertheless, for the deliverance of all the fallen souls of the world, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu took sannyāsa and left home when He was only twenty-four years old.
He lived a very strict life as a sannyāsī, refusing all bodily comforts. Similarly, His disciples the six Gosvāmīs were ministers who held exalted positions in society, but they also left everything to join the movement of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Sannyāsa means giving up the company of women, but if a sannyāsī hears the voice of a woman and sees her beautiful face, he certainly becomes attracted and is sure to fall down.
SB 6.18.41, Purport:
Woman is now depicted very well from the materialistic point of view by Kaśyapa Muni. Women are generally known as the fair sex, and especially in youth, at the age of sixteen or seventeen, women are very attractive to men.
Therefore a woman's face is compared to a blooming lotus flower in autumn. Just as a lotus is extremely beautiful in autumn, a woman at the threshold of youthful beauty is extremely attractive.
In Sanskrit a woman's voice is called nārī-svara because women generally sing and their singing is very attractive. At the present moment, cinema artists, especially female singers, are especially welcome. Some of them earn fabulous amounts of money simply by singing.
Therefore, as taught by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, a woman's singing is dangerous because it can make a sannyāsī fall a victim to the woman.
Sannyāsa means giving up the company of women, but if a sannyāsī hears the voice of a woman and sees her beautiful face, he certainly becomes attracted and is sure to fall down.
There have been many examples. Even the great sage Viśvāmitra fell a victim to Menakā. Therefore a person desiring to advance in spiritual consciousness must be especially careful not to see a woman's face or hear a woman's voice.
To see a woman's face and appreciate its beauty or to hear a woman's voice and appreciate her singing as very nice is a subtle falldown for a brahmacārī or sannyāsī. Thus the description of a woman's features by Kaśyapa Muni is very instructive.
Srimad BBhagavatam Canto 7
ReplyDeleteSrila Prabhupada - "Householder life means attachment for one's wife, whereas sannyāsa means detachment from one's wife and attachment to Kṛṣṇa".
SB 7.14.12, Purport:
Every husband is too much attached to his wife. Therefore, to give up one's connection with his wife is extremely difficult, but if one can somehow or other give it up for the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then the Lord Himself, although not able to be conquered by anyone, comes very much under the control of the devotee.
And if the Lord is pleased with a devotee, what is there that is unobtainable? Why should one not give up his affection for his wife and children and take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead?
Where is the loss of anything material? Householder life means attachment for one's wife, whereas sannyāsa means detachment from one's wife and attachment to Kṛṣṇa.
Sannyāsa means accepting a life of begging, which makes one automatically very humble and meek and free from lusty desires.
SB 7.15.30, Purport:
One is recommended to take leave of his family and live alone, maintaining body and soul together by begging alms and eating only as much as needed to keep himself alive. Without such a process, one cannot conquer lusty desires.
Sannyāsa means accepting a life of begging, which makes one automatically very humble and meek and free from lusty desires. In this regard, the following verse appears in the Smṛti literature:
dvandvāhatasya gārhasthyaṁdhyāna-bhaṅgādi-kāraṇamlakṣayitvā gṛhī spaṣṭaṁsannyased avicārayan
In this world of duality, family life is the cause that spoils one's spiritual life or meditation. Specifically understanding this fact, one should accept the order of sannyāsa without hesitation.
SB Canto 9
Sannyāsa means accepting unalloyed engagement in the service of the Lord.
SB 9.19.2, Purport:
Prahlāda Mahārāja said that one should retire from family life as soon as possible, and he described family life as the darkest well (hitvātma-pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpam).
If one continuously or permanently concentrates on living with his family, he should be understood to be killing himself. In the Vedic civilization, therefore, it is recommended that one retire from family life at the end of his fiftieth year and go to vana, the forest.
When he becomes expert or accustomed to forest life, or retired life as a vānaprastha, he should accept sannyāsa. Vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta (SB 7.5.5). Sannyāsa means accepting unalloyed engagement in the service of the Lord.
Vedic civilization therefore recommends four different stages of life-brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. One should be very much ashamed of remaining a householder and not promoting oneself to the two higher stages, namely vānaprastha and sannyāsa.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila
ReplyDeleteSrila Prabhupada - "For a Vaiṣṇava, acceptance of sannyāsa means getting relief from all material activities and completely devoting oneself to the transcendental loving service of the Lord".
CC Madhya 1.91, Purport:
After accepting sannyāsa, Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to reach Vṛndāvana. He was unlike the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, who desire to merge into the existence of the Absolute.
For a Vaiṣṇava, acceptance of sannyāsa means getting relief from all material activities and completely devoting oneself to the transcendental loving service of the Lord.
This is confirmed by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī (Brs. 1.2.255): anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham upayuñjataḥ/ nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate.
For a Vaiṣṇava, the renounced order means completely giving up attachment for material things and engaging nonstop in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Sannyāsī means he's to work for Kṛṣṇa. Without taking shelter of the result.
Lecture on BG 2.2 -- London, August 3, 1973:
Do not take shelter of your result of your activities. You must take it as duty. He is sannyāsī. Anāśritaṁ karma-phalaṁ kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ, sa sannyāsī. He's actually sannyāsī.
A sannyāsī does not become simply by changing dress. No. Sannyāsī means he's to work for Kṛṣṇa. Without taking shelter of the result. It doesn't matter. "Kṛṣṇa has ordered, and Kṛṣṇa's representative has ordered. Therefore I have to do it." Kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ. sa sannyāsī.
And sannyāsī means... They are also working very hard, but not for sense gratification. For the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. That is sannyāsa.
Lecture on BG 2.19 -- London, August 25, 1973:
It is my duty to serve Kṛṣṇa, I am eternal servant of... Kāryam. Must I do it, must I serve Kṛṣṇa. That is my position. That is sannyāsa. Anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryam karma karoti yaḥ.
The karmīs, they are expecting some good result for sense gratification. That is karmī. And sannyāsī means... They are also working very hard, but not for sense gratification.
For the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. That is sannyāsa. This is sannyāsa and karmī. Karmī also works very hard, harder and harder but all for this āmiṣa-mada-sevā. Āmiṣa-mada-sevā.
Vyavāya, only for sex life, eating meat, and intoxication. And a devotee works in the same way, hard, but for Kṛṣṇa's satisfaction. This is the difference. And if you, one life before, like this, no more sense gratification, simply for Kṛṣṇa, then you come to this position, na jāyate, no more death, no more birth.
Because your position is na jāyate na... That is your actual position. But because you are in ignorance, pramattaḥ, you have become mad, you have become crazy; therefore you have taken to this process of sense gratification. Therefore you are entangled in a material body, and the body is changing. That is called birth and death.
Sannyāsa means to give up all material contaminated activities for the sake of the Supreme Lord. That is called sannyāsa.
Lecture on BG 3.1-5 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1968:
Sannyāsa means to give up all material contaminated activities for the sake of the Supreme Lord. That is called sannyāsa.
Sat nyāsa, sannyāsa. This is the combination. Sat means the Supreme, the ever-existing, and nyāsa means renunciation. That means one who has renounced everything for serving the Supreme, he is real sannyāsa.
He may take this dress or not, that doesn't matter. Anyone who has sacrificed his life for service of the Supreme Lord, he's a sannyāsī.
And the sannyāsa means renounced order. They have no connection with worldly activities.
Lecture on BG 4.24-34 -- New York, August 12, 1966:
ReplyDeleteSrila Prabhupada - "Now, there are four divisions of human society according to Vedic literature: the brahmacārī, the gṛhastha, the vānaprastha and the sannyāsa. The brahmacārī means the student life, more or less, student life.
And gṛhastha means those who are leading family life, after the student life. And vānaprastha means retired life.
And the sannyāsa means renounced order. They have no connection with worldly activities.
So these are four different stages of human social order. Now, the brahmacārī, they are meant for sacrifice, the students. The students are recommended to sacrifice, especially to sacrifice sense gratification.
Sannyāsī means sat-nyāsī. Sat means the supreme eternal, and nyāsī means renounced".
Lecture on BG 5.3-7 -- New York, August 26, 1966:
So a person who has renounced everything for service of the Lord. Sannyāsī. Sannyāsī means sat-nyāsī. Sat means the supreme eternal, and nyāsī means renounced. So sannyāsī... He is a sannyāsī who has renounced everything for the sake of the Lord. He's called sannyāsī.
And he has no hatred for anything because in his vision everything is meant for the service of the Lord. So therefore he cannot hate anything. Sometimes it (is) advertised that "Such and such saint, he does not touch money. He does not touch money.
When money is offered to him, his hand becomes turned." But a Bhagavad-gītā does not say that. Bhagavad-gītā does not say that "Because money is offered to you, therefore you shall turn your hand." Yes.
Because a devotee's life is dedicated to the Supreme, so he also thinks that "This money can be utilized for the service of the Lord."
Sannyāsa means one who has completely devoted his life for Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Melbourne, June 29, 1974 :
ReplyDeleteWhat 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. What 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. Not that artificially I have taken the dress of a sannyāsī and talking nonsense. He is not sannyāsī. Sannyāsa means one who has completely devoted his life for Kṛṣṇa. He is sannyāsī, sa sannyāsī, and he is yogī.
Sannyāsa means perfection. Jñāna and vairāgya.
Lecture on BG 9.11 -- Calcutta, June 30, 1973:
If you become devotee of Vāsudeva, bhaja vāsudevam, then very quickly you will become jñānavān. First of all, one becomes jñānavān; then he surrenders to Vāsudeva. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is one process.
Another process is you become a devotee of Vāsudeva, then jñāna, vairāgya, will automatically come. You'll... Because the human life, the perfection of human life is to accept jñāna and vairāgya. That is perfection.
In our Vedic civilization, this is the process, perfection. There are different stages of life. Brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. So what is the sannyāsa law?
Sannyāsa means perfection. Jñāna and vairāgya. Who can take sannyāsa, renounced order, unless he has got full knowledge? As Śaṅkarācārya explains, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā.
Unless one understands fully that "Our these material engagements, they are simply waste of time." He can attain perfection knowledge. Jñāna-vairāgya-yuktāya (SB 1.2.12). Unless there is perfection of knowledge, jñāna, there cannot be vairāgya.
And unless there is vairāgya, unless you become detestful of this material existence, there is no question of liberation. Jñāna-vairāgya-yuktāya.
So this jñāna and vairāgya can be achieved simply by becoming a devotee of Vāsudeva. That is the verdict of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Sannyāsa means to become free from the actions and reactions.
Lecture on BG 9.27-29 -- New York, December 19, 1966:
Srila Prabhupada - "Sannyāsa does not mean that simply taking this orange colored cloth.
Sannyāsa means to become free from the actions and reactions.
Because in the material activities we are always creating actions and reactions, so at a certain stage of your life it is recommended, according to the Vedic standard of, I mean to say, order of society, one has to accept the sannyāsa order so that he may be free from the actions and reactions.
And how one can become free from reactions and reactions? Simply by acting for Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on BG 9.27-29 -- New York, December 19, 1966:
ReplyDeleteSrila Prabhupada - "Sannyāsa does not mean that simply taking this orange colored cloth. Sannyāsa means to become free from the actions and reactions. Because in the material activities we are always creating actions and reactions, so at a certain stage of your life it is recommended, according to the Vedic standard of, I mean to say, order of society, one has to accept the sannyāsa order so that he may be free from the actions and reactions. And how one can become free from reactions and reactions? Simply by acting for Kṛṣṇa.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
So generally, we give this designation to the sannyāsīs because sannyāsa means who has fully control of the senses. One should not accept sannyāsa whimsically. One must know about himself, how far he can control the senses.
Lecture on SB 1.1.5-6 -- London, August 23, 1971:
When one becomes controller of the senses, then he's gosvāmī. So generally, we give this designation to the sannyāsīs becausesannyāsa means who has fully control of 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. Then... But when one is actually a sannyāsa, a sannyāsī, master of the senses, he can be addressed as gosvāmī or svāmī.
So to take sannyāsa means to become in the family of Acyuta. Acyuta-gotra.
Lecture on SB 1.7.16 -- Vrndavana, September 14, 1976:
A Vaiṣṇava, when he's asked about his identification, he gives acyuta-gotra. "Now I belong to the Acyuta, not to my original family." Therefore for a sannyāsī, when he's asked "What is your identification?" it is said, pūrvāśrama. Pūrvāśrama means "Formerly I belonged to such and such family. Now I belong to the family of Kṛṣṇa, acyuta-gotra." This is the etiquette. One should not... Sannyāsī should not be inquired about his identification because he has given up the family relationship. So he should not be bothered. That is not etiquette. Even somebody inquires, he should inquire like that, pūrvāśrama: "What was your pūrvāśrama? Before taking sannyāsa, what was your identification?" So to take sannyāsa means to become in the family of Acyuta. Acyuta-gotra.
Sannyāsa means one has to give up the relationship with family.
Lecture on SB 1.8.18-19 -- Bombay, April 9, 1971:
ReplyDeleteYou know, according to Vedic system, there are brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, and brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. The eight stages. The sannyāsī is to be supposed the first-class stage. So amongst the sannyāsa stage also, there are four stages: kuṭīcaka, bahūdaka, parivrājakācārya, and paramahaṁsa. Not that all sannyāsīs on the equal status. The first status is kuṭīcaka. Sannyāsa means one has to give up the relationship with family. So in the beginning of stage, because he is newly entered in the sannyāsa life, it is not possible for him to give up immediately his village or... Of course, when there was systematic sannyāsa system, then that anyone had to take sannyāsa at a certain stage. Nowadays there is... Sannyāsa, accepting sannyāsa life, is also forbidden because nobody can actually follow strictly the rules and regulations. And neither anybody has got any inclination to accept sannyāsa. Therefore in this age sannyāsa is sometimes forbidden. Kalau pañca vivarjayet (CC Adi 17.164). But if you ask that "Why you have taken sannyāsa?" or "You have got some sannyāsīs," this sannyāsa is not karma-sannyāsa. This sannyāsa is devotion, Vaiṣṇava sannyāsa. Vaiṣṇava sannyāsī means anyone who gives up everything and devotes simply his time for pushing on Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, he is also sannyāsa.
Sannyāsa means simply possess Kṛṣṇa and no other possessions. That is niṣkiñcana
For those immature devotees who cannot understand, like that ignorant judgemental arrogent fool Gaura dasa ACBSP from Canada, who runs the Prabhupada's Godbrothers and Godsisters Facebook site, here is what Prabhupada CLEARLY says-
ReplyDeleteSrila Prabhupada - “A female is NEVER awarded the order of Sannyasam.
This is because a female is NEVER considered independent.
Sannyasam was NEVER awarded to any female in the past by the great Acaryas like Sankara, Ramanuja etc.
The female Sannyasins are to be immediately understood as pretenders or prostitutes.
In India they have organized so many organizations where specially young females are maintained to attract rich women-hunters who pretend to pose as righteous in the society.
This is the age of Kali which plunders away spiritual sense of the human being and it is only the Divine Grace of Lord Caitanya Who can protect us from all these dangerous pitfalls.” (Letter to Brahmananda, 14th March, 1967)
I want more details for this
ReplyDelete