Tamohara dasa, Jul 06, Canada: “One in the vanaprastha order of life should always practise taking charity from others, for one is thereby freed from illusion and quickly becomes perfect in spiritual life. Indeed, one who subsists on food grains obtained in such a humble manner purifies his existence.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.18.25)
Curious how kali-yuga plays tricks with the practical interpretation of sastra. In this case, any ISKCON vanaprasthas attempting to follow this classic instruction would quickly find themselves starving and diseased. Where is the program to give in charity to vanaprasthas? They will succumb quickly to weakness depending on charity form householders or ISKCON in these days.
The vanaprasthas should be living in our temples and asramas, preaching and spearheading the harinama sankirtana movement! Instead, there is no widely organized facility, that I am aware of. If there is, it is not advertised much, or enough. The vanaprasthas must nowadays exist by grace of God and a bank account, otherwise they are fools!
As well, modern sastra and Srila Prabhupada basically forbid following severe vanaprastha, or severe anything except book distribution! One can grow quickly weak and unable to even concentrate on one’s japa and service; better, and more useful, to be moderate.
“The saintly vanaprastha, practising severe penances and accepting only the bare necessities of life, becomes so emaciated that he appears to be mere skin and bones. Thus worshiping Me through severe penances, he goes to the Maharloka planet and then directly achieves Me.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.18.9)
“If the vanaprastha is overtaken by old age and because of his trembling body is no longer able to execute his prescribed duties, he should place the sacrificial fire within his heart by meditation. Then, fixing his mind on Me, he should enter into the fire and give up his body.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.18.11)
Indirectly, this is partially an answer to overpopulation and cancer! Cancer rates are currently at 100% . People nowadays live so long amidst modern medicine and artificial life extenders, and pollutants that sooner or later the immune system weakens, and if you live long enough, 100% of us get cancer! It is just a question of when, ask any oncologist. Thus the prospect of a morphine-doped end.
Costs of old-age nursing homes, Alzheimers or dementia and memory loss, arthritis, osteoporosis, deafness, weakness, spinal curvatures, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. are what face all modern seniors over 75 or so. The Bhagavatam suggests a path of austerities, which will lead to purification and concentration of the consciousness, and a death while younger and still all of one’s mind, rather than a typical languishing old age and then death in a ghost-filled western hospital.
But for us, of Prabhupada’s and Mahaprabhu’s ISKCON, again we follow merciful and practical Srila Prabhupada, not the old glorious ways of sastra from Lord Sri Krsna’s time. We perform austerities in moderation, such as sankirtana, and we preach and serve other devotees and the Deities and dhamas. If one can actually come up to the exalted standards of Raghunath dasa Goswami, that is another thing. But it is not required, by grace of guru. It is an aim, one does one’s practical best, but the principle is to serve the harinama sankirtana movement, not sit in the forest forever.
“If the vanaprastha, understanding that even promotion to Brahmaloka is a miserable situation, develops complete detachment from all possible results of fruitive activities, then he may take the sannyasa order of life.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.18.12)
And here is the meaning of vanaprastha life! To realize the futility of material aspirations, or even elevationism, once and for all! No more material wanting at all! To do this, one actually must come to the position of relishing and desiring and seeking opportunities to SATISFY THE SENSES OF KRSNA! Not just rote and imitation, but concentration on real surrendered non-sensual enthusiastic service!
This is not a neophyte’s mentality any longer. Mahaprabhu wants all the living entities delivered! Those who serve Radharani by satisfying Her desire to spread love and mercy are satisfying Krsna’s senses fully! Thus, it is better to act as servant of this order, and not to sit as a baba in the kunda for too long.
“Having worshiped Me according to scriptural injunctions and having given all one’s property to the sacrificial priest, one should place the fire sacrifice within oneself. Thus, with the mind completely detached, one should enter the sannyasa order of life.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.18.13)
“One in the vanaprastha order of life should always practice taking charity from others, for one is thereby freed from illusion and quickly becomes perfect in spiritual life. Indeed, one who subsists on food grains obtained in such a humble manner purifies his existence.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.18.25)
But at the end, Srila Prabhupada forbade any more ISKCON sannyasis, did he not? So why are we enduring cardinal-rubber-stamped-sannyasis, when it is a simple stage of life that ALL brahmanas are normally supposed to enter, and it doesn’t even matter much who one takes it from, it is a material stage, like getting married! It is for all, not just a handful of corporate boot lickers. But again, Srila Prabhupada forbade.
So why do we still have sannyasis?? RSVP.
Grhasta, then simply Vanaprastha, is better for all. But in kali yuga, we in the vanaprastha stage cannot depend currently upon any program that I know of. Not that we shall need any fool’s program of slavishness. We are slaves of our Guru.
There are devotes working towards ritvik varnashrama farm communities, such as Annuttama Devi , USA, who can be reached at makevrndavana .com , and Gadai dasa Maharaja, who is at http://vediccabinretreat.com/ , his ashrama located near Buffalo, New York, USA. I invite all vanaprasthas to email me, and we shall see if we can’t devote a site to the cause, or otherwise do something ourselves hat is practical. Tamoharadasa@yahoo.ca
Vanaprasthas should be the height of renunciation in ISKCON, according to Srila Prabhupada, as best I have heard. Any other definitive evidence otherwise?
Of course, Srila Prabhupada himself took sannyasa. He also accepted disciples. He told us to not take sannyasa. ———- See the pattern here?
Hare Krsna! AGTSP!
Tamoharadasa v. (ntgbc)
Varnaprastha Ashram reloaded
Yes, my dear Tamohara Prabhu you are right, this is not the time to take sannyasa, since we are mostly not fit really, as we have seen from most of the so called sannyasa in the Iskcon cradle, since it is a difficult time. And my point is, better become a gardener in our sweet Lords vineyard and save time to chant, read and serve the Tulsi tree. And by the way, preach at your level of understanding to your pals around you, and if you have more than two souls on your farm or garden, start to have a small preaching school. And what ever is in your reach do it, dont make too big plans, since our sweet lord will see that we get free, from all this material agony and anxiety, if we just chant and hear about the lords pastimes and about our beloved guru Srila Prabhupada. Yes we can, be helpful to others who are younger in serving the lord, if it is wanted, otherwise don’t make a big show, better to stay simply living and high thinking and dont follow that busy making progress lifestyle. Vanaprastha means to me, to gear down a bit, serve at your level of understanding and try to develop more attachment to the image of our choice. And if our sweet lord has bigger plans with you, she, ore me, well than we will see, and if the time is right, we can always stand up and fight. Better is to be a plain cloth devotee, like our Sriman George Harrison, who did so much for Guru and Krishna, that his name will never fall in forgetfulness in thousand years, than a showbottle guru ore sannyasa with no love of his own for his Godbrothers who suffer from being left out. So in Sir George we have a good example of a devotee who did what pleases Srila Prabhupada, so we don’t have to be necessarily inside Iskcon to please him, just we have to follow good examples, the way we are and say, yes we can, and do what we can!
Acchedya das Maharajah; PAMHO.
You are a vey kind and considerate devotee. Prabhu, your comments are appreciated. and you are right; I have been slowly killing my body due to stress over matters in Iskcon.
I find it disturbing to write to such websites as SS, then there is endless argument and name calling, and perhaps hardly anyone listens, anyway. The same sincere souls keep putting forth the arguments, then the same deviators ignore everything we say, even if we totally defeated them already. Same elsewhere. I try to speak up, having been encouraged to do so by others. Lately I feel at my limits, as you have perhaps perceived. What can one dog accomplish? Does anybody even care? You are very kind to offer good advice.
Comes a time when one feels like one’s time is short. I am for organized alternative temples and ashramas, but here in Canada, almost no such thing exists, so one is largely alone except for the websites. Until we establish places for association and sankirtana parties, maya-iskcon will not be so easily defeated. There is no shortage of persons to cheat. I prefer to die than to compromise, that will never change. You are certainly not suggesting compromise either, but rather a balanced program, including proper sadhana. Along the way, I shall stop to smell the aroti flowers.
I am trying to instill interest in eventually forming a broad-based vanaprastha sankirtana party, etc. etc. as part of the real Iskcon, including Bangalore. For me, living outside the very temples I helped purchase in Canada and which are now stolen by Bhaktimarga , Hari Vilas, and our Godbrothers and their disciples, I find myself faced with laxmi problems, so the frustration effect is definitely present.
I am trying to learn to be fully independent emotionally, brahminically detached, but I am still so full of righteous anger. HKHR