Satsvarupa das Goswami: 'Retired Sannyasi'
BY: SITA-PATI DAS
Jan 2, AUSTRALIA (SUN) — In response to Nrsimhananda Prabhu's concerns about Satsvarupa Prabhu and his sannyasa status, I would like to make some observations.
The language that is used in the GBC announcement to describe Satsvarupa Prabhu's status is "retired sannyasi". This is a new idea that has provoked some discussion in the community.
Sannyasa represents different things on different levels. On one level it is an ashram, or stance that one adopts from which to fight the material energy.
Satsvarupa Prabhu has just undergone a major purification in a very
public fashion. He has lost his public status as an "ISKCON sannyasi",
but he is still continuing in his own bhajan by cultivating renunciation
through external detachment from the objects of the senses.
Of course it is condemned to return to grhasta life from formal
sannyasa: in the Bhagavatam a person who does this is called “vantasi” -
one who returns to eat their own vomit.
At the same time it is in fact forbidden to take sannyasa in the first
place in Kali Yuga. For the purpose of preaching, following in the
footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati, and on the order of his spiritual master Srila A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami, this devotee has tried to do something impossible.
In this light there is no great surprise or shame that he has not
“succeeded” - rather all glory is there for his sincere effort. It has
been a huge sacrifice. Whatever defect that is there will pass with
time, but the devotional service to Srila Prabhupada and his mission
will never be lost. We are not varnasrama-dharmis, we are devotees.
In this situation Satsvarupa das Goswami has elected to continue his
cultivation of bhakti from a position of non-engagement with the objects
of the senses. Probably a good choice at his age, and we shall see if he
is able to do it. His godbrothers are ready to assist him, it seems.
So he has elected to retain his personal ashram of karma-sannyasa.
On another level sannyasi represents an official role with official
distinction in ISKCON.
For the official role they have created a new category - “retired
sannyai”. Probably a better description would be "babaji", but that
would probably be even more controversial than "retired sannyasi". He is
fighting his fight from a renounced position, but does not receive the
organizational recognition that is given to sannyasis in ISKCON. He has
not retired from his personal stance of attempting to cultivate bhakti
through karma-sannyasa, but from the ISKCON organizational role normally
associated with the sannyasis. He took sannyasa initially to fulfill
that organizational role. Now he is electing to take it, devoid of
organizational rank and responsibility, for his own continued fight.
Again it represents sensitivity and cultural evolution, recognizing the
individual situations of devotees. Vedic culture is very personal and
variegated. In Vedic sannyasa there are four stages, bahudak, kutichak,
parivrajak, and paramahamsa.
If you study the description of sannyasa in the Bhagavatam what our guys
have been doing doesn’t resemble any of them. My realization is that
they are basically charging the machine guns to allow us to get a
movement off the ground on Omaha beach. As Krpamoya Prabhu recently wrote on his blog:
"ISKCON was created out of nothing. For it to become a
vehicle to inspire and educate and to save others - for it to take the
founder-acarya’s mission and develop it - there initially had to be
people of extremely high levels of commitment. If such level of
commitment had not been the foundation of the movement, there would
probably not have been much of a movement to speak of by now. ISKCON’s success - derived in part from the spiritual purity gained by the high commitment of its early members - is that we have attracted an
astonishing number of people to join us....But were all our members
meant to become initiated and take the same high-level vows? Some were
for sure, and they were happy then, and they’re happy now. The others?
Perhaps not."
He may not be perfect, but without his imperfect effort we wouldn't have what we have today. It may not be perfect, but let us learn from the lessons of the past and continue on into the future avoiding previous mistakes and learning from new ones that we will inevitably make, being conditioned souls.
All glories to the devotees who tried their personal best, and gave us what we have today!
