View source for I was a householder. I never dreamt. But circumstantially I was forced to accept the sannyasa dress just to become a preacher

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{{terms|"I was a householder. I never dreamt. But circumstantially I was forced to accept the sannyasa dress just to become a preacher"}}
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{{compiler|Labangalatika}}
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[[Category:I Was (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:Householder]]
[[Category:I Never (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:Dreaming]]
[[Category:Circumstances]]
[[Category:Force]]
[[Category:I Accept (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:Dress of a Sannyasi]]
[[Category:Just To]]
[[Category:To Become]]
[[Category:Preacher]]
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<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2>
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<div id="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="0" parent="Lectures" text="Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures"><h3>Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures</h3>
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<div id="LectureonBG43953NewYorkAugust241966_0" class="quote" parent="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" book="Lec" index="201" link="Lecture on BG 4.39-5.3 -- New York, August 24, 1966" link_text="Lecture on BG 4.39-5.3 -- New York, August 24, 1966">
<div class="heading">And if you question me that "Swamiji, why you have taken sannyāsa?" You may ask that question. Yes. So I may tell you frankly that I had no desire to accept this sannyāsa. I never dreamt in my householder... I was a householder. I never dreamt. But circumstantially I was forced to accept the sannyāsa dress just to become a preacher. You see? That is a long history.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on BG 4.39-5.3 -- New York, August 24, 1966|Lecture on BG 4.39-5.3 -- New York, August 24, 1966]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So here it is stated, bhagavān uvāca: "The Personality of Godhead said, answered." What He answered? That</p>
:sannyāsaḥ karma-yogaś ca
:niḥśreyasa-karāv ubhau
:tayos tu karma-sannyāsāt
:karma-yogo viśiṣyate
:([[Vanisource:BG 5.2|BG 5.2]])
<p>Now, Kṛṣṇa says that "Either you renounce this world, either be you in the renounced order of life"—just like we are in renounced order of life—"or you are in ordinary working capacity," that "they are equally beneficial." But... Tayos tu. But if we examine on neutral position, then Kṛṣṇa recommends that better than this sannyāsa is to work, is better. Tayos tu karma-sannyāsāt karma-yogo viśiṣyate.</p>
<p>This is very nice point. Try to understand. The sannyāsī... Just like we are sannyāsī. According to our Vedic system, we are allowed to beg alms from the householders. The social system, the varṇāśrama institution, is so made that the brahmacārī, vānaprastha, and the sannyāsī, and the gṛhastha... Gṛhastha means the householder. Now, the brahmacārī will beg from the householder, the vānaprastha will beg from the householder, and the sannyāsī also beg from the householder. So householder is the only earning member who will feed all these three different status of social orders. But in the Kali-yuga, in this age, some unscrupulous persons, they are taking advantage of this dress because this dress is not very costly. Any kind of cotton cloth, you take, two paisa worth from, or two cent worth, and color, and you get it orange-colored and put on. Because in this age nobody is inquiring whether he is actually a sannyāsī or not, simply by dress... Of course, the dress is the badge.</p>
<p>Now, people are taking advantage of this and they misusing the position. Therefore Kṛṣṇa, I mean to say, foresaw that this will happen in future because He was speaking this Bhagavad-gītā five thousand years before. So, as He is full knowledge, entire knowledge, because He is God, He knows what will happen in the future. Therefore he gave preference to working order than this sannyāsa order. Lord Caitanya also, He also said that in this age sannyāsa is not recommended.</p>
<p>And if you question me that "Swamiji, why you have taken sannyāsa?" You may ask that question. Yes. So I may tell you frankly that I had no desire to accept this sannyāsa. I never dreamt in my householder... I was a householder. I never dreamt. But circumstantially I was forced to accept the sannyāsa dress just to become a preacher. You see? That is a long history. Sannyāsa, (chuckles) but I was forced some way or other to accept the sannyāsa. Of course, as far as possible, I am following the rules and regulations of a sannyāsī, as far as possible.</p>
<p>So here Kṛṣṇa says that tayos tu karma... Everything can be utilized for the ultimate business. Everything can be utilized. Kṛṣṇa says. So there is no difference. Why there is no difference? If your ultimate goal, aim, is Kṛṣṇa conscious, then either you become Kṛṣṇa conscious in a dress of sannyāsī or as an ordinary man, oh, there is no difference. There is no difference because your aim is the same.</p>
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