Remembering Srila Prabhupada - Markata vairagya - Blog - ISKCON Desire Tree

Markata vairagya

Prabhupada has been taking his massage in his bedroom because the sun is still a little too strong for him to be exposed to it for an hour and a half. During today's massage he talked more about the householders and women and children who are being attracted to come and stay here. He stressed the purity of living in Vrndavana, that it is meant for renunciation and not for increasing our material propensities. He said that actually Vrndavana is not meant for householders. "It is for the sannyasis, brahmacaris and vanaprasthas," he said. "It is meant for retirement from material activity; it is not an ordinary place. But they are coming and thinking, 'Oh, Vrndavana is so nice,' and simply eating and having sex. Actually all sex life is a great offence in Vrndavana. It is not a place for increasing the family. Even so, if they do come, they must work. Not that the sannyasis go out and beg and support the householders -- this is very wrong. Householder means that he must work, he must work harder than the others to earn a livelihood and give at least fifty percent to the temple also."

He spoke also about the many false renunciates wandering Vrndavana's sacred precincts. "They live in the forest, naked, renounced, eating fruits -- but debauch number one. Markata-vairagya [monkey renunciates]. There are so many vairagis. Markata. Bhaktivinoda Thakura has said, ei 'ta kali-cela: Here is a disciple of Kali. Nake tilaka galai mala: But has got a tilaka on the forehead and neck beads on the neck. But he is Kali-cela -- number one disciple of Kali. You know this song? Kali-cela?"

He gave a little chuckle as he cautioned us not to broadcast the fate of such a person, lest it got us into trouble. But he said that it was a fact that those who live in Vrndavana and behave like monkeys will take their next birth as monkeys. "Then next life they will be liberated. In one life all their sinful activities will be punished. Because as soon as animal life is obtained, there is no more further record of the sinful life. The animals cannot make sinful activities more than what is destined by him. But their sinful activity is not taken into account. For this man who is offered this monkey's body, he suffers the inconvenience of monkey life. So his sinful activities are counteracted, and because he came to Vrndavana and lived in Vrndavana by the mercy of Radharani, next life he will be ... That is the glory of Vrndavana-dhama. Otherwise what is the explanation of these dogs and hogs and monkeys in Vrndavana? It is dhama-aparadha, committing offense in dhama. As dhama-bhajana, if one undergoes devotional service out of Vrndavana, and one executes devotional service in Vrndavana, that is hundred times better. Similarly dhama-aparadha also. This aparadha, when offense is committed outside Vrndavana, that is not so grievous as committing offense in Vrndavana. Dhama-aparadha. So the punishment is there, but the reward is also there. One life makes pardoned. Tat te 'nukampam su-samiksamano bhunjana evatma-krtam vipakam. Therefore a devotee in a reverse condition of life, he understands that 'I am punished, little punished for my previous mischievous activities. So now I am becoming liberated.' So he becomes more enthused to worship the Lord, that 'You are finishing my sinful reaction of life with slight punishment. Thank you very much.' This is devotee. Tat te 'nukampam su-samiksamanah."

- From "A Transcendental Diary Vol 4" by HG Hari Sauri Prabhu

Comments