Study a Verse

• Yet even in human life, while observing the principles of varṇa and āśrama — brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa — one must ultimately accept sannyāsa, the renounced order, for only by the renounced order can one be situated in brahma-sukha, or transcendental bliss.
• Otherwise, one should not accept the sannyāsa order.
• If one accepts sannyāsa at an immature stage, there is every possibility of his being attracted by women and lusty desires and thus again becoming a so-called gṛhastha or a victim of women.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Seriousness → Principled living. The example of bhakti becomes a guide to daily life.

Chapters 11–15 of Canto 7: Teachings on social and spiritual conduct. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 15: Instructions for Civilized Human Beings

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

After taking sannyāsa, however, if one returns to gṛhastha life, he is called a vāntāśī, which means “one who eats his own vomit.” Such a person is shameless.