Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 10.108
Renunciation Means Serving and Pleasing Kṛṣṇa
“Upon accepting sannyāsa, Puruṣottama Ācārya followed the regulative principles by giving up his tuft of hair and sacred thread, but he did not accept the saffron-colored dress. Also, he did not accept a sannyāsī title but remained as a naiṣṭhika-brahmacārī.”
What the purport teaches
- Svarūpa Dāmodara accepted the preliminary processes of sannyāsa, including the prescribed offerings and sacrifice, giving up his tuft of hair and sacred thread.
- Puruṣottama Ācārya did not accept saffron dress, a sannyāsī name or a daṇḍa. He renounced worldly life without formally accepting the sannyāsa order, wanting only to worship Śrī Kṛṣṇa without disturbance.
- Renunciation means doing nothing but serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. One who acts on this platform, trying to please Him, is both a sannyāsī and a yogī.
Try this today
Choose one small act of service today and do it with the conscious intention of pleasing Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Ask yourself
Am I giving more attention to outward appearance or to actually pleasing Śrī Kṛṣṇa?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport; the practice and question are plain words for trying the verse today.