Om Viṣṇupāda Śrī Śrīla Saccidānanda Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
“Above All The Character of Renounced Vaiṣṇavas Should Be Spotless.”
The above instruction was given by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. All Vaiṣṇavas should attempt to purify their character in accordance with His instruction. In particular, however, Vaiṣṇavas in the renounced order of life should pay attention to this matter.
sukha-vastre masi-bindu jaiche nā lukāya
sannyāsīra alpa-chidra sarva-loke gāya
prabhu kahe purna yaiche dugdha-kalaśa
sura-bindu paḍe taiche nā kare paraśa (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 12.51, 53)
“Just as a spot of ink spilled on a white cloth cannot be hidden, so the least fault of a sannyāsī is loudly proclaimed by everyone. The Lord said, ‘It is just like a big jug filled with milk which no one will touch because it has been contaminated by one drop of liquor.’”
There are two kinds of Vaiṣṇavas: householders and sannyāsīs. The Gosvāmīs who act as initiating gurus and the householders who take initiation from them are both considered to be householder Vaiṣṇavas. Those who have taken bheka are bābājīs or sannyāsī Vaiṣṇavas. Whether householders or sannyāsīs, Vaiṣṇavas are to be honored by all other members of society. Whether a Vaiṣṇava is a brāhmaṇa or a member of a lower caste, he is to be respected. For this reason, a Vaiṣṇava is called jagad-guru, or spiritual master to everyone. Because Vaiṣṇavas are a higher order of person, their behavior should reflect their position and be exemplary for the rest of society. If Vaiṣṇavas are of bad character, then how will the rest of the weak-willed humanity ever learn what constitutes saintly behavior?
Studying the matter from every angle, it is evident that first of all, the Gosvāmīs who are acting as mantra-ācāryas or initiating gurus, should take care that their conduct is without the slightest blemish. They should by no means whatsoever covet others’ wives, wealth or property. Anyone who is a real Vaiṣṇava is naturally free from any such tendency, but imposter sannyāsīs and other hypocrites make use of their role as mantra-ācārya in order to engage in all kinds of sinful activities. It is the duty of a guru to take affectionate care of his disciples as though they were his own offspring. He should not throw them into a whirlpool of anxiety about making more and more money on his behalf. He should regard his disciples’ families with the same pure eyes with which he looks at his own daughter.
Ordinary gṛhasthas should remain sinless in their daily activities, earning the money for their household in an honest way and keeping Kṛṣṇa at the center of their family life. They should offer due respect to the mantra-ācārya. They should offer their religious instruction in spiritual matters and help them in all circumstances, acting toward them in a brotherly way. They should offer hospitality to renounced Vaiṣṇavas who are pure in their morality and whenever they get the opportunity, they should study the Vaiṣṇava scriptures.
As for Vaiṣṇavas who have taken the renounced dress (bheka), they should maintain themselves by doing mādhukarī, i.e., begging from door to door for foodstuffs. They should never engage in conversations with women. They should see women, kings and cobras as being equally dangerous and should keep away from them.
Although it is true that all Vaiṣṇavas should be of impeccable character, Mahāprabhu taught that this is especially the case for those who are in the renounced order. They have abandoned family life in order to take sannyāsa, so if they are subject to even a minor flaw it is a very sad thing for everyone. Because of the sins of a few such bābājīs, all renounced Vaiṣṇavas are subjected to criticism. It is our wish that those bābājīs who seriously follow the strict behavioral principles entirely give up any contact with those who do not. By so doing, they will set an example for the rest of the world, which they should always be ready to do. Bābājīs who are fallen in their practice are daily increasing in number and it is necessary to completely set them apart.
It is to be expected that bhāgavat-Vaiṣṇavas will be rather rare. After all, it requires one to leave the pleasures of home and family in order to chant the Holy Names day after day while maintaining the strict behavioral standards of the saintly life.
Therefore, if the number of Vaiṣṇava bābājīs suddenly starts to increase excessively, it likely means that Kali is carrying out some wicked design. The increase in the number of bābājīs in our time is due to the lack of testing of candidates’ suitability for the renounced life. Is it not obvious that it is a recipe for disaster if an unqualified person is given bheka? I am afraid that the Vaiṣṇava religion may not survive if the general community of devotees does not give serious attention to this matter.