Devanagari
न यतेराश्रम: प्रायो धर्महेतुर्महात्मन: ।
शान्तस्य समचित्तस्य बिभृयादुत वा त्यजेत् ॥ ९ ॥
Verse text
na yater āśramaḥ prāyo
dharma-hetur mahātmanaḥ
śāntasya sama-cittasya
bibhṛyād uta vā tyajet
Synonyms
na
—
not
;
yateḥ
—
of the sannyāsī
;
āśramaḥ
—
the symbolic dress (with daṇḍa and kamaṇḍalu )
;
prāyaḥ
—
almost always
;
dharma
—
hetuḥ — the cause of advancement in spiritual life
;
mahā
—
ātmanaḥ — who is factually exalted and advanced
;
śāntasya
—
who is peaceful
;
sama
—
cittasya — who has attained the stage of being equipoised
;
bibhṛyāt
—
one may accept (such symbolic signs)
;
uta
—
indeed
;
vā
—
or
;
tyajet
—
one may give up .
Translation
A peaceful, equipoised person who is factually advanced in spiritual consciousness does not need to accept the symbols of a sannyāsī, such as the tridaṇḍa and kamaṇḍalu. According to necessity, he may sometimes accept those symbols and sometimes reject them.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The stage of the paramahaṁsa, who is peaceful, greatly advanced and equal in all circumstances, is not meant for producing personal good qualities. He may accept or reject the symbols of sannyāsa.
This verse speaks of the paramahaṁsa among the types of sannyāsī. The āśrama of the paramahaṁsa who is peaceful, a great soul, and equal in all circumstance, is not generally for producing qualities in him. That means that the sannyāsī who is immature in his jṣāna should practice yamas and niyamas for purifying his existence. However, when he is mature in jṣāna, he does not have to practice them. The yamas and niyamas are already accomplished. At that time, he may carry the marks of the sannyāsī (such as the staff) to set an example for society, or he may not, since they are not necessary.
Purport
There are four stages of the renounced order of life —
kuṭīcaka, bahūdaka, parivrājakācārya
and
paramahaṁsa.
Herein,
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
considers the
paramahaṁsas
among the
sannyāsīs.
The Māyāvādī impersonalist
sannyāsīs
cannot attain the
paramahaṁsa
stage. This is because of their impersonal conception of the Absolute Truth.
Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate.
The Absolute Truth is perceived in three stages, of which
bhagavān,
or realization of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is meant for the
paramahaṁsas.
Indeed,
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
itself is meant for the
paramahaṁsas
(
paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satām
). Unless one is in the
paramahaṁsa
stage, he is not eligible to understand the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
For
paramahaṁsas,
or
sannyāsīs
in the Vaiṣṇava order, preaching is the first duty. To preach, such
sannyāsīs
may accept the symbols of
sannyāsa,
such as the
daṇḍa
and
kamaṇḍalu,
or sometimes they may not. Generally the Vaiṣṇava
sannyāsīs,
being
paramahaṁsas,
are automatically called
bābājīs,
and they do not carry a
kamaṇḍalu
or
daṇḍa.
Such a
sannyāsī
is free to accept or reject the marks of
sannyāsa.
His only thought is “Where is there an opportunity to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness?” Sometimes the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement sends its representative
sannyāsīs
to foreign countries where the
daṇḍa
and
kamaṇḍalu
are not very much appreciated. We send our preachers in ordinary dress to introduce our books and philosophy. Our only concern is to attract people to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We may do this in the dress of
sannyāsīs
or in the regular dress of gentlemen. Our only concern is to spread interest in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.