Text 40] Talks Between the Lord and Ramananda Raya 101

mahdnta-svabhava ei tarite pamara
nija karya nahi tabu ydana tara ghara

SYNONYMS

mahdanta-svabhava—the nature of saintly persons; ei—this; tarite—to deliver;
pamara—fallen souls; nija—own; karya—business; nahi—there is not; tabu—
still; yina—goes; tara—his; ghara—house.

TRANSLATION

“It is the general practice of all saintly people to deliver the fallen.
Therefore they go to people’s houses, although they have no personal busi-
ness there.

PURPORT

A sannyasi is supposed to beg from door to door. He does not beg simply be-
cause he is hungry. His real purpose is to enlighten the occupant of every house
by preaching Krsma consciousness. A sannydsi does not abandon his superior posi-
tion and become a beggar just for the sake of begging. Similarly, a person in
householder life may be very important, but he may also voluntarily take to the
mendicant way of life. Rapa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami were ministers, but
they voluntarily accepted the mendicant’s life in order to humbly preach $ri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu’'s message. It is said about them: tyaktvd tUrnam asesa-
mandala-pati-srenim sada tucchavat bhutva dina-ganesakau karunaya kaupina-
kanthasritau. Although the Gosvamis were very aristocratic, they became mendi-
cants just to deliver the fallen souls according to the order of Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu. One should also consider that those who engage in the missionary
activities of Krsna consciousness are under the guidance of $i Caitanya
Mahaprabhu. They are not actually beggars; their real business is to deliver fallen
souls. Therefore they may go from door to door just to introduce a book about
Krsna consciousness so that people can become enlightened by reading. Formerly
brahmacaris and sannydasis used to beg from door to door. At the present
moment, especially in the Western countries, a person may be handed over to the
police if he begs from door to door. In Western countries, begging is considered
criminal. Members of the Krsna consciousness movement have no business beg-
ging. Instead, they work very hard to introduce some literatures about Krsna con-
sciousness so that people can read them and be benefited. However, if one gives
some contribution to a Krsna conscious man, he never refuses it.

TEXT 40

azfapnae qats sfate HATES ATT |
FCAT Staataye| FATS SfSe i Bo
