64 Sri Caitanya-caritamrta [Madhya-lila, Ch. 23

(acarya) has to consider time, candidate and country. He must avoid the principle
of niyamagraha—that is, he should not try to perform the impossible. What is
possible in one country may not be possible in another. The acarya’s duty is to ac-
cept the essence of devotional service. There may be a little change here and
there as far as yukta-vairagya (proper renunciation) is concerned. Dry renunciation
is forbidden by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and we have also learned this from our
spiritual master, His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Gosvami
Maharaja. The essence of devotional service must be taken into consideration,
and not the outward paraphernalia.

Sanatana Gosvami wrote his Vaisnava smrti, Hari-bhakti-vilasa, which was
specifically meant for India. In those days, India was more or less following the
principle of smarta-vidhi. Srila Sanatana Gosvami had to keep pace with this, and
his Hari-bhakti-vilasa was compiled with this in mind. According to smarta-
brahmanas, a person not born in a brahmana family could not be elevated to the
position of a brahmana. Sandtana Gosvami, however, says in Hari-bhakti-
vilasa (2.12) that anyone can be elevated to the position of a brahmana by the
process of initiation.

yatha kaficanatam yati
kamsyam rasa-vidhanatah

tatha diksd-vidhanena
dvijatvam jayate nrnam

There is a difference between the smdrta process and the gosvami process. Ac-
cording to the smarta process, one cannot be accepted as a brahmana unless he is
born in a brahmana family. According to the gosvami process, the Hari-bhakti-
vilasa and the Ndrada-paficaratra, anyone can be a brahmana if he is properly ini-
tiated by a bona fide spiritual master. This is also the verdict of Sukadeva Gosvami
in Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.4.18):

kirata-hdnandhra-pulinda-pulkasa
abhira-sumbha yavanah khasadayah

ye ‘nye ca papa yad-apdasrayasrayah
sudhyanti tasmai prabhavisnave namah

A Vaisnava is immediately purified, provided he follows the rules and regulations
of his bona fide spiritual master. It is not necessary that the rules and regulations
followed in India be exactly the same as those in Europe, America and other
Western countries. Simply imitating without effect is called niyamagraha. Not
following the regulative principles but instead living extravagantly is also called
niyamagraha. The word niyama means “regulative principles,” and agraha means
