Text 5] Maharaja Prthu’s Going Back Home O77
PURPORT

In Bhagavad- gita yogis are advised.to go to a secluded place in the forest
and live alone in a sanctified spot there. By Prthu Maharaja’s behavior we
can understand that when he went to the forest,he did not eat any cooked
food sent from the city by some devotees or disciples. As soon as one
takes a vow to live in the forest, he must simply eat roots, tree trunks,
fruits, dried leaves or whatever nature provides in that way. Prthu Maharaja
strictly adopted these principles for living in the forest, and sometimes he
ate nothing but dried leaves and drank nothing but a little water. Some-
times he lived on nothing but air, and sometimes he ate some fruit from
the trees. In this way he lived in the forest and underwent severe austerity,
especially in regards to eating. In other words, overeating is not at all
recommended for one who wants to progress in spiritual life. Sri Ripa
Gosvami also warns (atyaharah prayasas ca) that too much eating and too
much endeavor are against the principles by which one can advance in
spiritual life.

It is also notable that according to Vedic injunction, to live in the forest
is to live in the mode of complete goodness, whereas to live in the city is
to live in the mode of passion, and to live in a brothel or drinking house is
to live in the mode of ignorance. However, to live in a temple is to live in
Vaikuntha, which is transcendental to all the modes of material nature.
This Krsna consciousness movement affords one the opportunity to live in
the temple of the Lord, which is as good as Vaikuntha. Consequently a
Krsna conscious person does not need to go to the forest and artificially
try to imitate Maharaja Prthu or the great sages and munis who used to
live in the forest.

Srila Ripa Gosvami, after retiring from his minister’s seat in the govern-
ment, went to Vrndavana and lived beneath a tree, like Maharaja Prthu.
Since then, many people have gone to Vrndavana to imitate Rupa Gosvami’s
behavior. Instead of advancing in spiritual life, many have fallen into
material habits and even in Vrndavana have become victims of illicit sex,
gambling and intoxication. This Krsna consciousness movement has been
introduced in the Western countries, but it is not possible for Westerners to
go to the forest and practice the severe austerities which were ideally
practiced by Prthu Maharaja or Rupa Gosvami. However, Westerners or
anyone else can follow in the footsteps of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
Thakura by living in a temple, which is transcendental to residence in a
forest, and to vow to accept Krsna prasa@da and nothing else, follow the
regulative principles, and chant sixteen rounds daily of the Hare Krsna
mantra. In this way, one’s spiritual life will never be disturbed.
