Is it possible to recognize a devotee simply by examining his external activities, education, or degree of wealth?
Materialists are fond of sense gratification, dry renunciants are detached from material enjoyment, recognizing it as the source of misery. Both materialists and dry renunciants are full of material desires and therefore nondevotees. That is why they cannot understand the service attitude and spontaneous renunciation of _bhaktas_. If one tries to recognize a devotee by his external appearance his high birth, opulence, education, beauty, or other material prosperity, or by his lack of these things - he is bound to be deceived.
Can a person become liberated from material existence simply by becoming a sannyasi?
Dressing like a sannyasi and becoming a real sannyasi are not the same thing. We have to take sannyasa from material enjoyment and the desire for liberation. One who has made Krsna's devotional service the essence of life by renouncing the desire for religiosity, economic development, sense gratification, and liberation is the real *sannyasi*.
How should devotees live at home? How should they live in the Matha?
Whether they live in Matha or outside as householders, devotees should live externally like materialists while remaining internally fixed in devotional service. Do not dress simply like a devotee externally while internally remaining attached to material enjoyment - house, wealth, and fame. This is duplicity, and duplicity is extremely detrimental to devotional service.
Articles
- The name of Bhagwan and Bhagwan are non-different
- প্রভুপাদ - শ্রীনাম ও শ্রীনামী
- গুরুমহিমা - স্বপ্রতিষ্ঠার তরে
- The Purpose of Life
- त्याज्य-पुत्र
- হে যোগমায়া দেবি
- Respect one vaishnav and offend another Vaishnav is an offense
- হে শ্রীনিত্যানন্দরাম!
- প্রেম-কলহ বনাম গুর্ব্ববজ্ঞা
- কলি-কুশলী
- প্রভুপাদ নামের অপসারণ - Displacing the Prabhupāda Name
- প্রচারক তথা বিবিক্তানন্দী - Preacher vs. Living in Solitude
- দশম-অধস্তন আচার্য্যবৃন্দ - The 10th Generation Acāryas
- Vinode Vaibhava Sarasvatī
- Candra-mouli Śiva - Ahaṃ Vedmi
About
Message of Srila Bhakti Vinode Thakur.
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