kÄṇe mudrÄ la-i' muñi ha-iba bhikhÄrÄ«
rÄjya-bhoga nahe citte vinÄ gaurahari
kÄṇe mudrÄ - a kind of earring; la-i' - taking; muñi - I; ha-iba - shall become; bhikhÄrÄ« - a beggar; rÄjya-bhoga - enjoyment of the kingdom; nahe - not; citte - in the mind; vinÄ - without; gaurahari - ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu.
In India there is still a class of professional mendicants who are very much like the gypsies of Western countries. They know some magical art and mystical processes, and their business is to beg from door to door, sometimes pleading and sometimes threatening. Such mendicants are sometimes called yogÄ«s and sometimes kÄṇaphÄá¹Ä yogÄ«s. The word kÄṇaphÄá¹Ä refers to one who has put a hole in his ear to wear an earring made of ivory. MahÄrÄja PratÄparudra was so depressed by not getting to see ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu that he decided to become such a yogÄ«. Ordinary men think that a yogÄ« must have an ivory earring in his ear, but this is not the sign of a real yogÄ«. MahÄrÄja PratÄparudra also thought that to become a mendicant yogÄ«, one must wear such an earring.