maunÄnÄ«hÄnilÄyÄmÄ
daṇá¸Ä vÄg-deha-cetasÄm
na hy ete yasya santy aá¹…ga
veṇubhir na bhaved yatiḥ
mauna - avoiding useless speech; anÄ«ha - giving up fruitive activities; anila-ÄyÄmÄḥ - controlling the breathing process; daṇá¸Äḥ - strict disciplines; vÄk - of the voice; deha - of the body; cetasÄm - of the mind; na - not; hi - indeed; ete - these disciplines; yasya - of whom; santi - exist; aá¹…ga - My dear Uddhava; veṇubhiḥ - by bamboo rods; na - never; bhavet - is; yatiḥ - a real sannyÄsÄ«.
One who has not accepted the three internal disciplines of avoiding useless speech, avoiding useless activities and controlling the life air can never be considered a sannyÄsÄ« merely because of his carrying bamboo rods.
The word daṇá¸a indicates the staff carried by those in the renounced order of life, and daṇá¸a also indicates severe discipline. The Vaiṣṇava sannyÄsÄ«s accept a staff made of three bamboo rods, signifying dedication of the body, mind and words to the service of the Supreme Lord. Here Lord Kṛṣṇa says that one must first accept these three daṇá¸as, or disciplines (namely control of the voice, body and mind), within oneself. The practice of anilÄyÄma (or prÄṇÄyÄma, regulating the life air) is meant to control the mind, and one who always thinks of service to Lord Kṛṣṇa has certainly achieved the perfection of prÄṇÄyÄma. Merely carrying the three external daṇá¸as without assimilating the internal daṇá¸as of bodily, mental and vocal discipline can never make one an actual Vaiṣṇava sannyÄsÄ«, as explained here by Lord Kṛṣṇa.
In the Haá¹sa-gÄ«tÄ section of MahÄbhÄrata and in ÅšrÄ«la RÅ«pa GosvÄmī’s UpadeÅ›Ämá¹›ta, there are instructions regarding the sannyÄsa order of life. A conditioned soul who adopts only the external ornaments of tridaṇá¸i-sannyÄsa will not actually be able to control the senses. One who takes sannyÄsa for false prestige, making a show of saintliness without actual advancement in kṛṣṇa-kÄ«rtana, will soon be vanquished by the external energy of the Lord.
