नेत्थं पुंसां विरागः स्यात् त्वया केवलिना मृषा ।
मन्यसे यद्युपशमं स्नेहपाशनिकृन्तनम् ॥४०॥

netthaá¹ puá¹sÄá¹ virÄgaḥ syÄt
tvayÄ kevalinÄ mṛṣÄ
manyase yady upaÅ›amaá¹
sneha-pÄÅ›a-niká¹›ntanam

 na - not; ittham - in this way; puá¹sÄm - of persons; virÄgaḥ - renunciation; syÄt - is possible; tvayÄ - by you; kevalinÄ má¹›á¹£Ä - possessing knowledge falsely; manyase - you think; yadi - if; upaÅ›amam - renunciation of material enjoyment; sneha-pÄÅ›a - the bonds of affection; niká¹›ntanam - cutting.


Text

PrajÄpati Daká¹£a continued: If you think that simply awakening the sense of renunciation will detach one from the material world, I must say that unless full knowledge is awakened, simply changing dresses as you have done cannot possibly bring detachment.

Purport

PrajÄpati Daká¹£a was correct in stating that changing one’s dress cannot detach one from this material world. The sannyÄsÄ«s of Kali-yuga who change their robes from white to saffron and then think they can do whatever they like are more abominable than materialistic gá¹›hasthas. This is not recommended anywhere. PrajÄpati Daká¹£a was right in pointing out this defect, but he did not know that NÄrada Muni had aroused the spirit of renunciation in the HaryaÅ›vas and SavalÄÅ›vas through full knowledge. Such enlightened renunciation is desirable. One should enter the renounced order with full knowledge (jñÄna-vairÄgya), for the perfection of life is possible for one who renounces this material world in that way. This elevated stage can be reached very easily, as supported by the statements of ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam (1.2.7):

vÄsudeve bhagavati
 bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ
janayaty ÄÅ›u vairÄgyaá¹
 jñÄnaá¹ ca yad ahaitukam

“By rendering devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead, ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the world.†If one seriously engages in devotional service to Lord VÄsudeva, jñÄna and vairÄgya are automatically manifest in one’s person. There is no doubt of this. PrajÄpati Daká¹£a’s accusation that NÄrada had not actually elevated his sons to the platform of knowledge was not factual. All the sons of PrajÄpati Daká¹£a had first been raised to the platform of jñÄna and had then automatically renounced this world. In summary, unless one’s knowledge is awakened, renunciation cannot take place, for without elevated knowledge one cannot give up attachment for material enjoyment.