Raghunatha dasa Gosvami was very rich man’s son, and he left home. So he joined Lord Caitanya.He was the only son, very beloved son, very nice wife. Left everything. And left means stealing, without saying anything. Somehow or other he left home. And the father could understand he has gone to Lord Caitanya at Puri. So he sent four servants, because he was very rich man, and four hundred rupees. Five hundred years ago, four hundred rupees means twenty times at the present value.

So first of all he accepted, that “Oh, father has sent, all right.” So how he was spending money? So he was inviting all the sannyasins — in Jagannatha Puri there were many sannyasins, renounced order — and every month he was offering feasting. Then after few days, Lord Caitanya inquired His secretary, Svarupa Damodara, “Oh, nowadays I don’t get any invitation from Raghunatha. What happened?” “Oh, Sir, he has stopped accepting his father’s money.”

“Oh, that’s very nice.” “He thought that ‘I have renounced everything, and I am enjoying my father’s money. This is all nonsense.’ He refused. He asked the man, ‘You go home. I don’t want money.’ ” “Then how he is living?” “Oh, he’s standing on the staircase of Jagannatha temple, and when the priests go home with their prasada, they offer something and he’s satisfied in that way.” So Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “Oh, this is all right, very nice.”

Then Caitanya Mahaprabhu was inquiring how he’s standing there. So he…, standing. So Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, after a few days, he stopped that standing also. Then Caitanya Mahaprabhu inquired his secretary, “I don’t see Raghunatha standing there. What he is doing?” “No, Sir, he has given up that standing, because he thought, ‘Oh, I’m standing just like a prostitute; somebody will come and give me some. No, no, I don’t like it.'” “Oh, that’s very nice. Then how he is eating?” “Oh, he’s collecting some rejected rice in the kitchen, and that he is eating.”

So to encourage Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, one day Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to his room. “Raghunatha? I heard that you are eating very nice foodstuff and you are not inviting Me?” So he was not replying. So He was finding out where he has kept that rice, and He took and immediately began to eat. “Sir, You do not eat. This is not fit for You.” “Oh! It is Jagannatha’s prasada! How do you say it is not fit?” Just to encourage him. He may not think that “I am eating this rejected,” you see?

In this way Raghunatha dasa Gosvami reduced his foodstuff, ultimately, every alternate day only one piece of butter, so much. And he was bowing down hundreds times and chanting so many times.

So there are very nice examples of minimizing all material necessities up to the point nil. But that is not possible for everyone. Don’t try to imitate Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. But because they were associates of Lord Caitanya, each one of them showed some example, unique example how Krsna consciousness can be advanced. But our business is not to imitate them, but try to follow them. Try to follow as far as possible. Not artificially.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Bhagavad-gita 6.16-24 — February 17, 1969, Los Angeles