Devotee: You mentioned today niskincana. Is there a difference between niskincana and akincana?
Srila Gurudeva: They are the same thing. Same thing. But you should try to remember two slokas of sastra. Anyone, giving up all these things:
anasaktasya visayan yatharham upayunjatah
nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe yuktam vairagyam ucyate
prapancikataya buddhya hari-sambandhi-vastunah
mumuksubhih parityago vairagyam phalgu kathyate
-Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.225-6
[One who is not attached to satisfying his senses yet accepts everything in relation to Krsna, is rightly situated above possessiveness. However, if those desiring liberation renounce the things of this world, thinking them to be material, and fail to realize that everything is related to Sri Hari, such renunciation is considered superficial, false renunciation.]
You should try to realize what is phalgu-vairagya and what is yukta-vairagya. Don’t do anything nonsense in the name of yukta-vairagya. In the name of yukta-vairagya, don’t think you can taste everything in this world. We should not do like this. We should be niskincana, like Sanatana Gosvami, and the Pandavas, like Srivasa Acarya. Srivasa Acarya was a family man, but how niskincana he was. He could have arranged anything to maintain his life, but he had nothing. There was not even a mouse in his home. Do you know why?
Devotee: No grain was there.
Srila Gurudeva: No grain was there. How can a mouse or rat come if there is no grain? All the water, when it used to rain, would come into his home. Why? Because there was no roof on his home. He was niskincana. Once, there was nothing to take, nothing, in the house of Srivasa Pandita. Mahaprabhu knew this anyhow and asked Srivasa, “Srivasa, how are you maintaining your life, is everything okay? Is there anything to take, to nourish, to support your children and all others in your family?”
Srivasa only smiled and said, “One, two, three.”
“I don’t know the meaning of this. What is the meaning of, ‘One, two, three.’?”
“I am fasting today. Day and night I will be chanting and remembering Krsna. We will also fast again tomorrow. If anything is not coming, no harm. We will chant and do all these things. The third day also, one, two, three, the third day also, no problem. But the fourth day, if I have nothing to eat, then I will jump in the Ganges.”
Mahaprabhu said, “Laksmi will come and She will have to beg anywhere, but devotees like you, they have nothing to worry about because I have made a promise.” In Krsna’s pastimes, He made a promise, “I will bring anything, what he needs, on My head and My shoulder. I will manage everything for you, don’t worry.” Any devotee should not worry about their maintenance. They should always be chanting and remembering. If you want to realize this, you can do like this and you will see that there will be no problem, nothing nothing nothing.