Question: In Caitanya Caritamrita Adi lila, 17.265 purport, Srila Prabhupada says the following: Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu however expected that even the caste brahmanas would offer respect to a sannyasi because 500 years ago, the social custom was to offer obeisances immediately to any sannyasi known or unknown. “Devata pratiman drstva yatim caiva tridandinam Namaskaram na kuriyadya prayascitya te nara” One who does not offer respect to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to His deity in a temple or a tridandi sannyasi, must undergo prayascita, atonement. If one does not offer obeisances to such a sannyasi, the prescribed prayascita is to fast for one day. Now in Mayapur, especially during festival, we are blessed to see many vaisnava sannyasis. Sometimes I pay obeisances to some and sometimes not. So what should I do? Should I pay obeisances to all the sannyasis whoever we see every day, every time? Please enlighten me.

Jayapataka Swami: You should, the first time you see a sannyasi, you should pay your obeisances. You don’t have to pay every time you see him. The spiritual master generally, we pay obeisances, every time we see him. But to sannyasis, we pay once a day. I asked Srila Prabhupada when he was sending me to India, what should I do if I meet a sannyasi? He said, pay your obeisances! I was a brahmacari at that time.
12-FEBRUARY-2020 SRI MAYAPUR DHAM, INDIA