Chapter 3
Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's Stay at the House of Advaita Acarya
In his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura gives the following summary of the Third Chapter. After accepting the sannyasa order at Katwa, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu traveled continuously for three days in Radha-desa and, by the trick of Nityananda Prabhu, eventually came to the western side of Santipura. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was induced to believe that the river Ganges was the Yamuna. When He was worshiping the sacred river, Advaita Prabhu arrived in a boat. Advaita Prabhu asked Him to take His bath in the Ganges and took Him to His (Advaita's) house. There all the Navadvipa devotees, along with mother Sacidevi, came to see Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. This house was located at Santipura. Mother Sacidevi cooked for Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu, and at that time there were many joking exchanges between Advaita Prabhu and Nityananda Prabhu. In the evening there was a mass sankirtana at the house of Advaita Prabhu, and mother Sacidevi gave Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu permission to leave. She requested Him to make Jagannatha Puri, Nilacala, His headquarters. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu granted His mother's request and, followed by Nityananda, Mukunda, Jagadananda and Damodara, left Santipura. Bidding farewell to mother Sacidevi, they all proceeded toward Jagannatha Puri, following the path of Chatrabhoga.
TEXT 1
TEXT
nyasam vidhayotpranayo 'tha gauro
vrndavanam gantu-mana bhramad yah
radhe bhraman santi-purim ayitva
lalasa bhaktair iha tam nato 'smi
SYNONYMS
nyasam--the regular ritualistic ceremonies of the sannyasa order; vidhaya--after accepting; utpranayah--arousal of intense love for Krsna; atha--thus; gaurah--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; vrndavanam--to Vrndavana; gantu-manah--thinking of going; bhramat--apparently by mistake; yah--who; radhe--in the tract of land known as Radha; bhraman--wandering; santi-purim--to Santipura; ayitva--going; lalasa--enjoyed; bhaktaih--with the devotees; iha--here; tam--unto Him; natah asmi--I offer my respectful obeisances.
TRANSLATION
After accepting the sannyasa order of life, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, out of intense love for Krsna, wanted to go to Vrndavana, but apparently by mistake He wandered in the Radha-desa. Later He arrived at Santipura and enjoyed Himself there with His devotees. I offer my respectful obeisances to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TEXT 2
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jaya jaya sri-caitanya jaya nityananda
jayadvaitacandra jaya gaura-bhakta-vrnda
SYNONYMS
jaya jaya--all glories; sri-caitanya--to Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; jaya--all glories; nityananda--to Lord Nityananda Prabhu; jaya--all glories; advaita-candra--to Sri Advaita Gosani; jaya--all glories; gaura-bhakta-vrnda--to the devotees of Lord Caitanya.
TRANSLATION
All glories to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu! All glories to Nityananda! All glories to Advaita Prabhu! And all glories to the devotees of Lord Caitanya, headed by Srivasa!
TEXT 3
TEXT
cabbisa vatsara-sesa yei magha-masa
tara sukla-pakse prabhu karila sannyasa
SYNONYMS
cabbisa--twenty-fourth; vatsara--of the year; sesa--at the end; yei--that; magha-masa--the month of Magha (January and February); tara--of that; sukla-pakse--in the waxing period of the moon; prabhu--the Lord; karila--accepted; sannyasa--the sannyasa order of life.
TRANSLATION
At the end of His twenty-fourth year, in the month of Magha, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted the sannyasa order during the waxing period of the moon.
TEXT 4
TEXT
sannyasa kari' premavese calila vrndavana
radha-dese tina dina karila bhramana
SYNONYMS
sannyasa kari'--after accepting the sannyasa order; prema-avese--in intense love for Krsna; calila--proceeded; vrndavana--toward Vrndavana-dhama; radha-dese--in the tract of land known as Radha; tina dina--continuously for three days; karila--did; bhramana--wandering.
TRANSLATION
After accepting the sannyasa order, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, out of intense love for Krsna, started for Vrndavana. However, He mistakenly wandered about in a trance continuously for three days in the tract of land known as Radha-desa.
PURPORT
The word Radha-desa comes from the word rastra, or "state." From rastra the perverted word radha has come. The part of Bengal on the western side of the Ganges is known as Radha-desa. Another name is Paundra-desa or Pendo-desa. The word pendo is a perverted form of the word paundra. It appears that the capital of Rastra-desa was situated in that part of Bengal.
TEXT 5
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ei sloka padi' prabhu bhavera avese
bhramite pavitra kaila saba radha-dese
SYNONYMS
ei sloka--this verse; padi'--reciting; prabhu--the Lord; bhavera--of ecstasy; avese--in a condition; bhramite--wandering; pavitra--purified; kaila--did; saba radha-dese--all of the tract of land known as Radha-desa.
TRANSLATION
Passing through the tract of land known as Radha-desa, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu recited the following verse in ecstasy.
TEXT 6
TEXT
etam sa asthaya paratma-nistham
adhyasitam purvatamair mahadbhih
aham tarisyami duranta-param
tamo mukundanghri-nisevayaiva
SYNONYMS
etam--this; sah--such; asthaya--being completely fixed in; para-atma-nistham--devotion to the Supreme Person, Krsna; adhyasitam--worshiped; purva-tamaih--by previous; mahadbhih--acaryas; aham--I; tarisyami--shall cross over; duranta-param--the insurmountable; tamah--the ocean of nescience; mukunda-anghri--of the lotus feet of Mukunda; nisevaya--by worship; eva--certainly.
TRANSLATION
"[As a brahmana from Avanti-desa said:] 'I shall cross over the insurmountable ocean of nescience by being firmly fixed in the service of the lotus feet of Krsna. This was approved by the previous acaryas, who were fixed in firm devotion to the Lord, Paramatma, the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
PURPORT
In connection with this verse, which is a quotation from Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.23.57), Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that of the sixty-four items required for rendering devotional service, acceptance of the symbolic marks of sannyasa is a regulative principle. If one accepts the sannyasa order, his main business is to devote his life completely to the service of Mukunda, Krsna. If one does not completely devote his mind and body to the service of the Lord, he does not actually become a sannyasi. It is not simply a matter of changing dress. In Bhagavad-gita (6.1) it is also stated, anasritah karma-phalam karyam karma karoti yah. sa sannyasi ca yogi ca: one who works devotedly for the satisfaction of Krsna is a sannyasi. The dress is not sannyasa, but the attitude of service to Krsna is.
The word paratma-nistha means being a devotee of Lord Krsna. Paratma, the Supreme Person, is Krsna. Isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah. Those who are completely dedicated to the lotus feet of Krsna in service are actually sannyasis. As a matter of formality, the devotee accepts the sannyasa dress as previous acaryas did. He also accepts the three dandas. Later Visnusvami considered that accepting the dress of a tridandi was paratma-nistha. Therefore sincere devotees add another danda, the jiva-danda, to the three existing dandas. The Vaisnava sannyasi is known as a tridandi-sannyasi. The Mayavadi sannyasi accepts only one danda, not understanding the purpose of tri-danda. Later, many persons in the community of Siva Svami gave up the atma-nistha (devotional service) of the Lord and followed the path of Sankaracarya. Instead of accepting 108 names, those in the Siva Svami sampradaya follow the path of Sankaracarya and accept the ten names of sannyasa. Although Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted the then-existing order of sannyasa (namely eka-danda), He still recited a verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam about the tridanda-sannyasa accepted by the brahmana of Avantipura. Indirectly He declared that within that eka-danda, one danda, four dandas existed as one. Accepting ekadanda-sannyasa without paratma-nistha (devotional service to Lord Krsna) is not acceptable to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In addition, according to the exact regulative principles, one should add the jiva-danda to the tri-danda. These four dandas, bound together as one, are symbolic of unalloyed devotional service to the Lord. Because the ekadandi-sannyasis of the Mayavada school are not devoted to the service of Krsna, they try to merge into the Brahman effulgence, which is a marginal position between material and spiritual existence. They accept this impersonal position as liberation. Mayavadi sannyasis, not knowing that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was a tridandi, think of Caitanya Mahaprabhu as an ekadandi-sannyasi. This is due to their vivarta, bewilderment. In Srimad-Bhagavatam there is no such thing as an ekadandi-sannyasi; indeed, the tridandi-sannyasi is accepted as the symbolic representation of the sannyasa order. By citing this verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted the sannyasa order recommended in Srimad-Bhagavatam. The Mayavadi sannyasis, who are enamored of the external energy of the Lord, cannot understand the mind of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
To date, all the devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, following in His footsteps, accept the sannyasa order and keep the sacred thread and tuft of unshaved hair. The ekadandi-sannyasis of the Mayavadi school give up the sacred thread and do not keep any tuft of hair. Therefore they are unable to understand the purport of tridanda-sannyasa, and as such they are not inclined to dedicate their lives to the service of Mukunda. They simply think of merging into the existence of Brahman because of their disgust with material existence. The acaryas who advocate the daiva-varnasrama (the social order of catur-varnyam mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita) do not accept the proposition of asura-varnasrama, which maintains that the social order of varna is indicated by birth.
The most intimate devotee of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, namely Gadadhara Pandita, accepted tridanda-sannyasa and also accepted Madhava Upadhyaya as his tridandi-sannyasi disciple. It is said that from this Madhavacarya the sampradaya known in western India as the Vallabhacarya sampradaya has begun. Srila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami, who is known as a smrty-acarya in the Gaudiya-Vaisnava-sampradaya, later accepted the tridanda-sannyasa order from Tridandipada Prabodhananda Sarasvati. Although acceptance of tridanda-sannyasa is not distinctly mentioned in the Gaudiya Vaisnava literature, the first verse of Srila Rupa Gosvami's Upadesamrta advocates that one should accept the tridanda-sannyasa order by controlling the six forces:
vaco vegam manasah krodha-vegam
jihva-vegam udaropastha-vegam
etan vegan yo visaheta dhirah
sarvam apimam prthivim sa sisyat
"One who can control the forces of speech, mind, anger, belly, tongue and genitals is known as a gosvami and is competent to accept disciples all over the world." The followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu never accepted the Mayavada order of sannyasa, and for this they cannot be blamed. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted Sridhara Svami, who was a tridandi-sannyasi, but the Mayavadi sannyasis, not understanding Sridhara Svami, sometimes think that Sridhara Svami belonged to the Mayavada ekadanda-sannyasa community. Actually this was not the case.
TEXT 7
TEXT
prabhu kahe----sadhu ei bhiksura vacana
mukunda sevana-vrata kaila nirdharana
SYNONYMS
prabhu kahe--the Lord said; sadhu--very much purified; ei--this; bhiksura--of the mendicant; vacana--words; mukunda--Lord Krsna; sevana-vrata--decision to serve; kaila--made; nirdharana--indication.
TRANSLATION
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu approved the purport of this verse on account of the determination of the mendicant devotee to engage in the service of Lord Mukunda. He gave His approval of this verse, indicating that it was very good.
TEXT 8
TEXT
paratma-nistha-matra vesa-dharana
mukunda-sevaya haya samsara-tarana
SYNONYMS
para-atma-nistha-matra--only for the determination to serve Krsna; vesa-dharana--changing the dress; mukunda-sevaya--by serving Mukunda; haya--there is; samsara-tarana--liberation from this materiai bondage.
TRANSLATION
The real purpose of accepting sannyasa is to dedicate oneself to the service of Mukunda. By serving Mukunda, one can actually be liberated from the bondage of material existence.
PURPORT
In this connection, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted the sannyasa order and recommended the determination of the Avantipura bhiksu to engage in the service of Mukunda. He accepted the brahmana's version due to his determination to serve Mukunda. The sannyasi dress is actually an attraction for material formality. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu did not like such formality, but He wanted the essence of it--service to Mukunda. Such determination in any condition is paratma-nistha. That is required. The conclusion is that the sannyasa order depends not on the dress but the determination to serve Mukunda.
TEXT 9
TEXT
sei vesa kaila, ebe vrndavana giya
krsna-nisevana kari nibhrte vasiya
SYNONYMS
sei--that; vesa--dress; kaila--accepted; ebe--now; vrndavana--to Vrndavana-dhama; giya--going; krsna-nisevana--service to the Lord; kari--I shall execute; nibhrte--in a solitary place; vasiya--sitting.
TRANSLATION
After accepting the sannyasa order, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu decided to go to Vrndavana and engage Himself wholly and solely in the service of Mukunda in a solitary place.
TEXT 10
TEXT
eta bali' cale prabhu, premonmadera cihna
dik-vidik-jnana nahi, kiba ratri-dina
SYNONYMS
eta bali'--saying this; cale prabhu--the Lord began to proceed; prema-unmadera cihna--the symptoms of ecstatic love; dik-vidik-jnana--knowledge of the right direction or wrong direction; nahi--there is not; kiba--whether; ratri-dina--night or day.
TRANSLATION
As Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was enroute to Vrndavana, all the ecstatic symptoms became manifest, and He did not know in which direction He was going, nor did He know whether it was day or night.
TEXT 11
TEXT
nityananda, acaryaratna, mukunda, tina jana
prabhu-pache-pache tine karena gamana
SYNONYMS
nityananda--Nityananda Prabhu; acaryaratna--Candrasekhara; mukunda--and Mukunda; tina jana--three persons; prabhu-pache-pache--following the Lord; tine--all three of them; karena gamana--go.
TRANSLATION
When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went toward Vrndavana, Nityananda Prabhu, Candrasekhara and Prabhu Mukunda followed Him.
TEXT 12
TEXT
yei yei prabhu dekhe, sei sei loka
premavese 'hari' bale, khande duhkha-soka
SYNONYMS
yei yei--whoever; prabhu--the Lord; dekhe--sees; sei sei loka--those persons; prema-avese--in the ecstasy of love; hari bale--exclaim "Hari"; khande--pass over; duhkha-soka--all kinds of material unhappiness and lamentation.
TRANSLATION
When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu passed through Radha-desa, whoever saw Him in ecstasy exclaimed, "Hari! Hari!" As they chanted this with the Lord, all the unhappiness of material existence diminished.
TEXT 13
TEXT
gopa-balaka saba prabhuke dekhiya
'hari' 'hari' bali' dake ucca kariya
SYNONYMS
gopa-balaka saba--all the cowherd boys; prabhuke dekhiya--seeing the Lord; hari hari bali'--vibrating the sounds "Hari Hari"; dake--shout; ucca kariya--loudly.
TRANSLATION
All the cowherd boys who saw Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu passing joined with Him and began to shout loudly, "Hari! Hari!"
TEXT 14
TEXT
suni' ta-sabara nikata gela gaurahari
'bala' 'bala' bale sabara sire hasta dhari'
SYNONYMS
suni'--hearing; ta-sabara--of all of them; nikata--near; gela--went; gaurahari--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; bala bala--go on speaking, go on speaking; bale--He said; sabara--of all of them; sire hasta dhari'--keeping His hand on their heads.
TRANSLATION
When He heard all the cowherd boys also chanting "Hari! Hari!" Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was very pleased. He approached them, put His hand on their heads and said, "Go on chanting like that."
TEXT 15
TEXT
ta'-sabara stuti kare,----tomara bhagyavan
krtartha karile more sunana hari-nama
SYNONYMS
ta'-sabara--of all of them; stuti kare--Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu praised the behavior; tomara--you; bhagyavan--fortunate; krta-artha--successful; karile--you have made; more--to Me; sunana--by chanting; hari-nama--the holy name of Lord Hari.
TRANSLATION
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu thus blessed them all, saying that they were all fortunate. In this way He praised them, and He felt very successful because they chanted the holy name of Lord Hari.
TEXT 16
TEXT
gupte ta-sabake ani' thakura nityananda
sikhaila sabakare kariya prabandha
SYNONYMS
gupte--in confidence; ta-sabake--unto all the cowherd boys; ani'--taking them; thakura nityananda--Nityananda Thakura; sikhaila--instructed; sabakare--all of them; kariya prabandha--by making a reasonable story.
TRANSLATION
Calling all the boys in confidence and telling a reasonable story, Nityananda Prabhu instructed them as follows.
TEXT 17
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