Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Ādi 17.272
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Accepts Sannyāsa
“After saying this, Keśava Bhāratī, the spiritual master, went back to his village, Katwa. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu went there and accepted the renounced order of life [sannyāsa].”
What the purport teaches
- At the end of His twenty-fourth year, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu left Navadvīpa and crossed the Ganges at Nidayāra-ghāṭa.
- He reached Kaṇṭaka-nagara, or Kāṭoyā (Katwa), where He accepted ekadaṇḍa-sannyāsa according to the Śaṅkarite system.
- Keśava Bhāratī belonged to the Śaṅkarite sect. He therefore could not initiate Caitanya Mahāprabhu into the Vaiṣṇava sannyāsa order, whose members carry the tridaṇḍa.
Try this today
Write one sentence noting the distinction between ekadaṇḍa-sannyāsa and the Vaiṣṇava order carrying the tridaṇḍa.
Ask yourself
What distinction does this passage make between the two sannyāsa orders?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport; the practice and question are plain words for trying the verse today.