Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 5.142-143
The Staff and Stages of Sannyāsa
“When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to the temple of Lord Śiva known as Kapoteśvara, Nityānanda Prabhu, who was keeping His sannyāsa staff in custody, broke the staff in three parts and threw it into the river Bhārgīnadī. Later this river became known as Daṇḍa-bhāṅgā-nadī.”
What the purport teaches
- While Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu visited the Kapoteśvara temple, Nityānanda Prabhu broke His staff into three parts and threw it into the Bhārgīnadī. The river later became known as Daṇḍa-bhāṅgā-nadī.
- Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura explains that Mahāprabhu accepted sannyāsa from a Māyāvādī sannyāsī. Māyāvādī sannyāsīs generally carry one staff.
- The four divisions of sannyāsa are kuṭīcaka, bahūdaka, haṁsa and paramahaṁsa. The purport explains that the staff is carried in the first two stages and given up upon reaching haṁsa or paramahaṁsa after touring and preaching the bhakti cult.
Try this today
Write down the four stages of sannyāsa and mark which two permit carrying a staff.
Ask yourself
How does the explanation of the stages of sannyāsa help you understand the breaking of the staff?
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.