According to solar calculation, it was on the day of Makara Sankranti, an auspicious conjunction of the stars, that Nimai Pandit went to Katwa to take sannyas, the renounced order of life. After this, He would become known as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He swam across the Ganges and in wet cloth ran towards Katwa. Just before this, He told only a few of His friends, including Nityananda Prabhu, Gadadhar Pandit, Mukunda, and others, «The time when I will accept the robe of renunciation is very near.»
Just a few days before this, an opposition party had been raised against Nimai Pandit. Those who believed that material nature is the highest principle, and that consciousness is a product of matter, began to abuse Nimai Pandit. He thought, «I came to deliver the lowest of men, but if they commit offences against Me, there will not be hope for their upliftment.» Suddenly, He said, «I came with that medicine which gives the greatest relief, but now I find that their disease is rapidly growing worse and seems beyond treatment. It will take its own course towards doom. The patients are committing offences by abusing their doctor. They are making arrangements to insult Me. They take it that I am a family man — their nephew. They take Me as one of them. I came with the best medicine for the present degraded age, but now I find that they are plotting against Me. Now they are doomed. At least I have to show them that I am not one of them.» He thought, «I shall leave family life and take sannyas and wander from village to village, town to town, preaching the Holy Name of Krishna.» That was His decision, and within a few days He went to take sannyas at Katwa from Kesava Bharati Maharaj.
Just the day before He left to take sannyas, from the afternoon until the evening, there was a spontaneous gathering of devotees in the home of Nimai Pandit. Every year in Bengal, that day was celebrated as Laksmi Puja, worship of the Goddess of fortune, when special cakes are prepared and distributed. Nimai, knowing that early the next morning He would leave Nabadwip to take sannyas, attracted His followers in such a way that almost every leading devotee came to see Him that evening.
They came with flower garlands and many other offerings to be presented to the Lord. Nimai accepted their garlands and then placed them on the necks of the devotees who gave them. Only four of His most intimate devotees knew He was leaving; the ordinary devotees did not know this would be His last night in Nabadwip. With His own hands He garlanded the necks of His devotees and appealed to them, «Always chant the Name of Krishna. Under no condition should you give up this Krishna-nam. And don’t do anything else. While working, eating, sleeping, or walking, day or night — in whatever you do — continuously take the Name of Krishna. Always talk about Krishna — nothing else. If you have any real attraction to Me, then don’t do anything without chanting the Name of Krishna.
«Cultivate Krishna consciousness. Krishna is the origin of us all. He is our father; we have come from Him. The son who shows no gratitude towards the father is sure to be punished birth after birth. Always chant these Names of the Lord:
hare krsna hare krsna, krsna krsna hare hare
hare rama hare rama, rama rama hare hare
«No other religious principle is required. Chant ‘Hare Krishna’. This is not an ordinary mantra, but this is the mahamantra, the greatest of all the great mantras, the very essence of all the mantras known to the world. Only take to this, always. No other prescription is to be followed.
«Remember your Lord, your home. This is a foreign land; you have nothing to aspire after here. Try always to go back home, back to Godhead.» In this way, the Lord spoke, and all His devotees intuitively came because it was Nimai Pandit’s last night in Nabadwip.
Late at night, one devotee named Kholavecha Sridhar arrived. He used to make trade on the plantain tree and its fruit. He would sell the fruit, ripe or green, and the big leaves which are used as plates. Sometimes Nimai would pay him less for his fruits than what they were worth, and sometimes He would snatch the best fruits from him. Sridhar came to see Him late at night to offer Him a choice pumpkin. And Nimai thought, «I have spent almost My whole life snatching so many things from him, and now, on this last night he has brought this wonderful pumpkin. I can’t resist.» He asked Sachi Devi, «Mother, Sridhar has given Me this pumpkin. Please think of how it can be prepared.» At bedtime, someone came with some milk. Nimai said, «Mother, with this milk and this pumpkin, please prepare some sweet rice.» So Sachi Devi prepared some pumpkin sweet rice: pumpkin boiled with milk, rice, and sugar.
Late at night, at about three o’ clock in the morning, Nimai went away. He left Visnu Priya Devi asleep in bed. His mother Sachi Devi, sensing what was to come, was staying awake all night guarding the door. Nimai bowed down to her and went away. And like a stone figure, Mother Sachi Devi sat there by the gate as Nimai left. She could not say anything, but was struck dumb.
A little after three o’clock in the morning, Nimai swam across the Ganges and in His wet cloth went straight to Katwa, a distance of twenty-five miles. He reached there by nine or ten o’clock. There, He approached Kesava Bharati to take sannyas.
In the early morning, the devotees came to see Nimai and found Sachi Devi like a statue, sitting at the door. The door was open. Everything was empty. «What’s the matter Sachi Devi?» they asked. She told them, «Oh, I was waiting for you devotees. You take possession of the house. I shall go somewhere else. I can’t enter this house any more. You are His associates; you are the true heirs. Take possession.» They began to throng around her and console her. «You will go? What about the young wife He left? The girl is only fourteen years old. Who will protect her? You can’t shun the responsibility given to you. It is on your shoulders.» In this way they came and consoled her and tried to give her some hope.
Suddenly the devotees heard that Nimai Pandit, Sri Gauranga, had left Nabadwip. They learned that He had gone to Katwa, to Kesava Bharati’s ashram to take sannyas, bidding goodbye to the people of Nabadwip forever.
A dark shadow came down. Many began to weep and cry for Him. Many of them ran towards Katwa. Nimai Pandit was an unprecedented scholar with beautiful features — tall, fair, and benevolent. He had already made the people mad with the Holy Name of Krishna. He had released the two great sinners Jagai and Madhai from their nasty life. He had checked the Mohammedan ruler, the Kazi, who had broken the mrdanga drum. As a famous pandit, he had defeated many scholars who came to conquer Nabadwip, which was very much renowned for its high culture of learning, especially of logic.
At that time in Nabadwip, logic (nyaya); worship of material energy (tantra), and official Hinduism (smrti), were in high culture. Nabadwip was highly renowned for scholarship. If pandits could not defeat the scholars of Nabadwip, they could not become famous. From far away in Kashmir, Kesava Kasmiri had to come to Nabadwip to get a certificate that he was a pandit. And he was defeated by Nimai Pandit. Kesava Kasmiri was such a big pandit that it was rumoured he was the favourite child of Saraswati, the goddess of learning. No one could face him. Still, he was defeated by Nimai Pandit.
But Nimai Pandit left Nabadwip forever and took sannyas because the people of Nabadwip could not appreciate Him. He reached Katwa, where, just on the banks of the Ganges, there was a sannyasi named Kesava Bharati. Nimai went to him and asked him for sannyas. Kesava Bharati suddenly found that his ashram was full of lustre. At first, it seemed as if the sun was rising before him; then he saw that it was a bright person approaching. He rose from his seat, and with strained eyes approached in wonder. «What is this?» he thought.
Then he realised that the great devotee-scholar, Nimai Pandit, had come. He appeared before him saying, «I want to take sannyas from you.» But Kesava Bharati could not accept Nimai’s offer. «I am charmed by Your beauty and personality», he said. «But You are so young, only twenty-four years old. What about Your mother, Your wife, and Your guardians? Without consulting with them, I cannot venture to give You the robe of renunciation.»
In the meantime, as it was Makara Sankranti, a famous holiday, many people had come to take bath in the holy waters of the Ganges. They gathered there and the rumour spread like fire: «Nimai Pandit of Nabadwip has come to take sannyas.» Many men flocked there, until a huge crowd gathered.
They all opposed Mahaprabhu’s sannyas. Some of them raised their voices in protest: «You — Kesava Bharati! We won’t allow you to give sannyas to this young man. He has a family, His mother and wife. We won’t allow it. If you give sannyas to this charming, young, beautiful boy, we will break down your ashram immediately. It can’t be!»
But Nimai Pandit kept pressing for sannyas. At last, Kesava Bharati asked Him, «So, You are that Nimai Pandit about whom we have heard so much? Many big scholars came to conquer Nabadwip, the famous seat of learning, and You have defeated them all. Are You that Nimai Pandit?» «Yes», said Nimai. Kesava Bharati told him, «I can give You sannyas, but You must take the permission of Your mother — otherwise I won’t, I can’t do it.» Nimai suddenly began running towards Nabadwip to ask permission, but Kesava Bharati thought, «He has such a commanding personality, He can do anything.»
Nimai was called back. Kesava Bharati told him, «With Your most extraordinary personality You can do anything. You will go there, charm Your guardians, get permission, and return. Nothing is impossible for You.»
The ordinary public was very much enraged, saying to Kesava Bharati, «We can’t allow you, Swamiji, to give sannyas to this young boy. It is impossible! If you do, then we shall smash your ashram.» Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu began performing kirtan, chanting Hare Krishna and dancing madly. And the angry mob grew, sometimes creating a disturbance. In this way the whole day passed with no decision. The night passed in sankirtan. And the next day, Nimai’s will prevailed, although there was still some opposition.
Nityananda Prabhu, along with Nimai’s maternal uncle Chandrasekhar, Mukunda Datta, and Jagadananda Pandit, gradually arrived there. And that afternoon, the sannyas function began. Chandrasekhar Acharya was asked to perform the ceremony on behalf of Nimai Pandit, who began to chant and dance and charm the audience.
laksa-lochanasru-varsa-harsa-kesa-kartanam
koti-kantha-krsna-kirtanadhya-danda-dharanam
nyasi-vesa-sarva-desa-ha-hutasa-kataram
prema-dhama-devam eva naumi gaura-sundaram
«While showers of tears fell from the eyes of millions, He delighted in having His beautiful hair shaved away. Millions of voices sang the glories of Krishna, as Sri Krishna Chaitanya accepted the staff of renunciation. From that time on, wherever He went, whoever saw Him in the dress of a sannyasi cried in grief. I sing the glories of that beautiful golden God, the giver of divine love.»
The scene was at Katwa. Four hundred and seventy-four years ago, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyas. He was young and beautiful, with a tall figure. He was only twenty-four and had beautiful curling hair. A barber was asked to shave Him, and approached Him, but then withdrew. The barber could not venture to touch Nimai’s body. He began to cry. «How can I remove such beautiful hair from such a beautiful head?»
And so many others were also crying aloud, «What a horrible thing is being done here! Who is the creator of this sannyas? Who is so hard-hearted that he created the sannyas-asram, where one must give up all that is near and dear and go from door to door, begging, leaving his own friends and relatives crying helplessly? What is this creation of the Supreme? Is it logical? Is it a happy thing? It is most cruel!»
Nimai Pandit was smiling. After the barber was ordered repeatedly, somehow he was forced to shave Nimai’s head. At first, he could not venture to touch His hair, saying, «I can’t touch Him.» But at last, he had to do the service of shaving the beautiful, curling hair of the beautiful face of the twenty-four-year-old genius boy. He began with his shears. Some people could not stand the scene. Some even became mad. In the midst of the weeping, wailing, and crying of the threatening mob, it was done.
Nimai Pandit was senseless. After being only half-shaved, He stood up and began chanting in kirtan and dancing in ecstatic joy. After He was shaved, the barber promised, «I will never again shave anyone with this hand! I would rather live by begging. This is my last service as a barber.» After this, that barber took up the occupation of a sweetmaker.
Ultimately Nimai’s appeals pacified the mob, and a little before noon the inevitable gradually came: the sannyas function was performed. Chandrasekhar Acharya, the maternal uncle of Nimai Pandit, was deputed to take charge of the rituals in the ceremony of sannyas. When the mantra was to be conferred, Nimai Pandit asked Kesava Bharati, «Is this the mantra you will give Me? I heard it in a dream.» He whispered the mantra in the ear of His Guru who accepted, saying, «Yes, this is the mantra I shall give You.» Then that mantra was given.
And the name of this sannyasi was not given in an ordinary way either. A most peculiar name came through Kesava Bharati: ‘Krishna Chaitanya’. None of the ten names generally given to sannyasis was given to Nimai Pandit, but the name that was given to Him was ‘Krishna Chaitanya’. As soon as they heard that name, the mob began to cry, «Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ki jay!» «All glories to Sri Krishna Chaitanya!»
The father of Srinivas Acharya was a class-friend of Nimai Pandit. On his way to his father-in-law’s house, he heard that Nimai Pandit had come to take sannyas. He ran there, and seeing everything, he became dumb — he was devastated and went half-mad. After that, nothing came from his mouth but «Chaitanya!» After he heard the name ‘Krishna Chaitanya’, whatever anyone said to him, he would only say, «Chaitanya!» He became mad. After that, his name became Chaitanya Das. His former name vanished, and everyone used to call him Chaitanya Das. He could not stand the scene of Nimai Pandit’s sannyas.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, newly dressed in red robes, embraced His Guru, and both of them began to dance, chanting the Name of Krishna. After some time, the meaning of the name was given. Kesava Bharati Maharaj said, «‘Sri Krishna Chaitanya’ means that You arouse Krishna consciousness throughout the entire world. You have descended to make all people Krishna conscious. So the most suitable name for You cannot but be ‘Sri Krishna Chaitanya’.»
Mahaprabhu was very cheerful, thinking, «I am going to relieve so many souls from their eternal misery and affliction. I have promised to deliver the whole world from this ocean of misery and take them to the nectarean world, and now I am going to accept that task.» He was cheerful, but everyone around Him was diving in the ocean of despair and sorrow.
Some scholars stress that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyas from Kesava Bharati, who was a mayavadi, an impersonalist. But although Kesava Bharati may have externally showed himself in that way, it is seen that by coming in connection with Mahaprabhu, he became a devotee. Otherwise, we may also think that he was a devotee who came in the garb of an impersonalist to help the preaching of Mahaprabhu by assisting Him with the social formality of taking sannyas. At that time, all over India, mayavadi sannyasis had greater recognition than Vaisnava sannyasis, and Kesava Bharati was already situated in that post. Mahaprabhu took the garb of a sannyasi from him for His own purpose, to help His preaching activity. All these things may be explained in different ways. In any case, after Mahaprabhu took sannyas, Kesava Bharati began to sing and dance with Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He joined in sankirtan and was immediately converted.
In this way, the sannyas of Nimai Pandit took place. What is the meaning of His sannyas? Is it redundant, auxiliary, or a necessary part of spiritual advancement? Is it desirable? Although apparently undesirable, still it has its necessity. In the Krishna conception of theism, there is a deep-rooted correlation between union with the Lord and separation from Him. Without separation, union cannot be deep-rooted. The pain of separation can enter into the depth of the heart much more than cheerfulness. Such apprehension increases our satisfaction. The greater our want, the greater our satisfaction. This is especially true in love affairs. If there is no necessity of a thing, it has no value. This principle is found everywhere. A glass of water is ordinary, but according to the degree of its necessity, its value will increase. So the degree of necessity is most important. Necessity means separation. Necessity independent of fulfilment is separation, hunger.
Separation plays the most important part in both Nabadwip and Vrndavan-lila. How many years of union were there between Krishna and the gopis? Krishna was only in Vrndavan from the age of seven years up to the age of twelve: five years. Then, He went to Mathura. Of course, it is mentioned in the Padma-purana that in peculiar or extraordinary cases, growth should be measured by multiplying by one and a half. So when Krishna is eight years old, He should be considered twelve. When He is twelve, He should be considered eighteen years of age. So according to His growth, Krishna was in Vrndavan from the age of twelve to eighteen, but according to His years, from the age of seven to twelve.
He stayed in Dvaraka for a long time; altogether He lived here on this earth for one hundred and twenty-five years. After He left Vrndavan at the age of twelve, the pangs of separation were felt by the gopis throughout their whole lives. Their long, long separation has made their devotion so dignified; the test of separation shows whether love is real. Such a long-standing separation and such a great test has never been found in history; still, the depth of their love did not diminish. Rather, an inconceivable, ever-increasing depth of divine love was found there.
And in both Nabadwip and Vrndavan, the background is almost similar. In Nabadwip, to gain victory over the opposition party, Mahaprabhu left His household life. And in Vrndavan-lila it is also similar. The opposition in Vrndavan-lila came from Mathura in the form of Agha, Baka, Putana, Trnavarta, and other demons who were being sent by King Kamsa. To uproot the opposition, Krishna had to go to Mathura. And when He went there, He found that the opposition was widespread. Kamsa’s father-in-law, Jarasandha, Kalayavana, Sisupal, Dantavakra, and many others were inimical to Krishna. So Krishna promised the gopis that after finishing His enemies, He would return to Vrndavan to play peacefully with them. To uproot the opposition party, Krishna had to go away. And He told the gopis in Kuruksetra, «I have some other enemies; after finishing with them, I will be reunited with you.» That sort of hope was given to the gopis in Kuruksetra.
Here also, to conquer the opposition party, Mahaprabhu had to leave Nabadwip. Later, after His conquest of all the Indian scholars and religionists of different positions and creeds, after five years, when He returned to Nabadwip, everyone was transformed. The mass approached Him madly. It is difficult to conceive with what madness the mass approached Sri Chaitanyadev, the child of their own village.
They crossed the Ganges. The whole Ganges, as far as it could be seen, was filled with human heads. They were running towards Him from all directions in such a way that the jungles were cleared by human feet. For a few days, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu stayed nearby in Vidya Nagar, and then went towards Vrndavan, singing the Holy Name of Krishna. Thousands of devotees were running behind Him, digging up the earth to take the dust of His holy feet, and huge pits were being created.
For about eighteen years Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu led a scholarly life as Nimai Pandit. After that, for about six years, He wandered through the length and breadth of India, including Vrndavan. The last eighteen years of His life, He remained in Jagannath Puri continuously. For the first six years of His sannyas, He mixed with the general public. The last twelve years of His life, He almost retired from the whole human society and engaged Himself deeply in tasting the union in separation of Radha-Govinda. And many extraordinary symptoms of ecstasy which have never been experienced anywhere, nor even heard of, were expressed by Him. Separation can produce such wonderful effects in the body and mind.
Sri Gauranga-avatar has twofold characteristics: the apparent reason for His advent is to deliver the people in general from sin, and to give them the highest attainment of life — to take them towards Vrndavan, Vraja-lila, by giving the Holy Name of Krishna. This is actually the function of the Yuga-avatar, the incarnation of Godhead for the age. The Lord comes to distribute the divine sound and to show how one can reach the highest position through divine sound. Still, He had another purpose to fulfil. Once in Brahma’s day — in a special Kali-yuga — Krishna Himself comes in the mood of Radharani to search Himself. He wants to taste the mood of Radharani, to understand the nature of Her inner hankering for Krishna, how She can taste the sweetness of Krishna by Her mood, and what is the joy She derives.
Krishna wanted to have some experience of why Radharani is so mad for Him. He thought, «What is there in Me that makes Her so immeasurably mad for Me? What sweetness can She draw from Me? I can’t ascertain it.» He wanted to mould Himself in the mood of Sri Radhika and try to taste His own self from that temperament. So He came as Sri Chaitanya.
When He conceived of such an incarnation, and proposed His idea to Srimati Radharani, we are told that Radharani, on Her part, said, «Sometimes You will madly roll on the earth, taking My Name, but I won’t be able to tolerate it. I shall cover Your body with My golden form. I won’t allow You to roll on the earth. I shall cover You with My embrace.» So it is said by those who know the ontological aspect of Sri Chaitanyadev, «I offer my respects to Sri Chaitanyadev, whose mood and colour is Radharani’s and whose inner self is Krishna searching for Himself, tasting Himself, and trying to understand why Radharani is mad to taste Him and what sort of sweetness She finds in Him (Radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam naumi Krishna-svarupam).»
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu remained in this world for forty-eight years. In the last twelve years of His life, He engaged Himself with deep attention in tasting Himself. Just as everyone is mad to taste sweetness, Krishna, sweetness personified, is also mad to taste Himself.
Introspection means to know oneself. Consciousness can know consciousness. And just as one can feel his own body, or consciousness can conceive of itself, ecstasy can also taste ecstasy. This is confirmed by Svarup Damodar Prabhu, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s personal secretary, who is considered to be Lalita Sakhi, the nearest friend of Srimati Radharani in the Pastimes of Krishna. He has said what Sri Chaitanyadev is:
radha krsna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini saktir asmad
ekatmanav api bhuvi pura deha-bhedam gatau tau
chaitanyakhyam prakatam adhuna tad dvayam chaikyam aptam
radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam naumi krsna-svarupam
«I worship Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who is Krishna Himself, enriched with the emotions and radiance of Srimati Radharani. As the predominating and predominated moieties, Radha and Krishna are eternally one, with separate individual identities. Now They have again united as Sri Krishna Chaitanya. This inconceivable transformation of the Lord’s internal pleasure-giving potency has arisen from the loving affairs of Radha and Krishna.»
In this verse, Svarup Damodar says that the Pastimes of Radha-Krishna and those of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu are parallel and eternal. Whether winter is first and summer follows, or summer is first and winter follows is difficult to say. Similarly, in the eternal Pastimes of the Lord, the movement is rolling in a circle. Therefore, Svarup Damodar says, «Whether Chaitanya-avatar is first and Krishna-avatar is next, or Krishna-avatar is first and Chaitanya-avatar is next is difficult to say — both are eternal.»
And who is Sri Radha? She is the development of the sweetness that springs from Krishna Himself. That sweetness, in a developed form as Radha, springs up from within Krishna; Srimati Radharani is a particular potency coming out of Krishna Himself: hladini-sakti. So Radha and Krishna cannot be conceived of as separate entities; the two of Them are one and the same. Still, we are told that in ancient times They divided into two. And then again, both of Them combine as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, whose lustre and mood is that of Srimati Radharani and whose nature and reality within is Sri Krishna’s. Fire and heat cannot be separated; sun and light cannot exist separately. They are one and the same. The Absolute Truth is one absolute substance (Advaya-jnan), but sometimes Radha and Govinda show Themselves as divided and again They are united. When They are together, They are enjoying each other, and sometimes They experience a painful separation without the possibility of union. That is Their divine nature.
Sri Rupa Goswami explains this as follows:
aher iva gatih premnah svabhava-kutila bhavet
ato hetor ahetos cha yunor mana udanchati
He says that just as a serpent naturally moves in a crooked way, in a zigzag way, the nature of love is naturally crooked. It is not straight. So the concerned parties quarrel, sometimes with cause and sometimes without cause, and separation comes. Separation is necessary for the transcendental Pastimes of Radha and Krishna.
There are four kinds of separation: purva-raga, mana, pravas, and prema-vaichittya. Purva-raga means before meeting. This is found when Radha and Govinda are not actually meeting, but somehow one has come in remote connection with the other’s Name, portrait, or something of that nature. When Radha hears Krishna’s Name or the sound of the flute — no real meeting is there, but there is some connection. The sound of Krishna’s flute, a picture of Krishna, or Krishna’s Name may bring about purva-raga. And Krishna may experience something similar by hearing the sound of Srimati Radharani’s Name. In this way, there are pangs of separation, but no actual meeting. The Name is so sweet that He can’t contain Himself; She can’t contain Herself.
When the Holy Name of Krishna enters within Srimati Radharani’s ear, She becomes perturbed, thinking, «Is a Name as sweet as this possible within this world?» This is Her reaction, and She experiences this also. She feels, «I can’t meet Him.» A pang of separation comes within Her heart. That is purva-raga: the pain of separation that comes before meeting.
Mana is another kind of separation. Mana means that when meeting, there is some difference between Them in trifling matters. This is the very nature of love. Therefore, Srila Rupa Goswami says that love moves in a curved way like a serpent. It is not diseased, but this is the nature of the path of love. Sometimes with a trifling cause, or with no cause, a feeling comes that, «He is neglecting Me; He wants to avoid Me.» And thereby Srimati Radharani thinks, «I don’t want His company.» Although cent per cent appreciation is there, still, for the time being, some opposing sentiments spring up from underground; a clash comes in the sentiments of the two, and one wants to avoid the company of the other.
In prema-vaichittya, jealousy rises to such a degree that although They are already together, still some sort of thought comes within and makes Them think that They are far away from each other. These different kinds of separation are found only in the madhura-rasa. Prema-vaichittya is that condition which arises when Krishna is there and Radharani is just nearby, but seeing Her own shadow reflected on the body of Krishna, She is so jealous that She thinks that it is another lady. So, great pangs of separation come within Her, and She thinks, «What is this? Another lady is there!» Her mind revolts. But Her friend, Lalita, is warning Her, «What are You saying? It is only Your own image reflected there. Can’t You see it?» Then Radharani comes to Her consciousness. She particularly notices, «Oh, it is My own shadow.» Then that feeling is immediately gone. This is an example of prema-vaichittya. These are extremely high transcendental subjects, and although this is not to be discussed in details, this is the nature of divine love in union and separation. Both are interdependent, for one cannot stay without the other, and separation is created willingly to enhance union.
Another kind of separation is called pravas. There are two types of pravas: one is when the separation is for a limited time; another is when one has left the country for a far-off place, as when Krishna went to Mathura to attend to other duties. These are the four types of separation pangs between the lover and the beloved.
Of course, these transcendental topics are very high, and we should not indulge in them carelessly, for if we project mundane characteristics into the higher plane, our future realisation will be harmed. Our mundane experience will tend to take us down, so we must proceed with caution. What we conceive of at present is not to be found in the plane of Krishna’s Pastimes — it is a far higher plane of existence than the realm of our experience. Our vision is adulterated. We have only an alloyed conception of the original thing. We must keep this in mind, and with this caution we may deal with these things.
It is safer to deal with the topics of the separation between Radha and Govinda than with Their union. Of course, we must understand that the pain of separation experienced by Radha and Govinda has nothing to do with this plane. And so, with this caution, we may talk to some extent about separation, but it will be extremely dangerous for us to discuss or to think of when Radha-Govinda and Their intimate friends are combined, enjoying each other’s company, because if we deal with the Pastimes of Radha and Krishna with any mundane conception, we will create a great offence. So to conceive of the union of Radha and Govinda is more dangerous than cultivating feelings of separation, as Mahaprabhu has shown by His example.
In separation from Krishna, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is thinking, «I can’t tolerate even My own life without Krishna! Without His grace, without His company, I can’t maintain My undesirable existence.» This kind of mood helps us, but still we should not imitate it; rather we must respectfully accept it as our highest ideal. This will help us brush aside our filthy, unwanted habits (anarthas). If some tears come, however, we should not think that we have realised the highest stage; that sort of thinking should be avoided. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself says, «I don’t have a drop of divine love within Me, for otherwise, how could I maintain My mundane life?»
And Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyas so that the residents of Nabadwip would be drawn into this high stage of separation through affection’s force. His old mother Sachi Devi was crying hopelessly. His young wife, Visnu Priya Devi, was helplessly passing Her days. Mahaprabhu took sannyas to create excitement, piercing into the hearts of the people the divine love that He came to give. They thought, «Who was Nimai Pandit? What great benefit did He come to give us?» That He left everything made them sympathetic towards Him. And for all these reasons the Lord went to take sannyas.
After the function of sannyas was finished, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu became mad. «I must run to Vrndavan», He thought. «I have given up all connection with this world. I have no attraction to it. I must run to Vrndavan to exclusively engage Myself in the service of Krishna.» In trance, He began to chant a verse from the Srimad Bhagavatam where Krishna gives a description of sannyas to Uddhava. This verse was spoken by a tridandi bhiksu, a mendicant. Mahaprabhu quoted this verse, thinking, «I have accepted this garb of a sannyasi for this is favourable to My spiritual life. Now, no one in society has any claim over Me, and I will be able to exclusively devote Myself to the service of Krishna. I am going to Vrndavan with no other engagement or connection with anyone.» In this way, in ecstatic madness He began to chant and dance. Kesava Bharati Maharaj embraced Him, and both Guru and disciple joined together, chanting and dancing. At that time Mahaprabhu spoke the verse of the brahman who, in the last stages of his life, took tridanda-sannyas and had to tolerate the torture of society in different forms. He said:
etam sa asthaya paratma-nistham
adhyasitam purvatamair maharsibhih
aham tarisyami duranta-param
tamo mukundanghri-nisevayaiva
«The previous great sages have accepted and shown the path of sannyas. I have now accepted that very form of life. Now leaving everything aside, I shall run towards Vrndavan. There, taking the Name of Mukunda, Krishna, I shall cross over the ocean of nescience. Crossing over this maya, I shall reach Vrndavan and fully enter the service of Krishna.»
The dress of a sannyasi is meant only for an external adjustment, but the real thing is to serve Mukunda. And so, with this verse, He suddenly started towards Vrndavan from Katwa. Near the banks of the Ganges, He entered the jungle thinking, «Now, my duty is to reach Vrndavan as soon as possible and there, in a solitary place, I shall sit and chant and sing the Name of Krishna.»
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ran towards Vrndavan and entered the jungle before evening. And Nityananda Prabhu, Chandrasekhar Acharya, Mukunda Datta, and Jagadananda pursued Him through the jungle. Sometimes while running He would suddenly fall on the ground and begin to cry, «Krishna, Krishna!» Getting up suddenly, He began running — without any apparent direction — to the north, east, west, and south.
Sometimes He would run away so swiftly that the devotees could not trace Him, especially in the night, when they would lose Him in the darkness. Then, they would all be disappointed, thinking, «Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, our Lord and Master, has left us!» But suddenly they would hear Him far away, crying, «Krishna, Krishna, Krishna!» in a piteous, wailing tone. Then they would run in that direction and see that He was lying on the ground, crying,
kaha mora prana-natha murali-vadana
kaha karo, kaha pana vrajendra-nandana
«Where is My beloved Krishna? I can’t tolerate His separation. Where is the Lord of My life, who is playing His flute? What shall I do now? Where should I go to find the son of Maharaj Nanda?» In a piteous, heartrending tone, He was crying. In a bewildered state, with no consciousness of any particular direction, He would say, «Who are you? I’m going to Vrndavan. Why are you disturbing Me?» After nursing Him, again they began to start towards the west, towards Vrndavan. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu continued wandering in trance. But the great attraction of His devotees did not allow Him to go towards the west.
Taking advantage of His trance, Nityananda Prabhu somehow coaxingly turned Mahaprabhu’s face towards Santipur. It is mentioned in the Chaitanya-bhagavat that beginning from Katwa, they went west until they reached a place near Vakresvar, about six miles north-east of Dubrarajpur, in the district of Birbhum. In Visrama Tala, on the other side of the Ajay River, there is a place which is observed as the seat of Sri Chaitanya. There, they say, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu turned His face from the west towards the east, or from Vrndavan to Santipur.
They wandered throughout the remaining evening, and then another day and night. Finally, on the third day, in the evening, He returned through Kalna to Santipur through the arrangements of Nityananda Prabhu, who appeared before Mahaprabhu in the red cloth of a renunciate. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, although so familiar with Him, couldn’t recognise Nityananda. He saw a sannyasi before Him and thought, «I am going to Vrndavan, and here is a sannyasi in front of me.» He said, «O Sripad Sannyasi, where are You going?»
«I shall go to Vrndavan with You.»
«How far is Vrndavan from here?»
Nityananda showed Him the Ganges, near Kalna, saying, «Just see, there is the Yamuna.»
Mahaprabhu said, «Oh, We have come so near the Yamuna!» Then, He took his bath in the Yamuna, singing this verse:
chid-ananda-bhanoh sada nanda-sunoh
para-prema-patri drava-brahma-gatri
aghanam lavitri jagat-ksema-dhatri
pavitri-kriyan no vapur mitra-putri
«O daughter of the sun: although you have appeared in the form of water, you are most dear to the son of Nanda, who is the spiritual sun. You dispel the sins of all sinners. Please purify this mortal body.»
Just before Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu arrived there on the banks of the Ganges, Nityananda Prabhu sent Chandrasekhar to inform Advaita Acharya to come. When Mahaprabhu asked Advaita Acharya, «Is that You, Advaita? How did You know I was in Vrndavan?» Advaita Acharya said, «This must be some kind of joke. Wherever You are is Vrndavan. And it is My fortune that You have come here, near the Ganges.»
«Oh, it is the Ganges?»
«Yes.»
Then Mahaprabhu, regaining His consciousness of this world, said, «Oh, then it is a conspiracy of Nityananda Prabhu. He has brought Me here to the banks of the Ganges and told Me it is the Yamuna. It is all a hoax! I have fallen prey to His hoax.»
Advaita Acharya argued, «No, no, Nityananda Prabhu has not spoken any falsehood. You have really taken bath in the Yamuna. The confluence of the Yamuna and the Ganges is in Allahabad, and it is mentioned in sastra that the western side is the Yamuna, the eastern side is the Ganges. Now You have taken Your bath in the western side, so You have taken Your bath in the Yamuna, according to scripture. So Nityananda Prabhu has not told any lie. Anyway, I have come with this new dress for You. Leave Your wet clothes and accept this new garb. I have also cooked something for You. For three days You have been fasting, and today, as a sannyasi, You must take some charity in My house. I am a poor man», He said with folded palms, «but You must come.» They took Him by boat to Santipur, to the house of Advaita Acharya. The next morning Sachi Devi came, and Mahaprabhu spent about ten or twelve days there in Santipur performing kirtan.
What is Vrndavan proper? It is a stage of consciousness. In different stages of consciousness, there are different subjective realities. Everything springs from the willpower of the Lord. He is the subject, and His potency and sweet will is all subjective. The Lord said, «Let there be light» — and there was light. He said, «Let there be water» — and there was water. He said, «Let there be earth» — and there was earth. If, like a hypnotist, the higher subject wants to make the lower subject see something, he cannot but see that thing. We are all in the subjective, imaginary world, but above imagination is the supersubjective plane of reality. So, Krishna reveals Himself to one who has developed pure consciousness, and in the stage of pure consciousness one can perceive the true nature of subjective reality (sattvam visuddham Vasudeva-sabditam).
To show us that Vrndavan is everywhere, Mahaprabhu was running here and there in ecstasy. When They met, Advaita Prabhu told Him, «You must be jesting when You say You are going to Vrndavan. Wherever You are — that is Vrndavan. We have that experience. What You say is very peculiar: ‘I am going to Vrndavan.’ Simply to teach us the value of Vrndavan, You are posing in this way.»
Vrndavan, the highest plane of divinity, is a stage of consciousness. Above the plane of awe and reverence found in Vaikuntha, is Vrndavan, the land of simplicity and divine love. The peculiarity of the inhabitants of that highest plane of consciousness is that they do not feel they are in Vrndavan. It is aprakrta, supramundane.
Knowledge has been classified under five headings. The lowest is knowledge acquired through one’s own sense experience: pratyaksa — what we have experienced through our senses. That is the first stage. The next higher stage is knowledge we have not experienced with our own senses, but have gathered from the experience of others (paroksa), just as the scientists have their experience, and we have gathered some knowledge from their inventions and discoveries.
The third stage is above the stage of human experience (aparoksa). It is something like deep sleep. When we awaken, we say, «I slept very happily; I slept a very good, sound sleep.» But when in deep, dreamless sleep, we have no consciousness of that state. When we return from a deep dreamless sleep, we express some awareness of that experience, but it is hazy. Aparoksa is a sort of hazy experience which is indistinct, where the subject and material object come together, and the material object vanishes in the subject. Sankar Acharya, the great proponent of impersonalism, explains the gradation of consciousness up to this point.
On the other hand, the great devotee-scholar Ramanuja Acharya, as well as other Vaisnava Acharyas, are of the opinion that there is a fourth stage beyond this. That plane is called adhoksaja, transcendental, or that which exists beyond the scope of the senses, whether gross or subtle. It is a plane that we can experience only when, by its sweet will, it comes down to our gross plane of understanding. If it withdraws, we are helpless; we can’t find it. We cannot say that the Absolute Truth is under the control of our knowledge. We can’t measure it like that. It is independent. By its sweet will it may come down and we may experience that higher realm, but if it withdraws, we are quite helpless; we can do nothing. We may cry or we may pray, but we can’t enter there forcibly by dint of our own power. This is the fourth plane of consciousness, and it is grand, all-powerful, and awe-inspiring. Only if it reveals itself to us can we have some experience of that plane known as Vaikuntha, the unlimited spiritual region of awe and power.
That is the adhoksaja plane. So, there is pratyaksa, direct experience through sense perception, then paroksa, learning through the experience of others, then aparoksa, the negative plane of indistinct consciousness, and then the fourth dimension: adhoksaja. We are underground. Real knowledge is above, on the surface, beyond our experience. If we can pierce through the thick coverings walling up our experience, we can come in connection with another plane of consciousness: that is adhoksaja. Adhokrtam indriyajam jnanam: adhoksaja means the superior knowledge which can force down our knowledge of the experience of this world. That transcendental, supramental knowledge is the fourth stage of knowledge. That plane is different in every way. It is not similar to this world.
But through Srimad Bhagavatam and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, we come to know that there is a fifth stage of knowledge which is very similar to this mundane world, yet is not mundane. It is called aprakrta. That is Goloka, the full-fledged theistic conception which is only found in Krishna’s domain. Central knowledge of the Absolute must have a connection with even the lowest level of mundane creation; it must be able to harmonise the worst portion of the illusory world. This is known as aprakrta, supramundane. To enter that highest realm is possible only through divine love.
Everything can be compensated only through love. There is a saying that a loving mother thinks that her blind child has beautiful lotus eyes. She is blinded by affection. So, what is mean and low can only be compensated by love — that shines very beautifully. That is prema, or divine love. Through mercy, through pity, through grace, a king can come to play with a boy on the street. Affection can make it possible. The difference between high and low disappears at such a stage.
The residents of Vrndavan think themselves ordinary. This is jnana-sunya-bhakti, divine love which is free from any calculation and does not consider even the opulence and power of the Lord. That devotion is above even Vaikuntha and goes on under the spell of yogamaya, the spiritually enchanting potency. It is the special art of yogamaya that those holding the highest position think themselves very insignificant. Love removes the difference of great and small, high and low. Vrndavan is such a plane of existence. There we find devotion free from any trace of calculation (jnana-sunya-bhakti). Even the residents of Vrndavan may not know their own exalted position.
Advaita Prabhu tells Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, «Wherever You are, there is Vrndavan.» Narottam Das Thakur says wherever we find a true devotee of Krishna — there is Vrndavan (yata Vaisnava-gana sei sthana Vrndavana (Pbc)). Outwardly we may think that they are members of this ordinary world, but the object of all their conversation and behaviour is Vrndavan. Still, although they are in Vrndavan, they do not feel themselves to be there.
They are not conscious of their own exalted position. A king, when he is not very conscious of his power, thinks of himself as an ordinary person. It is something like that. Someone may be a great doctor but through affection he may do the work of a nurse for his patient. Out of his love and affection for the patient, he may come down to do such work, but still he is great. This is the beautiful nature of Vrndavan life. It is great without the attitude, the air of bigness. Although they are really great, they appear to be simple. Power dressed in affection and love, couched in humility — that is Vrndavan. And that is also Nabadwip.
Srimad Bhagavatam and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu say that this is the highest and most laudable place for us to live. There, the Supreme Lord Krishna and the gopis are living in the forest. There, we find no grandeur or big buildings, but if we have a true eye for grandeur, we will see it in Vrndavan. From an impartial judgement of the facts, their position is very great, but through humility they have apparently descended to our level. It is a very sweet and beautiful form of life that we find in Vrndavan. And Mahaprabhu came to show that to us through Srimad Bhagavatam. Krishna is the Lord of that land, and the cows, hills, forests, and the Yamuna River are all creating a favourable environment there.
So Mahaprabhu took sannyas to teach us, to take us up and make us the permanent inhabitants of that place. He says that actually, our real self lives in that plane, but unfortunately our consciousness has become focused outside. Now we are captured by the mundane aspect of this creation and think that we are suffering, but this is all illusion. We must get relief from this mania. Mania means madness, and now we are possessed by some mania. Just as a madman leaves his home and wanders in the street collecting pieces of paper and cloth, we are focused in this world, but when this madness is gone, we will awaken in our own home.
We must return back to Godhead, back to home. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says, «Your home is a beautiful land. You must try for that. Why are you always troubled with the horrors of war, epidemic, earthquake, undesirable disease, stealing, dacoiting, and fighting with so many neighbours? At the bottom of all this is the fact that you have identified yourself with this material world and this body of flesh and blood. You have to retrace your path and go back to your home.» That is what is necessary. Our homeland is such a lovely and beautiful and divine place. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s sannyas is all for us, and it is for the purpose of taking us back home, where we can have home comforts, home sweetness. If we have any home-consciousness within, then we must appreciate such a proposal: home sweet home.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s sannyas is apparently very cruel to His devotees, and to His family members, but it was meant only to take us to our home. To work out the ecstasy of union, it was necessary for Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to show separation from His devotees and relatives.
Separation and union are mutually helpful. Mahaprabhu’s sannyas, His renunciation, is a great tragedy of separation.