Heart-Breaking Decision

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Kolkata—Worldwide, 17 January 2021, part 5

Mahaprabhu had actually beforehand given a signal that He wanted to leave Nabadwip and take sannyas. Otherwise if He had not taken sannyas, Krishna's desire would not have been fulfilled.

কৃষ্ণবর্ণং ত্বিষাঽকৃষ্ণং সাঙ্গোপাঙ্গাস্ত্রপার্ষদম্ ।
যজ্ঞৈঃ সঙ্কীর্ত্তনপ্রায়ৈর্যজন্তি হি সুমেধসঃ ॥

krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam
sangopangastra-parsadam
yajnaih sankirtana-prayair
yajanti hi su-medhasah

"Those of sharp intellect will worship Krishna who appears with a non-black bodily hue, who is armed and surrounded by His associates and servants, and who always chants the Holy Names."

(Srimad Bhagavatam, 11.5.32)

There is also another sloka in Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita,

sri-radhayah pranaya-mahima kidrso vanayaivasvadyo
yenadbhuta-madhurima kidrso va madiyah
saukhyam chasya mad-anubhavatah kidrsam veti lobhat
tad-bhavadhyah samajani sachigarbha-sindhau harinduh

"'What is that great glory of Sri Radha's love? What is My extraordinary loving sweetness and charm that Sri Radha enjoys? And what is the joy Sri Radha feels by experiencing My sweetness and charm?' Yearning to taste these three sentiments, the moon—Krishna-chandra—was born from the ocean of the womb of mother Sachi."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 1.6)

Krishna thought, "Why does Radharani cry so much taking My Name? Why does She cry so much for Me? I want to taste and relish this kind of mood!" So, Krishna comes in this world as Gauranga Mahaprabhu, a combined form of Sri Sri Radha-Krishna, and if He had not taken sannyas, this desire would not have been fulfilled.

Besides that, Mahaprabhu understood, "If I do not take sannyas, I cannot preach Krishna consciousness properly. Even if I leave Nabadwip, Nityananda Prabhu is there, He can see to this part—Nityananda Prabhu, Srinivas Pandit and other devotees can take care of Gaura-mandal; whereas I must go to so many other places. I must go to Vrindavan. I have a job there—the pastimes that I did before are almost all hidden now, so I must go and show those places to everyone. I must show devotees where Radha Kunda is, where Shyama Kunda is, where My birthplace is, etc. I must also go to South India." So, having taken sannyas, Mahaprabhu visited South India, North India, Vrindavan, and all the other important places.

In this way, Mahaprabhu went everywhere establishing the proper conception, and He Himself showed us the example how to practise. He Himself practised sannyas life—He slept on the floor (not on a bed), He followed all the rules and regulations, He did everything. When Krishna is in Vrindavan, He plays with His associates in madhurya-rasa, madhurya-lila; when He is in Mathura and in Dvaraka, He shows other pastimes; and when He is in Nabadwip Dham as Gauranga Mahaprabhu, then He shows His Krishna-prema, love and affection, and preaches humility, tolerance and giving honour to others.

ন ধনং ন জনং ন সুন্দরীং কবিতাং বা জগদীশ কাময়ে ।
মম জন্মনি জন্মনীশ্বরে ভবতাদ্ভক্তিরহৈতুকী ত্বয়ি ॥

na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagadisa kamaye
mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi

"I do not want wealth, I do not want followers, I do not want beautiful women, I do not want to be a poet. I only want causeless devotion to Your lotus feet. Give me that kind of devotion to Your lotus feet so that I could do Your service life after life."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 20.29)

This is what Mahaprabhu showed all the devotees. Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur describes Mahaprabhu's decision to take sannyas and what happened in the 26th chapter of Sri Chaitanya-bhagavat (Madhya-lila). You can find it there, everything is described there very nicely.

Sriman Mahaprabhu told Sriman Nityananda Prabhu,

prabhu bale,—"suna nityananda mahasaya!
tomare kahiye nija hrdaya nischaya

The Lord said, "Listen, Nityananda Prabhu! Let Me confidentially reveal My heart to You."

bhala se ailana ami jagata tarite
tarana nahila, ami ailun samharite

"I came to deliver the living entities of this world, but I could not do so, and it appears that I came to destroy them."

ama' dekhi' kotha paibeka bandha-nasa
eka guna baddha chhila—haila koti-pasa

"They were supposed to be freed from material bondage by seeing Me, but they were previously bound by one rope and now they are bound by millions."

amare marite yabe karileka mane
takhanei padi' gela asesa bandhane

"As soon as they decided to beat Me, they were immediately entangled in unlimited bondage."

bhala loka tarite karilun avatara
apane karilun saba jivera samhara

"I incarnated to deliver the people of the world, but it appears that I am destroying them."

dekha kali sikha-sutra saba mudai
yabhiksa kari' vedaimu sannyasa kariya

"Soon You will see Me shave My head and give up My brahman thread. I will wander about begging as a sannyasi."

(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavat, 2.26.127-132)

"I will take sannyas and go begging door to door, 'Krishna bala sange chala! Chant Hare Krishna maha-mantra, come with Me!' I will go to the houses of even those who want to kill Me—I will come begging to their door! Seeing My sannyas life, they will have to pay obeisance to Me, so they will not beat Me any more. Do not be sad that I am taking sannyas. If You want all the fallen souls to be rescued, then You will not forbid Me, You will not stop Me from taking sannyas." Nityananda Prabhu replied, "Yes, Prabhu, as You wish. Who can stop You?"

svatantra paramananda tomara charita
tumi ye karibe, se-i haibe nischita

"You are independent and full of transcendental bliss, therefore whatever You wish to do will certainly be done."

tathapiha kaha saba sevakera sthane
ke va ki balaye tahasunaha apane

"Still You may ask Your servants to see what they have to say."

(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavat, 2.26.148-149)

Actually, Nityananda Prabhu knew Mahaprabhu would take sannyas and leave His house, but He always thought about Mahaprabhu's mother (Sachi Mata). He worried because Visvarup had already left and now Nimai Visvambhar was going to leave—how would Sachi Mata bear it? After that, Mukunda also sang many songs saying, "Please do not leave Your mother. Do not take sannyas." This is described in the 27th chapter of Sri Chaitanya-bhagavat.

jaya jaya visvambhara sri-sachinandana
jaya jaya gaurasimha patita-pavana

"All glories to Visvambhar, Sri Sachinandana! All glories to the Golden Lion, the deliverer of the fallen souls!"

"kotha yaibena prabhu sannyasa kariya
kotha va amara saba dekhibana giya

"Where will the Lord go after taking sannyas, and where will we go to see Him?"

sannyasa karile grame na asibe ara
kon dike yayena va kariya vichara"

"If He takes sannyas, He will not return to the village. Who knows which direction He will decide to go?"

prabhu bale,—"tomara chintaha ki karana
tumi saba yatha, tatha ami sarva-ksana

The Lord said, "Why are you all worried? Wherever you are, I am always there."

tomara va bhava 'ami sannyasa kariya
chalibana ami toma'-sabare chhadiya'

"You are all thinking that I will leave you after taking sannyas."

(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavat, 2.27.1, 2.27.3-4, 2.27.7-8)

Mahaprabhu said, "I am going to take sannyas and you are thinking that I will leave you. No. I will always stay with you. Do not ever think that I will leave you. I will always stay with you in your heart. Because I want to teach the general people, I am taking sannyas, but do not think that I am leaving you all."

When Sachi Mata heard Mahaprabhu was going to take sannyas, Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur says she said,

"na yaiya na yaiya bapa, mayere chhadiya
papa jiu achhe tora sri-mukha chahiya

"My dear son, do not leave. Do not leave Your mother. This sinful person is surviving only by looking at Your face."

(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavat, 2.27.22)

"What kind of religion is it to make Your mother miserable?" Sri Sachi Mata cried so much and tried to dissuade Mahaprabhu in so many ways.

kamala-nayana tora sri-chandra-vadana
adhara suranga, kunda-mukuta-dasana
amiya varikhe yena sundara vachana
na dekhi vanchiba ki se gajendra-gamana

"How will I survive without seeing Your lotus eyes, Your moonlike face, Your reddish lips, Your pearly teeth resembling kunda flowers, or Your elephantlike gait? And how will I survive without hearing Your words that shower nectar?"

advaita-srivasa-adi tora anuchara
nityananda achhe tora pranera dosara
parama bandhava gadadhara-adi-sange
grhe rahi' sankirtana kara tumi range

"Stay at home and happily perform sankirtan in the company of Your followers headed by Advaita and Srivas, Your intimate companion, Nityananda, and Your dear friends (Gadadhar and others)."

dharma bujhaite bapa, tora avatara
janani chhadiba e kon dharmera vichara?

"You incarnate to preach religious principles, but what kind of religious principle is it to leave Your mother?"

tumi dharma-maya yadi janani chhadi
bake-mate jagate tumi dharma bujhaiba?”

"You are the personification of religious principles, yet You will leave Your mother? How then will You teach religious principles in this world?”

prema-soke kahe sachi, sune visvambhara
premete rodhita kantha, na kare uttara

"Sachi was grief-stricken with love as she spoke. As Visvambhar listened, His throat became choked, and He was unable to answer."

"tomara agraja ama' chhadiya chalilavai
kunthe tomara bapa gamana karila

"Your elder brother has left me, and Your father has gone to Vaikuntha."

toma' dekhi' sakala santapa pasarilun
tumi gele prana muni sarvatha chhadimu

"Yet I forgot all grief by looking at Your face. If You leave me, I will certainly die."

(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavat, 2.27.23-31)

She said, "Your father has already left for Vaikuntha. If You leave too, how will I be able to stay alone?" Chandrasekhara Acharya, Mukunda and others also knew about Mahaprabhu's decision. Here it is written that five devotees knew about it—Mahaprabhu's mother, Gadadhar, Brahmananda, Chandrasekhara, and Mukunda. Mahaprabhu told Nityananda Prabhu, "Nobody except them knows about it."

There are so many things written about this pastime in Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata. Chapter 26-28 of Madhya-lila (middle part) describes Mahaprabhu's sannyas. You can read and understand it...

Jay Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ki jay.

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