Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Keśava Bhāratī - The Acceptance of Sannyāsa
When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was twenty-four years old, He made the momentous decision to leave His family and accept the renounced order of life. To accomplish this, He required a qualified sannyāsa guru. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Lord's choice of Keśava Bhāratī, a monk from the impersonalist school, was a masterful display of both submission to Vedic injunctions and supreme preaching strategy.
Arrival and the Petition
The opportunity for the Lord to take sannyāsa presented itself perfectly. While He was internally preparing to renounce the world, Keśava Bhāratī arrived in Navadvīpa. As an ideal householder, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu respectfully invited the wandering mendicant to His home. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that after serving him a magnificent feast, the Lord humbly submitted His desire, asking to be formally initiated into the renounced order.
- While He (Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu) was contemplating accepting the sannyasa order, it so happened that Kesava Bharati, a sannyasi of the Mayavadi school and resident of Katwa, visited Navadvipa and was invited to dine with the Lord.
- The Lord offered him respectful obeisances and invited him to His house. After feeding him sumptuously, He submitted to him His petition.
- Kesava Bharati accepted the invitation of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Thus the Lord had a good opportunity to explain His desire to take sannyasa from him.
- He (Caitanya Mahaprabhu) decided that, - Now I shall become a sannyasi." So He happened to see Kesava Bharati, a sannyasi on the Sankara sampradaya, and He requested him that "You give Me sannyasa.
Ceremony in Katwa
Following this meeting, Keśava Bhāratī returned to his ashram in the nearby village of Katwa. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu soon followed him there to undergo the formal rituals. As Śrīla Prabhupāda describes, this historic event took place in January 1510. Even though Keśava Bhāratī acted as the initiating spiritual master, he was acutely aware of the Lord's true identity, confessing that he was merely an instrument in the hands of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- After saying this, Kesava Bharati, the spiritual master, went back to his village, Katwa. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu went there and accepted the renounced order of life (sannyasa).
- When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu decided to accept the renounced order of life, Candrasekhara Acarya was informed of this by Sri Nityananda Prabhu, and therefore he was present when Lord Caitanya accepted sannyasa from Kesava Bharati in Katwa.
- At the end of the month of January in the year 1432 sakabda (A.D. 1510), Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted the sannyasa order from Kesava Bharati, who belonged to the Sankara-sampradaya.
- Kesava Bharati replied to the Lord, "You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supersoul. I must do whatever You cause me to do. I am not independent of You."
The Śaṅkara-sampradāya Connection
The decision to accept sannyāsa from a Māyāvādī ascetic was highly unusual for a Vaiṣṇava. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights that the Lord did this to perfectly observe the social and scriptural formalities of the time, which required a candidate to take the vows from a recognized sannyāsī. Because Keśava Bhāratī belonged to the Śaṅkarite sect, he could not award the Vaiṣṇava tridaṇḍa. The Lord circumvented this by accepting a brāhmacārī title from that specific lineage, choosing to retain the beautiful name "Kṛṣṇa Caitanya."
- The sannyasa order is to be accepted from another sannyasi. Although the Lord (Caitanya) was independent in all respects, still, to keep up the formalities of the sastras, He accepted the sannyasa order from Kesava Bharati.
- Since Kesava Bharati belonged to the Sankarite sect, he could not initiate Caitanya Mahaprabhu into the Vaisnava sannyasa order, whose members carry the tridanda.
- The Lord took sannyasa from Kesava Bharati in the Bharati sampradaya, in which the brahmacaris (the assistants of the sannyasis) are named "Caitanya."
- Lord Caitanya accepted sannyasa from Kesava Bharati. When He first approached Kesava Bharati, He was accepted as a brahmacari with the name Sri Krsna Caitanya Brahmacari. After He took sannyasa, He preferred to keep the name Krsna Caitanya.
Reactions to the Lord's Sannyāsa Guru
This unique formal initiation created fascinating ripples throughout society. The proud Māyāvādī philosophers, led by Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī in Benares, felt a false sense of superiority, assuming the Lord belonged to their sect. Conversely, the Lord's pure devotees were deeply pained. Acyutānanda, the young son of Advaita Ācārya, wept in sorrow at the mere suggestion that the Supreme Lord could have a spiritual master. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that these reactions perfectly served the Lord's mission of simultaneously preaching to scholars and relishing the possessive love of His devotees.
- They (the Mayavadi philosophers) were surprised to see Lord Caitanya after He accepted His sannyasa order from Kesava Bharati, for Kesava Bharati belonged to the Mayavadi school.
- When Caitanya was finally seated amongst them, Prakasananda said, I think Your name is Sri Krsna Caitanya, and I understand that You belong to our Mayavadi sect because You have taken sannyasa from Kesava Bharati, who belongs to the Sankaracarya sampradaya.
- When Acyutananda heard from his father that Kesava Bharati was the spiritual master of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he was very unhappy.
- Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the spiritual master of the fourteen worlds, but You say that someone else is His spiritual master. This is not supported by any revealed scripture.
Conclusion
The pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Keśava Bhāratī beautifully illustrate the Lord's supreme humility and His respect for Vedic traditions. Although He is the original source of all knowledge, He willingly accepted the position of a disciple to teach humanity the absolute necessity of following authorized codes of conduct. Through this profound act, the Lord successfully launched the most magnificent preaching mission the world has ever seen.
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