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Šří Caitanya-caritāmrta
[[Madhya-lilā, Ch. 5]]
kapoteśvara dekhite gelā bhakta-gaṇa saṅge ethā nityānanda-prabhu kaila danda-bhaṅge
tina khanda kari’ danda dila bhāsāñā bhakta-sange āilā prabhu maheśa dekhiñā
SYNONYMS
kapoteśvara —the Śiva temple of the name Kapoteśvara;  dekhite —to see;  gelā —went;  bhakta-gaṇa saṅge —with the devotees;  ethā —here;  nityānanda-prabhu —Lord Nityānanda Prabhu;  kaila —did;  daṇḍa —of the  sannyāsa  staff;  bhaṅge —breaking;  tina khaṇḍa —three parts;  kari' —making;  daṇḍa —the staff;  dila —threw in;  bhāsāñā —washing away;  bhakta-saṅge —with the devotees;  āilā —returned;  prabhu —Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu;  maheśa dekhiñā —having seen the temple of Lord Śiva.
TRANSLATION
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 Danḍa-bhāṅgā-nadī.
PURPORT
The mystery of the  sannyāsa-daṇḍa  (staff) of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has been explained by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted the order of  sannyāsa  from a Māyāvādī  sannyāsī . The Māyāvādī  sannyāsīs  generally carry one staff, or  daṇḍa . Taking advantage of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s absence, Śrīla Nityānanda Prabhu broke the staff into three parts and threw it into the river now known as the Daṇḍa-bhāṅgā-nadī. In the  sannyāsa  order there are four divisions— kuṭīcaka ,  bahūdaka ,  haṁsa  and  paramahaṁsa . Only when the  sannyāsī  remains on the  kuṭīcaka  and  bahūdaka  platforms can he carry a staff. However, when one is elevated to the status of  haṁsa  or  paramahaṁsa , after touring and preaching the  bhakti  cult, he must give up the  sannyāsa  staff.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is therefore said,  śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya, rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya : “Two personalities—Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and Śrī Kṛṣṇa—are combined in the incarnation of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.” Therefore, considering Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to be an extraordinary person, Lord Nityānanda Prabhu did not wait for the  paramahaṁsa  stage. He reasoned that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is automatically on the  paramahaṁsa  stage; therefore He does not need to carry the  sannyāsa-daṇḍa .