244 Sri Caitanya-caritamrta [Madhya-lila, Ch. 3
impersonal position as liberation. Mayavadi sannydsis, not knowing that Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu was a tri-dandi, think of Caitanya Mahaprabhu as an
ekadandi-sannyasi. This is due to their vivarta, bewilderment. In Srimad-
Bhagavatam there is no such thing as an ekadandi-sannydsi; indeed, the tri-
dandi-sannyasi is accepted as the symbolic representation of the sannydsa
order. By citing this verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
accepted the sannydsa order recommended in Srimad-Bhagavatam. The
Mayavadi sannydsis, who are enamored of the external energy of the Lord,
cannot understand the mind of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

To date, all the devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, following in His
footsteps, accept the sannydsa order and keep the sacred thread and tuft of
unshaved hair. The ekadandi-sannydasis of the Mayavadi school give up the
sacred thread and do not keep any tuft of hair. Therefore they are unable to
understand the purport of tridanda-sannydsa, and as such they are not in-
clined to dedicate their lives to the service of Mukunda. They simply think of
merging into the existence of Brahman because of their disgust with material
existence. The dcaryas who advocate the daiva-varnasrama (the social order
of catur-varnyam mentioned in Bhagavad-gita) do not accept the proposition
of asura-varnasrama, which maintains that the social order of varna is indi-
cated by birth.

The most intimate devotee of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, namely
Gadadhara Pandita, accepted tridanda-sannyasa and also accepted Madhava
Upadhyaya as his tridandi-sannydsi disciple. It is said that from this
Madhavacarya the sampradaya known in western India as the Vallabhacarya-
sampradaya has begun. Srila Gopala Bhatta Bose, who is known as a smrty-
4carya in the Gaudiya-Vaisnava-sampradaya, later accepted the tridanda-san-
nydsa order from Tridandipada Prabodhananda Sarasvati. Although accept-
ance of tridanda-sannydsa is not distinctly mentioned in the Gaudiya
Vaisnava literature, the first verse of Srila Rapa Gosvami’s Upadesamrta advo-
cates that one should accept the tridanda-sannydsa order by controlling the
six forces:

vaco vegam manasah krodha-vegam
jihva-vegam udaropastha-vegam
etan vegan yo visaheta dhirah
sarvam apimarn prthivim sa sisyat
“One who can control the forces of speech, mind, anger, belly, tongue and
genitals is known as a gosvami and is competent to accept disciples all over
the world” The followers of Sti Caitanya Mahaprabhu never accepted the
Mayavada order of sannydsa, and for this they cannot be blamed. Sri Caitanya
