18 Srimad-Bhagavatam

sannyasi is considered to be the master of all varnas and asramas.

While He was contemplating accepting the sannydsa order, it so hap-
pened that KeSava Bharati, a sannydsi of the Mayavadi school and resident
of Katwa (in Bengal), visited Navadvipa and was invited to dine with the
Lord. When Kegava Bharati came to His house, the Lord asked him to
award Him the sannyasa order of life. This was a matter of formality. A
sannydsa order is to be accepted from another sannydsi. Although the
Lord was independent in all respects, still, to keep up the formalities of
the sdstras, He accepted the sannydsa order from Keésava Bharati, although
KeSava Bharati was not in the Vaisnava sampradaya (school).

After consulting with Kegava Bharati, the Lord left Navadvipa for
Katwa to formally accept the sannydsa order of life. He was accom-
panied by Srila Nityananda Prabhu, Candragekhara Acarya, and Mukunda
Datta. These three assisted Him in the details of the ceremony. The inci-
dence of the Lord’s accepting the sannydsa order is very elaborately de-
scribed in the Caitanya-bhagavata by Srila Vrndavana-dasa Thakur.

Thus at the end of His twenty-fourth year the Lord accepted the sannyasa
order of lifein the month of Magha. After accepting this order He became a
full-fledged preacher of the Bhagavata-dharma. Although He was doing the
same preaching work in His householder life, when He experienced some
obstacles to His preaching, He sacrificed even the comfort of His home life
for the sake of the fallen souls. In His householder life His chief assistants
were Srila Advaita Prabhu and Srila Srivasa Thakur, but after He accepted
the sannydsa order His chief assistants became Srila Nityananda Prabhu,
who was deputed to preach specifically in Bengal, and the six Gosvamis
(Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami, Jiva Gosvami, Gopala Bhatta Gosvami,
Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami, and Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami), headed by
Srila Ripa and Sanatana, who were deputed to go to Vrndavana to
excavate the present places of pilgrimage. The present city of Vrndavana
and the importance of Vrajabhimi were thus disclosed by the will of Lord
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

The Lord, after accepting the sannydsa order, at once wanted to start
for Vrndavana. For three continual days He travelled in the Radha Desha
(places where the Ganges does not flow). He was in full ecstasy over the
idea of going to Vrndavana. However, Srila Nityananda Prabhu diverted
His path and brought Him instead to the house of Advaita Prabhu in
Santipura. The Lord stayed at Sri Advaita Prabhu’s house for a few days,
and knowing well that the Lord was leaving His hearth and home for
good, Sri Advaita Prabhu sent his men to Navadvipa to bring mother Saci
to have a last meeting with her son. Some unscrupulous people say that
