166 Teachings of Lord Chaitanya

He heard that they were all criticizing Him, He simply smiled and started
for Mathura and Vrindaban. But He came back again to Benares on His way
to Jagannath Puri from Mathura. When He came back to Benares, He stayed
at the house of Chandra Sekhar, who was considered a Sudra because he was
a clerk. In spite of Sekhar being a Sudra, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu made
His residential quarter at his place. Lord Chaitanya made no such distinction
between Brahmin or Sudra—anyone devoted, He accepted. Customarily,
a Sannyasi is supposed to take shelter in the house of a Brahmin, or eat at the
house of a Brahmin, but Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, as the independent Supreme
Personality of Godhead, had His own discretion, and He decided to stay at
Chandra Sekhar’s house.

In those days, by misuse of the Brahminical hereditary principle, the
Brahmins made it a law that anyone who was not born of a Brahmin family
was a Sudra. So even the Kshatriyas and the Vaidyas were also called Sudras.
Vaidyas are supposed to be descendents of Brahmin fathers and Sudra wives,
and therefore they are sometimes called Sudras. So Chandra Sekhar Acharya,
although born of a Vaidya family, was called, at Benares, a Sudra. As long
as Lord Chaitanya stayed at Benares, He stayed at Chandra Sekhar’s apartment,
and He used to take His food at the place of Tapan Mishra.

When Sanatan Goswami met Lord Chaitanya at Benares he learned from
Lord Chaitanya the process and principles of devotional service during two
months of continuous teaching. The instructions of Lord Chaitanya to Sanatan
Goswami have been described in our First Part of Lord Chaitanya’s teachings.
After that teaching, Sanatan Goswami was authorized to propagate the princi-
ples of devotional service and the Srimad Bhagwatam. But, during this time,
both Tapan Mishra and Chandra Sekhar Acharya were feeling very sorry
about strong criticism against Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and they came
together and prayed for the Lord to meet the Mayavadi Sannyasis.

They informed Lord Chaitanya: “We have been mortified by hearing
unfavorable criticism from the Mayavadi Sannyasis against You. It has become
intolerable for us.” They requested He do something so that these criticisms
would be stopped.

While they were thus discussing the criticism of the Mayavadi Sannyasis,
a Brahmin came to Lord Chaitanya and invited Him, as he had invited all
the other Sannyasis, to his place. Only Chaitanya had not been invited, and
so he now had come to invite Him. He knew that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu did
not mix with the Mayavadi Sannyasis, and therefore he fell down at Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu’s feet and implored Him: “Although I know that You do not
