The relations grow complicated # 29

28

After a few weeks, Sarvabhauma, who was increasingly impressed by the sannyasi's humility and devotion, inquired of his brother-in-law: "Tell me, Gopinath, your friend interests me... He comes from a good family, is handsome, intelligent, and modest; I would like to do something for him. To which disciplic succession is he affiliated?" "He was initiated by the famous sannyasi Kesava Bharati, who gave him the name Krishna-Chaitanya."

Hearing this, Sarvabhauma interrupted him disapprovingly: "The name Chaitanya is usually given to subordinates. Why then was he initiated into this succession? It hardly suits him. Such a lineage can only harm him, for he will be regarded as a sannyasi of inferior status." "Inferior!" Gopinath exclaimed, indignant. "Chaitanya belongs to no disciplic succession; he is Mahaprabhu, the Master of all masters. There is no need for him to take sannyasa from any higher order."

It is customary for aspirants to the order of renunciation to serve a sannyasi during their training, performing menial tasks for them; they then take names such as Prakash, Chaitanya, Ananda, and so on. But at the time of their vows, they abandon them to accept others like Bharati, Tirtha, Sarasvati, Puri, and so forth. Each of these places their holder in an order of precedence, with Bharati being considered inferior. When Chaitanya took his initiation, he kept his servant name out of a spirit of humility.

As for Sarvabhauma, he was an impersonalist at the opposite poles of Vaishnava philosophy, but his great tolerance, his fatherly leaning toward Chaitanya, as well as the respect shown to him by his brother-in-law's friends, made this unusual household manageable. However, the incongruities reported to him regarding his guest's behavior began to irritate him; furthermore, influential people were pressing him to take action.

Indeed, just like in the other cities he had visited, Chaitanya sang and danced in the streets, drawing with him the "dregs of society," as some liked to mockingly say. According to the complainants, he was disturbing the social order and causing prejudice to the upper class, the brahmanas.

"This cannot go on," Sarvabhauma told himself, because by hosting him, he was in a sense endorsing him. "What is this naive monk doing that makes the nobles protest and revile him so?" To find out, he decided to follow Chaitanya secretly and take the pulse of the people.

The very day he was spying on him, an incident occurred. From a nearby alley, cries arose. He was too far away to understand what was happening, but since Chaitanya was getting involved, he approached.

By mistake, an untouchable had stepped on the shadow of an aristocratic brahmana! Because of this, he had contaminated this superior person... The pleas of the contrite fellow now reached Sarvabhauma's ears: "I beg your pardon, master, I did not know it was so late; I forgot the position of the sun, which stretches across the entire width of the street. I offer you my excuses, a thousand pardons!"

But the offended man was not pacified by the words of this "rabble," whose tone he perceived as more or less sycophantic. The excuses only irritated him further. According to him, the insult was irreparable and should draw the wrath of heaven upon the fool's head.

Preceding chapter : Jagannath, Lord of the Universe # 27