The Renunciation Ceremony # 26

26

​The following day, his uncle Chandrashekar, Nityananda Prabhu, Mukunda Datta, and Jagadananda Pandit arrive one after the other. Having been entrusted with Nimai's plans, they join together to finalize the preparations for the initiation, scheduled for early afternoon.

​The barber presents himself, initially honored to have been chosen for such a ceremony. However, faced with Nimai's radiant beauty, he stands frozen, seized with dread. Receding a few steps, he raises his hands in protest:

​— No! Not me. Never! I could never cut such hair... O my God, what are You demanding of me? Have I become so cruel in Your eyes as to perform such an act?

​He turns toward the petrified crowd. A woman then cries out, her voice broken by indignation:

​— Have you no shame for what you are about to accomplish? Who invented this sannyasa? Who possesses a heart hard enough to establish an ashram that demands the abandonment of one's dearest beings, plunging them into despair for the sole purpose of begging from door to door? What is this path where common sense is flouted and justice ignored? Is there not enough misery already without adding such horrors?

​A man intervenes in turn, addressing Nimai's companions:

​— Come now, Gentlemen! Come to your senses. If you are his kin, his true benefactors, reason with him and bring him back to his own!

​Then, another voice rises, even more vehement:

​— Away with these mediocre eyes that know not how to see, which discolor and debase everything they touch! They refuse to recognize, beneath the appearances of the day, the eternal types of charlatans disguised in religious garb¹, with shaved heads and beads around their necks. Think of it: you behave with Mahaprabhu as if he were your fellow man!

​— By your baneful undertaking, you are reducing the span of your life!

​Nimai observes the scene with an amused smile on his lips. His companions, imperturbable, order the barber to set to work. But as soon as he touches Nimai's head, he throws himself backward as if his own life were in peril:

​— You will not make me do this! I refuse to cut this hair. It is a sin, a trap of Maya! Let me go! he exclaims, hurriedly packing his tools, furious to find himself caught in such a deadlock against his will.

​Yet, Nityananda and the others insist: he must perform his duty. The barber has no choice.

​Around them, the crowd saturates the air with threats, moans, and pleas. Some, stunned by grief, collapse or faint. Others, more impetuous, wish to take action, but the imposing stature of Chandrashekar—powerful as a bull—and the broad shoulders of Nityananda contain their anger.

​It is in this atmosphere, at once delirious and supernatural, that the barber, his eyes drowned in tears, begins to cut the hair. Scarcely have a few locks fallen when Nimai, seized by a sudden ecstasy, leaps for joy. He begins to chant the Holy Names, instantly pulling the crowd out of its lethargy. "Hari, Hari!" now escapes from every lip. People dance, whirl, gesticulate, and laugh.

​A few moments later, Nimai pays homage to Keshava Bharati before returning to sit and complete the shaving.

​Once his task is finished, the barber lets his instruments fall to the ground and solemnly declares:

​— Never again in my life will I touch scissors. I am finished with this profession. To this thankless work, I prefer a thousand times the life of a beggar.

​To console his afflicted devotees, Nimai speaks to them with immense gentleness. He reassures them, enchants them, and exhorts them to worship Krishna:

​— What is this existence compared to eternity? Just as twigs carried by the Ganges gather, forming a fleeting heap, and then disperse, so go all beings in the current of samsara—this incessant cycle of deaths and rebirths. We receive such a father, such a mother, such a partner, or such offspring, but death never allows us to keep these temporary unions; it always ends by separating us from them. How many times have we come into this world, and how many times have we...

​— Did I say "my mother, my father"? Millions of times! There is something better, my friends: there exists a spiritual world where our eternal family dwells. I propose that we discover it together by chanting: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

​Captivated by this wonderful orator, the audience responds in unison, transported.

​Now that he is freshly shaved, his complexion evokes the brilliance of the rising sun. His magnificent lotus-shaped eyes appear even more vast. "What could be more beautiful than this superb body?" people whisper in the crowd. For those who had never seen him before, it is difficult to imagine a greater perfection.

​When afternoon comes, once the preparations are complete, Chandrashekar assumes the role of priest and opens the ceremony. The sacred fire is lit and Vedic hymns rise. As Keshava Bharati is about to confer the mantra upon him, Nimai leans toward his ear and whispers:

​— I dreamed, last night, that you were giving me a mantra... Is it indeed this one?

​— Yes, the master acquiesces, nodding his head gently.

​He then pronounces the new sannyasi name by which Nimai will henceforth be known throughout the entire world:

​— Your name shall be Krishna Chaitanya.

​Silence falls, so great is the surprise. Keshava Bharati remains a figure shrouded in mystery. Although his garments class him among the impersonalists, his behavior and his relationship with the Vaishnavas—particularly with Nimai—suggest quite the opposite. At that time, impersonalism dominated all of India; to be recognized as a sannyasi, it was almost indispensable to adopt their codes and dress. This no doubt explains the choice of Keshava Bharati, and that of Nimai following him.

​This name, Krishna Chaitanya, is not among the ten names traditionally conferred upon sannyasis, but this seems to worry no one. On the contrary: once the stupor has passed, cries of joy burst forth from all sides. As if intoxicated, the crowd repeats tirelessly: "Krishna Chaitanya, Krishna Chaitanya!". A striking example of the power of fascination he exerts on the public is the father of the famous Shrinivas Acharya². Having learned, while passing by, that his schoolmate Nimai was about to be consecrated as a sannyasi, he hurried to the site and attended the ceremony. The result is overwhelming: he becomes as if lost, his mind half-capsized. It is with infinite pain that he bears watching the barber's work. When he hears his classmate's new name, the only words upon his lips are: "Chaitanya, Chaitanya". If anyone speaks to him, he answers invariably: "Chaitanya". For this reason, he will henceforth be known as Chaitanya Das³.

​After his discourse on the nature of the order of sannyasa, Keshava Bharati gives the definition of the new name: "Sri Krishna Chaitanya⁴ designates he who descends into this world to save all lost souls by delivering to them the love of God. Consequently, there could be no name more appropriate."

​From that moment on, and until the end of his stay on earth, Nimai will keep this name. He will wear as clothing only a saffron cloth reaching his knees which, along with a shawl of the same color, constitutes his only belongings. He also acquires an earthen pot for his water and a long staff the height of a man, covered with a fabric matching his clothes, the sacred symbol of his order.
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​¹ Maurice Barrès, La Colline inspirée.
​² The latter, who was still a child at that time, would become famous throughout the world for his holiness and his apostolate.
​³ Names received during a Vaishnava initiation are always followed by das, which means "servant".
​⁴ Chaitanya literally means "the living force".

Next chapter : Jagannath, Lord of the Universe # 27
Preceding chapter : Keshava bharati # 25