Caitanya Mahāprabhu, although He was in the renounced order of life, sannyāsī, still, He was avoiding the company of the Māyāvādī, who are impersonalists. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is personalist. So generally, that is the system still. The impersonalist, as soon as they see some personalist, they begin to attack by arguments. So those who are not very highly developed, they avoid. But those who are conversant, they argue, so on.
So Caitanya Mahāprabhu, while He was staying at Benares, He was not very enthusiastic to mix with this Māyāvādī class of sannyāsīs. Therefore this man who invited all the sannyāsīs for a dinner, he also came to Caitanya Mahāprabhu and asked Him that, "I know that You do not associate Yourself with the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs. Still, I have come to invite You. Please accept my request."
- nā yāha sannyāsī-goṣṭhī ihā āmijāni
- more anugraha kara nimantraṇa māni'
- (CC Adi 7.55)
"I know that You avoid the association. Still, I am requesting You. If You kindly accept this request." Prabhu hāsi' nimantraṇa kaila aṅgīkāra (CC Adi 7.56). Now there are two incidences. One incidences . . . one incidence is that His two devotees were very sorry, because the other party was criticizing Him. And the meantime, another brahmin came to invite Him. So it was coincidence. Caitanya Mahāprabhu thought that this is an opportunity to meet the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs and to talk with him . . . to talk with them, how they criticized the personalist.
- prabhu hāsi' nimantraṇa kaila aṅgīkāra
- sannyāsīre kṛpā lāgi' e bhaṅgī tāṅhāra
- (CC Adi 7.56)
So although previously He did not associate with the Māyāvādī sannyāsī, still, to please His devotees, who were very sorry to hear the criticism, He accepted the invitation so that He could meet them and talk with them.
- se vipra jānena prabhu nā yā'na kā'ra ghare
- tāṅhāra prerāṇaya tāṅre atyāgraha kare
- (CC Adi 7.57)
And so the invitation was accepted, and the meeting date was also accepted.
- āra dine gelā prabhu se vipra-bhavane
- dekhilena, vasiyāchena sannyāsīra gaṇe
- (CC Adi 7.58)
The next day the Lord went to the house of that person who invited, that brahmin, and He saw there were many other Māyāvādī sannyāsīs sitting together.
- sabā namaskari' gelā pāda-prakṣālane
- pāda prakṣālana kari vasilā sei sthāne
- (CC Adi 7.59)
Now, just see the behavior of Lord Caitanya. Although He was not in agreement with the other party, still, because they were sannyāsīs, renounced order of life, Caitanya Mahāprabhu offered His respect by bowing down before them. It is the duty of everyone, not only between the sannyāsī and sannyāsī. It is the custom of Vedic system.
As soon as one would see a sannyāsī, at once he should offer his respect. If he does not offer his respect, then it is enjoined that he should fast one day as punishment. He should not eat. "Oh, I saw a sannyāsī, but I did not offer my respect. Therefore the penance should be that I should fast one day." This is the injunction.
So Caitanya Mahāprabhu, although He was God Himself, but His behavior and His etiquette was excellent. At once He saw the sannyāsīs, He offered His respect. Pāda prakṣālana kari vasilā sei sthāne (CC Adi 7.59). And it is the system that when one comes from outside, he has to wash his feet before he enters room, especially for the sannyāsī. So He washed His feet and sat down outside where the other sannyāsī was sitting, a little off, just the place where He washed His feet.
- vasiyā karilā kichu aiśvarya prakāśa
- mahātejomaya vapu koṭi-sūryābhāsa
- (CC Adi 7.60)
And while He was sitting in that place, He was so nice and beautiful. He was only twenty-four years old, and . . . or twenty-five years old, and very beautiful, very fair complexion and He has accepted the sannyāsa order, the saffron cloth, and with tilaka. Everything looked so very nice that other sannyāsīs became attracted, "Oh, very nice." Prabhāve ākarṣila saba sannyāsīra mana (CC Adi 7.61): The other sannyāsīs who were sitting, they were all attracted, "A very nice boy sannyāsī." So uṭhila sannyāsī saba chāḍiyā āsana (CC Adi 7.61): automatically they were so pleased that they stood up to show Him respect, Lord Caitanya. Prakāśānanda-nāme eka sannyāsī-pradhāna (CC Adi 7.62): "The chief of the sannyāsīs who were sitting there, his name was Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī." Sarasvatī.
The sannyāsīs, they have got different titles. According to Śaṅkara-sampradāya, there are ten titles. And, according to Vaiṣṇava-sampradāya, there are 108 titles. So the ten titles which the Śaṅkara-sampradāya claim, that is also included in the Vaiṣṇava-sampradāya. They are called Sarasvatī, Bhāratī, er, I mean to say Vana, Araṇya—in this way, there are ten names. My Guru Mahārāja, my spiritual master, he was sannyāsī, and his title was Sarasvatī. Sarasvatī. So Sarasvatī, Bhāratī, Tīrtha, Vana, Araṇya, Parvata, just like so many titles. So there was a sannyāsī who was the chief amongst other sannyāsī. His name was Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī. He was great scholar.