Sunday, 07 September 2025 [Mayapura, West Bengal, India Time]
Acceptance of Sannyasa by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Shri Vishvarupa Mahotsav – The Day When Shri Vishvarupa (elder brother of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu) Accepted Sannyasa
Acceptance of Sannyasa by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Śrīla Prabhupāda: “My spiritual master wanted me to preach, but I did not like it, but he forced me. Yes. That is my practical experience.
I had no desire to accept the sannyāsa order and preach, but my spiritual master wanted it. I am not very much inclined, but he forced me. That is also done. That is special favor. When he forced me, at that time I thought that “What is this? What…? I am committing some mistake, or what is that?” I was puzzled. But a little after, I could understand that it is the greatest favor shown to me.”
(Excerpt from Lecture on Day after Śrī Gaura-Pūrṇimā, 5 March 1969, Hawaii)
Śrīla Prabhupāda: “One has to accept the renounced order from another person who is in renounced order. So I never thought that I shall accept this renounced order of life. In my family life, when I was in the midst of my wife and children, sometimes I was dreaming my spiritual master, that he’s calling me, and I was following him. When my dream was over, I was thinking. I was little horrified. “Oh, Guru Mahārāja wants me to become sannyāsī. How can I accept sannyāsa?” At that time, I was feeling not very satisfaction that I have to give up my family and have to become a mendicant. At that time, it was a horrible feeling. Sometimes I was thinking, “No, I cannot take sannyāsa.” But again I saw the same dream. So in this way I was fortunate.
My Guru Mahārāja [Prabhupāda begins to cry, choked voice] pulled me out from this material life. I have not lost anything. He was so kind upon me. I have gained. I left three children, I have got now three hundred children. So I am not loser. This is material conception. We think that we shall be loser by accepting Kṛṣṇa. Nobody is loser. I say from my practical experience.
I was thinking that “How can I accept this renounced order of life? I cannot accept so much trouble.” So… But I retired from my family life. I was sitting alone in Vṛndāvana, writing books. So this, my Godbrother, he insisted me, “Bhaktivedanta prabhu…” This title was given in my family life. It was offered to me by the Vaiṣṇava society. So he insisted me. Not he insisted me. Practically my spiritual master insisted me through him, that “You accept.” Because without accepting the renounced order of life, nobody can become a preacher. So he wanted me to become a preacher. So he forced me through this Godbrother, “You accept.” So unwillingly I accepted. And then I remembered that he wanted me to go to the Western country.
So I am feeling now very much obliged to my, this Godbrother, that he carried out the wish of my spiritual master and enforced me to accept this sannyāsa order.”
(Excerpt from Lecture on Bhaktiprajñāna Keśava Mahārāja’s Disappearance Day, Oct. 21, 1968, Seattle)
Read More Here: https://krishnaconsciousnessmovement.com/?p=30593
Shri Vishvarupa Mahotsav – The Day When Shri Vishvarupa (elder brother of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu) Accepted Sannyasa
“After this, Jagannātha Miśra got a son of the name Viśvarūpa, who was most powerful and highly qualified because He was an incarnation of Baladeva.”
(Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 13.74)
Śrīla Prabhupāda: “Viśvarūpa was the elder brother of Gaurahari, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. When arrangements were being made for His marriage, He took sannyāsa and left home. He took the sannyāsa name of Śaṅkarāraṇya. In 1431 Śakābda Era, He disappeared in Pāṇḍarapura in the district of Śolāpur. As an incarnation of Saṅkarṣaṇa, He is both the ingredient and immediate cause of the creation of this material world. He is nondifferent from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as aṁśa and aṁśī, or the part and the whole, are not different. He belongs to the quadruple manifestation of caturvyūha as an incarnation of Saṅkarṣaṇa. In the Gaura-candrodaya it is said that Viśvarūpa, after His so-called demise, remained mixed within Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu.”
(Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 13.74, Purport)
“Śrī Raṅga Purī also understood that one of her deserving sons had accepted the renounced order at a very young age. His name was Śaṅkarāraṇya.”
(Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.299)
“Śrī Raṅga Purī informed Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu that in this holy place, Pāṇḍarapura, the sannyāsī named Śaṅkarāraṇya attained perfection.”
(Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.300)
Śrīla Prabhupāda: “Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s elder brother was named Viśvarūpa. He left home before Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and accepted the sannyāsa order under the name of Śaṅkarāraṇya Svāmī. He traveled all over the country and finally went to Pāṇḍarapura, where he passed away after attaining perfection. In other words, he entered the spiritual world after giving up his mortal body at Pāṇḍarapura.”(Śrī Caitanya caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.300, Purport)
May the blessings of Lord Chaitanya and Śrīla Prabhupāda be upon all.
Note: All the above quotes are from the original first edition books of Śrīla Prabhupāda
