External Symbols of Spirituality do not Impress Krishna

January 8, 2006

Lord Sri KRISHNA is the SUPREME PERSONALITY of GODHEAD, and can see through every HEART directly. Nothing remains hidden from HIM. All External symbols are just practices which an advanced devotee may renounce at a certain time (once the heart is fully purified this may happen automatically)

There are many episodes associated with the discarding of such symbols of spirituality.

Regarding the Sacred thread, a Jagadguru (Ramana Maharishi) was known to have discarded this sacred thread at a certain point in his life.

Regarding the tridanda, Prabhu Nityananda has been associated with this famous episode:-

He said -

ahe danda, ami yare bahiye hrdaye

se tomare bahiveka e ta' yukta nahe

eta bali' balarama parama-pracanda

phelilena danda bhangi "kari" tina khanda

O danda, within my heart, I find you to be external and useless.

[since Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead as a devotee, He is the topmost paramahamsa. What need has He to carry a symbol of elevated status within the varnas and asramas of human society? A sannyasa danda in His hands is redundant]

Saying this, Sri Balarama, with great violence, broke into three pieces the tridandi staff of renunciation belonging to Sri Caitanya.

(C.Bhag. Antya 2.205-206)

15.54a

tina khanda kari' danda dila bhasana

Nityananda Prabhu broke Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's sannyasa danda in three places. (Cc. Madhya 5.143)

15.55

danda-bhanga-lila ei parama gambhira

sei bujhe, duohara pade yanra bhakti dhira

The pastime of the breaking of the staff is very deep. Only one whose devotion is fixed upon the lotus feet of the two Lords can understand it. (Cc. Madhya 5.158)

Mind you, that was the staff of the Supreme Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and Prabhu Nityananda broke it!

The Vaishnava Sanyasis ( also called Tridandi Swamis) now carry the three pieces (tridanda) out of great respect for the traditions, which was originally a single piece till Prabhu Nityananda Broke it). I pay my humble obeisances unto the Lotus feet of all those who fondly remember the Supreme Lord within their hearts.

Sanjeev Kumar Punj

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