Verse 3.2.224

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 3.2.224:

নিত্যানন্দ বলে,—“ভাঙ্গিযাছি বাংশ-খান না পার ক্ষমিতে কর যে শাস্তি প্রমাণ” ॥ ২২৪ ॥

नित्यानन्द बले,—“भाङ्गियाछि वांश-खान ना पार क्षमिते कर ये शास्ति प्रमाण” ॥ २२४ ॥

nityānanda bale,—“bhāṅgiyāchi vāṃśa-khāna nā pāra kṣamite kara ye śāsti pramāṇa” || 224 ||

nityananda bale,—“bhangiyachi vamsa-khana na para ksamite kara ye sasti pramana” (224)

English translation:

(224) Nityānanda replied, “I broke only a piece of bamboo. If You cannot forgive Me, then punish Me appropriately.”

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

The daṇḍa is carried by a sannyāsī who has not yet attained the platform of paramahaṃsa. Therefore everyone can understand that a sannyāsī without a daṇḍa has attained the final stage of spiritual life. Worldly opulences cannot disturb such a person. But since paramahaṃsas do not accept this symbol of renunciation, ordinary people cannot understand their exalted position. That is why foolish people consider the topmost paramahaṃsa Vaiṣṇavas to be inferior to themselves. Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu broke the bamboo daṇḍa of svayam-rūpa Vrajendra-nandana, Śrī Caitanya, so that people would not mistakenly consider anyone who simply carries a daṇḍa made of bamboo to be situated just below the topmost paramahaṃsa platform. Realizing that people would invite inauspiciousness by committing the offense of considering Lord Caitanya as simply a sannyāsī or considering that He was obligated to accept such

symbols and that they would thereby meet with obstacles in understanding that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nityānanda broke the one daṇḍa into three daṇḍas. This pastime of Śrī Nityānanda was meant to reveal that the principles of tridaṇḍa, entailing control of the body, mind, and speech, are to be respected by those whose senses are not controlled; that ekadaṇḍa is the combined form of the tridaṇḍa; and that it is the duty of paramahaṃsas to renounce the daṇḍa. The tendency of tridaṇḍīs is to neither aspire for anyone’s blessing nor to award anyone worldly blessings. Those who are bound by mundane conceptions have little interest in pursuing spiritual life. If such people relegate Śrī Gaurasundara to relative roles like daṇḍena-daṇḍī, or a sannyāsī because of carrying a daṇḍa, they will achieve inauspiciousness.