Danda-Bhangi Pastime

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
20 July 2013, part 2

Question: You were talking about Nityananda Prabhu breaking Mahaprabhu's danda yesterday. Can you tell us why He did that?

I have told it many times. Gurudev said there were two reasons. I spoke about it yesterday also.

First reason is this. The danda is actually Nityananda Prabhu Himself. Whatever the Lord uses, it is Balaram. Balaram serves Krishna with His ten bodies, or hands (dasa-dehe)—He serves the Lord as His pillow (বালিস, balis), shoes (পাদুকা, paduka), peacock fan (ময়ূর পাখা, mayur pakha), bed (শয়ন, sayana), carrier (আবাহন, avahana), house (গৃহ, grha), umbrella (ছত্র, chhatra), garments (বস্ত্র, vastra), ornaments (ভূষণ, bhusana), sitting place (আসন, asana). Even the temple of the Lord, the temple of Mahaprabhu is Nityananda Prabhu Himself. That is the reason why we do not pay dandavat inside the temple—we always pay obeisance outside the temple. Even the pujari who does the puja does not pay obeisance inside—he comes outside and pays his obeisance from outside. Everything is Nityananda Prabhu Himself. Therefore, the danda is Nityananda Prabhu Himself too. So, Nityananda Prabhu thought, "I will carry Mahaprabhu! Why will Mahaprabhu carry Me?" And He broke His danda.

In another way, Nityananda Prabhu knows who Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is—He knows that He is Krishna Himself who has come as an acharya.

[কলি-যুগে] সাধু পাওয়া কষ্ট বড় জীবের জানিয়া ।

সাধুগুরুরূপে কৃষ্ণ আইল নদীয়া ॥

[kali-yuge] sadhu paoya kasta bada jivera janiya
sadhu-bhakta-rupe krsna aila nadiya

"Understanding that [in this Kali-yuga] it is very difficult for a soul to find a sadhu, Krishna came to Nadia in the form of a pure devotee."

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 7.8)

It is very rare and very difficult to find a real sadhu in this age of Kali. Krishna knows it, therefore He Himself comes as a guru, as an acharya, or as a teacher. Mahaprabhu is Krishna Himself, and Nityananda Prabhu says, "If Mahaprabhu takes sannyas, why must He take the eka-danda sannyas? He can take tridanda-sannyas! If He has to teach others, He must give full teaching. Why will He take eka-danda sannyas?"

Tridanda means three (tri) aspects—kaya (body), mana (mind), vakya (speech). It means one promises, "I will serve the Lord with the strongest faith, and with kaya, mana, vakya." That is why Nityananda Prabhu decided to break the danda. He broke it and threw it into the Bhargi River.

We once went to that place when we were returning from the temple of Nil-madhav. We stopped the bus and the car there for five minutes and saw this river and the danda-bhanga place. Mahaprabhu sat at that place and gave His danda to Nityananda Prabhu. After that, He forgot about it—He walked on and on. Later, when Mahaprabhu and the devotees came near Jagannath Temple, when they were at the Atharnala bridge, Mahaprabhu remembered about it and asked Nityananda Prabhu, "Where is My danda? Give it to Me!" Nityananda Prabhu lied, "When You were doing kirtan, You fell down and Your danda broke." Mahaprabhu understood it was a lie—He said to Nityananda Prabhu, "You know what for I have taken the danda. You know what for I have come. You know everything, and You did that?! I will not go with You!" Mahaprabhu was very angry—He said to the devotees, "I will not go with you! Either you all go first, or I will go first." Nityananda Prabhu said, "All right, You go first, we will follow You." And they did that...

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