Ramananda Raya, he was also a sudra, and he was a householder and a politician, governor, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu took instruction from him. Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave him the preference of being a teacher. Ramananda Raya was hesitating

Expressions researched:
"Rāmānanda Rāya, he was also a śūdra, and he was a householder and a politician, governor, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu took instruction from him. Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave him the preference of being a teacher. He was hesitating"

Lectures

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Rāmānanda Rāya, he was also a śūdra, and he was a householder and a politician, governor, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu took instruction from him. Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave him the preference of being a teacher. He was hesitating. Rāmānanda Rāya was hesitating, "Oh, Sir, You are sannyāsī, in the highest stage of āśrama, and You, in Your previous life You belonged to the brāhmaṇa sect. So You belong to the highest class, and I am a śūdra, I am householder, and I am a politician. So how lower I am in comparison to You? And You are taking instruction from me, so I am feeling hesitation." Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, "No, no. You don't feel hesitation.".

670201 - Lecture CC Adi 07.39-47 - San Francisco:

Kāśīte lekhaka śūdra-śrīcandraśekhara (CC Adi 7.45). Lekhaka śūdra means he was a clerk. Clerk. The clerk, clerical post, was offered to the śūdras, to the laborer class.

There was a strike in Calcutta of the clerks. Jardine and Skinner, an European firm, they had many jute (indistinct). And the clerks, I mean to say, made a strike. So when their, I mean to say, chief man met the manager, so, and asked that, "Whether you want to compromise with us?" the manager said: "No. I don't wish to compromise with you. I don't care for you, because you are educated laborer." He gave the title to the clerks, "educated laborer." So actually, in Hindu society, the clerks were called educated laborer. So here it is lekhaka śūdra. Lekhaka śūdra means clerk, but he's śūdra. Lekhaka śūdra śrīcandraśekhara, tāṅra ghare rahilā (CC Adi 7.45).

But spiritually there is no such distinction. We should always remember that materially, there may be higher, lower class. There is, always, in every society, in every country. But spiritually there is no such consideration. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's propaganda. He made Haridāsa Ṭhākura—he was a Muhammadan—as the spiritual master for saṅkīrtana, namācārya. And He picked up Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī, who were rejected by the Hindu society, and He made them gosvāmīs. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's peculiarity. And here also we see that a śūdra, a laborer class, a clerk, who is considered to be lower in the society, He was staying at his house.

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu . . . and Rāmānanda Rāya, he was also a śūdra, and he was a householder and a politician, governor, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu took instruction from him. Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave him the preference of being a teacher. He was hesitating. Rāmānanda Rāya was hesitating, "Oh, Sir, You are sannyāsī, in the highest stage of āśrama, and You, in Your previous life You belonged to the brāhmaṇa sect. So You belong to the highest class, and I am a śūdra, I am householder and I am a politician. So how lower I am in comparison to You? And You are taking instruction from me, so I am feeling hesitation."

Caitanya Mahāprabhu said: "No, no. You don't feel hesitation." He enunciated:

kibā śūdra kibā vipra nyāsī kene naya

yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei guru haya

(CC Madhya 8.128)

"Never mind a man, whatever he is. He may be a laborer class, he may be a brāhmaṇa, or he may be a sannyāsī or he may be a householder. It doesn't matter. Anyone who knows the science of Kṛṣṇa, he is spiritual master. Anyone." That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's, I mean to, highest con . . . especially for the Hindu society. They have got so much caste distinction, lower and higher and this and that way.

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu broke all these barriers. His simple process was: anyone who is Kṛṣṇa conscious, he is welcome—he is the highest personality in the world. That was His proposal. So He did not care that, "What people will say that I am staying at a śūdra's place?" No.

tapana-miśrera ghare bhikṣā-nirvāhaṇa

sannyāsīra saṅge nāhi māne nimantraṇa

(CC Adi 7.46)

So He was staying with a śūdra, and He was taking His meal at another brāhmaṇa . . . He was also not sannyāsī, but he was a brāhmaṇa. So in this way He was staying at Benares.

sanātana gosāñi āsi' tāṅhāi mililā

tāṅra śikṣā lāgi' prabhu du-māsa rahilā

(CC Adi 7.47)

So this, this incidence is that Caitanya Mahāprabhu, first of all He visited Benares and went to Vṛndāvana. Then, while coming back, He stayed at Allahabad, Prayāg, for ten days for instructing Rūpa Gosvāmī. That we have already discussed. Now again He has come back to Benares. So He was staying at Candraśekhara's house, and He was taking His meals at Tapana Miśra's house. In the meantime, Sanātana Gosvāmī came to see Him.

Sanātana Gosvāmī , after retirement, he had many troubles. He was arrested by the Nawab because Nawab thought him that he was very important hand. "He has now . . . by sentiment, he's going to Caitanya." So he thought it wise to arrest him. And Sanātana Gosvāmī had some money, so he bribed the superintendent of jail, and he let him go away.

So with great difficulty he reached Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and he met Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Benares, and for two months he was instructed all the principles of devotional service and different incarnations. We have . . . some part of this Sanātana instruction, we have discussed. Again we shall discuss. So this Sanātana Gosvāmī met at Benares while Caitanya Mahāprabhu was returning back from Vṛndāvana. We shall discuss this point tomorrow.

Thank you very much.