Sanātana Gosvāmī and Caitanya Mahāprabhu is sitting together for discussion. This is called "Instruction to Sanātana Gosvāmī." Caitanya Mahāprabhu had discussion with some of His principal disciples. One was Rāmānanda Rāya. Raya Rāmaṇanda. He was Governor of Madras, and later on he retired from that governorship and became a constant companion of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Although he was a householder—he never accepted renouncement—but still, he was con . . . he was the most confidential devotee of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, although he was a householder. Because he was highly advanced in the science of Kṛṣṇa.
So there was some discussion with this Rāmānanda Rāya, and there was some discussion with this Sanātana Gosvāmī, and some discussion with Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, and some discussion with Rūpa Gosvāmī. So He had no other discussion with anyone, and the rest of His life was spent by simply chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa. And these disciples, under the instruction of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they have made volumes of books on the basis of the instruction of Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu did not write any book in His own hand. He wrote only eight verses, which is called Śikṣāṣṭaka. That was His only writing. Otherwise, all the books, valuable books that you have got in His sampradāya, they are written by His disciples, especially by Rūpa Gosvāmī. He's famous. Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī and that boy, the nephew of Rūpa Gosvāmī who left home at ten years old and later on, after becoming a very great sanskrit scholar, he approached their uncles—that Jīva Gosvāmī—oh, he has written many valuable volumes of books. So the asset of this Caitanya-sampradāya about this devotional service is very great. Very great. This Caitanya-caritāmṛta is also one of them. Yes. So:
- pūrve yaiche rāya-pāśe prabhu praśna kailā
- tāṅra śaktye rāmānanda tāṅra uttara dilā
- ihāṅ prabhura śaktye praśna kare sanātana
- āpane mahāprabhu kare 'tattva'-nirūpaṇa
- (CC Madhya 20.95–96)
Now, after Caitanya Mahāprabhu's approval of renouncement of Sanātana Gosvāmī, He instructed him for two months at Benares. In the formerly . . . here it is referred. In the formerly, as He instructed Rāmānanda Rāya at . . . in Kovur—Kovur is a place in the Madras, South India—similarly, in that occasion the Lord was questioning Rāmānanda Rāya, and Rāmānanda Rāya was replying. And here, in the similar way, the Sanātana Gosvāmī will question and Lord Caitanya will reply.
So sometimes the disciple and the spiritual master, the relationship is like that. Sometimes the teacher questions to the student, and student replies, and sometimes the student questions to the teacher, and teacher replies. This is called iṣṭagoṣṭhī. To develop knowledge, these questions and answers are required. According to system of accepting a spiritual master, it is said that just after acceptance . . . Ādau gurvāśrayam (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.74).
One must have to accept a spiritual master. Then the next position is sad-dharma-pṛcchāt: then he should be very much inquisitive. A student . . . not finishing, that "Now I am initiated. Everything finished." No. He should be very inquisitive.
Unless one is very inquisitive, there is no necessity of accepting a spiritual master. That is the instruction in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21).
One has the necessity of accepting a spiritual master who is very much inquisitive about transcendental matter. Otherwise, there is no necessity. Simply, "Oh, because so many people accept a spiritual master, so I'll have to accept somebody as spiritual master. My business finished"—no. One should be very much inquisitive. Yes. He must be very much eager to understand what is transcendental subject. Then his, this business of accepting a spiritual master will be fulfilled.
So here also . . . and when the questions and answers were going on between Rāmānanda Rāya and Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Rāmānanda Rāya was not even a brāhmin. Because in those days, the brāhmiṇs were very respectable community, and they were learned scholars, so . . . and he was a kāyastha. Kāyastha. Kāyastha, in . . . of course, now . . . not now, in some hundreds or two hundred years before, these kāyastha were considered very lower caste. So Rāmānanda Rāya belonged to that kāyastha community. But he was very much learned. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He belonged to the brāhmiṇ community, and He was vastly learned. At the same time, He was in renounced order of life.
So when Caitanya Mahāprabhu was asking question from Rāmānanda Rāya, he felt himself shy, that "I am a householder, and I belong to the kāyastha community, and Lord, You belong to the . . . you come from the brāhmiṇ community, and You are so vast learned. At the same time, You have accepted renounced order. So You are in all respect my master. How is that, You are trying to understand from me?" Caitanya Mahāprabhu showed this example by His life's activity. So he was hesitating, that "I should rather put question to You as teacher, and You should answer me."
But Caitanya Mahāprabhu said: "No, no, no. There is no such differentiation between master . . ."
- kibā śūdra kibā vipra nyāsī kene naya
- yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei guru haya
- (CC Madhya 8.128)
"It doesn't matter whether you are a householder or you are a brāhmiṇ or you are a renounced order of . . . if you know the science of Kṛṣṇa—you are fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness—you are My guru. You are my spiritual master."
So that is the relation between spiritual master and the student, not that the spiritual master, because he has officially accepted the post as spiritual master, he should remain as . . . he should accept the students also as his spiritual master. This is the reciprocation. Prabhu. Everyone would address the other as prabhu. But officially one may be a spiritual master. But in spiritual platform there is no such difference. But officially, custom is that spiritual master is considered in the place of Supreme Lord, and therefore he is given the such respect.