Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Ādi 7.59

sabā namaskari' gelā pāda-prakṣālane

pāda prakṣālana kari vasilā sei sthāne

SYNONYMS

sabā — to all; namaskari' — offering obeisances; gelā — went; pāda — foot; prakṣālane — for washing; pāda — foot; prakṣālana — washing; kari — finishing; vasilā — sat down; sei — in that; sthāne — place.

TRANSLATION

As soon as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw the sannyāsīs He immediately offered obeisances, and then He went to wash His feet. After washing His feet, He sat down by the place where He had done so.

PURPORT

By offering His obeisances to the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu very clearly exhibited His humbleness to everyone. Vaiṣṇavas must not be disrespectful to anyone, to say nothing of a sannyāsī. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches, amāninā māna-dena: one should always be respectful to others but should not demand respect for himself. A sannyāsī should always walk barefoot, and therefore when he enters a temple or a society of devotees he should first wash his feet and then sit down in a proper place. In India it is still the prevalent custom that one put his shoes in a specified place and then enter the temple barefoot after washing his feet. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is an ideal ācārya, and those who follow in His footsteps should practice the methods of devotional life that He teaches us.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness