sanÄtana gosÄñi Äsi' tÄá¹…hÄi mililÄ
tÄá¹…ra Å›iká¹£Ä lÄgi' prabhu du-mÄsa rahilÄ
sanÄtana - SanÄtana; gosÄñi - a great devotee; Äsi' - coming there; tÄá¹…hai - there at VÄrÄṇasÄ«; milila - visited Him; tÄá¹…ra - His; Å›iká¹£Ä - instruction; lÄgi' - for the matter of; prabhu - Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu; du-mÄsa - two months; rahilÄ - remained there.
Lord Caitanya taught SanÄtana GosvÄmÄ« in the line of disciplic succession. SanÄtana GosvÄmÄ« was a very learned scholar in Sanskrit and other languages, but until instructed by Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu he did not write anything about Vaiṣṇava behavior. His very famous book Hari-bhakti-vilÄsa, which gives directions for Vaiṣṇava candidates, was written completely in compliance with the instructions of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu. In this Hari-bhakti-vilÄsa ÅšrÄ« SanÄtana GosvÄmÄ« gives definite instructions that by proper initiation by a bona fide spiritual master one can immediately become a brÄhmaṇa. In this connection he says:
yathÄ kÄñcanatÄá¹ yÄti kÄá¹syaá¹ rasa-vidhÄnataḥ
tathÄ dÄ«ká¹£Ä-vidhÄnena dvijatvaá¹ jÄyate nṛṇÄm
“As bell metal is turned to gold when mixed with mercury in an alchemical process, so one who is properly trained and initiated by a bona fide spiritual master immediately becomes a brÄhmaṇa.†Sometimes those born in brÄhmaṇa families protest this, but they have no strong arguments against this principle. By the grace of Kṛṣṇa and His devotee, one’s life can change. This is confirmed in ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam by the words jahÄti bandham and Å›udhyanti. JahÄti bandham indicates that a living entity is conditioned by a particular type of body. The body is certainly an impediment, but one who associates with a pure devotee and follows his instructions can avoid this impediment and become a regular brÄhmaṇa by initiation under his strict guidance. ÅšrÄ«la JÄ«va GosvÄmÄ« states how a non-brÄhmaṇa can be turned into a brÄhmaṇa by the association of a pure devotee. Prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ: Lord Viṣṇu is so powerful that He can do anything He likes. Therefore it is not difficult for Viṣṇu to change the body of a devotee who is under the guidance of a pure devotee of the Lord.