tomÄ-sabÄra ÄjñÄya Ämi nÄ mili rÄjÄre
dÄmodara kahe yabe, mili tabe tÄá¹…re

 tomÄ-sabÄra - of all of you; ÄjñÄya - by the order; Ämi - I;  - not; mili - shall meet; rÄjÄre - the King; dÄmodara - DÄmodara Paṇá¸ita; kahe - says; yabe - when; mili - I shall meet; tabe - then; tÄá¹…re - him.


Text

“I shall not meet the King at the request of all the devotees, but I shall do so if DÄmodara will give his permission.â€

Purport

From the spiritual point of view, a sannyÄsÄ« is strictly forbidden to see materialistic people, especially a king who is always engaged in counting pounds, shillings and pence. Indeed, the meeting between a sannyÄsÄ« and a king is always considered abominable. A sannyÄsÄ« is always subjected to public criticism, and a small fault on his part is taken seriously by the public. People actually expect a sannyÄsÄ« to preach and not take part in any social or political matters. If a sannyÄsÄ« is subject to public criticism, his preaching will not be fruitful. ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu specifically wanted to avoid such criticism so that His preaching work would not be hampered. It so happened that while the Lord was talking to His disciples at that time, the devotee DÄmodara Paṇá¸ita was present. This DÄmodara Paṇá¸ita was a very faithful devotee and a staunch lover of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu. Whenever there was anything that might touch or taint the character of the Lord, DÄmodara Paṇá¸ita would immediately point it out, not even considering the exalted position of the Lord. It is sometimes said that fools rush in where angels dare not, and ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu wanted to point out DÄmodara Paṇá¸ita’s foolishness in coming forward to criticize the Lord. This is why the Lord stated that if DÄmodara Paṇá¸ita would give Him permission, He would go to see the King. There was deep meaning in this statement, for it is a warning that DÄmodara should not dare criticize the Lord any more, for it was not befitting his position as a devotee. ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu was considered the guide and spiritual master of all the devotees living with Him. DÄmodara Paṇá¸ita was one of them, and the Lord rendered DÄmodara Paṇá¸ita a special favor by warning him to avoid criticizing Him any further. A devotee or a disciple should never attempt to criticize the Lord or His representative, the spiritual master.