Acceptance of sannyasa by Srila Prabhupada

One night, Abhay had an unusual dream. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta appeared before him, beckoning. He was asking Abhay to leave home and take sannyasa. Abhay awoke in an intensely emotional state. "How horrible!" He thought. He knew it was not an ordinary dream, yet the request seemed so difficult and unlikely. Take sannyasa! At least it was not something he could do immediately. Now he had to improve the business, and with the profits he would print books. He went on with his duties, but remained shaken by the dream. (Satswarup Goswami. 1980. Prabhupada Lilamrta. Page 118.)

In 1948, Abhay closed his Lucknow factory. He had fallen behind in employees' salaries, and since 1946 he had been paying past rent in installments. But when sales dropped off, continuing the factory became impossible. He lost everything. Srila Prabhupada: "I started a big factory in Lucknow. Those were golden days. My business flourished like anything. Everyone in the chemical business knew. But then, gradually, everything dwindled."

With the help of some acquaintances in Allahabad, he opened a small factory there, in the same city where his Prayag Pharmacy had failed fifteen years before. He moved to Allahabad with his son Brindaban and continued manufacturing medicines. While the rest of the family remained at Banerjee Lane in Calcutta, Abhay continued his travelling; but now he was often away for months at a time.

And then he had the dream a second time. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati appeared before him; again he was beckoning, indicating that Abhay should take sannyasa. And again Abhay had to put the dream aside. He was a householder with many responsibilities. To take sannyasa would mean to give up everything. He had to earn money. He now had five children. "Why is Guru Maharaj asking me to take sannyasa?" he thought. "It is not possible now."

The Allahabad business was unsuccessful. As with everything else, Abhay saw his present circumstances through the eyes of scripture. And he could not help but think of the verse from the Srimad Bhagavatam (10.88.8):


"When I feel especially merciful towards someone, I gradually take away all his material possessions. His friends and relatives then reject this poverty-stricken and most wretched fellow."

He had heard Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati quote this verse, and now he thought of it often. He took it that his present circumstances were controlled by Lord Sri Krishna, who was forcing him into a helpless position, freeing him for preaching Krishna consciousness. Srila Prabhupada: "Somehow or other, my intention for preaching the message of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu increased, and the other side decreased. I was not disinclined, but Krishna forced me: You must give it up. The history is known – how it decreased, decreased, decreased."

Abhay first had to approach one of his Godbrothers for permission. He decided to turn to Bhaktivilas Tirtha Maharaj, the leader of the Chaitanya Math in Calcutta. Abhay felt that if he were to take sannyasa and go preach in America, he should give the Chaitanya Math the first opportunity to support the work. In April 1959, Abhay wrote to Tirtha Maharaj, inquiring about sannyasa as well as about the Chaitanya Math's printing some of his manuscripts.

Tirtha Maharaj replied that Abhay should first join the Caitanya Math and act under his direction, and said that Abhay could become a sannyasi in time. But as for printing books, it was subject to checking and availability of funds. Abhay was not encouraged. Without printing books and going to the West, sannyasa did not have meaning for Abhay.

Abhay next turned to Keshava Maharaj in Mathura, and Keshava Maharaj told Abhay to take sannyasa immediately. Srila Prabhupada: "I was sitting alone in Vrindavana, writing. My Godbrother insisted to me: 'Bhaktivedanta Prabhu, you must do it. Without accepting the renounced order of life, nobody can become a preacher.' So he insisted. Not he insisted: practically my spiritual master insisted. He wanted me to become a preacher, so he forced me through this Godbrother: 'You accept.' So, unwillingly I accepted."

On the morning of September 17th 1959, in the Deity room of the Keshavaji Math in Mathura, a group of devotees sat before the Deities of Radha-Krishna and Lord Chaitanya. Abhay sat on a mat of kusha grass beside ninety-year old Sanatana, also to receive sannyasa that day. Narayana Maharaj (Keshava Maharaj's disciple) prepared to conduct the ceremony of mantras and offerings into the fire. Akinchana Krishnadasa Babaji played mrdanga and sang Vaishnava bhajanas.

After the fire sacrifice, each initiate received his sannyasa-danda and saffron garments. Keshava Maharaj announced that Abhay would now be known as A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj. Changing from white cloth to saffron cloth had a special significance: it was only a matter of time before Bhaktivedanta Swami would travel to the West as Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati had ordained.