The Meeting of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Vallabha Bhaṭṭa

Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Simply by the causeless mercy of the devotees engaged in licking honey from His lotus feet, even a fallen soul becomes eternally liberated.

All glories to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu! All glories to Nityānanda Prabhu! All glories to Advaitacandra! And all glories to all the devotees of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu!

The next year, all the devotees of Bengal went to visit Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and as previously, the Lord met each and every one of them.

Thus Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu performed His pastimes with His devotees. Then a learned scholar named Vallabha Bhaṭṭa went to Jagannātha Purī to meet the Lord.

When Vallabha Bhaṭṭa arrived, he offered his obeisances at the lotus feet of the Lord. Accepting him as a great devotee, the Lord embraced him.

With great respect, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu seated Vallabha Bhaṭṭa near Him. Then Vallabha Bhaṭṭa very humbly began to speak.

“For a long time,” he said, “I have desired to see You, my Lord. Now Lord Jagannātha has fulfilled this desire; therefore I am seeing You.

“One who receives Your audience is fortunate indeed, for You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself.

“Since one who remembers You is purified, why should it be astonishing that one becomes purified by seeing You?

“ ‘One can immediately purify his entire house simply by remembering exalted personalities, to say nothing of directly seeing them, touching their lotus feet, washing their feet or offering them places to sit.’

“The fundamental religious system in the Age of Kali is the chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. Unless empowered by Kṛṣṇa, one cannot propagate the saṅkīrtana movement.

“You have spread the saṅkīrtana movement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore it is evident that You have been empowered by Lord Kṛṣṇa. There is no question about it.

“You have manifested the holy name of Kṛṣṇa throughout the entire world. Anyone who sees You is immediately absorbed in ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa.

“Without being especially empowered by Kṛṣṇa, one cannot manifest ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa, for Kṛṣṇa is the only one who gives ecstatic love. That is the verdict of all revealed scriptures.

“ ‘There may be many all-auspicious incarnations of the Personality of Godhead, but who other than Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa can bestow love of God upon the surrendered souls?’”

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “My dear Vallabha Bhaṭṭa, you are a learned scholar. Kindly listen to Me. I am a sannyāsī of the Māyāvāda school. Therefore I have no chance of knowing what kṛṣṇa-bhakti is.

“Nevertheless, My mind has become purified because I have associated with Advaita Ācārya, who is directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

“He is unparalleled in His understanding of all the revealed scriptures and the devotional service of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Therefore He is called Advaita Ācārya.

“He is such a great personality that by His mercy He can convert even the meat-eaters [mlecchas] to the devotional service of Kṛṣṇa. Who, therefore, can estimate the power of His Vaiṣṇavism?

“Lord Nityānanda Prabhu, the avadhūta, is also directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is always intoxicated with the madness of ecstatic love. Indeed, He is an ocean of love of Kṛṣṇa.

“Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya perfectly knows the six philosophical theses. He is therefore the spiritual master of the entire world in teaching the six paths of philosophy. He is the best of devotees.

“Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya has shown Me the limit of devotional service. Only by his mercy have I understood that devotional service to Kṛṣṇa is the essence of all mystic yoga.

“Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya is the ultimate knower of the transcendental mellows of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s devotional service. He has instructed Me that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

“Through the mercy of Rāmānanda Rāya, I have understood that ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa is the highest goal of life and that spontaneous love of Kṛṣṇa is the highest perfection.

“The servant, friend, superior and conjugal lover are the shelters of the transcendental mellows called dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya and śṛṅgāra.

“There are two kinds of emotion [bhāva]. Emotion with an understanding of the Lord’s full opulences is called aiśvarya-jñāna-yukta, and pure, uncontaminated emotion is called kevala. One cannot achieve shelter at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, the son of Mahārāja Nanda, simply by knowing His opulences.

“ ‘The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, the son of mother Yaśodā, is accessible to those devotees engaged in spontaneous loving service, but He is not as easily accessible to mental speculators, to those striving for self-realization by severe austerities and penances, or to those who consider the body the same as the self.’

“The word ‘ātma-bhūta’ means ‘personal associates.’ Through the understanding of the Lord’s opulence, the goddess of fortune could not receive the shelter of Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda Mahārāja.

“ ‘When Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was dancing with the gopīs in the rāsa-līlā, the gopīs were embraced around the neck by the Lord’s arms. This transcendental favor was never bestowed upon the goddess of fortune or the other consorts in the spiritual world. Nor was such a thing ever imagined by the most beautiful girls in the heavenly planets, girls whose bodily luster and aroma resemble the beauty and fragrance of lotus flowers. And what to speak of worldly women, who may be very, very beautiful according to material estimation?’

“In pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness, a friend mounts the shoulder of Kṛṣṇa, and mother Yaśodā binds the Lord.

“In pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness, without knowledge of the Lord’s opulences, a devotee considers Kṛṣṇa his friend or son. Therefore this devotional attitude is praised even by Śukadeva Gosvāmī and Vyāsadeva, the supreme authority.

“ ‘Neither those who are engaged in self-realization, appreciating the Brahman effulgence of the Lord, nor those engaged in devotional service while accepting the Supreme Personality of Godhead as master, nor those who are under the clutches of Māyā, thinking the Lord an ordinary person, can understand that certain exalted personalities, after accumulating volumes of pious activities, are now playing with the Lord in friendship as cowherd boys.’

“ ‘When mother Yaśodā saw all the universes within Kṛṣṇa’s mouth, she was astonished for the time being. The Lord is worshiped like Indra and other demigods by the followers of the three Vedas, who offer Him sacrifices. He is worshiped as impersonal Brahman by saintly persons who understand His greatness through studying the Upaniṣads, as the puruṣa by great philosophers who analytically study the universe, as the all-pervading Supersoul by great yogīs, and as the Supreme Personality of Godhead by devotees. Nevertheless, mother Yaśodā considered the Lord her own son.’

“ ‘O brāhmaṇa, what pious activities did Nanda Mahārāja perform to receive the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa as his son? And what pious activities did mother Yaśodā perform that made the Absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa call her “Mother” and suck her breasts?’

“Even if a pure devotee sees the opulence of Kṛṣṇa, he does not accept it. Therefore pure consciousness is more exalted than consciousness of the Lord’s opulence.

“Rāmānanda Rāya is extremely aware of transcendental mellows. He is incessantly absorbed in the happiness of ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa. It is he who has taught Me all this.

“It is impossible to describe the influence and knowledge of Rāmānanda Rāya, for only by his mercy have I understood the unalloyed love of the residents of Vṛndāvana.

“The transcendental mellows of ecstatic love are personified by Svarūpa Dāmodara. By his association I have understood Vṛndāvana’s transcendental mellow of conjugal love.

“The unalloyed love of the gopīs and Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is without any trace of material lust. The criterion of such transcendental love is that its only purpose is to satisfy Kṛṣṇa.

“ ‘O dearly beloved! Your lotus feet are so soft that we place them gently on our breasts, fearing that Your feet will be hurt. Our lives rest only in You. Our minds, therefore, are filled with anxiety that Your tender feet might be wounded by pebbles as You roam about on the forest path.’

“Obsessed with pure love, without knowledge of opulences, the gopīs sometimes chastise Kṛṣṇa. That is a symptom of pure ecstatic love.

“ ‘O dear Kṛṣṇa, we gopīs have neglected the order of our husbands, sons, family, brothers and friends and have left their company to come to You. You know everything about our desires. We have come only because we are attracted by the supreme music of Your flute. But You are a great cheater, for who else would give up the company of young girls like us in the dead of night?’

“The conjugal love of the gopīs is the most exalted devotional service, surpassing all other methods of bhakti. Therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa is obliged to say, ‘My dear gopīs, I cannot repay you. Indeed, I am always indebted to you.’

“ ‘O gopīs, I am not able to repay My debt for your spotless service, even within a lifetime of Brahmā. Your connection with Me is beyond reproach. You have worshiped Me, cutting off all domestic ties, which are difficult to break. Therefore please let your own glorious deeds be your compensation.’

“Completely distinct from love of Kṛṣṇa in opulence, pure love of Kṛṣṇa is on the highest level. On the surface of the world there is no devotee greater than Uddhava.

“Uddhava desires to take on his head the dust of the gopīs’ lotus feet. I have learned about all these transcendental loving affairs of Lord Kṛṣṇa from Svarūpa Dāmodara.

“ ‘The gopīs of Vṛndāvana have given up the association of their husbands, sons and other family members, who are very difficult to give up, and they have forsaken the path of chastity to take shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda, Kṛṣṇa, which one should search for by Vedic knowledge. Oh, let me be fortunate enough to become one of the bushes, creepers or herbs in Vṛndāvana, for the gopīs trample them and bless them with the dust of their lotus feet.’

“Haridāsa Ṭhākura, the teacher of the holy name, is the most exalted of all pure devotees. Every day he chants 300,000 holy names of the Lord.

“I have learned about the glories of the Lord’s holy name from Haridāsa Ṭhākura, and by his mercy I have understood these glories.

“Ācāryaratna, Ācāryanidhi, Gadādhara Paṇḍita, Jagadānanda, Dāmodara, Śaṅkara, Vakreśvara, Kāśīśvara, Mukunda, Vāsudeva, Murāri and many other devotees have descended in Bengal to preach to everyone the glories of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and the value of love for Him. I have learned from them the meaning of devotional service to Kṛṣṇa.”

Knowing that Vallabha Bhaṭṭa’s heart was full of pride, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu spoke these words, hinting at how one can learn about devotional service.

[Vallabha Bhaṭṭa was thinking:] “I am a great Vaiṣṇava. Having learned all the conclusions of Vaiṣṇava philosophy, I can understand the meaning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and explain it very well.”

Such pride had existed for a long time within the mind of Vallabha Bhaṭṭa, but as he heard the preaching of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, his pride was cut down.

When Vallabha Bhaṭṭa heard from the mouth of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu about the pure Vaiṣṇavism of all these devotees, he immediately desired to see them.

Vallabha Bhaṭṭa said, “Where do all these Vaiṣṇavas live, and how can I see them?”

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “Although some of them live in Bengal and some in other states, they have all come here to see the Ratha-yātrā festival.

“At present they are all living here. Their residences are in various quarters. Here you will get the audience of them all.”

Thereafter, with great submission and humility, Vallabha Bhaṭṭa invited Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to dine at his home.

The next day, when all the Vaiṣṇavas came to the abode of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Lord introduced Vallabha Bhaṭṭa to them all.

He was surprised to see the brilliance of their faces. Indeed, among them Vallabha Bhaṭṭa seemed just like a glowworm.

Then Vallabha Bhaṭṭa brought in a great quantity of Lord Jagannātha’s mahā-prasādam and sumptuously fed Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His associates.

All the sannyāsī associates of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, headed by Paramānanda Purī, sat on one side and thus partook of the prasādam.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu sat in the midst of the devotees. Advaita Ācārya and Lord Nityānanda each sat on one side of the Lord. The other devotees sat in front of the Lord and behind Him.

The devotees from Bengal, whom I am unable to count, all sat down in lines in the courtyard.

When Vallabha Bhaṭṭa saw all the devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he was greatly surprised, and in devotion he offered his obeisances at the lotus feet of each and every one of them.

Svarūpa Dāmodara, Jagadānanda, Kāśīśvara and Śaṅkara, along with Rāghava and Dāmodara Paṇḍita, took charge of distributing the prasādam.

Vallabha Bhaṭṭa had brought a large quantity of mahā-prasādam offered to Lord Jagannātha. Thus all the sannyāsīs sat down to eat with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Accepting the prasādam, all the Vaiṣṇavas chanted the holy names “Hari! Hari!” The rising vibration of the holy name of Hari filled the entire universe.

When all the Vaiṣṇavas had finished eating, Vallabha Bhaṭṭa brought a large quantity of garlands, sandalwood pulp, spices and betel. He worshiped the devotees very respectfully and became extremely happy.

On the day of the car festival, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu began the congregational chanting. As He had done previously, He divided all the devotees into seven groups.

Seven devotees — Advaita, Nityānanda, Haridāsa Ṭhākura, Vakreśvara, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, Rāghava Paṇḍita and Gadādhara Paṇḍita — formed seven groups and began dancing. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, chanting “Haribol!” wandered from one group to another.

Fourteen mṛdaṅgas resounded with the loud congregational chanting, and in each group was a dancer whose dance of ecstatic love inundated the entire world.

Seeing all this, Vallabha Bhaṭṭa was completely astonished. He was overwhelmed by transcendental bliss and lost himself.

Then Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu stopped the dancing of the others, and as He had done previously, He personally began to dance.

Seeing the beauty of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and the awakening of His ecstatic love, Vallabha Bhaṭṭa concluded, “Here is Lord Kṛṣṇa, without a doubt.”

Thus Vallabha Bhaṭṭa witnessed the car festival. He was simply astonished by the characteristics of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

One day, after the festival was over, Vallabha Bhaṭṭa went to the abode of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and submitted a request at the lotus feet of the Lord.

“I have written some commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,” he said. “Would Your Lordship kindly hear it?”

The Lord replied, “I do not understand the meaning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Indeed, I am not a suitable person to hear its meaning.

“I simply sit and try to chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, and although I chant all day and night, I nevertheless cannot complete the chanting of My prescribed number of rounds.”

Vallabha Bhaṭṭa said, “I have tried to describe elaborately the meaning of Kṛṣṇa’s holy name. Kindly hear the explanation.”

Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “I do not accept many different meanings for the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. I know only that Lord Kṛṣṇa is Śyāmasundara and Yaśodānandana. That’s all I know.

“ ‘The only purport of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is that He is dark blue like a tamāla tree and is the son of mother Yaśodā. This is the conclusion of all the revealed scriptures.’

“I conclusively know these two names, Śyāmasundara and Yaśodānandana. I do not understand any other meanings, nor have I the capacity to understand them.”

Being omniscient, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu could understand that Vallabha Bhaṭṭa’s explanations of Kṛṣṇa’s name and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam were useless. Therefore He did not care about them.

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu rigidly declined to hear his explanations, Vallabha Bhaṭṭa went home feeling morose. His faith in the Lord and devotion to Him changed.

Thereafter, Vallabha Bhaṭṭa went to the home of Gadādhara Paṇḍita. He kept coming and going, showing affection in various ways, and thus maintained a relationship with him.

Because Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu did not take Vallabha Bhaṭṭa very seriously, none of the people in Jagannātha Purī would hear any of his explanations.

Ashamed, insulted and unhappy, Vallabha Bhaṭṭa went to Gadādhara Paṇḍita.

Approaching him with great humility, Vallabha Bhaṭṭa said, “I have taken shelter of you, my dear sir. Kindly be merciful to me and save my life.

“Please hear my explanation of the meaning of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s name. In that way the mud of the shame that has come upon me will be washed off.”

Thus Paṇḍita Gosāñi fell into a dilemma. He was in such doubt that he could not decide alone what to do.

Although Gadādhara Paṇḍita Gosāñi did not want to hear it, Vallabha Bhaṭṭa began to read his explanation with great force.

Because Vallabha Bhaṭṭa was a learned brāhmaṇa, Gadādhara Paṇḍita could not forbid him. Thus he began to think of Lord Kṛṣṇa. “My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa,” he requested, “please protect me in this danger. I have taken shelter of You.

“Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is present in everyone’s heart, and He will certainly know my mind. Therefore I do not fear Him. His associates, however, are extremely critical.”

Although Gadādhara Paṇḍita Gosāñi was not in the least at fault, some of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s devotees showed affectionate anger toward him.

Every day, Vallabha Bhaṭṭa would come to the place of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to engage in unnecessary arguments with Advaita Ācārya and other great personalities, such as Svarūpa Dāmodara.

Whatever conclusions Vallabha Bhaṭṭa eagerly presented were refuted by personalities like Advaita Ācārya.

Whenever Vallabha Bhaṭṭa entered the society of devotees, headed by Advaita Ācārya, he was like a duck in a society of white swans.

One day Vallabha Bhaṭṭa said to Advaita Ācārya, “Every living entity is female [prakṛti] and considers Kṛṣṇa her husband [pati].

“It is the duty of a chaste wife, devoted to her husband, not to utter her husband’s name, but all of you chant the name of Kṛṣṇa. How can this be called a religious principle?”

Advaita Ācārya responded, “In front of you is Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the personification of religious principles. You should ask Him, for He will give you the proper answer.”

Hearing this, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “My dear Vallabha Bhaṭṭa, you do not know religious principles. Actually, the first duty of a chaste woman is to carry out the order of her husband.

“The order of Kṛṣṇa is to chant His name incessantly. Therefore one who is chaste and adherent to the husband Kṛṣṇa must chant the Lord’s name, for she cannot deny the husband’s order.

“Following this religious principle, a pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa always chants the holy name. As a result of this, he gets the fruit of ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa.”

Hearing this, Vallabha Bhaṭṭa was speechless. He returned home greatly unhappy and began to consider thus.

“Every day I am defeated in this assembly. If by chance I am one day victorious, that will be a great source of happiness for me, and all my shame will go away. But what means shall I adopt to establish my statements?”

The next day when he came to the assembly of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he sat down after offering obeisances to the Lord and said something with great pride.

“In my commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,” he said, “I have refuted the explanations of Śrīdhara Svāmī. I cannot accept his explanations.

“Whatever Śrīdhara Svāmī reads he explains according to the circumstances. Therefore he is inconsistent in his explanations and cannot be accepted as an authority.”

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu smilingly replied, “One who does not accept the svāmī [husband] as an authority I consider a prostitute.”

After saying this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu became very grave. All the devotees present derived great satisfaction from hearing this statement.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu descended as an incarnation for the benefit of the entire world. Thus He knew the mind of Vallabha Bhaṭṭa very well.

By various hints and refutations, Lord Caitanya, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, corrected Vallabha Bhaṭṭa exactly as Kṛṣṇa had cut down the false pride of Indra.

An ignorant living being does not recognize his actual profit. Because of ignorance and material pride, he sometimes considers profit a loss, but when his pride is cut down he can actually see his true benefit.

Returning home that night, Vallabha Bhaṭṭa thought, “Previously, at Prayāga, Lord Caitanya was very kind to me.

“He accepted my invitation with His other devotees, and He was kind to me. Why has He now changed so much here at Jagannātha Purī?

“Being very proud of my learning, I am thinking, ‘Let me become victorious.’ Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, however, is trying to purify me by nullifying this false pride, for a characteristic of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is that He acts for everyone’s welfare.

“I am falsely proud, advertising myself as a learned scholar. Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu insults me just to favor me by cutting down this false pride.

“He is actually acting for my benefit, although I interpret His actions as insults. This is exactly like the incident in which Lord Kṛṣṇa cut down Indra, the great, puffed-up fool, to correct him.”

Thinking in this way, Vallabha Bhaṭṭa approached Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu the next morning, and in great humility, offering many prayers, he sought shelter and surrendered at the lotus feet of the Lord.

Vallabha Bhaṭṭa admitted, “I am a great fool, and indeed I have acted like a fool by trying to demonstrate my learning to You.

“My dear Lord, You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You have showed mercy to me in a way just befitting Your position by insulting me to cut down all my false pride.

“I am an ignorant fool, for I interpret as an insult what is meant for my benefit. In this way I am just like King Indra, who out of ignorance tried to surpass Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord.

“My dear Lord, You have cured the blindness of my false pride by smearing my eyes with the ointment of Your mercy. You have bestowed so much mercy upon me that my ignorance is now gone.

“My dear Lord, I have committed offenses. Please excuse me. I seek shelter of You. Please be merciful unto me by placing Your lotus feet on my head.”

Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “You are both a greatly learned scholar and a great devotee. Wherever there are two such attributes, there cannot be a mountain of false pride.

“You have dared criticize Śrīdhara Svāmī, and you have begun your own commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, not accepting his authority. That is your false pride.

“Śrīdhara Svāmī is the spiritual master of the entire world because by his mercy we can understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. I therefore accept him as a spiritual master.

“Whatever you might write due to false pride, trying to surpass Śrīdhara Svāmī, would carry a contrary purport. Therefore no one would pay attention to it.

“One who comments on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam following in the footsteps of Śrīdhara Svāmī will be honored and accepted by everyone.

“Put forth your explanation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam following in the footsteps of Śrīdhara Svāmī. Giving up your false pride, worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa.

“Abandoning your offenses, chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, the holy names of the Lord. Then very soon you will achieve shelter at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa.”

Vallabha Bhaṭṭa Ācārya requested Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, “If You are actually pleased with me, please accept my invitation once again.”

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who had descended to deliver the entire universe, accepted the invitation of Vallabha Bhaṭṭa just to give him happiness.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is always eager to see everyone in the material world happy. Therefore sometimes He chastises someone just to purify his heart.

When Vallabha Bhaṭṭa invited Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His associates, the Lord was very pleased with him.

Jagadānanda Paṇḍita’s pure ecstatic love for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very deep. It can be compared to the love of Satyabhāmā, who always quarreled with Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Jagadānanda Paṇḍita was accustomed to provoking loving quarrels with the Lord. There was always some disagreement between them.

Gadādhara Paṇḍita’s pure ecstatic love for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was also very deep. It was like that of Rukmiṇīdevī, who was always especially submissive to Kṛṣṇa.

Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu sometimes desired to see Gadādhara Paṇḍita’s affectionate anger, but because of his knowledge of the Lord’s opulences, his anger was never invoked.

For this purpose Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu sometimes showed His apparent anger. Hearing of this anger inspired great fear in the heart of Gadādhara Paṇḍita.

Previously, in kṛṣṇa-līlā, when Lord Kṛṣṇa joked with Rukmiṇīdevī, she took His words seriously, and fear awoke within her mind.

Vallabha Bhaṭṭa was accustomed to worshiping the Lord as child Kṛṣṇa. Therefore he had been initiated into the Bāla-gopāla mantra and was thus worshiping the Lord.

In the association of Gadādhara Paṇḍita, his mind was converted, and he dedicated his mind to worshiping Kiśora-gopāla, Kṛṣṇa as a young boy.

Vallabha Bhaṭṭa wanted to be initiated by Gadādhara Paṇḍita, but Gadādhara Paṇḍita refused, saying, “The work of acting as a spiritual master is not possible for me.

“I am completely dependent. My Lord is Gauracandra, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. I cannot do anything independently, without His order.

“My dear Vallabha Bhaṭṭa, your coming to me is not appreciated by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Therefore He sometimes speaks to chastise me.”

Some days passed, and when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, finally pleased with Vallabha Bhaṭṭa, accepted his invitation, the Lord sent Svarūpa Dāmodara, Jagadānanda Paṇḍita and Govinda to call for Gadādhara Paṇḍita.

On the way, Svarūpa Dāmodara said to Gadādhara Paṇḍita, “Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to test you. Therefore He neglected you.

“Why did you not retaliate by reproaching Him? Why did you fearfully tolerate His criticism?”

Gadādhara Paṇḍita said, “Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is completely independent. He is the topmost omniscient personality. It would not look well for me to talk to Him as if I were His equal.

“I can tolerate whatever He says, bearing it upon my head. He will automatically be merciful to me after considering my faults and attributes.”

After saying this, Gadādhara Paṇḍita went to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and fell down crying at the lotus feet of the Lord.

Smiling slightly, the Lord embraced him and spoke sweet words so that others would also hear.

“I wanted to agitate you,” the Lord said, “but you did not become agitated. Indeed, you could not say anything in anger. Instead, you tolerated everything.

“Your mind was not disturbed by My tricks. Rather, you stayed fixed in your simplicity. In this way you have purchased Me.”

No one can describe the characteristics and ecstatic love of Gadādhara Paṇḍita. Therefore another name for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Gadādhara-prāṇanātha, “the life and soul of Gadādhara Paṇḍita.”

No one can say how merciful the Lord is to Gadādhara Paṇḍita, but people know the Lord as Gadāira Gaurāṅga, “the Lord Gaurāṅga of Gadādhara Paṇḍita.”

No one can understand the pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. They are like the Ganges, for hundreds and thousands of branches flow from even one of His activities.

Gadādhara Paṇḍita is celebrated all over the world for his gentle behavior, his brahminical attributes and his steady love for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

The Lord purified Vallabha Bhaṭṭa by cleansing him of the mud of false pride. By such activities the Lord also instructed others.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was actually always merciful within His heart, but He was sometimes externally negligent of His devotees. We should not be preoccupied with His external feature, however, for if we do so we shall be vanquished.

The pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu are very deep. Who can understand them? Only one who has firm, deep devotion to His lotus feet can understand these pastimes.

Another day, Gadādhara Paṇḍita invited Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to dinner. The Lord took prasādam at his home with His personal associates.

There Vallabha Bhaṭṭa took permission from Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and his desire to be initiated by Gadādhara Paṇḍita was thus fulfilled.

I have thus explained the Lord’s meeting with Vallabha Bhaṭṭa. By hearing of this incident, one can achieve the treasure of love for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Praying at the lotus feet of Śrī Rūpa and Śrī Raghunātha, always desiring their mercy, I, Kṛṣṇadāsa, narrate Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, following in their footsteps.