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. (125) Vallabha Bhaṭṭa admitted, “I am a great fool, and indeed I have acted like a fool by trying to demonstrate my learning to You. (126) “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. (127) “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. (128) “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. (129) “
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.” (130) 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. (131) “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. (132) “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. (133) “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. (134) “One who comments on Śrīmad- Bhāgavatam following in the footsteps of Śrīdhara Svāmī will be honored and accepted by everyone. (135)
“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. (136) “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.” (137) Vallabha Bhaṭṭa Ācārya requested Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, “If You are actually pleased with me, please accept my invitation once again.” (138) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who had descended to deliver the entire universe, accepted the invitation of Vallabha Bhaṭṭa just to give him happiness. (139) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is always eager to see everyone in the material world happy. Therefore sometimes He chastises someone just to purify his heart. (140) When Vallabha Bhaṭṭa invited Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His associates, the Lord was very pleased with him. (141)
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. (142) Jagadānanda Paṇḍita was accustomed to provoking loving quarrels with the Lord. There was always some disagreement between them. (143) 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. (144) 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. (145) For this purpose Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu sometimes showed His apparent anger. Hearing of this anger inspired great fear in the heart of Gadādhara Paṇḍita. (146)
Previously, in kṛṣṇa- līlā, when Lord Kṛṣṇa joked with Rukmiṇīdevī, she took His words seriously, and fear awoke within her mind. (147) 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. (148) In the association of Gadādhara Paṇḍita, his mind was converted, and he dedicated his mind to worshiping Kiśora- gopāla, Kṛṣṇa as a young boy. (149) 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. (150) “I am completely dependent. My Lord is Gauracandra, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. I cannot do anything independently, without His order. (151) “My dear Vallabha Bhaṭṭa, your coming to me is not appreciated by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Therefore He sometimes speaks to chastise me.” (152)
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. (153-154) On the way, Svarūpa Dāmodara said to Gadādhara Paṇḍita, “Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to test you. Therefore He neglected you. (155) “Why did you not retaliate by reproaching Him? Why did you fearfully tolerate His criticism?” (156) 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. (157) “I can tolerate whatever He says, bearing it upon my head. He will automatically be merciful to me after considering my faults and attributes.” (158) After saying this, Gadādhara Paṇḍita went to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and fell down crying at the lotus feet of the Lord. (159)
Smiling slightly, the Lord embraced him and spoke sweet words so that others would also hear. (160) “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. (161) “Your mind was not disturbed by My tricks. Rather, you stayed fixed in your simplicity. In this way you have purchased Me.” (162) 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.” (163) 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.” (164) 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. (165)
Gadādhara Paṇḍita is celebrated all over the world for his gentle behavior, his brahminical attributes and his steady love for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. (166) The Lord purified Vallabha Bhaṭṭa by cleansing him of the mud of false pride. By such activities the Lord also instructed others. (165) 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. (168) 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. (169)
Another day, Gadādhara Paṇḍita invited Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to dinner. The Lord took prasādam at his home with His personal associates. (170) There Vallabha Bhaṭṭa took permission from Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and his desire to be initiated by Gadādhara Paṇḍita was thus fulfilled. (171) 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. (172) 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. (173)
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