The next day Mukunda Datta informed Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, “Brahmānanda Bhāratī has come to see You.” (151) Mukunda Datta then asked the Lord, “Shall I bring him here?” Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “Brahmānanda Bhāratī is like My spiritual master. It is better that I go to him.” (152) After saying this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His devotees came into the presence of Brahmānanda Bhāratī. (153) When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His devotees approached him, they saw that he was covered with a deerskin. Seeing this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu became very unhappy. (154) Seeing Brahmānanda Bhāratī wearing the deerskin, Caitanya Mahāprabhu pretended not to see him. Instead, He asked Mukunda Datta, “Where is Brahmānanda Bhāratī, My spiritual master?” (155) Mukunda Datta replied, “Here is Brahmānanda Bhāratī, in Your presence.” The Lord replied, “You are incorrect. This is not Brahmānanda Bhāratī. (156)
“You must be talking of someone else, for this is surely not Brahmānanda Bhāratī. You simply have no knowledge. Why should Brahmānanda Bhāratī wear a deerskin?” (157) When Brahmānanda Bhāratī heard this, he thought, “My deerskin is not approved by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.” (158) Thus admitting his mistake, Brahmānanda Bhāratī thought, “He spoke well. I put on this deerskin only for prestige. I cannot cross over the ocean of nescience simply by wearing a deerskin. (159) “From today on I shall not wear this deerskin.” As soon as Brahmānanda Bhāratī decided this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, understanding his mind, immediately sent for the robes of a sannyāsī. (160) As soon as Brahmānanda Bhāratī gave up his deerskin and covered himself with sannyāsī robes, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu came and offered His respects at his lotus feet. (161) Brahmānanda Bhāratī said, “You instruct the general populace by Your behavior. I will not do anything against Your wishes; otherwise You will not offer me respects but will neglect me. I am afraid of this. (162)
“At the present moment I see two Brahmans. One Brahman is Lord Jagannātha, who does not move, and the other Brahman, who is moving, is You. Lord Jagannātha is the arcā- vigraha, the worshipable Deity, and it is He who is the nonmoving Brahman. But You are Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and You are moving here and there. The two of You are the same Brahman, master of the material nature, but You are playing two parts—one moving and one not moving. In this way two Brahmans are now residing at Jagannātha Purī, Puruṣottama. (163) “Of the two Brahmans, You are fair- complexioned, and the other, Lord Jagannātha, is blackish. Both of You are delivering the whole world.” (164) Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “Actually, to tell you the truth, due to your presence there are now two Brahmans at Jagannātha Purī. (165)
“Both Brahmānanda and Gaurahari are moving, whereas the blackish Lord Jagannātha is sitting tight and immobile.” (166) Brahmānanda Bhāratī said, “My dear Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, please become the mediator in this logical argument between Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and me.” (167) Brahmānanda Bhāratī continued, “The living entity is localized, whereas the Supreme Brahman is all- pervading. That is the verdict of the revealed scriptures. (168) “Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu purified me by taking away my deerskin. This is proof that He is all- pervasive and all- powerful and that I am subordinate to Him. (169) “‘His bodily hue is golden, and His whole body is like molten gold. Every part of His body is very beautifully constructed and smeared with sandalwood pulp. Accepting the renounced order, the Lord is always equipoised. He is firmly fixed in His mission of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and He is firmly situated in His dualistic conclusion and in His peace.’ (170) “All the symptoms mentioned in the verse from the Viṣṇu- sahasra- nāma- stotra are visible in the body of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. His arms are decorated with sandalwood pulp and the thread received from the Śrī Jagannātha Deity, and these are His ornamental bangles.” (171)
After hearing this, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya rendered his judgment, saying, “Brahmānanda Bhāratī, I see that you are victorious.” Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately said, “I accept whatever Brahmānanda Bhāratī has said. It is quite all right with Me.” (172) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu thus posed Himself as a disciple and accepted Brahmānanda Bhāratī as His spiritual master. He then said, “The disciple is certainly defeated in an argument with the spiritual master.” Brahmānanda Bhāratī immediately countered these words, saying, “This is not the cause of Your defeat. There is another cause. (173) “It is Your natural characteristic to accept defeat at the hands of Your devotee. There is also another glory of Yours, which I ask You to hear attentively. (174) “I have been meditating on the impersonal Brahman since my birth, but since I have seen You, I have fully experienced Kṛṣṇa.” (175) Brahmānanda Bhāratī continued, “Since I have seen You, I have been feeling Lord Kṛṣṇa’s presence in my mind and have been seeing Him before my eyes. I now want to chant the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Over and above this, within my heart I consider You to be Kṛṣṇa, and I am therefore very eager to serve You. (176)
“Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura abandoned his impersonal realization for the realization of the Personality of Godhead. I now see that my condition is similar to his, for it has already changed.” (177) Brahmānanda Bhāratī concluded, “‘Although I was worshiped by those on the path of monism and initiated into self- realization through the yoga system, I have nonetheless been forcibly turned into a maidservant by some cunning boy who is always joking with the gopīs.’” (178) Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “You have a deep ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa; therefore wherever you turn your eyes, you simply heighten your Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” (179) Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya said, “The statements of both of you are correct. Kṛṣṇa gives direct audience through His mercy. (180) “Without having ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa, one cannot see Him directly. Therefore through the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Brahmānanda Bhāratī has acquired direct vision of the Lord.” (181) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, what are you saying? Lord Viṣṇu, save Me! Such glorification is simply another form of blasphemy.” (182)
After saying this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu took Brahmānanda Bhāratī with Him to His residence. From that time on, Brahmānanda Bhāratī remained with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. (183) Later, Rāmabhadra Ācārya and Bhagavān Ācārya joined them and, giving up all other responsibilities, remained under Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s shelter. (184) The next day, Kāśīśvara Gosāñi also came and remained with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who received him with great respect. (185) Kāśīśvara used to usher Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu into the Jagannātha temple. He would precede the Lord into the crowd and keep the people from touching Him. (186) As all the rivers flow into the sea, all the devotees throughout the country finally came to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s shelter. (187) Since all the devotees came to Him for shelter, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu showed them all mercy and kept them under His protection. (188) Thus I have described the meeting of all the Vaiṣṇavas with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Whoever hears this description ultimately attains shelter at His lotus feet. (189) 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. (190)
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