Mahaprabhu hiding at Nandana Ācārya bhavan

As Mahāprabhu, the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha, danced, all His servants surrounded Him and sang. A couple of times, the Lord stopped and said, “O brothers, why am I not feeling any ecstasy today? Am I not feeling ecstasy because I talked to some atheists in the city today? If I have insulted you in any way, then please forgive My offenses and save My life.”
Advaita Prabhu, the great recipient of the Lord’s mercy, frowned and danced as He said, “How will You feel ecstatic love when Nāḍā has drained You? I do not get love of God, and neither does Śrīvāsa. You enjoy Your pastimes of ecstatic love with oil millers and gardeners. Avadhūta has become the servant of Your love, while Śrīvāsa and I are left out. We are not qualified to attain Your love, while this Avadhūta has come and become the storekeeper of Your love. O Gosāñi, if You do not award Me Your ecstatic love, I will dry it all up. Then do not blame Me.”
Ācārya Gosāñi was maddened with Lord Caitanya’s love. He did not remember what He said or what He did. Kṛṣṇa increases the glories of His devotees in all respects. They are able to sell Him wherever they want. For one who can sell Kṛṣṇa by the influence of his devotional service, what is unusual about speaking in this way? Gauracandra increases the glories of His devotees in various ways. Who can understand His mercy and punishment?
As the Lord lamented due to not receiving the happiness of ecstatic love, Advaita joyfully danced while clapping His hands. After listening to Advaita’s words, Lord Viśvambhara did not make any reply. The Lord suddenly opened the door and ran out, and Nityānanda and Haridāsa ran after Him. Thinking that there was no use in keeping a body devoid of love of God, the Lord jumped into the Ganges. As the Lord jumped into the Ganges, Nityānanda and Haridāsa jumped in behind Him. Nityānanda quickly caught the Lord by His hair, and Haridāsa grabbed the Lord’s lotus feet. The two then carried the Lord out of the water, whereupon the Lord said, “Why did you restrain Me? For what purpose should I maintain this life, which is devoid of love of God? Why did you two hold Me back?”
The two trembled as they thought, “What will happen today?” Looking at Nityānanda, Gauracandra spoke. “Why did You grab My hair?” Nityānanda replied, “Why did You try to kill Yourself?” The Lord said, “I know You are most restless.” Nityānanda then said, “O Lord, please forgive Me. Do You want to give up Your body because of someone that You can easily punish? If servants speak something out of pride, does their master take their lives?”
Filled with devotion, Nityānanda shed tears of love for Lord Caitanya, who was everything for Him—His life, wealth, and friend. The Lord said, “Listen, Nityānanda and Haridāsa. Do not tell anyone that you have seen Me. Tell everyone that you did not see Me. You follow this order of Mine. Today I will hide here. If you tell anyone, then do not blame Me for the consequences.” After speaking in this way, the Lord went to the house of Nandana Ācārya. Following the Lord’s order, the two kept this a secret.
Absorbed in love for Kṛṣṇa, the devotees all became full of distress when they were unable to receive any news about the Lord. They began to cry due to feelings of intense separation. No one said anything as their hearts burned. Everyone felt like they had been struck by a thunderbolt, and Advaita, the Lord of Śāntipura, thought Himself a great offender. Feeling that He had committed an offense, Advaita Prabhu went home and fasted due to intense separation from the Lord. Filled with lamentation, everyone returned to their homes with the treasure of Gaurāṅga’s lotus feet bound in their hearts.
The Lord arrived at Nandana Ācārya’s house, where He sat down on the throne of Lord Viṣṇu. Seeing that the most auspicious personality had arrived in his house, Nandana Ācārya offered obeisances by falling flat on the ground. He quickly brought new clothes for Śrī Śacīnandana, who then changed His wet clothes. Nandana Ācārya offered arghya and fragrant oils as well as sandalwood paste and flower garland prasāda. He decorated the Lord’s body with the sandalwood paste. He then brought camphor and betel nuts and offered them to the Lord, who happily ate His devotee’s offerings. The Lord forgot all His distress by the service of the pious Nandana Ācārya, who sat there offering betel nuts.
The Lord said, “O Nandana, listen to Me. Today you should hide Me here.” Nandana replied, “O Lord, this is very difficult. Where can You hide within this world? You could not hide in the hearts of the living entities. The devotees exposed You even from there. How can one who could not hide in the ocean of milk hide in an open society?” After hearing the words of Nandana Ācārya, the Lord smiled. He passed that night in Nandana’s house. The fortunate Nandana Ācārya spent the entire night discussing the unlimited topics of Kṛṣṇa with the Lord. As they relished topics of Kṛṣṇa, the entire night passed like a moment. Then the Lord saw that dawn had broken.
The Lord punished Advaita in this way, but ultimately He felt great compassion for Him. Looking at Nandana Ācārya, the Lord instructed him, “Go and bring Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita alone.” Nandana Ācārya quickly went to Śrīvāsa’s house and returned to the Lord with Śrīvāsa. On seeing the Lord, Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita began to cry out of love. The Lord said, “Do not worry.” In compassion, the Lord asked him, “Tell Me, how is Advaita Ācārya doing?”
“You are asking for more news?” Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita asked. “Yesterday Ācārya fasted. He is surviving only because He is destined to. Please show Yourself to Him and save Him. If someone else had punished Him, would we have tolerated it? O Lord, You alone are our life and soul. Yesterday, in lamentation, we thought that without You, O Lord, why should we maintain our lives? You have given punishment like You said You would. Now please come and show Your mercy.”
After hearing Śrīvāsa’s words, the most merciful Lord went to see Advaita Ācārya. When the Lord came and found Advaita Ācārya practically unconscious, He considered Himself a great offender. After previously receiving the Lord’s mercy, Advaita would wander about like He was intoxicated with pride, but after being punished by the Lord, His body trembled. On seeing His condition, the merciful Lord said, “O Ācārya, get up and see. It is I, Viśvambhara.” Advaita was ashamed to say anything. In ecstatic love, He meditated on the Lord’s lotus feet. The Lord again said, “Get up, Ācārya! Don’t worry. Get up and perform Your duties.” Advaita said, “O Lord, You inspired Me to act the way I did. Whatever You are saying to Me now is all an external show.”
“You always treat Me in such a way that I become proud, and as a result, I suffer. O Lord, You have awarded everyone else the topmost mood of service, but You show Me reverence. You Yourself inspire Me and then You punish Me. You speak one thing and think another. You are My life, wealth, body, and mind, yet still You give Me misery. This is Your opulence. O Lord, please give Me the mood of service and keep Me at Your feet as the son of Your maidservant.”
On hearing the words of Advaita, Śrī Gaurasundara spoke to Him in front of all the Vaiṣṇavas: “Listen, O Ācārya, I am telling You the truth. Just consider this example that I am narrating. When a royal administrator goes before the King, the guards place a request before him. And when the royal administrator meets the King and conveys the guards’ request, he collects their wages and then distributes them to the guards, who along with their families survive on that. If such a royal administrator, before whom the guards place their request, makes an offense, then by the order of the King those same guards do not hesitate to execute him. On one hand, the royal administrator is entrusted with the responsibility of ruling the kingdom, and on the other hand, he is killed for his offense. In the same way, Kṛṣṇa is the King of kings, while Brahmā and Śiva, the creator and annihilator, are His servants. He gives the power to create, so if He awards punishment, no one can protest. Consorts like Lakṣmī and personalities like Śiva also receive punishment from Kṛṣṇa, yet the Lord always forgives the offenses of His servants. If Kṛṣṇa punishes one for his offense, then I tell You that he is the servant of Kṛṣṇa birth after birth. Get up, take a bath, and perform Your worship. Then take Your meal without anxiety.”
On hearing the Lord’s words, Advaita became joyful. Realizing that He was punished as a servant, He laughed. Advaita exclaimed, “Now I can say You are My Lord!” Then He danced in ecstasy. When Advaita Ācārya heard the Lord’s words of assurance, He was overwhelmed in ecstasy and forgot the previous distress He had felt due to separation. All the Vaiṣṇavas felt great ecstasy, and Haridāsa and Nityānanda then began to laugh. Due to misfortune, some people are deprived of relishing the topics of these most ecstatic pastimes of the Lord. Śrī Advaita Prabhu is the recipient of Lord Caitanya’s love. Due to illusion, some people consider such opulence insignificant. Do not think that “servant” implies insignificance. The Lord does not accept one as a servant if he is less fortunate. First one attains liberation, then his material bondage is destroyed, then he can become the servant of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Commentators on the scriptures explain that liberated souls worship Kṛṣṇa, who enjoys transcendental pastimes. The servants of Kṛṣṇa have the power of Kṛṣṇa. If they commit any offense, Kṛṣṇa punishes them.
(Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya-khaṇḍa 17.017 – 17.108)