Mahaprabhu Purchasing Bananas from Śrīdhara

Smiling, the Lord agreed to the astrologer’s request and went to the house of His dear devotee Śrīdhara. Śrīdhara was very dear to the Lord’s heart, and the Lord would therefore visit him on various pretexts. The Lord would tease Śrīdhara in the course of their regular conversations, which would last for an hour or two. When Śrīdhara saw that Nimāi had arrived, he offered Him obeisances and a place to sit. Śrīdhara was always peaceful in his behavior, while the Lord enjoyed playing the role of an agitated young man. The Lord said, “Śrīdhara, you always chant the name of Hari, so why are you always afflicted by poverty?” “Can you please tell Me why, after serving the beloved Lord of Lakṣmī, you do not get sufficient food and clothes?” Śrīdhara replied, “At least I’m not starving, and whether small or large I’m still wearing some cloth.” The Lord said, “But I see your cloth is mended in ten places, and the roof of your cottage has no straw.“ Look at other people. They worship Caṇḍī or Viṣahari, so they have no scarcity for food or cloth. Śrīdhara then replied, “O brāhmaṇa, what You say is indeed correct, yet the time passes equally for everyone. “The king has jewels in his house, and he eats opulent food. Meanwhile, the birds live in trees. “Yet time passes equally for everyone, as they all enjoy the fruits of their previous activities by the will of the Lord.” The Lord then said, “You have great wealth that you are secretly enjoying. I will soon disclose this to everyone. Then how will you cheat us?” Śrīdhara said, “O Paṇḍita, please go home now. It is not proper for us to argue.” The Lord said, “I’m not going to leave you so easily. First tell Me what you’ll give Me.” Śrīdhara said, “I maintain myself by selling leaf cups. So tell me, what can I give You, Gosāñi?” The Lord said, “Let your hidden treasure remain for now. I’ll take that later. For now, give Me some bananas, banana flowers, and banana stalks free of charge. Then I won’t argue with you.” Śrīdhara thought, “This brāhmaṇa is very aggressive. I’m afraid that one day He will beat me. But even if He beats me, what can I do to a brāhmaṇa? At the same time, I can’t supply Him free of charge every day. Anyway, whatever this brāhmaṇa takes by force or deceit, that is my good fortune. So I’ll continue to give Him every day.” Thinking in this way, Śrīdhara said, “Listen, Gosāñi, don’t worry about money. “I’ll happily give You some bananas, banana flowers, leaf cups, and banana stalks, but please don’t fight with me.”The Lord said, “Good, then I won’t fight anymore. But see that I get good quality bananas and banana stalks.”The Lord daily used Śrīdhara’s leaf cups, and He ate subjis made from Śrīdhara’s plantains, banana flowers, and banana stalks. Whenever a squash grew on the roof of Śrīdhara’s cottage, the Lord would eat it, cooked with milk and black pepper. The Lord then said, “Tell Me, what do you think of Me? After you answer this, I’ll go home.” Śrīdhara replied, “You are a brāhmaṇa, a portion of Lord Viṣṇu.” The Lord said, “You don’t know. Actually I’m from a gopa family. Although you see Me as the son of a brāhmaṇa, I consider Myself a cowherd boy.” Śrīdhara smiled at the Lord’s words, but due to the illusory energy he could not recognize his Lord. The Lord then said, “Śrīdhara, let Me tell you the truth. The glories of your Ganges are due to Me.” Śrīdhara replied, “Nimāi Paṇḍita! Aren’t You afraid of insulting Gaṅgā in this way? “One is supposed to become sober as he grows up, but I see that Your restlessness has doubled.” After joking with Śrīdhara in this way, Lord Gaurāṅga returned to His home.
(Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi-khaṇḍa 12.178 – 12.213)