Murāri Gupta’s School Days with Caitanya Mahāprabhu

Śrī Murāri Gupta, Śrī Kamalākānta, and Śrī Kṛṣṇānanda were some of the Lord’s prominent classmates. The Lord challenged and defeated them all, even the elder boys, but they would consider the Lord just a child and simply smile at Him. After school, the Lord regularly went with His friends to bathe in the Ganges. In Navadvīpa there were innumerable students, and they all took bath in the Ganges at midday.
(Sri Caitanya Bhagavata Ādi-khaṇḍa 8.38 -8.41)

The Lord would always defeat the arguments of anyone who disagreed with His explanations. After class, the Lord sat in the midst of His friends to discuss the subjects further. Murāri Gupta did not care to sit in the Lord’s discussions; therefore, the Lord desired to confront him. Nimāi wore His cloth like a sannyāsī, and He sat in the vīrāsana posture. He was smeared with sandalwood pulp and decorated with tilaka. The effulgence of His beautiful teeth condemned that of a string of pearls. In His fresh youth, at the age of sixteen, Śrī Gaurāṅga’s beauty captivated even Cupid. In knowledge, He surpassed Bṛhaspati, the spiritual master of the demigods. He would tease those who studied on their own. The Lord challenged, “Let us see who is intelligent enough to refute My conclusions. Some students don’t even know the rules of conjunctions, yet they are satisfied to study on their own. Thus they eventually become fools because they do not take help from someone in knowledge.” Hearing Nimāi’s provocative statement, Murāri Gupta did not say anything, but went on with his work. Although the Lord was pleased that His servant remained silent, He nevertheless continued to challenge him.
He said, “O doctor, why are you studying here? You should go gather some leaves and herbs to cure the sick. The literatures on grammar are most difficult to understand, and they do not mention anything about mucus, bile, or indigestion. What will you learn by studying on your own? Better you go home and treat the sick.” Murāri Gupta is by nature most harsh, for he is an expansion of Lord Rudra. Still, he did not become angry at Viśvambhara. He replied, “Dear respected sir, why are You so proud? Why do You challenge everyone? Have You asked me about a sūtra, vṛtti, pāṅjī, or ṭīkā and not received a reply? You have not asked me, yet You claim that I don’t know anything. You are a respected brāhmaṇa, so what can I say?”
The Lord said, “So tell Me what you learned today.” Then as Murāri began to explain, the Lord began to refute him. Murāri would give one explanation, and the Lord would give another, yet neither the master nor the servant could defeat the other. By the mercy of the Lord, Murāri Gupta was a great scholar. The Lord was pleased, therefore, to hear his explanations. In satisfaction, the Lord touched Murāri’s body with His lotus hand, and Murāri became filled with ecstasy. Murāri Gupta thought, “He is certainly not an ordinary person. Can an ordinary human being possess such knowledge? Just by His touch, my body was filled with ecstasy. Why should I be embarrassed to study under Him? In all of Navadvīpa, there is no one more intelligent than Him.” Feeling satisfied in this way, the great doctor said, “Listen, Viśvambhara, from now on I will study under You.” After this pleasing exchange between the Lord and His servant, Nimāi and His friends went to take bath in the Ganges. After finishing His bath, the Lord went home. Thus the Supreme Lord enjoyed the life of a student.
(Sri Caitanya Bhagavata Ādi-khaṇḍa 10.9 – 10.37)