The Lord’s Meeting with Advaita Ācārya

One day, Mahāprabhu, in the mood of the Supreme Lord, lovingly instructed Rāmāi, “Rāmāi, go to the house of Advaita and inform Him that I have manifested. Tell Him that the Lord He worshipped for so long, the Lord He cried for, the Lord He fasted for—that Lord has now manifested. He has appeared to distribute devotional service. He should come immediately to join Him. Also, secretly inform Him about Nityānanda’s arrival and whatever else you have seen. Tell Him to quickly come here with His wife and articles for My worship.”
Being ordered by the Lord, Rāmāi, the youngest brother of Śrīvāsa, remembered Lord Hari and immediately left. Rāmāi was overwhelmed in ecstasy and did not know which way he was going. Simply by the order of Śrī Caitanya, he arrived at his destination. Rāmāi Paṇḍita offered his obeisances to Advaita Ācārya, but he was filled with such ecstasy that he was unable to speak. By the influence of devotional service, the omniscient Advaita already understood, “The order of the Lord has arrived.” On seeing Rāmāi, He smiled and said, “I guess you have come here to take Me.” With folded hands, Rāmāi Paṇḍita said, “You know everything. Please come immediately.” Ācārya Gosāñi became overwhelmed in ecstasy. He did not know anything; He even forgot His own body. Who can understand the grave characteristics of Advaita? Although He knows everything, He acts like an ordinary person.
“Where is it stated that the Supreme Lord advents among the human beings? In which scripture is it said that the Lord would incarnate in Nadia? Your brother Śrīnivāsa knows everything about My devotional service, renunciation, and spiritual knowledge.” Rāmāi was fully aware of Advaita’s characteristics, so he did not reply but smiled to himself. Such are the unfathomable characteristics of Advaita. They are auspicious for the devotees and impediments for the miscreants. He further said, “O Rāmāi Paṇḍita, tell Me, what is the reason for your sudden arrival?” When Rāmāi Paṇḍita understood that Advaita Ācārya had become peaceful, he cried and spoke to Him as follows: “The Lord You worshipped for so long, the Lord You cried for, the Lord You fasted for—that Lord has now manifested. He has come in order to distribute devotional service. He has ordered You to join Him. Take the six appropriate ingredients for worshipping Him. The Lord has ordered You to come with Your wife. Nityānanda Svarūpa has arrived. He is the Lord’s second body and Your life and soul. You know Him very well. What can I tell You? If I am fortunate enough, I will see You all together.”
As soon as Advaita heard this from the mouth of Rāmāi, He raised His hands and began to cry. As He cried, He fell unconscious to the ground in ecstasy. On seeing this, everyone there was astonished. After a while, He regained His external consciousness and roared loudly. He repeatedly exclaimed, “I have brought My Lord! I have brought My Lord! Because of Me, the Lord has come from Vaikuṇṭha.” Speaking in this way, He rolled on the ground and cried. On hearing about the appearance of the Lord, Advaita’s chaste wife, the mother of the universe, cried in happiness. Although Acyutānanda, the son of Advaita, was only a small child, He also cried incessantly. Advaita, along with His wife and son, all cried. All the servants surrounding them also cried. No one was aware of who cried where as Advaita’s entire household became filled with love of Kṛṣṇa. Although Advaita tried to compose Himself, He was unable to do so. His body continually rocked back and forth in ecstatic love of God. He said to Rāmāi, “What did the Lord tell Me?” Rāmāi replied, “Come immediately.”
Advaita Prabhu said, “O Rāmāi Paṇḍita, listen. If He acts like My Lord, then I will have faith in Him. If He displays His opulence to Me and places His lotus feet on My head, then I will recognize Him as the Lord of My life. I swear this is the truth.” Rāmāi said, “O Prabhu, what can I say? If I am fortunate, I will see this with my own eyes. Whatever You desire is also His desire. In fact, the Lord has incarnated because of You.” Advaita Prabhu was pleased to hear Rāmāi’s statement. He then began to make arrangements for the auspicious journey. He said to His wife, “Quickly get ready. Take the ingredients for worship and let us go.” Advaita’s chaste wife knew the truth about Lord Caitanya. She gathered together sandalwood paste, flower garlands, incense, and cloth. She also took some of the Lord’s favorite items like condensed milk, yogurt, cream, butter, camphor, and betel nuts. Advaita Prabhu, the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then departed with His wife. He forbade Rāmāi Paṇḍita from informing the Lord about His arrival. “Tell Him, ‘Advaita Ācārya has not come.’ Then I will see what My Lord has to say. I will secretly stay in the house of Nandana Ācārya, but you tell Him, ‘He has not come.’”
Lord Viśvambhara, who resides in the heart of everyone, understood Advaita’s resolution. Knowing about the arrival of Advaita Ācārya, the Lord went to the house of Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita. Almost all of Lord Caitanya’s devotees gathered there by the will of the Lord. Everyone could understand that the Lord was absorbed in ecstasy. They all became anxious and stood there silently. Then Lord Tridaśa Rāya roared loudly and sat on the throne of Lord Viṣṇu. The Lord repeatedly declared, “Nāḍā is coming. Nāḍā is coming. Nāḍā wants to see My opulences.” Nityānanda, knowing the Lord’s desires, held an umbrella over the Lord’s head. Understanding the situation, Gadādhara offered camphor and betel nuts. Everyone present served the Lord according to their own favorable mood. Some offered prayers, and some offered various services.
At that time, Rāmāi arrived there. Before Rāmāi could speak, the Lord said to him, “Nāḍā has sent you to test Me.” The Lord rolled His head and said, “Nāḍā is coming. He knows Me well, yet He always tests Me. I know Nāḍā is hiding at the house of Nandana Ācārya and He has sent you to test Me. Quickly go and bring Him here. I am gladly saying this with My own mouth.” Rāmāi Paṇḍita again happily went and explained to Advaita everything that the Lord had said. On hearing him, Advaita Ācārya floated in waves of ecstasy. Having fulfilled His purpose, He immediately went to the Lord.
Advaita Ācārya and His wife offered obeisances from a distance and recited prayers as they approached the Lord. They came before the Lord, surrendered at His lotus feet, which award fearlessness, and saw His matchless beauty, which enchants the entire universe. The Lord’s enchanting beauty defeated that of millions of Cupids, and His effulgent body resembled molten gold. His pleasing face defeated the beauty of millions of moons. He always bestowed mercy on Advaita Ācārya. His two arms, decorated with various ornaments and jewels, resembled two golden pillars. His broad chest was decorated with the mark of Śrīvatsa and the Kaustubha gem. He wore earrings shaped like sharks and the Vaijayanti garland. His unlimited effulgence defeated that of millions of suns. Ramā, the goddess of fortune, sat at His lotus feet, and Ananta held an umbrella over His head. No one could discern whether the shining objects at the Lord’s feet were toenails or jewels. Standing in a threefold bending pose, He smiled as He played a flute. Advaita saw the Lord, His associates, and His ornaments as full of effulgence. He saw personalities with four heads, five heads, and six heads offering obeisances to the Lord, and He saw personalities like Nārada and Śukadeva offering prayers with awe and reverence. He saw a beautiful woman resembling Gaṅgā sitting on a shark and offering obeisances to the Lord. Then He saw the thousand-headed Ananta Śeṣa offering prayers to the Lord as the effulgent demigods watched on all sides. Advaita Ācārya turned His head and saw thousands of demigods chanting the name of Kṛṣṇa at the feet of the Lord. Those demigods that are meditated on at the time of worship were all seen surrounding the lotus feet of the Lord.
On seeing those opulences, Advaita was struck with wonder and got up from His prostrated position. He saw great serpents with hundreds of hoods raise their arms while offering prayers to the Lord. He saw the entire sky filled with divine chariots. The airways were congested with elephants, swans, and horses. Millions of serpents’ wives were offering prayers to the Lord while chanting the name of Kṛṣṇa with tears in their eyes. There was no vacant place left on the earth or in the sky. He saw many great ṛṣis offering obeisances in one corner. Upon seeing those opulences, both husband and wife were so awestruck that they became speechless. The most merciful Lord Viśvambhara looked at Advaita and spoke as follows:
“I have descended to fulfill Your vow, for You have profusely worshipped Me. I was sleeping in the ocean of milk, but Your loud cries broke My sleep. You could not tolerate the suffering of the living entities, so You have brought Me to deliver them. All My associates that You saw surrounding Me have already taken birth because of You. By Your mercy, Vaiṣṇavas that even personalities like Brahmā desire to see will now be seen by everyone.”
On hearing the Lord’s words, Advaita and His wife raised their arms and began to cry. “Today my life has become successful. Today all my desires have been fulfilled. Today my life and activities have become successful, for I have seen Your lotus feet. The four Vedas only describe Your glories but cannot directly see You. Yet You have appeared because of Me. I have no power outside of Your causeless mercy. Who can deliver the living entities other than You?” While speaking in this way, Advaita Ācārya floated in the ecstasy of love of God.
The Lord then said, “Now arrange for My worship.”
On receiving the Lord’s order, He happily worshiped the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya with full attention. He first washed the lotus feet of the Lord with fragrant water and then smeared them with sandalwood paste. He dipped tulasī-mañjarīs in the sandalwood paste and placed them and the ingredients of arghya on the Lord’s lotus feet. He worshiped the Lord with five ingredients like sandalwood paste, flowers, incense, and ghee. As He worshiped the Lord, tears of love flowed from His eyes. He offered a lamp with five ghee wicks and again offered prayers. Finally, He loudly chanted, “Jaya! Jaya!” After worshiping the Lord’s feet with sixteen ingredients, He offered a flower garland, cloth, and ornaments. Advaita Ācārya worshiped the Lord according to the pāñcarātrika regulations of the scriptures. He offered His obeisances while reciting the following verse:
“Let Me offer My respectful obeisances unto Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is the worshipable Deity for all brahminical men, who is the well-wisher of the cows and brāhmaṇas, and who is always benefiting the whole world. I offer My repeated obeisances to the Personality of Godhead, known as Kṛṣṇa and Govinda.”
(Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya-khaṇḍa 6.009 – 6.112)