Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s school

There was Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, one of the biggest branches of the tree of the Lord, and his sister’s husband, Śrī Gopīnātha Ācārya.
PURPORT
The original name of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was Vāsudeva Bhaṭṭācārya. His place of birth, which is known as Vidyānagara, is about two and a half miles away from the Navadvīpa railway station, or Cāṅpāhāṭi railway station. His father was a very much celebrated man of the name Maheśvara Viśārada. It is said that Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was the greatest logician of his time in India. At Mithilā, in Bihar, he became a student of a great professor named Pakṣadhara Miśra, who did not allow any student to note down his explanations of logic. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was so talented, however, that he learned the explanations by heart, and when he later returned to Navadvīpa he established a school for the study of logic, thus diminishing the importance of Mithilā. Students from various parts of India still come to Navadvīpa to study logic. According to some authoritative opinions, the celebrated logician Raghunātha Śiromaṇi was also a student of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s. In effect, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya became the leader of all students of logic. Although he was a gṛhastha (householder), he even taught many sannyāsīs in the knowledge of logic.
He started a school at Jagannātha Purī for the study of Vedānta philosophy, of which he was a great scholar. When Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya met Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he advised the Lord to learn Vedānta philosophy from him, but later he became a student of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to understand the real meaning of Vedānta. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was so fortunate as to see the six-armed form of Lord Caitanya known as Ṣaḍbhuja. A Ṣaḍbhuja Deity is still situated at one end of the Jagannātha temple. Daily saṅkīrtana performances take place in this part of the temple. The meeting of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya with Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is vividly described in Madhya-līlā, Chapter Six. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya wrote a book of one hundred verses named Caitanya-śataka or Suśloka-śataka. Two other verses he wrote, beginning with the words vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yoga (CC Madhya 6.254) and kālān naṣṭaṁ bhakti-yogaṁ nijaṁ yaḥ, are very famous among Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas. The Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (119) states that Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was an incarnation of Bṛhaspati, the learned scholar from the celestial planets.
Gopīnātha Ācārya, who belonged to a respectable brāhmaṇa family, was also an inhabitant of Navadvīpa and a constant companion of the Lord. He was the husband of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s sister. In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (178) it is described that he was formerly the gopī named Ratnāvalī. According to the opinion of others, he was an incarnation of Brahmā.
(CC Adi 10.130)

Sarvabhauma was a gigantic pandit of the day. His readings knew no bounds. He was the best Naiyaik of the times, and was known as the most erudite scholar in the Vedanta Philosophy of the school of Shankaracharya. He was born in Nadia (Vidyanagar) and taught innumerable pupils in the Nyaya Philosophy in his tol there. He had left for Puri sometime before the birth of Nimai Pandit. His brother-in-law, Gopinath Misra, introduced our new Sanyasi to Sarvabhauma, who was astonished at His personal beauty, and feared that it would be difficult for the young Man to maintain sanyasdharma during the long run of His life. Gopinath, who had known Mahaprabhu from Nadia, had a great reverence for Him and gave out that the Sanyasi was not a common human being. On this point Gopinath and Sarvabhauma had a hot discussion. Sarvabhauma then requested Mahaprabhu to hear his recitation of the Vedanta Sutras, to which the latter tacitly submitted.
Chaitanya heard with silence what the great Sarvabhauma uttered with gravity, for seven days, at the end of which the latter said, “Krishna Chaitanya! I think You do not understand the Vedanta, as You do not say anything after hearing my recitation and explanations.”
The reply of Chaitanya was that He understood the sutras very well, but He could not make out what Shankaracharya meant by his commentaries.
Astonished at this, Sarvabhauma said, “How is it that You understand the meanings of the sutras and do not understand the commentaries which explain the sutras? All well! If You understand the sutras, please let me have Your interpretations!”
Mahaprabhu thereupon explained all the sutras in His own way, without touching the pantheistic commentary of Shankara. The keen understanding of Sarvabhauma saw the truth, beauty and harmony of arguments in the explanations given by Chaitanya, and obliged him to utter that it was the first time that he had found one who could explain the Brahma Sutras in such a simple manner. He admitted also that the commentaries of Shankara never gave such natural explanations of the Vedanta Sutras as he had obtained from Mahaprabhu. He then submitted himself as an advocate and follower. In a few days Sarvabhauma turned out as one of the best Vaishnavas of the time. Report ran out, and the whole of Orissa sang the praise of Krishna Chaitanya. and hundreds and hundreds came to Him and became His followers.
(Teachings of Lord Chaitanya Prologue)

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya also appreciated Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He made one hundred verses about Caitanya Mahāprabhu, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu, just to teach us, He destroyed the ślokas: “Oh, it is too much praising Me.” So anyway, some of the ślokas were saved. Two of them are mentioned in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. So one of the śloka, verse, is,

vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yoga-

śikṣārtham ekaḥ puruṣaḥ purāṇaḥ

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-śarīra-dhārī

kṛpāmbudhir yas tam ahaṁ prapadye

(CC Madhya 6.254)

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya is offering his obeisances to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, speaking like this, that “You are the same original person, Kṛṣṇa, but You have now assumed the form of Kṛṣṇa Caitanya just to teach vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yogam. You have come to teach the mass of people the art of becoming detached to this material world.” Vairāgya-vidyā. Vairāgya. Rāgya means attachment, and virāga means detachment.
(750228 – Lecture Purport to Parama Koruna – Atlanta)

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya perfectly knows the six philosophical theses. He is therefore the spiritual master of the entire world in teaching the six paths of philosophy. He is the best of devotees. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya has shown Me the limit of devotional service. Only by his mercy have I understood that devotional service to Kṛṣṇa is the essence of all mystic yoga.
(CC Antya 7.21 – 7.22)

After this incident, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu bestowed His mercy upon Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya by showing him His original form as the Lord.
(CC Madhya 1.101)

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya said, “The order of the spiritual master is very strong and cannot be disobeyed. That is the injunction of the śāstras, the revealed scriptures.”
(CC Madhya 10.144)