When Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī lists Śrī Caitanya’s branches, he first names devotees like Paramānanda Purī and Svarūpa Dāmodara, who came to join the Lord in Jagannātha Purī. After them, he enumerates the Bengali devotees who were already living in Purī when the Lord arrived there. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya is listed among them.

One of the Lord’s biggest branches was Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya. Another was Sārvabhauma’s brother-in-law, Gopīnātha Ācārya. (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 1.10.130)

Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura’s has commented on this Bengali verse as follows: “Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s given name was Vāsudeva. He was the son of Maheśvara Viśārada, a celebrated resident of Vidyanagar, a village which lies about two and a half miles away from both Navadvīpa and Champahati. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was a student of Pakṣadhara Miśra, the head professor of what was at that time India’s leading school of logic (Nyāya), in Mithila, Bihar. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya memorized the entire body of learning available there and then returned to Navadvīpa to establish his own school for the study of logic. This caused a revolution in the history of this branch of learning, as the importance of Mithila was diminished to the profit of Navadvīpa, which to this day still has the reputation of being the leading centre of Nyāya studies. According to some, the celebrated logician Raghunātha Śiromaṇi, author of the work Dīdhiti, studied under Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya had tremendous learning in both Nyāya and Vedānta. Although he was a gṛhastha, he took kṣetra-sannyāsa, vowing never to set foot outside of Jagannātha Purī, and taught Vedānta to students there. He gave discourses on Śānkarācārya’s commentary on the Vedānta to Mahāprabhu Himself until he came to understand its real meaning by the Lord’s grace.”

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was an aristocratic brāhmaṇa of the Rāḍha class. From the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Abhidhāna, we learn that he took birth in the first half of the 14th century of the Śaka era. We also learn there that when he studied in Mithila, the Nyāya scholars of that city attempted to maintain their monopoly on teaching this branch of philosophy by prohibiting their foreign students from copying the textbooks. For this reason, it was impossible to either teach or study logic in Bengal at that time. Vāsudeva Bhaṭṭācārya was endowed with marvelous powers of retention and he was thus able to memorize all the texts that he had studied in Mithila. When he returned to Bengal, he was thus able to transcribe these texts and make them readily available to his students. The scholar Dr. Dīneśa Candra Bhaṭṭācārya has argued that this is only a legend. He says that in fact Vāsudeva Sārvabhauma learned the navya-nyāya (“new logical method”) from his father, Viśārada, and never went to Mithilā. When Mahārāja Pratāparudra heard of his tremendous learning, he invited him to come to Purī to become the chief scholar of his court.

Even though he was a householder, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was so highly qualified that he became the teacher even of many sannyāsīs of the impersonalist school. In fact, the guru of the gods, Bṛhaspati, took birth as Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya in order to support Mahāprabhu’s pastime of delivering the māyāvādīs. Little wonder that he was an incomparable scholar!

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and all the Vaiṣṇava ācāryas have accepted that the object of worship (bhajanīya), the worshiper (bhajana-kārī) and the act of worship (bhajana) are all eternal principles. Pure devotional service cannot be present if the eternal existence of any one of these three principles is denied. According to the pure and true doctrines of Vaiṣṇava-dharma, the Supreme Lord, who is the object of worship, possesses an eternal identity and His name, form, qualities and pastimes are all eternal and spiritual in nature. The māyāvādīs, who follow the path of knowledge, deny the eternal spiritual character of the Lord’s identity, name, form, qualities and pastimes. They hold that these are a product of the illusory energy. This is the source of the word “māyāvāda”, which means “illusory” (māyā), “form” (rūpa), and “doctrine” (vāda). The māyāvādīs hold that the form of the Lord is a fabrication that is only useful as a meditation aid for less advanced spiritual practitioners. According to them Brahman, without form, attributes and potency, is the supreme truth. Nothing exists outside of this Brahman and thus the individual living being is identical with it.

The māyāvādīs also hold that devotional practice has a momentary value for the less advanced spiritual practitioners to attain the state of identification with Brahman, after which it does not exist. It is clear, then, that such a doctrine interferes with the attainment of the fifth and ultimate goal of life, love of God. The founders of the four schools of Vaiṣṇava thought, Madhvācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Viṣṇusvāmī and Nimbārka, as well as the Supreme Lord, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, have thus fought against the māyāvāda teachings of Śaṅkarācārya characterized by the vivarta-vāda (doctrine of the apparent transformation of Brahman). Those who seek their ultimate benefit accept the teaching given by Vedavyāsa himself, known as śakti-pariṇāma-vāda (“the doctrine of the transformation of the energies of Brahman”).

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared in this most fortunate age of Kali in order to bestow the most elevated service to Kṛṣṇa in the conjugal mood upon everyone, without any differentiation. He gave the supreme gift of love for God that was not given previously without judging the qualifications of the recipient. Furthermore, He became incarnate with the intention of destroying the desires which lead the living being away from the Lord and interfere with his attainment of love and in addition, to establish pure love in their hearts. Even with all this mercy, the māyāvāda doctrine remains the biggest obstacle to attaining love for Kṛṣṇa.

Mahāprabhu delivered even Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, who was a māyāvādī. Both Vṛndāvana Dāsa Ṭhākura, who is not different from Vedavyāsa, and Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī have described how this took place in their biographies of the Lord. The essence of the accounts of the Caitanya Bhāgavata and Caitanya Caritāmṛta are given below.

At the age of 24, Mahāprabhu left Navadvīpa to take sannyāsa from Keśava Bhāratī in Katwa. From there He went to Śāntipura and then on to Purī. When He arrived at Atharo Nala, a bridge with eighteen arches that marks the entrance to the town of Jagannātha Purī, the Lord saw the temple spire and had a vision of Kṛṣṇa. He ran toward the temple in a trance of love and when He entered, ran towards the deity of Lord Jagannātha in order to embrace Him. As He came close to the altar, He fell down in a faint. The temple watchmen and sevakas saw Him lying in the temple and prepared to beat Him.

Vāsudeva Sārvabhauma happened to be there and he stopped them from so doing. He had been impressed by the beauty of the Lord as well as by His manifestations of spiritual ecstasy at the sight of Lord Jagannātha. He could understand that this was no ordinary person. With the help of his disciples and the temple guards, Vāsudeva Sārvabhauma had the unconscious Lord transported to his own home. He was quite anxious about the Lord’s condition and placed a tuft of cotton before His nose to see if He was still breathing. He was relieved when he saw the cotton move slightly.

In the meantime, Nityānanda Prabhu, Mukunda Datta, Jagadānanda Paṇḍita and Dāmodara Paṇḍita arrived at the Lion Gate entrance to the temple. They heard from other visitors to the temple that Mahāprabhu had been taken in an unconscious state to Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s house. At that very moment, Sārvabhauma’s brother-in-law Gopīnātha Ācārya passed by. Since he too was from Navadvīpa, the Lord’s devotees instantly recognized him. Mukunda told Gopīnātha everything about Mahāprabhu’s sannyāsa and His coming to Purī, as well as about His being taken to Sārvabhauma’s house. Gopīnātha was thrilled to hear all this news and he took them to his brother-in-law’s house.

The devotees were relieved and overjoyed to see the Lord there. Sārvabhauma then told them to go and take darśana of Jagannātha Deva. When they returned, they began to sing the Holy Names aloud and this brought Mahāprabhu back to consciousness. In his paternal affection for the Lord, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya prohibited Him from going to the temple alone. He invited the Lord and His companions for lunch and sent them to take bath in the ocean. When they returned he fed them to their full satisfaction with a feast of Jagannātha’s mahā-prasāda.

When Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya learned of Mahāprabhu’s family background, he was very happy, for his father Mahesvara Viśārada had been a good friend of Mahāprabhu’s maternal grandfather, Nīlāmbara Cakravartī. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was much older than the Lord and so he felt protective toward Him. He said, “The name Kṛṣṇa Caitanya which You have been given is a very good name. But You have been initiated into the Bhāratī line of sannyāsīs, which has only a moderately good reputation. I shall get You reinitiated into a more prestigious line.”

Gopīnātha Ācārya and the other devotees were disappointed to hear Vāsudeva Sārvabhauma make this suggestion. Gopīnātha Ācārya objected, “Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the Supreme Lord Himself. He does not depend on any sampradāya.” Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and his disciples debated these points with Gopīnātha Ācārya at some length; Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī has described this in his Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, Chapter 6.

Mahāprabhu asked the devotees not to argue with Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya because he was the Lord’s senior and was only advising Him out of affection for Him. How could they object to this? The Lord, setting the example of one who is free from any hankering after prestige and who is ready to give all respect to others, indicated that He was willing to hear Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s advice.

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya then said to the Lord that he was a handsome young man and that if he wanted to maintain His sannyāsa vows, He should study Vedānta diligently. This would awaken the required attitude of renunciation from the world in Him. For the next seven days, he took lessons in Vedānta at his house.

When Sārvabhauma saw that Mahāprabhu was not asking any questions, but simply listening silently, he said, “The study of Vedānta is demanding. A student who wishes to understand the subject properly is generally obliged to ask questions to clarify troublesome areas.”

The Lord answered, “You told Me to listen, not to ask questions. So I have been listening. I find no difficulty understanding the meaning of the sūtras for they are as self-evident as the sun. On the other hand, your explanations are confusing. I find that they hide the clear meaning of the sūtras just like clouds covering the sun.”

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya felt slighted by the Lord’s comments and indeed, somewhat angry. He started to debate the meaning of the word brahman with the Lord. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya argued that Brahman was without form or qualities, having recourse to various scriptures as evidence. The Lord rebutted his arguments with logic and scriptural references, showing that Brahman possessed form and qualities. The Lord cited the following verse and asked Sārvabhauma to explain it.

ātmārāmāś ca munayo nirgranthā apy urukrame
kurvanty ahaitukīṁ bhaktim itthambhūta-guṇo hariḥ

Even those sages who are established on the path of self-realization, fully self-satisfied and freed from bondage perform causeless devotional service to Lord Hari, Whose pastimes are wonderful, for such is the glorious nature of His qualities. (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.7.10)

After Vāsudeva Sārvabhauma had given nine different explanations of the verse, Mahāprabhu put on a display of divine scholarship by explaining the same verse in eighteen ways without even touching on the meanings given by Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya. The scholar was astounded and speechless. He began slowly to understand that Mahāprabhu was not an ordinary human being, but the Supreme Lord Himself. He started to regret his arrogance and finally fell down at the Lord’s feet and begged Him for forgiveness.

In His kindness, the Lord displayed a number of different divine forms to Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, starting with a four-armed Nārāyaṇa form, then a two-armed Kṛṣṇa form, holding a flute, and finally a six-armed form.

When Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya saw the six-armed form of the Lord, as brilliant as a million suns, he fell down in a faint. (Caitanya Bhāgavata 3.3.107)

After witnessing these divine manifestations, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya glorified the Lord in a hundred Sanskrit verses. He inscribed two of these verses down on a palm leaf and sent them to Mahāprabhu through Jagadānanda Paṇḍita. Mukunda Datta took the precaution of writing the verses down on the doorway before Jagadānanda Paṇḍita showed them to the Lord, and as a result of this foresight, the verses were preserved, for Mahāprabhu tore the palm leaves up as soon as He saw them. The devotees saw the verses written on the doorframe and memorized them:

vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yoga-
śikṣārtham ekaḥ puruṣaḥ purāṇaḥ
śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-śarīra-dhārī
kṛpāmbudhir yas tam ahaṁ prapadye

Let me take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ocean of transcendental mercy, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who has descended in the form of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to teach us detachment, real knowledge and His own devotional service.

kālān naṣṭaṁ bhakti-yogaṁ nijaṁ yaḥ
prāduṣkartuṁ kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmā
āvirbhūtas tasya padāravinde
gāḍhaṁ gāḍhaṁ līyate citta-bhṛṅgaḥ

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Who has taken the Name of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, has appeared to reinstate the devotional service to Himself which had almost been lost due to the influence of time. I pray that the honeybee of my mind will drink deeply of the nectar of His lotus feet. (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 2.6.253-4; Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭaka 6.74)

A deity of Mahāprabhu’s six-armed form is still worshipped today in the Lord Jagannātha Temple at Purī.

One day not long afterwards, Mahāprabhu came to Vāsudeva Sārvabhauma’s house at daybreak with Jagannātha’s mahā-prasāda and offered it to him. Sārvabhauma had not yet bathed, cleaned his teeth or performed his morning rituals. Despite his ritually impure state, he joyfully honoured the prasāda, quoting a verse from the Padma Purāṇa:

śuṣkaṁ paryuṣitaṁ vāpi nītaṁ vā dūra-deśataḥ
prāpti-mātreṇa bhoktavyaṁ nātra kāla-vicāraṇā

One should honour prasāda as soon as one receives it, whether it is dried up, stale or brought from afar. In this, there should be no consideration of time or circumstances. (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 2.6.225)

Mahāprabhu was delighted to see that Sārvabhauma had developed faith in mahā-prasāda and immediately started to dance in ecstasy. He said,

“Today I have conquered the three worlds and have ascended to Vaikuṇṭha. All My desires have been fulfilled simply because Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya has developed faith in mahā-prasāda.” (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 2.6.230-1)

When Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya inquired from Mahāprabhu about the topmost devotional limb, Mahāprabhu instructed him to perform nāma-saṅkīrtana quoting the following verse from Bṛhad-nāradīya Purāṇa (38.126):

harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā

In this age of Kali, there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting the Holy Name, chanting the Holy Name, chanting the Holy Name of Lord Hari.

Vāsudeva Sārvabhauma’s heart was so changed by the Lord’s mercy that he recited a verse from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam but in which he had altered a word.

tat te 'nukampāṁ susamīkṣamāṇo
bhuñjāna evātmakṛtaṁ vipākam
hṛdvāgvapurbhir vidadhan namas te
jīveta yo bhakti-pade sa dāyabhāk

One who lives his life while joyfully seeing everything as Your compassion even as he experiences the adverse conditions arising from his past deeds, and constantly pays obeisances to You with his mind, words and body, is certain to inherit a place at Your lotus feet, the object of all devotion. (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 2.6.261)

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya had changed the word mukti-pade found in the original verse (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.14.8) to bhakti-pade. Mahāprabhu explained that there was no need to change the words, in as much as mukti-pada (“the source of liberation”) is an epithet of Kṛṣṇa. Vāsudeva Sārvabhauma answered, “You are quite correct to say that the words mukti-pade refer to Kṛṣṇa, but the word mukti was used customarily in its sense of impersonal liberation, and thus did not bring as great a pleasure as the word bhakti.”

When the other scholars in Purī heard that Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya had been converted to devotion to Kṛṣṇa, they all took shelter of Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Mahāprabhu took sannyāsa in the month of Māgha and arrived in Purī in the month of Phālguna. He delivered Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya in the month of Caitra and left for South India in the month of Vaiśākha. Nityānanda Prabhu arranged for a certain Kṛṣṇadāsa Vipra to accompany Mahāprabhu as a servant. Before He left, Vāsudeva Sārvabhauma gave the Lord a kaupina and bahirvāsa and made a special request to the Lord to visit Rāmānanda Rāya on the banks of the Godāvarī. At one time, Vāsudeva Sārvabhauma had mocked Rāmānanda Rāya when conversing with him about devotional sentiments. Now, by the mercy of the Lord, he was able to recognize him for what he was, a highly advanced devotee of Kṛṣṇa. His words to the Lord were:

Rāmānanda Rāya is the governor of Vidyanagar on the bank of the Godāvarī. It is my request that You meet him without fail. Please do not avoid him, thinking that he is a śudra who is only interested in material activities. If anyone is fit to associate with You, it is Rāmānanda Rāya. No one in this world is equal to him in knowledge of the divine sentiments. He is not only a most learned scholar but very knowledgeable in the science of devotional mellows. You will learn the extent of his glories by talking with him. When I first met Rāmānanda Rāya, I could not understand what he was talking about, nor his activities, all of which are transcendental. So, I made fun of him because he is a Vaiṣṇava. Now, by Your mercy, I am able to understand his greatness. So too will You, once You converse with him. (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 2.7.63-7)

After Īśvara Purīpāda’s disappearance, his two disciples and personal servants, Kāśīśvara and Govinda, came to Purī in order to serve Mahāprabhu as they had been told to do by their guru. When Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya learned that Govinda was a śudra, he asked Mahāprabhu why His guru had taken a person of a lower caste as a personal servant. Mahāprabhu answered, “The Supreme Lord is completely autonomous and His mercy does not take anyone’s caste or creed into consideration. Service performed out of affection is millions of times better than that which is performed out of a sense of duty or reverence. Kṛṣṇa joyfully took His meal in the home of Vidura. However, as my guru’s personal servant, Govinda is an object of reverence and therefore it is improper for Me to accept his service. On the other hand, My guru has ordered him to serve Me and I cannot ignore My spiritual master’s order. What do you think should I do?”

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya responded to the Lord’s request for advice by saying, “One should never ignore the orders of the spiritual master. Scripture says that this is the supreme guiding principle.”

While Mahāprabhu was travelling through the South, Mahārāja Pratāparudra heard a great deal about His glories from Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya. As a result, the King developed a desire to have an audience with the Lord, but Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya warned him that the Lord was a sannyāsī who had taken strict vows of renunciation, one of which was that he would not grant audiences to kings. Nevertheless, he promised the King that when the Lord returned, he would arrange a meeting with Him by whatever means possible.

After the consultation with the King, Vāsudeva Sārvabhauma deemed Kāśī Miśra’s house fit for Mahāprabhu’s residence. Upon returning from the south, Mahāprabhu stayed there and Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya brought the residents of Śrī Kṣetra to meet Him there.

All of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s efforts to bring the King into the Lord’s presence failed. Subsequently, Nityānanda Prabhu and other devotees glorified the King’s qualities to the Lord, but He continued to refuse to give the King an audience. He agreed, however, to give him one of His outer garments. Nityānanda Prabhu gave the Lord’s cloth to Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya to bring to the King. As soon as King Pratāparudra touched the cloth, he experienced the symptoms of love of God.

When the Lord’s Bengali associates had returned home after cāturmāsya, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya invited the Lord to eat at his house for an entire month. The Lord refused. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya reduced his invitation to twenty days, then to fifteen days, but the Lord continued to turn him down, agreeing to go only once. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya continued to press Him to accept more than one invitation and the Lord finally agreed to go for five days. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya then asked Paramānanda Purī to also come for five days, Svarūpa Dāmodara for four, and each of the Lord’s eight other sannyāsī associates for two days each. This way he had invitees for one full month. He told the Lord that it was difficult to offer proper service when there were many guests, so he asked Him to please come alone or with Svarūpa Dāmodara.

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s wife, who was known as “Ṣāṭhī’s mother”, was very devoted to the Lord and extremely excited to hear that He was going to be coming to their house to eat. She was a very good cook and had prepared a large number of vegetable preparations as well as cakes and sweets. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya requested the Lord to sit in a place in a quiet room, putting out an uncut banana leaf from a mature tree (which produces a giant banana cluster of thirty-two hands) upon which he placed all the different preparations.

Mahāprabhu saw the elaborate and unparalleled preparations made for offering to Rādhā and Govinda, and repeatedly praised Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya for his efforts. When He sat down to eat, Sārvabhauma’s son-in-law, Amogha, came to watch. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya knew Amogha’s fault-finding character and so had kept a stick to chase him away if he came to disturb the Lord. However, when he was so absorbed in serving the Lord Amogha managed to sneak in without him noticing. Amogha saw the lavish feast, and immediately began to criticize Mahāprabhu:

“There is enough food here to satisfy a dozen people and yet this sannyāsī is going to eat it all by himself?” (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 2.15.248)

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya flared up in anger, took the stick lying by his side and went after Amogha, who fled as fast as he could. Vāsudeva Sārvabhauma’s wife, shocked on hearing her son-in-law insult the Lord, began to flail herself on the head and chest and repeatedly said, “May my Ṣāṭhī become a widow!”

As for the Lord, He laughed off Amogha’s trivial criticisms and tried to pacify His hosts. The next day, however, Amogha came down with cholera. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya thought that justice was being done, that it was a suitable punishment for the offensive words his son-in-law had spoken. When Gopīnātha Ācārya informed Mahāprabhu that Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and his wife were both fasting as a penance for the offence that had taken place in their house and that Amogha was on his deathbed with cholera, the merciful Lord immediately went to Amogha’s bedside, placed His hand on his chest and said:

“This brāhmaṇa’s heart is naturally holy and is, therefore, a proper place for Kṛṣṇa to sit. Why have you given brutish envy a place in it, allowing it to become contaminated? Fortunately, all your sins have been destroyed by your relationship with Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya. When the heart is cleansed of all contamination, one is able to chant the Name of Kṛṣṇa. So, get up, Amogha, and chant Kṛṣṇa’s Names! The Supreme Lord will bestow His mercy upon you before long.” (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 2.15.274-7)

The Lord’s touch and his compassionate words had an immediate effect. Amogha rose up and started chanting, “Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!” The eight symptoms of ecstatic love manifested on his body. He remembered his offensive words to the Lord and remorsefully began to slap himself repeatedly on the cheeks until his face was swollen and Gopīnātha Ācārya stopped him. The Lord said to Amogha that he was dear to Him because of his relationship with Sārvabhauma.

“I love everyone in Sārvabhauma’s house, even his servants. If even his household dog is dear to Me, will I not have affection for his relatives?” (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 2.15.284)

The Lord then went to Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s house and asked him and his wife to forgive their son-in-law, whose offensive behaviour was only the result of immaturity. After convincing them that He was not angry, He had them break their fast.

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya participated in many other activities with the Lord in Purī, such as water sports and feasts of prasāda. When Vallabha Bhaṭṭa came to Purī, the Lord glorified Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya to him as follows:

“Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya is not only such a great scholar in the six philosophical systems that he is a world teacher in these doctrines but is also a foremost devotee of the Lord. He has taught Me the science of bhakti-yoga. Through his mercy, I have learned that devotion to Kṛṣṇa is the essence of all mystical systems.” (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 3.7.21-2)