Advaita Acarya was very senior in age, he may even have been more senior than Mahaprabhu’s father, however he always considered that Mahaprabhu was not a man, therefore he constantly tried to show respect to him. But Mahaprabhu did not allow, “What! You are senior. You are in the rank of my guardians, the rank of my parents. You should not show honor to me, rather I am to show you honor.” He began forcibly taking the feet dust of Advaita Acarya who became distressed. Then Advaita Prabhu thought, “I have to make a plan so I can receive his punishment.”
Advaita Prabhu went to his Santipura house and began to preach jnana-marga, showing that mukti is the highest end and bhakti is lower. “The principle of bhakti admits that God is fully independent, ‘We may try to please him, but he may or may not be pleased, it is his will.’ So what is the necessity of wild goose chasing? God may or may not be propitiated and we may or may not get his grace, it is all uncertain. But mukti is in our hand: by certain practices we can enter into samadhi, therefore mukti is our real end and friend. We should take to that.” In this way Advaita Acarya began to preach in the Santipura camp.
The news reached Mahaprabhu: “Advaita Acarya used to preach for your camp but now he preaches against your principle.” Then one day Nityananda Prabhu and Mahaprabhu went to Santipura, and what a scene! Mahaprabhu began to give a good beating to the old Acarya. “Why have you invited me and brought me down here? By your invitation and attraction I have come down but now you are going against me. What is your reason?” Mahaprabhu began to slap him. Haridasa Thakura shuddered, “What is this? I am seeing inconceivable things.” Nityananda Prabhu stood there and found himself to be relishing something, and wondering what more things would come out. And Sita Thakurani, Advaita’s wife, protested, “No, no. Don’t beat that old man so hard. He will be finished! Stop your beating.” But Advaita Acarya came through smiling: “Now I have taken revenge on you. You always come to take my feet dust. But now see! You have come to punish me, so who is superior, myself or you?” After this it was Mahaprabhu who was a little indisposed, and Advaita Prabhu came out smiling.
