Vallabhacharya, a prominent Vaishnava acharya of the Rudra Sampradaya, was known to have had a close rapport with the Gaudiya Vaishnava saint, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who is considered an incarnation of Krishna Himself by Gaudiya Vaishnavas. Their friendship has been described in details in the biography of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Chaitanya Charitamrita.
Now, there was one particular incident in the Chaitanya Charitamrita, where Vallabhacharya criticises Sridhara Swami's commentary on the Srimad Bhagavatam. This angers Mahaprabhu who terms Sridhara Swami's commentary authoritative. The day after this incident, Vallabhacharya returns to Mahaprabhu and asks for forgiveness for blaspheming against Sridhara Swami. Now, Vallabhacharya in one of the verses of the Chaitanya Charitamrita, declares Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to be an incarnation of Sri Krishna Himself:
“My dear Lord, You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You have showed mercy to me in a way just befitting Your position by insulting me to cut down all my false pride.'' (Chaitanya Charitamrita, Antya Lila, 7.127)
My questions, however, are:
- Does Vallabhacharya ever talk about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in his works?
- If yes, does he call Him to be Sri Krishna Himself?