Ś rī Harihara Bhaṭṭācārya was a professor residing in Agradvīpa. He had accepted initiation into vaiṣṇava - dharma, and was engaged in the worship of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa in his home. But a doubt arose in his mind about Vaiṣṇavism which he
could not dispel even after speaking to many people about it. In
fact, such talk only agitated his mind further. One day, Harihara
went to the village of Arkaṭilā, and enquired from Śrī Caturbhuja Nyāyaratna, “Bhaṭṭācārya Mahāśaya, can you tell
me how long ago vaiṣṇava-dharma appeared?”
For nearly twenty years Nyāyaratna Mahāśaya had laboriously studied the nyāya-śāstra. Consequently, he had become quite
indifferent to religion, and did not like to be bothered with
religious discussions. He only displayed any devotional tendency when he was performing śakti-pūjā (worshiping Goddess Durgā).
When Nyāyaratna heard this question, he thought that Harihara,
being partial to the Vaiṣṇava religion, intended to embroil him
in a dispute, and that it would be best to avoid such a conflict. Thinking like this, Nyāyaratna Mahāśaya said, “Harihara, what kind
of question are you asking me today? You have studied the nyāya-
śāstra all the way up to the muktipada section. Look, you know that there is no mention of vaiṣṇava-dharma anywhere in the nyāya-