If Lord Chaitanya is an hidden incarnation, then why do devotees not let him stay hidden?
Question: Is Lord Chaitanya an incarntion of God? If yes, they why did he hide his divinity? If he is an hidden incarnation, then why do devotees not let him stay hidden? Why do they broadcast his divinity?
Bhaktivinoda Thakura underscores that more than Shri Chaitanya’s divinity, the love that is evident in his activities, and accessible through his teachings, that are the real gifts of Gaudiya Vaishnavism: We leave it to our readers to decide how to deal with Mahaprabhu. The Vaishnavas have accepted Him as the great Lord, Shri Krishna Himself. Those who are not prepared to accept this perspective may think of Lord Chaitanya as a noble and holy teacher. That is all we want our readers to believe. We make no objection if the reader does not believe His miracles, as miracles alone never demonstrate Godhead. Demons like Ravana and others have also worked miracles and these do not prove that they were gods. It is unlimited love and its overwhelming influence that would be seen in God Himself.
Bhaktivinode Thakur, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu: His Life and Precepts (1896; reprint, Madras: Sree Gaudiya Math, 1984), 60-61.