CONTENTS:
- Lord Nityananda;
- Srila Prabhupada Appreciation; and
- Guru Maharaja’s instructions
1. LORD NITYANANDA
Today is Nityananda Prabhu’s appearance day. Nityananda Prabhu appeared about 12 years before Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He appeared in a place called Ekachakra, North Bengal in an area that is known as Radhadesa. The place where the Ganges flow is a holy place so where the Ganges does not flow it is considered to be not a holy place. Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to deliver the fallen conditioned age of Kali, therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates appeared in places that were not established as holy. Of course, Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in Navadwip, that is non-different from the spiritual sky but where Nityananda Prabhu appeared where Ganges did not flow not quite holy so we can see that Nityananda Prabhu actually came to deliver fallen souls. He appeared in a Brahmana family, the father’s name was Hadai Pandita and the mother’s name was Padmavati. Hadai Pandita was a very exalted and there is a saying that Hadai Pandita never told a lie. He always told the truth. When one sanyasi came to his house and the sanyasi when he was leaving, Hadai Pandita told him you blessed my house so what can I offer you? The sanyasi told him, “Well if you really want to offer me something then give me your son Nityananda Prabhu.” Nityananda Prabhu was the apple of his eye so much so that when Hadai Pandita used to go to the market place to buy something he would take Nityananda Prabhu, when he would run some errands he would take Nityananda Prabhu and when he would do some business he would take Nityananda Prabhu. He was Nityananda Prabhu’s constant companion and now this Brahmana came and asked him, “Give me your son.” Hadai Pandita’s condition was like King Dhasarata when Ramchandra left for the forest. So, in this way Nityananda Prabhu left home as a sanyasi. He travelled all over India. Only when Caitanya Mahaprabhu started His sankirtan movement then Nityananda Prabhu came out.
In this altar we see GaurNitai and in that altar we see Krishna Balarama. It’s a replication, the same Nityananda Prabhu and Caitanya Prabhu and Balarama and Krishna, so Nityananda Prabhu is Balarama. Who is Balarama? Balarama is Krishna’s first expansion. Krishna is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead and His first expansion is Balarama. From Balarama there are other expansions like Vasudev and then Narayana and Vishnu. So, we can see that Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the source of all living entities and the expansions are Nityananda Prabhu. The first expansion in Vrindavan is the cowherd boys; all the cowherd boys are expansions of Nityananda Prabhu just like all the Gopis are expansions of Srimati Radharani. The Gopis are expansions of Srimati Radharani and the cowherd boys are expansions of Nityananda Prabhu. In the spiritual sky all the living entities those who are not shakti. Shakti are expansions of Srimati Radharani and Jiva are expansions of Nityananda Prabhu. In the material nature the jivas are expansions of Sankarshan, again non different to Balarama. When the jivas have to go back to the spiritual sky where the shelter is? The shelter is Nityananda Prabhu; therefore, Nityananda is the original spiritual master reclaiming the living entities to be engaged in Krishna consciousness. Therefore, the spiritual master is considered to be the representative of Nityananda Prabhu, they are agents. The principal and the agent. The principal company is their manufacturer, Rolce Royce, they manufacture cars but they have agents and the agents deliver the Rolce Royce cars. They acting as agents similarly, the spiritual master are agents of Nityananda Prabhu therefore it’s quite significant that we are holding initiation today on that day of Nityananda Prabhu’s appearance.
Appearance is so significant because on that day, Nityananda Prabhu came onto this planet to deliver conditioned souls; very mercifully He came to deliver fallen souls. So that is the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu. Caitanya Mahaprabhu came and His main support for His mission is Nityananda Prabhu. He is practically distributing His mercy through Nityananda Prabhu. One cannot get RadhaKrishna without Nityananda Prabhu. Who is RadhaKrishna? Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is RadhaKrishna. One cannot receive Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy without Nityananda Prabhu. A very wonderful example in that respect is Srila Ragunatha das Goswami. Ragunatha das Goswami was trying to receive the mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and he went when Caitanya Mahaprabhu left Navadwip Ragunatha das Goswami came and requested, he was the son of a very important and rich person and he was the only son. Ragunatha das Goswami came to Caitanya Mahaprabhu who was at that time was in the house of Advaita Acharya. Advaita Acharya was very close to Ragunatha das Goswami’s father so when Ragunatha das Goswami came he had the opportunity due to the mercy of Advaita Acharya to meet Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So, when Ragunatha das Goswami met Caitanya Mahaprabhu he asked please take me also, please allow me to go with you but Caitanya Mahaprabhu refused. Just remain in your household situation, enjoy whatever is necessary in a mood of detachment. Then when Caitanya Mahaprabhu settled down in Jaganatha Puri many times Ragunatha das Goswami tried to run away from home but each time he ran away from home his mother sent men to bring him back. Nityananda Prabhu came to a place called Panihati which is not very far from Ragunatha das Goswami’s place in a place called Triveni. Ragunatha das Goswami went to meet Nityananda Prabhu and from a distance he offered obeisances. Nityananda Prabhu was sitting under a banyan tree at the bank of the river Ganges surrounded by His associates so Ragunatha das Goswami offered obeisances from a distance and Nityananda Prabhu’s associates told him that Ragunatha das Goswami was offering obeisances. Nityananda Prabhu said Oh that thief has come bring him here let me punish him. Ragunatha das Goswami was brought to Nityananda Prabhu and Nityananda Prabhu gave the punishment. What is the punishment? You have to feed all my associates and Me with chipped rice and yogurt. That festival is famous as chira (chipped rice) dhadi (yogurt) festival. So Nityananda Prabhu punished Ragunatha das Goswami. This festival is very famous and incidentally we got a place Panihati right on the bank of the Ganges about 25 metres away from the place where Nityananda Prabhu had this pastime.
Because Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Nityananda Prabhu’s property and Ragunatha das Goswami wanted to have that property without the permission of Nityananda Prabhu that is why he was called a thief. This is how we can see that we have to approach Caitanya Mahaprabhu through Nityananda Prabhu otherwise we will be identified as a thief and we will be punished and this punishment may not be as ecstatic as feeding chipped rice to the Vaishnavas. This is how Nityananda Prabhu is the custodian of Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore without mercy of Nityananda Prabhu one cannot get RadhaKrishna, one cannot approach Caitanya Mahaprabhu. If we want to approach Caitanya Mahaprabhu we have to go through Nityananda Prabhu and a bona fide spiritual master is a representative of Nityananda Prabhu, he functions as an agent of Nityananda Prabhu. We are very fortunate that somehow or the other by Srila Prabhupada’s mercy we got to know about Nityananda Prabhu’s glories and got to know about Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy and we have an opportunity to approach RadhaKrishna. Thank you all very much. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA APPRECIATION
We are very fortunate that somehow or the other by Srila Prabhupada’s mercy we got to know about Nityananda Prabhu’s glories and got to know about Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy and we have an opportunity to approach RadhaKrishna.
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
If we want to approach Caitanya Mahaprabhu we have to go through Nityananda Prabhu and a bona fide spiritual master is a representative of Nityananda Prabhu, he functions as an agent of Nityananda Prabhu.
(The content of this E-magazine was based a lecture given by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami at ISKCON Ujjain on 12 February 2014.)
(Compiled and edited by Hemavati Radhika dasi)