CONTENTS:
- SRIMAN NITYANANDA PRABHU;
- SRILA PRABHUPADA APPRECIATION;
- GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
SRIMAN NITYANANDA PRABHU
Sarac-candra-bhrantim sphurad-amala-kantim gaja-gatim
hari premonmattam dhrta-parama-sattvam smita mukham
sadaghurnan-netram kara-kalita-vetram kali- bhidam
bhaje nityanandam bhajana-taru-kandam niravadhi
Vrindavan das Thakur is the author of Caitanya Bhagavad and many other wonderful literatures describing the pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu. Srila Vrindavan das Thakur is actually an incarnation of Srila Vyasadeva. [Caitanya leela Vyas Vrindavan das].
This describes, the brilliance of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu subsides the brilliance of the full moon of the autumn season. His movement is like an elephant proud king of elephants. The elephant’s movement is very majestic and the elephant is very powerful so the movement of Sri Nityananda Prabhu is like the king of elephants so he does care of anyone the king of elephants. He is mad with love of Sri Hari. In Krishna prema mad and he is situated in transcendental goodness and there is a beautiful smile on his face all the time. His eyes are rolling due to ecstasy due to Krishna prema and in his hand is a stick which he uses to defeat the influence of Kali. So take shelter of Nityananda Prabhu you won’t have to be afraid of Kali otherwise Kali is a very dangerous age. What Kali does is it makes us forget Krishna. Kali establishes adharma but if you take shelter of Nityananda Prabhu you will be situated in the path of dharma, in Krishna consciousness and you will be safe and secured. Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s movement is compared to a tree and Nityananda Prabhu is described as the trunk of the tree, the trunk of devotion. First in a tree is the root and who is the root? Caitanya Mahaprabhu, then the tree rests on the trunk and the trunk is? Nityananda Prabhu. Worship Nityananda Prabhu all the time, he is the trunk of the tree of devotion.
CC Adi 1.7
sankarsanah karana toya sayi
garbhoda sayi ca payobdhi sayi
sesa ca yasyamsa kalah sa nitya
nandakhya ramah saranam mamastu
TRANSLATION
May Sri Nityananda Rama be the object of my constant remembrance, Sankarsana, Sesa naga and the Visnus who lie on Karana ocean, Garbha ocean and ocean of milk, are his plenary portions and the portions of his plenary portions.
Who Nityananda Prabhu is has been described here. That is how to recognize a spiritual personality, we have to take shelter of the scriptures and the guidance of a qualified teacher. If we see Nityananda Prabhu the way he was performing his pastimes, he may appear to be like an ordinary person. He born as the son of Hadai Pandit and Padmavati devi in the Northern part of Bengal which is known as Radha-desa. He was very spiritually inclined from his childhood. At the age of 12, some sanyasi came and took him away and he was travelling all over India to the places of pilgrimage. In this way, Nityananda Prabhu will appear to be like an ordinary person, a pious person, good person born in Brahmin family and very spiritual. Actually who Nityananda Prabhu is? In order to understand that, we have to take shelter of the scriptures because without the guidance of the scriptures we will never be able to understand who is Nityananda Prabhu. Even in the scriptures Nityananda Prabhu’s activities may become quite bewildering. Like when I was reading Caitanya Caritamrta and Caitanya Bhagavad I was quite surprised why Nityananda Prabhu was especially when it came to the pastime of Jagai and Madai. Nityananda Prabhu and Haridas Thakur upon being instructed by Caitanya Mahaprabhu started to preach Krishna Consciousness. Mahaprabhu told them that go from door and instruct everyone about Krishna Consciousness. Being instructed like this by Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu and Haridas Thakur started to preach and they came across these two very very dangerous personalities. They were actually the chief of the police there but they were the most degraded characters. They were the police chiefs of that time but they were the biggest drunkards, debauches, robbers and worst kinds of people. Nityananda Prabhu told Haridas Thakur, “Look, if we can convince these two characters then everybody will become convinced about the potency of Mahaprabhu’s mercy.” Haridas Thakur was reluctant and said, “Look, you know what they are like, don’t go near them.” But Nityananda Prabhu insisted and finally Nityananda approached them and said, “Please chant Hare Krishna and become free from your sinful actions.” These two persons became so angry and said, “You dare to give us advice!” They wanted to hit Nityananda Prabhu and both Haridas Thakur and Nityananda Prabhu ran and they were chasing them. At that time it occurred to me why were they running? Nityananda Prabhu is Balarama, He is the source of all the strength of the universe and not only material strength but spiritual strength also and why is he running away? Jagai and Madai could be taken care of forever just by one slap of Nityananda Prabhu. So, even in Caitanya Caritamrta it is described and it causes doubts in our minds why he behaved like that. But then upon being educated by Srila Prabhupada I came across Srila Prabhupada’s explanations then I had the real understanding. What is the real understanding? It is Nityananda Prabhu’s pastimes and in this pastime Nityananda Prabhu is not playing the role of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in these pastimes he is playing the role of a devotee therefore he is playing the role in a perfect way. He is acting on a stage in a drama and the drama is called Caitanya Caritamrta, the wonderful nectarian pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and there he is playing the role of a devotee and therefore he is acting like that. So that is why even the scriptures are not enough to understand these personalities we need the guidance and explanation or purports of a pure devotee of the Lord. That is why to us Prabhupada’s purports are so important. Prabhupada’s purports give us the actual spiritual understanding.
So who is Nityananda Prabhu? It is being explained here. Nityananda Prabhu is the origin of Sankarsana and not only Sankarsana but here it has been described Maha Sankarsana. There are many Sankarsanas in the spiritual sky but there is one original Sankarsana and who is that Sankarsana? It is Balarama in Dwarika. Balarama’s first expansion is Sankarsana just as there are many Laksmis but one Maha Laksmi and who is that Maha Laksmi, its Rukmini devi in Dwarika. Similarly, there is many Sankarsanas but there is one original Sankarsana of Dwarika. Krishna first expands as Balarama and Balarama’s next expansion is Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Annirudha in Dwarika and that is the Maha Sankarsana and from their expansions another Vaikuntha Caturbhuhas there also Narayana, Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Annirudha. This one Sankarsana expands Karbodakshayi Visnu or Maha Vishnu. There are many Visnus but there is one Maha Visnu who lies in the causal ocean and from him expands the Garbodaksahi Visnu and from him expands the Kshirodakshayi Visnu. Here is the description that Nityananda Prabhu is the origin of Maha Sankarsana, Karnodakashayi Visnu, Garbhodakshayi Visnu and Kshirodakshayi Visnu. This is Nityananda Prabhu. So who is Nityananda Prabhu? Nityananda Prabhu is Balarama of Vrindavan. Balarama became Nityananda Prabhu and Krishna, Vrajendra nandana Krishna, there is also Devakinandana Krishna, Vasudeva Krishna not that Krishna but Vrajendra nandana Krishna, the son of Nanda Maharaja and Mother Yashoda, the original Krishna of Vrindavan became the son of Saci mata and Balarama became Nityananda Prabhu. Balarama is the original and he expands and this verse describes Nityananda Prabhu’s identity.
SRILA PRABHUPADA APPRECIATION
But then upon being educated by Srila Prabhupada I came across Srila Prabhupada’s explanations then I had the real understanding. So that is why even the scriptures are not enough to understand these personalities we need the guidance and explanation or purports of a pure devotee of the Lord. That is why to us Prabhupada’s purports are so important. Prabhupada’s purports give us the actual spiritual understanding.
GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
So take shelter of Nityananda Prabhu you won’t have to be afraid of Kali otherwise Kali is a very dangerous age. What Kali does is it makes us forget Krishna. Kali establishes adharma but if you take shelter of Nityananda Prabhu you will be situated in the path of dharma, in Krishna consciousness and you will be safe and secured.
(The content of this E-magazine was based on a lecture given by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami in ISKCON Ujjain on Nityananda Triyodasi in 2017)
(Compilation & editing by Hemavati Radhika dasi)