CONTENTS:
- WHO IS NITYANANDA PRABHU? (PART – 2)
- SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
- GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
1. WHO IS NITYANANDA PRABHU? (PART – 2)
Who is Nityananda Prabhu? Is he just an incarnation of Ksirodaksahi Visnu? Generally, in this material nature the incarnation of the Lord that comes to establish dharma as Krishna mentioned in Bhagavad Gita (BG 4.7) yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata abhyutthanam adharmasya tadatmanam srjamy aham. Krishna is declaring that He comes to establish dharma but that personality of Godhead who incarnates to establish dharma in this universe is actually an expansion of Ksirodaksahi Visnu. Balarama is not an incarnation as such, Nityananda Prabhu is not an incarnation as such, He is the original of all these Vishnus. What to speak of being an incarnation of Ksirodaksahi Visnu, He is the origin of Ksirodaksahi Visnu, He is the origin of Garbodaksahi Visnu, He is the origin of Karanadaksahi Visnu, He is the origin of Maha Sankarshan. He is Balarama Himself.
At the beginning of Chaitanya Charitamrita, in ten verses Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu and Advaita Acharya identities have been described. In the first three verses Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s identity has been described, then in five verses Nityananda Prabhu’s identity has been described then in two verses Advaita Acharya’s identity has been described. So, this is the first verse of the five verses that describe Nityananda Prabhu’s identity, we will quickly read through the next four verses also:
CC AD-LILA CHAPTER 1 TEXT 8
mayatite vyapi-vaikuntha-loke
purnaisvarye sri-catur-vyuha-madhye
rupam yasyodbhati sankarsanakhyam
tam sri-nityananda-ramam prapadye
TRANSLATION
I surrender unto the lotus feet of Sri Nityananda Rama, who is known as Sankarshan in the midst of the catur-vyuha [consisting of Vasudeva, Sankarshan, Pradyumna and Aniruddha]. He possesses full opulences and resides in Vaikunthaloka, far beyond the material creation.
CC ADI-LILA CHAPTER 1 TEXT 9
maya-bhartajanda-sanghasrayanga
sete saksat karanambodhi-madhye
yasyaikamsah sri-puman adi-devas
tam sri-nityananda-ramam prapadye
TRANSLATION
I offer my full obeisances unto the feet of Sri Nityananda Rama, whose partial representation called Karanodakasayi Visnu, lying on the Karana Ocean, is the original purusa, the master of the illusory energy, and the shelter of all the universes.
CC ADI-LILA CHAPTER 1 TEXT 10
yasyamsamsah srila garboda-sayi
yan-nabhy-abjam loka-sanghata-nalam
loka-srastuh sutika-dhama-dhatus
tam sri-nityananda-ramam prapadye
TRANSLATION
I offer my full obeisances unto the feet of Sri Nityananda Rama, a partial part of whom is Garbhodakasayi Visnu. From the navel of Garbhodakasayi Visnu sprouts the lotus that is the birthplace of Brahma, the engineer of the universe. The stem of that lotus is the resting place of the multitude of planets.
CC ADI-LILA CHAPTER 1 TEXT 11
yasyamsamsamsah paratmakhilanam
posta visnur bhati dugdhabdhi-sayi
ksauni-bharta yat-kala so 'py anantas
tam sri-nityananda-ramam prapadye
TRANSLATION
I offer my respectful obeisances unto the feet of Sri Nityananda Rama, whose secondary part is the Visnu lying in the ocean of milk. That Ksirodakasayi Visnu is the Supersoul of all living entities and the maintainer of all the universes. Sesa Naga is His further subpart.
So, Nityananda Prabhu’s identity has been described or established in this way. Who is Nityananda Prabhu? Nityananda Prabhu is Balarama Himself who is the first expansion of Sri Krishna in Vrindavan. So today is Sriman Nityananda’s appearance day. Nityananda Prabhu appeared as I have mentioned in the Northern part of Bengal which is known as Radha desa. Radha desa means the land which is considered to be not very holy because that is the land where Ganges doesn’t flow. The land where the Ganges doesn’t flow is to be considered as waste land but Nityananda Prabhu appeared in that land. Why? Because He came to deliver all the fallen souls therefore, He appeared in a land which is rejected by the Ganges, which is devoid of the mercy of Ganges. That is the uniqueness of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared along with His associates, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu of course appeared on the bank of the Ganges, Navadwip, Mayapur but Nityananda Prabhu did not appear at a holy part, He appeared at a place which is not considered to be holy. Another name of that place is Pandavarjita, the Pandavas didn’t go there, therefore that part of India is considered to be unholy. Nityananda Prabhu appeared in a very exalted Brahmana family, a son of Hadai Pandita and Hadai Pandita was an extremely pious person, very exalted Brahmana and extremely truthful. Hadai Pandita took a vow that he will never tell a lie and he will never refuse any Brahmana. He stuck to that vow and it has been described that as a result of that Nityananda Prabhu appeared as his son. The Supreme Personality of Godhead appears to the parentage who are spiritually very exceptional.
We will read from this book Nityananda Charitamrita by Srila Vrindavan das Thakur: [Who is Vrindavan das Thakur? He is Vyasadeva in Mahaprabhu’s pastimes Chaitanya lila Vyasa Vrindavan das.]
“In due course of time Lord Nityananda grew. Due to the influence of his illusory energy, however, no one could recognize Him. He concealed His real identity and happily played with His boyhood friends.”
Nityananda Prabhu as a child used to play with his friends like any other child but Nityananda Prabhu’s activities with His friends were not ordinary. All His plays were related to Krishna’s pastimes or Ramchandra’s pastimes. He would play with His friends but these plays were centered on Krishna or Ramchandra’s pastime.
“One night, the Lord and His friends enacted the marriage of Vasudeva and Devaki. Another night, while everyone else was asleep, they made a jail cell and enacted the birth of Lord Krishna. They made a place represent Gokula. Taking baby Krishna there, He was exchanged with Mahamaya, thus tricking Kamsa. Another time, they dressed someone as Putana. Someone climbed on her chest to suck her breast. One day, Lord Nityananda and His friends made a sakata, or handcart, out of reeds and then broke it. Another day, the Lord and His friends stole from the houses of neighbouring cowherd men. The boys never left Nityananda to go home, but sported with Him, day and night. The children’s parents never complained, rather they affectionately embraced Nityananda. They said, “We never seen such transcendental sports. How does this child know so many of Krishna’s pastimes?”
“One day the Lord made snakes out of leaves and took His friends to the water. One of them jumped into the water and did not move. Later, the Lord brought him back to consciousness. Another day, the Lord and His friends went to Talavana, where they killed Dhenukasura and then ate tala fruit. Lord Nityananda and his childhood friends went to the fields and enjoyed various pastimes, such as the killing of Bakasura, Aghasura and Vatsasyra. In the afternoon, the Lord and His friends returned home, blowing their buffalo horns.”
“One day they enjoyed the pastime of lifting Govardhan hill and another day they created a Vrindavan, where they enjoyed various sports. Once, they enacted Krishna’s pastime of stealing the gopis clothes and another day they enacted His meeting the wives of the Brahmanas performing sacrifices. On one occasion, a boy dressed up with a false beard as Narada and gave Kamsa some secret news. Another day, a boy dressed as Akrura and took Krishna and Balarama to Kamsa’s capital. As Lord Nityananda cried in the mood of the gopis, it seemed to His friends that a river flowed from His eyes.”
In this way as a child, Nityananda Prabhu enacted the pastimes of the Lord with His friends. Won’t it be wonderful to be absorbed in Krishna consciousness from childhood? Now Nityananda Prabhu is actually teaching us what we should do. So, this is a very big lesson for the parents. I am sure many of you have children and how are you all going to train your children now? To make them play different pastimes of Krishna. Don’t give them video games and other things to sport with rather teach them to play the pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Once a very wonderful thing happened, Nityananda Prabhu was playing the role of Laksmana and in that pastime, He was hit with Shakti shell in the battle with Megnatha, Indrajit and Laksmana fainted and Nityananda Prabhu fainted and He fainted in such a way that it seemed that He left His body. Everybody started to cry and say what happened? One boy who was playing the role of Hanuman and he appeared there with some herb and gave it to Susena, the doctor of the monkeys and he gave it to Nityananda Prabhu to smell and immediately Nityananda Prabhu came back to life. So, his pastimes were not ordinary when He fainted it seemed that He really died, there was no heart beat or sign or symptom of life in His body.
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
“He stopped. I could feel the softness of his heart. Even though we were his disciples, ready to take any amount of chastisement from him, our guru, as a display of his mercy, he was apologizing in such a humble way. That was my glorious spiritual master, more brilliant than millions of suns yet so humble and compassionate – the most caring person I have ever met.”
(Extract from Ocean of Mercy, a book written by HH Bhakti Charu Swami Page 134)
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
In this way as a child, Nityananda Prabhu enacted the pastimes of the Lord with His friends. Won’t it be wonderful to be absorbed in Krishna consciousness from childhood? Now Nityananda Prabhu is actually teaching us what we should do. So, this is a very big lesson for the parents. I am sure many of you have children and how are you all going to train your children now? To make them play different pastimes of Krishna. Don’t give those video games and other things to sport with.
(The content of this E-magazine is based on a lecture given by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami in ISKCON Ujjain on Nityananda Triyodasi, 31 January 2017)
(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Devi Dasi)