Live From Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir!
Date: February 16th, 2011
Topic: Appearance of Lord Nityananda
Speaker: HH Radhanath Swami
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HH Radhanath Swami: I am very grateful for this opportunity to be with all of you in the holy dham Sri Mayapur on the holy day of the appearance of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. It appears that there is no verse selected so with your permission I will just talk in what time is allotted.
How Lord Nityananda Prabhu revealed the glories and the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is one of the most important truths that Gaudiya Vaisnava’s ardently worship. The first author of Lord Caitanya’s life was Sri Vrindavan dasa Thakura. He wrote Sri Caitanya Bhagavat. He was the last disciple of Lord Nityananda. He was given the order of Lord Nityananda Prabhu and with that order he became empowered to reveal Caitanya Mahaprabhu to the whole world.
It was Niyananda Prabhu who appeared in divine vision to order Sri Krishna dasa Kaviraja Goswami to leave his home forever and to go to Vrindavana and compose Caitanya-caritamrta. Krishna dasa Kaviraja Goswami gives credit to Nityananda Prabhu because it is he who is speaking through Krishna dasa Kaviraj Goswami with the mercy of Rupa Goswami and Raghunath Goswami to reveal Mahaprabhu’s life and teachings to the world. And Rupa and Sanatana Goswami when they went to meet Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Ramakeli (the first meeting) they first approached Lord Nityananda Prabhu and Thakur Haridasa. It was Lord Nityananda Prabhu who personally brought them into the presence of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
They are our sambandha and abhideya acaryas. And our prayojana acarya Raghunatha dasa Goswami he tried to leave his home in Sri-krsnapura, Adi-saptagrama again and again to dedicate his life to Lord Caitanya but every time he was dragged back by force by his family members. Then he went to Panihati to see Lord Nityananda Prabhu offering his obeisances from a distance.
Sri Nityananda Prabhu was sitting under a beautiful banyan tree on the bank of the Ganges with His associates and he called Raghunatha, “You are a thief. You are hiding in a distant place. Your atonement is feed all of My devotees, everyone with cida dhahi, chipped rice in yogurt.” Raghunatha dasa Goswami took this very seriously. He bought practically every flake of chipped rice and all the yogurt not only in Panihati but also from the villages nearby. He soaked half in milk. He soaked all in milk and then he put half in yogurt and half in a combination of condensed milk and camphor, ghee and sugar. He gave everyone two clay pots and Nityananda Prabhu was so happy to see this.
Raghunath dasa Goswami brought such happiness to all the Vaisnavas and to all the people in general. He personally called Lord Caitanya to honor that feast with Him. In a divine spiritual body Lord Nityananda and Lord Caitanya went throughout the crowd taking some chipped rice and yogurt from each pot. Then Nityananda Prabhu gave all His personal remnants to Raghunath dasa Goswami. The next day Raghunatha dasa Goswami fell at the feet of Nityananda Prabhu and prayed that, “One cannot achieve the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu without the Your mercy. I beg You, please liberate me from the bondage of this material existence and give me the shelter of Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet.
Sri Nityananda Prabhu place His lotus feet on Raghunatha dasa Goswami’s head and He said, “Because you have pleased all the devotees and Lord Caitanya came I bless you.” Actually he first asked all the devotees to bless Raghunath dasa Goswami. “Because you have to render service to the devotees very soon you will be liberated from all material bondage and you will become Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s personal associate under the care of Swarup Damodara Goswami.
So our sambandha, abhideya and prayojana gurus were all brought to Lord Caitanya by Nityananda Prabhu. The two most prominent biographies of Caitanya Mahaprabhu were inspired or ordered by Sri Nityananda Prabhu. And our beloved Srila Prabhupada he established Lord Nityananda’s deity along with Lord Caitanya all over the world because he was so much in that spirit of compassion.
Nityananda Prabhu is guru-tattva. Narottama dasa Thakura prays:
vrajendra-nandana yei, saci-suta haila sei, balarama ha-ila nitai
That the son of Nanda appeared as the son of Saci and Balaram appeared as Nityananda Prabhu. Balaram is the original guru because He serves the Lord. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead always in the mood of serving Lord Krishna. He expands Himself as the dhama to provide a beautiful place for the Lord to have His pastimes. He manifests as the Lord’s shoes, the Lord’s bed, the Lord’s ornaments, the Lord’s clothing and in all of the various rasas of relationship He is prominent. He serves the Lord in these ways in santa rasa; dasya rasa; as a gopa in sakya rasa, the Lord’s friend; as His elder brother. Sometimes He takes the role of vatsalya rasa and expands Himself as Ananga Manjari, Srimati Radharanis younger sister in madhurya rasa. In this way Sri Nityananda Prabhu is enthusiastic to serve is all pervading.
As Balaram we know the pastime of Romaharsana Suta. Romaharsans Suta was sitting in a place as a spiritual leader in the presence of great sages, Naimasaranya. But when Balaram appeared Romaharsana Suta payed no attention. Lord Balaram understood that he has too much false pride. He spoke very angrily, “Although you Romaharsana Suta are directly a disciple of Vedavyasa. You have profoundly learned the Vedas, Itihasyas, the Puranas and all these scriptures from Him. Yet all your knowledge has not annihilated your false pride. Therefore I consider your knowledge of the scripture to be completely useless like an actor playing the role without any realization. I have come to liberate the world from cheaters like you.”
Then He picked up a piece of grass and touched that grass to Romaharsana Suta and Romaharsana was liberated. [Laughter from audience.] The sages said, “What are we going to do now?” [Laughter.] They said, “Just before You came we were going to bless him that he would live a long life! [Laughter from audience.] Balaram said, “Well if you like I can bring him back.” They said, “We know that You are the Supreme Lord. We can ask for You to bring him back!” Then the Lord atoned by removing Balvala who was disturbing their sacrifices and He said, “The father lives through the son.” So Balaram empowered Suta Goswami to speak to the sages.
As Lord Nityananda Prabhu that grass that He liberated Romaharsana with in a similar way He too grass between His teeth and here in Navadwip he went house to house, door to door, shop to shop. Grass in His teeth is an expression of totally humbling oneself before someone else, taking the grass they step on and putting it in your mouth. He would bow down, roll on the ground and beg people, “Please take the name of Krishna.” And if they refused, which most did he would kneel on His knees and beg them.
The Supreme Absolute Truth who is actually the source of Nrsimhadev; Varahadev, who is Balaram with the plough he started dragging the entire city of Hiranyakaspu [Hastinapura(?)] into the Ganges that had all the Kurus including Bhisma surrender to His Supreme power. That same Balaram is going to sinful ordinary people with straw in His teeth crying and begging them, “Take the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.”
parama karuna, pahun dui jana, nitai-gauracandra
Locana dasa Thakura is saying that these two brothers are supremely merciful. They have given what nobody else has given freely. Locana dasa Thakura also wrote in another song that Nityananda Prabhu is never angry. He goes town to town, village to village giving ecstatic love for Krishna to everyone and anyone never considering their qualification or disqualification. All He asks is, “Just accept.”
The place that Srila Prabhupada went, the tolerance, the compassion, the humility in which he gave such wretched, sinful people an opportunity to attain life’s perfection. He truly was the embodiment of Lord Nityananda’s mercy. We can always … remember him and worship Him on His appearance day. There are many stories in the Vaisnava literatures.
Not far from here is a village called Udani (?) There was a marriage close to there, where Nityananda Prabhu’s wife Jahnavadevi along with Narottama dasa Thakur, Ramacandra Kaviraj and many other intimate associates of both Lord Nityananda and Lord Caitanya were present. …place after Nityananda Prabhu had already departed from the world Jahnavadevi invited everyone, “Let us go to Ekacakra, Nityananda Prabhu’s birthplace.” She had never been there before.
They all went together. Their hearts were overflowing with happiness just at the prospect of seeing this holy place. They had heard so much about it for so long. They were going down a simple lane that was shaded by Pipal trees with singing birds. They saw from a small distance a very old brahmana who was walking with a stick. He started coming towards them but then he sat under a tree. He was looking with wonder thinking, “Where are all these Vaisnavas coming here for?”
They all approached him and spontaneously bowed down. Then they asked, “We have heard so much about Ekacakra that it is a very prosperous town but it appears to be in total ruins. Do you know anything about the history?” The old brahmana sat down with Jahnava and Narottama and all of these devotees. Then he explained the history of Ekacakra.
He said, “At one time this was such a prosperous and affluent town with great scholars, great devotees of the Lord. And there was one astrologer. He was the best of all astrologers. He came to the conclusion that the Supreme Personality of Godhead Balaram will take birth in Ekacakra but I am so unfortunate that I will not live to see that most auspicious day.”
Then all the other astrologers and scholars came together and agreed that this is absolutely true. Lord Balarama will come here. Then this old brahmana said that was a very great scholar and saint of the name Bhoja. He was very influential in every way but he and his wife were very sad. Every time they would give birth to a child just after birth the child died. He performed much prayer and tapasya and ultimately a beautiful child was born to them. The named him Ojha. He became a very great scholar and a great devotee of Krishna. Because of his scholarship he was given the name Hadai Pandit. His father and mother arranged for him to marry a girl named Padmavati who was equal to him in every way.
A few days after the marriage Hadai Pandit’s mother and father died. He was struck with grief. As time went on the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared within the womb of Padmavati. Then on this day, the thirteenth day of the waxing moon in the month of Marg a beautiful child was born in Ekacakra. People from all over the town were coming to see the beauty of this child. Some said, “He is so beautiful. He is so soft like butter. His complexion is like gold. Everything about Him charms our hearts.”
The people of Ekacakra were coming day and night just to be with this child. Hadai Pandit was giving charity to everyone in every way he possibly could with the prayer of protecting his beloved boy.
The brahmana told Jahnavadevi that one time he was in serious distress, anxiety. So naturally he ran to the house of Hadai Pandit and Lord Nityananda Prabhu climbed up on his lap and immediately he became ecstatic. All of his distress vanished.
At the time of the name giving ceremony of Lord Nityananda some called Him Nityananda and some called Him Rama. As He crawled around His name was Nitai to the people of Ekacakra.
For His mother it was unbearable to separate Nitai from her lap even for a moment. And Hadai Pandit if he wasn’t looking at Nityananda Prabhu he was in great distress. As Nitai began to crawl and then began to walk His mother and father showered Him with the most intimate affection. His mother would anoint His body with oils that were very fragrant to cool Him but His body was cooler and more fragrant than the oils.
One day she put ornaments and beautiful dresses of silks on little Nitai and said, “Now play.” He said, “But you keep Me with you all the time. I have no friends to play with.” So from that day onwards they invited the little children of Ekacakra to play with Nitai. And there was only one game they played – enacting the pastimes of Krishna. Nitai was the actor, the director, the script writer and it was spontaneously. Everyday Nitai would dress them up according to their parts and make all kinds of props. Everything was so authentic.
When they wanted to do the birth of Krishna he called all His friends to meet Him at midnight! [Laughter.] All the little children made a replica of the prison of Kamsa and then they brought little baby Krishna across the Yamuna. There was a river there so they went across the river and brought Him to Gokul. They played. Usually Nityananda Prabhu would play the part of Krishna. One boy would be Putana, Trnavarta, Sakatasura. Nitai would play the role of Krishna stealing butter. And they really did very authentically. He would go into the houses of the people of Ekacakra and steal the butter. [Laughter.] Then another boy would bind Him up with ropes and He would knock down the two Arjuna trees. The played the killing of Bakasura, Aghasura, Vatsasura. They played the game of stealing the gopi’s clothes. He lifted Govardhan Hill. They killed Aristasura, Vyomasura ans when they played the lila of Akrura taking Krishna out of Vrindavan, Nityananda Prabhu played the part of a gopi and wept rivers and rivers of tears from His heart. Everyone watching was astonished.
He played the pastimes of Lord Krishna in Mathura and Dvaraka, in other avataras, of Vamanadev. Nityananda Prabhu personally played Nrsimhadev and one of His friends was Hiranyakasipu.
And in Rama lila in one pastime Nityananda played His own role as Laksman and another boy was Ravana and threw a lotus flower at Nitai’s chest representing the sakti-sila and Nityananda Prabhu fell to the ground. There was no heartbeat and no breath. The children did not know what to do. They were weeping and crying. Soon Hadai Pandit and Padmavati came running to the place. When all the other people of Ekacakra came Nityananda Prabhu appeared dead. They were all chanting God’s names and trying to mentally restore him but nothing worked.
Then somebody said, “He is playing these dramas as something very real. Did He say anything to any of you what to do for Him if it becomes like this?” One little boy said, “Yes. Yes. I forgot. I was so much in trauma. [Laughter.] He said if I fall down unconscious gather around Me and cry, which we are all doing. [Laughter.] But then have the boy playing Hanuman to get the medicine for Me.” [Laughter.]
One little boy said, “Yes. Yes. I am Hanuman.” [Laughter.] and he came running and the other little boys who were playing demons were trying to stop him. Then Hanuman went to the Himalayan Mountain and the little boy brought some herbs back and gave it to the doctor who put it in Nityananda’s nose and He opened His eyes and smiled.
He was only ever a small boy. Nobody told Him these pastimes. Somebody asked Him, “How do You know all of this?” he smiled and said, “These are My transcendental pastimes.” [Laughter.] But due to His yoga maya potency nobody could understand what He was talking. In this way He spent His youth.
When He was twelve years old, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared here in Navadvip and Lord Nityananda, this little boy roared in ecstasy. The whole universe shook. Nobody understood what was happening. And he was thinking, “How am I going to leave My home? My mission is to assist Lord Gauranga in His lilas, His mission of spreading the nama- sankirtana mission in all directions. How can I leave My mother and father? How can I leave the people of Ekacakra? They are so attached to Me they can’t live without a second of not seeing Me.
By His own mystic potency a sannyasi came to Ekacakra. He came right to the house of Hadai Pandit, who fed him Prasad, gave him a sitting place. And the two of them, Hadai Pandit and this sannyasi spoke about Krishna all night long. In the morning as the sannyasi was about to leave he said to Hadai Pandit I wanted to ask you for one thing.”
Then Hadai Pandit very enthusiastically from his heart said, “Anything you want I will give you.” He said, “I am travelling all over India to holy places and I have no brahmana assistant. Give me your lotus son, Nityananda Prabhu to travel with me.” It was like a massive thunderbolt striking the soft heart of Hadai Pandit. In his mind he was thinking, “He has asked me to give him my very life. I cannot tolerate even a moment not seeing my son. What can we do? If I give it to him, if I give my son I will die. If I don’t my whole life will be ruined for not serving a great soul.”
He was thinking of King Dasaratha when asked by Visvamitra Muni if e was willing to give Rama, his own life and soul to travel with him. Hadai Pandita went to Padmavati and told her what has happened and asked her opinion. She said, “Whatever you do I accept that.”
Hadai Pandit entrusted his little son to the sannyasi. And Nityananda Prabhu strangely showed total detachment as he walked away with this sannyasi. As soon as they left the house Hadai Pandit and Padmavati fell to the ground unconscious and as soon as the regained consciousness all they could do was weep and cry incessantly.
When the people of Ekacakra heard about this it was unbearable of them. They all ran looking for this sannyasi. Every person in Ekacakra decided that, “When I find this sannyasi I will fall at his feet and offer him all my sons. We will give him all the sons.” Because they all wanted Nityananda Prabhu more than their own children, more than their own lives. “Just give us Nityananda back.”
They went running in all directions but they could not find that sannyasi. For the next three months Hadai Pandit and Padmavati could not eat a morsel of food. They cried. They only thing that kept then alive, (and they didn’t even lose any weight) was their intense twenty-four hour attachment to Lord Nityananda Prabhu. Sometimes Hadai Pandit like a mad man would cry out, “Nitai! Nitai! Come and sit on my lap. I haven’t seen you for such a long time. Nitai, please let’s go to your favorite lake, Padmavati-kunda and let’s take bath together.”
At other times he would look around with tears in his eyes and he would cry out, “Nitai, I am seeing You again. Please let us take Prasad. Padmavati has made just Your favorite foods to eat. Come let’s eat together. Nitai the crops are just bearing about to give fruits. Let’s go walk through the fields together and see everything.” Sometimes he would call out to Padmavati, “Padmavati, look! Look down the road! It is Nitai! He is returning! The sannyasi is bringing Him home again! He is bringing him home again! Look! He is coming! He is coming!” And they looked down the road weeping, crying but He never came. Crying out the names of Nityananda Prabhu, Hadai Pandit and Padmavati left this world for the spiritual abode.
The brahmana told Jahnava and all the devotees that after Hadai Pandit and Padmavati left nobody could live in Ekacakra anymore. It was too painful. Nityananda’s little friends were constantly in tears and with broken hearts as were their parents. Ekacakra was practically deserted and had turned into ruins. And the brahmana said, “But I can’t leave. Even though this has happened years ago every day since Nityananda Prabhu left I go to all the places where He had His pastimes just waiting for Him to return and I pray only one prayer in my life, “Let me take birth life after life after life waiting for Nitai to return to Ekacakra. In every lifetime let me give up my body crying out the name Nitaicand!”
Then the brahmana fell to the ground weeping. Jahnava, Narottama dasa Thakura, Ramacandra Kaviraj and all these great associates of Lord Caitanya and Nityananda Prabhu saw him, they all fell to the ground weeping, chanting the holy names of Lord Nityananda.
[Audience chant loudly] Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
Then the brahmana told Jahnava that he would give them a tour but as he brought her to the house of Hadai Pandit which was crumbling and in shambles he could no longer control himself. He quietly left and Jahnava told the devotees, “Let him leave.”
That night it was dark. They all slept in the house. Jahnavadevi was thinking, “I never got to meet Hadai Pandit or Padmavati. I never got to be with Nityananda and His family here in Ekacakra.” She started crying and she was given a spiritual vision where the house was beautifully decorated, a very opulent place and there was Nityananda Prabhu and Padmavati and Hadai Pandit showering her with so much affection. Then the dream ended and she woke up crying again. Then she had another dream where on the bank of the river in Ekacakra in a beautiful garden there was a throne and Nityananda Prabhu was sitting with Jahnava and Vasudha on either side and He was offering such intimate expressions of affection to them through His words and His glances. All her desires were fulfilled.
Nityananda Prabhu after He left Ekacakra He went on pilgrimage to so many places with this sannyasi and eventually came to Vrindavan. During the pilgrimage He met Madhavendra Puri and accepted him as His guru, Lakmipati Tirtha and accepted him as a guru. In Vrindavan He waited.
After Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came back to Navadvip from Gaya He began His sankirtana movement. The Lord was calling Nityananda from His heart and Nitai came to Navadvip to the house of Nandanacarya.
Oneday Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was in ecstasy. He said, “A great personality has come here.” He told Srivas Thakura and Haridasa, “Go find Him. I had a dream last night. A chariot that can take anyone and everyone to the spiritual world, Goloka came right in front of My house. And on that chariot there was a very powerful personality. He had lotus eyes. He was very strong. He had blue garments. He carried a plough on His shoulder. There was a flag of a palm tree on that chariot. This person’s eyes were rolling as if He was intoxicated in ecstatic love. He had an earring on His left ear and as he was swinging back and forth he said again and again, ‘Is this the house of Nimai Pandit? Is this the house of Nimai Pandit?’ ”
Lord caitanya said, “I could understand that this was Lord Balaram Himself. I asked Him, ‘Who are You and what are You doing here? And this great personality said, ‘I am Your brother. Tomorrow We will get to know each other.’ Go find Him! Go find Him!”
Srivas Thakura and Haridas Thakur went to every house, to every shop, to every market place, to every bathing ghat in all of Navadvip and finally they came back and said, “We have searched everywhere for nine hours. We can’t find such a person!’ Lord Caitanya smiled and said, “Nityananda Prabhu is very mysterious.” Then he said, “I will take you.” And The Lord brought Them right to the house of Nandanacarya where Sri Nityananda Prabhu was sitting.
When Lord Caitanya and all the devotees first saw Him they bowed down. And when Lord Nityananda Prabhu saw Lord Caitanya, He became stunned. His eyes could not blink. He was drinking the beauty of Lord Gauranga with His eyes, tasting it with His tongue, smelling it with His nose, touching it with His arms. He was totally absorbed with Caitanya Mahprabhu like a statue. Lord Caitanya told Srivas, “Chant a verse.’ Srivas chanted a beautiful verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam describing Krishna standing in the pastoral grounds in the forest of Vrindavan. He had curly blackish hair encircling His moonlike face, beautiful lotus eyes. A blue flower over His ear! He had a wonderful flower garland on. He entered into the pastures of Vrindavan playing His flute.
When Nityananda Prabhu heard this He fell unconscious and when He finally came to consciousness He began rolling and roaring ecstatically with torrents of tears flowing from His eyes. Only Lord Caitanya could calm Him down.
Then on that historical moment Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda danced together in the ecstacy of kirtan. Sometimes They embraced. Sometimes They raised Their arms. Sometimes They touched each other’s feet. They connection of these two eternal associates, Krishna and Balaram have appeared again together in the land of Navadvip dancing and chanting. All the devotees raised their arms loudly chanting the Hare Krishna mantra.
[Audience chant loudly] Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
And now HH Sripad Jayapataka Swami Maharaj who for the past forty years has been spreading the glories of Lord Nityananda Prabhu and His very dear associate Srila Prabhupada all over the world will speak. Srila Jayapatak Swami Maharaj Ki Jai! Thank you very much. [Applause.]
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