“Nityananda Prabhu’s Appearance Day.” Devashis Prabhu. 16 February 2011. London, UK



Nityananda Prabhu’s Appearance Day class by Devashis Prabhu given at the London Temple.

“Srila Govinda Maharaj said, ‘...We are preachers of Mahaprabhu’s conception, Nityananda Prabhu’s conception, and you have to educate the people as to who is Lord Chaitanya and who is Nityananda Prabhu, because without that then what is the use of your worship of Krishna? Without the lotus feet of Mahaprabhu actually it is only imagination—that kind of worship is imaginary worship.’”

16 February 2011. London, UK.

 

Лекция на день явления Нитьянанды Прабху, которая дана Девашишем Прабху в лондонском храме.

«Шрила Говинда Махарадж сказал: «...Мы проповедники концепции Махапрабху, концепции Нитьянанды Прабху, и вы должны открыть людям то, кто такой Господь Чайтанья и кто такой Нитьянанда Прабху, поскольку без этого какова польза от вашего поклонения Кришне? На самом деле без лотосных стоп Махапрабху это всего лишь воображение — такого рода поклонение является мнимым».

16 февраля 2011 года. Лондон, Великобритания.


English

Devashis Prabhu

Nityananda Prabhu’s Appearance Day

(16 February 2011. London, UK)

 

nāma-śreṣṭhaṁ manum api śachī-putram atra svarūpaṁ,
rūpaṁ tasyāgrajam uru-purīṁ māthurīṁ goṣṭavāṭīm
rādhā-kuṇḍaṁ giri-varam aho rādhikā-mādhavāśāṁ,
prāpto yasya prathita-kṛpayā śrī guruṁ taṁ nato ’smi[1]

pūjya śrī-guru-varga-vanditamahā-bhāvānvitāyāḥ sadā
paurvā paryya paramparā prachalita prājya pramūrttā kṛteḥ
bhakte nirmala-nirjharasya nibhṛtaṁ saṁrakṣakaṁ sādaraṁ
vande śrī-gurudevam ānata-śirā āchāryya-varyyaṁ nijam[2]

prerakaṁ prāchya-pāścātya-śiṣyāṇāṁ bhakti-vartmani
bhakti-nirmalam-ācārya-svāminaṁ praṇamāmy aham[3]

gurvvābhīṣṭa-supūrakaṁ guru-gaṇair āśīṣa-saṁbhūṣitaṁ
chintyāchintya-samasta-veda-nipuṇaṁ śrī-rūpa-panthānugam
govindābhidham ujjvalaṁ vara-tanuṁ bhakty anvitaṁ sundaraṁ
vande viśva-guruñ cha divya-bhagavat-premṇo hi bīja-pradam[4]

devaṁ divya-tanuṁ suchanda-vadanaṁ-bālārka-chelāñchitaṁ
sāndrānanda-puraṁ sad-eka-varanaṁ vairāgya-vidyāmbudhim
śrī-siddhānta-nidhiṁ subhakti-lasitaṁ sārasvatānām varaṁ
vande taṁ śubhadaṁ mad-eka-śaraṇaṁ nyāsīśvaraṁ śrīdharam[5]

nikhila-bhuvana-māyā-chhinna-vichchhinna-kartrī
vibudha-bahula-mṛgyā-mukti-mohānta-dātrī
śithilita-vidhi-rāgārādhya-rādheśa-dhānī
vilasatu hṛdi nityaṁ bhakti-siddhānta-vāṇī[6]

namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te
kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ[7]

vṛndāyai tulasī-devyai
priyāyai keśavasya cha
kṛṣṇa-bhakti-prade devi
satyavatyai namo namaḥ[8]

vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś cha kṛpā-sindhubhya eva cha
patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ[9]

mukaṁ karoti vāchālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat kṛpā tam aham vande śrī guru dīna-tāraṇam[10]

#00:02:21#

Today is the most wonderful day of all days because today Lord Nityananda Prabhu appeared in this mundane world to free us from the Maya, to liberate us from birth, death, old age and disease. But more than that He came to give us Gauranga-prema, love of Gauranga Mahaprabhu. Nityananda Prabhu is Baladev, Krishna’s older brother in Goloka Vrindavan.

#00:03:04#

And Sachimata, Mahaprabhu’s mother, she saw in a dream—Krishna and Balaram standing on the altar together. And Nityananda Prabhu challenging to Balarama, “Come down from there. Your time is Dvapara-yuga. Now is Kali-yuga, now is the time of My Lord Gauranga. You come down.” And Balaram saying, “No, I’m not go back.” And Balaram and Nityananda Prabhu [are] fighting. And finally, Nityananda Prabhu bringing Balaram down from that altar and bringing Krishna down and putting Gauranga Mahaprabhu there and standing with Gauranga Mahaprabhu. This is Sachimata’s vision.

#00:03:54#

Although They are non-different in Kali-yuga. This Kali-yuga Krishna and Balarama appearing as Gauranga and Nityananda. That is as the givers of Krishna-prema. Mahaprabhu Chaitanyadev coming as combined form of Radha-Govinda and Nityananda Prabhu coming as Baladev.

#00:04:22#

And Baladev is the eternal principle of Gurudev. Sri Gurudev we are seeing always as Baladev, as Nityananda Prabhu. Nityananda Prabhu born on this day, appeared on this day within Gaura-mandala in the Ekachakra Dham. Ekachakra Dham already mentioned as a holy place in Mahabharata. In Mahabharata Ekachakra Dham was the place where the Pancha Pandavas lived in hiding after the house of, the Palace of lack was burned to the ground. And that’s Ekachakra Dham is the village, small village of brahmins. And there, Pancha Pandavas staying there, hiding there from Duryodhana’s accomplices. And that place [is] the place of Nityananda Prabhu’s appearance.

#00:05:36#

So, His mother is Padmavati Devi and father is Haday Pandit. Guru Maharaj told, “Their title was Ojha, but now that title no longer existing on founding. So, the meaning we’re not sure.” But anyway, and Nityananda Prabhu very extraordinary child. Living in that place where incidentally, of course, today the forms of Nityananda and Mahaprabhu have been installed in our Chaitanya Saraswat Math there. If you have seen so beautiful forms of Their Lordships. They’re both like seven feet tall. Which is actually Their original height. Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu about seven feet tall. An original height and so into that original specification They’ve been the Lordships, have been installed today. That festival will now be completed and the devotees happily I’m sure taken prasadam and restingly and that festival going today. And we are thinking very much about that. And in our own small way trying to contribute to that by remembering the lotus feet of Nityananda Prabhu. In that very place, that place now is called Virachandrapur after Nityananda Prabhu son.

#00:07:15#

Then that very place Nityananda Prabhu played as a young child. But His play [is] not like ordinary children’s play, only He’s playing Krishna-lila, always playing Krishna-lila and always thinking Himself as Balarama. And playing and very seriously playing. We heard one time that He is also sometimes playing Rama-lila. And one day [He is] taking the mood of Lakshman. And He’s told everyone they’re part, telling everyone their part. Then one boy he is Rama, one boy he is Hanuman, one boy is Sugriva, like this way. Then struck by the arrow of Indrajit Lakshman become unconscious. So, He’s playing that part and fell unconscious on the floor. And He’s told everyone how the game will go like this. When they’re seeing—Nitai on the ground unconscious, no breathing, no pulse, everything everyone’s thinking, “Something very terrible has happened, very bad.” They can’t wake Him up, no matter what they do, you know, they’re saying, “Come on, you know, we were playing but now this is serious. Wake up, Nitai, wake up!” But He won’t wake up.

#00:08:36#

Then every all the boys, they’re all crying and then some adults will come there to see what’s happening and no one can wake Him, everyone’s thinking, “Maybe He’s dead.” They can’t—no breath, no pulse, no anything: “Maybe He’s dead.” But then one man who is a little bit more enlightened, maybe you can say, he could understand, “Oh, what were you’re playing? Yeah. So, we were playing Rama-lila, like this. Then what happened in the game? He was shot, Lakshman was shot and He lost consciousness. He is Lakshman and He lost consciousness. Then what was the next thing in the game? Then Hanuman had to go and bring the mountain back with the herbs [?] hill and come and bring the herbs back and give those. Then who’s Hanuman?” “I was Hanuman.” “Okay, then go and bring the hill.” And the boy comes bring the herbs then make the medicine, give the medicine to Him and give Him medicine. He is open His eyes, come awake again. It’s serious play. He’s not leaving His mom says, “Come on, time for dinner.” No, He’s not going till the games finished. So, this kind of play. This is Nityananda Prabhu’s playing. Such an extraordinary boy and everybody loved Him so much.

#00:10:07#

Not least of all His mother and father, they were completely devoted to Him. But one day when He was just twelve-year-old and that day one sannyasi came to their village and stayed in the house of Hadai Pandit and Padmavati Devi. Some people say that sannyasi was Madhavendra Puri. It is not explicitly told anywhere that but Guru Maharaj think—it was Madhavendra Puri. But anyway, that sannyasi told to Hadai Pandit and Padmavati Devi, “I’m going to many holy places and I need one assistant and this boy would be my perfect assistant. Twelve-year-old boy and very wonderful qualities. You please give this boy to me and to be my assistant.” Of course, they love this boy Nitai more than they love their own life. They could not think of living without Him. But then in those days religion was very strong and they are also perfect devotees. And some sannyasi will ask anything of you, even will ask your life, you cannot refuse that. Nowadays some sannyasi will ask for your son—you’ll call social services, probably the police or something. But then there was no thinking like that, everyone very high-minded. Then they knew, “We cannot refuse this although it will be like a death to us. We cannot refuse his request.”

#00:11:58#

And so, they gave their Nityananda Prabhu, they gave Him to the sannyasi. And Nityananda Prabhu left with that sannyasi and Hadai Pandit become like half mad after losing his son. And Nityananda Prabhu went happily, went with that sannyasi. If it were Madhavendra Puri or not at some point, He met Madhavendra Puri and considered Madhavendra Puri to be His eternal Gurudev and surrendered at his lotus feet, became servant of Madhavendra Puri until that sannyasi, until that Madhavendra Puri passed away. And Nityananda Prabhu goings everywhere around the India to all the holy tirthas. Like Baladev in the time of Krishna-lila. Baladev is also went on that tirtha-yatra, all the holy places. Nityananda Prabhu also doing that and with that sannyasi. But after that sannyasi passed away then He thought, “Now I will go to Vrindavan to find Krishna.”

#00:13:13#

He is all not thinking anything, He’s always only thinking Himself as Baladev, He’s not has no other ego, other than that He’s thinking Himself as Baladev, “I’m going to Vrindavan, I’m searching everywhere but cannot find Krishna there.” Then someone, some braja-basi told Him, “No, actually now Krishna has appeared in Nabadwip. And as the son of mother Sachi Krishna has appeared.” And Nityananda Prabhu thought, “Then now I will go to Nabadwip and find out Nimai Pandit and surrendered His lotus feet.” Then began His journey from Vrindavan to Nabadwip.

#00:14:03#

Then in the night Mahaprabhu Chaitanyadev with His associates doing kirtan and talking Hari-katha. And in the morning Mahaprabhu told His followers, “Last night I had a wonderful, very wonderful and mystical dream. In that dream this great personality came to Nabadwip in a big chariot. And that chariot with a flag with the palm tree on. He is not any ordinary person. You please go and find Him, I want to meet Him.” Then all the devotees went looking for that person as described by Mahaprabhu. And meantime Nityananda Prabhu arrived and staying at the house of Nandan Acharya but told Nandan Acharya, “Not, not to tell anyone, I want to see what will Krishna do.” And everyone looking, looking, looking but finally they came back and they’re thinking, “Oh, must have just been a dream because we could not find anyone as You mentioned.”

#00:15:15#

Mahaprabhu smiling told, “Oh, it is not a dream, not just a dream, it is real. And that person [is] not an ordinary person. We must find Him. Then I will find Him.” Then without even a second thought, immediately Lord Chaitanya proceeded to Nandan Acharya bhavan, a home of Nandan Acharya, and with the devotees following Him and as they approached, they saw this holy figure, very tall and broad and beautiful. And we are told wearing the red cloth like a sadhu. Then when that Nityananda Prabhu saw Lord Chaitanya and Lord Chaitanya saw Him, and immediately Nityananda Prabhu fainted. Then Mahaprabhu when He regained consciousness, Mahaprabhu ran to Him and embraced Him. And then They both fainted and again They woke and again embraced each other. And with so many tears and crying, “Krishna, Krishna, Krishna,” and again becoming unconscious, again awakening. And this incredible scene, all the devotees watching this incredible scene as Nityananda Prabhu and Mahaprabhu met each other ostensibly for the first time.

#00:16:49#

Then Mahaprabhu thought, Nityananda Prabhu crying and telling, “Oh, my Lord, I find You. You now, You please save me.” And Mahaprabhu overjoyed, overwhelmed with happiness. [He] told to Nityananda Prabhu, “Now We will begin Our sankirtan mission.” And then very next day in the, in an extensive way He began preaching. There in that assembly of devotees Haridas Thakur also there. Haridas Thakur already a great preacher of Krishna consciousness. And much senior to Chaitanyadev. Maybe fifty years senior to Chaitanya, Lord Chaitanya. And beloved of Lord Chaitanya and Lord Chaitanya told Haridas, “You and Nityananda Prabhu, you go and knock on the door of every householder.”

#00:18:05#

And sometimes the devotees say, “Oh, we just want to preach, we want to preach.” And Mahaprabhu told, showed how to preach. Nityananda Prabhu and Haidas go door to door and ask everyone, with the straw between your teeth ask everyone to lead a holy life and chant the Name of Krishna. And this they did. And so much success they’ve been getting just by going door to door. And Nityananda Prabhu, He would roll on the floor and beg them, “Please, take the Name of Mahaprabhu, accept Mahaprabhu as your life and soul and chant this Krishna-nam—Hare Krishna maha-mantra. I am will be your slave.”

#00:18:54#

And so much success they had with the good people of Nabadwip. But then they came across the infamous Jagai and Madhai. As their names were Jagadananda and Madhavananda. They were both brahmins by birth. But it’d become terrible devotees. They were infamous in the area and they, they had some position working in the Muslim government to oversee that area as like, I don’t know, like kind of police officers in the way they were, they were maintaining the status quo in that particular area. Near to the ghat where people would cross the river and take the toll and so on. But they were and they managed to do that because people were absolutely terrified of them. They were rogues to the utmost degree. They were always intoxicated, drinking wine and eating meat and robbing people. Anything you can imagine they did—murder, rape—everything they did. And everyone was completely terrified of them.

#00:20:20#

And Nityananda Prabhu and Haridas came upon them. And Nityananda Prabhu said, “Oh, if we can convert these two then really Lord Chaitanya’s fame will be so great. If these two can be converted then people will say, ‘Oh, He has some real power.’ If these two can be converted.” And Haridas is a little bit more reluctant. And he’s telling Nityananda Prabhu, “That’s okay for You to say, You’re young and strong. And if they come to attack You can run away easily but I’m an old man and I can’t run so, so fast if they get me, I’ll be finished. I don’t think we should... I think we should leave them. We’ve got the whole world, we can preach to… we don’t need to preach to those two.” But Nityananda Prabhu saying, “No, their cause is the greatest if we can save them. Then for the pratishtha of our Lord Mahaprabhu this will be so great if we can do that.”

#00:21:26#

So Haridas Thakur: “Okay, then I’ll just stand a little back and You can, You can talk to them.” So Nityananda Prabhu with the straw between His teeth and folded palms He approached them and they were completely intoxicated. And they said, “Get out of here. Why you’re coming preaching religion to us? And this new kind of religion, we don’t care about that. And if you’ve come here again, we’ll give you a good pasting, teach you a good lesson.” And then they began to chase them. And Nityananda Prabhu and Haridas, they managed to escape because they were drunk, they couldn’t run very, you know, couldn’t even walk in a straight line or to speak of run very fast. So Haridas and Nityananda Prabhu, they managed to escape that day and each night they’re going back and reporting their progress preaching progress to the Lord Chaitanya. And then Haridas told, “Oh, You can imagine, this a bunch of, pair of robbers that we met today. And Nityananda Prabhu very enthusiastic to preach to them and I told, I said, ‘They’re gonna try and beat us,’ but He said, ‘No, it is okay, that we’ll be okay.’ And somehow or another we managed to escape with our life but I don’t think again I will live if we have to preach to them.” And Nityananda Prabhu said, “I want to show the world how powerful is Your preaching. Then if I can convert them, if I can give them Krishna-prema, then we will, the world will see what kind of potency You have. Then again, I will go to them tomorrow.”

#00:23:23#

And Mahapraphu approved and told Haridas, “You also go with Him, you will be okay.” So next day again they came and Jagai and Madhai again drunk and very angry: “Oh, again you come already. We told you, sadhus, not to come here and now we will teach you a good lesson.” And that Jagai took the one clay wine pot and threw it on to Nityananda Prabhu’s head, smashed on Nityananda Prabhu’s head and blood coming from His head. And Nityananda Prabhu was saying, “Yes, again you can hit Me. It’s okay but just take Krishna’s Name. And hit Me many times but take Krishna’s Name. Everything will be okay.” And Haridas already gone. And some—maybe through Haridas Thakur or someone else—some news came to Mahaprabhu Chaitanyadev that they have struck Nityananda Prabhu with the wine pot. Then Mahaprabhu become so angry and immediately came to that place. “Who has struck My Nitai? Tell Me now or I will finish the whole place. Everyone will finish,” and He’s calling, “Chakra! Chakra! Chakra!” And His Sudarshan-chakra coming. And everyone can see that Sudarshan-weapon, Narayan’s weapon, the Sudarshan-chakra.

#00:25:00#

And He’s ready to finish them all and Nityananda Prabhu taking His lotus feet, told, “No, this is not Dwapara-yuga, my Lord, You cannot use this weapon in this Kali-yuga. In the Kali-yuga this… Your weapon is Hare Krishna maha-mantra, not that Sudarshan-chakra, put down the Sudarshan-chakra. Not, not through violence but through love You all defeat everyone in this Kali age.” And Mahaprabhu come a little pacified. “But I want, I must give punishment to them. They have struck My devotee, My Nitai and ask for punishment to them.” Then Nityananda Prabhu said, “But Madhai, he’s actually, he saved Me because after striking by Jagai, he wants to again hit Me. And then Madhai took his hand and said, ‘Why? They are just foolish sadhu-sannyasi. Not necessary to beat them again, leave Him now.’” And then Mahaprabhu will saw: “Oh, Madhai, you save My Nityananda Prabhu, you saved Him.” Then give embrace to Madhai and then Madhai become overwhelmed with by that embrace with Krishna-prema. And only coming from his mouse ‘Krishna’ and ‘Krishna, Krishna,’ tears flowing from his eyes. And all symptoms astika-satvika-bhava, eight kind of symptoms of ecstasy on his body, and rolling on the ground. And then when Jagai saw that, this change in Madhai and he also wanted that and falling at the feet of Mahaprabhu: “Oh, save me, my Lord, save me.” But Mahaprabhu said, “No, you have offended Nityananda Prabhu. I cannot save you. But if Nityananda Prabhu accepts you then I will save you.” Then Jagai taking the feet of Nityananda Prabhu and praying for His mercy. Nityananda Prabhu embraced him.

#00:27:15#

Then Mahaprabhu also embraced him. And he also like Madhai became overwhelmed with ecstatic love of Godhead. And then Mahaprabhu said, “You will never again you do, what you did before and with a holy life you will take the Name of Krishna.” And they promised: “Never. I will never do that again.”

#00:27:39#

Bhaktivinod Thakur is written about this incident: “We are so unfortunate that even Jagai and Madhai, they were the worst robbers, the worst offenders. When they never again for a moment return to their material life after receiving the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu and Mahaprabhu. But we are so unfortunate that our tendency even after being given so much mercy from Guru and Krishna, our tendency is still to go back to the Maya.” And that is… Bhaktivinod Thakur says, “I’m grateful ungrateful nature.” We call that, you know, biting the hand that feeds you. Like the wild animal—when you try to give some food to it may be very likely it will bite your hand while you try to feed it. Our unfortunate nature is like that although our… the Guru and Vaishnava, they are not different from Gaura-Nityananda and they have given grace so much, grace to us. Our ungrateful nature means we always want looking back, looking over our shoulder.

#00:29:02#

Srila Sridhar Maharaj used to say, “You cannot cut a return ticket to Vrindavan. You can only go on a one-way ticket.” But we’re always making some arrangement, you know, keeping the back door open. So, in case it doesn’t work out I’ve got an escape route planned. So, I can go back to my old life. So, this is ungrateful. So, we are not we are to be more like Jagai and Madhai in as much as they were never ungrateful and never again went back to that self-centered life, that self-indulgent life. Then they stayed in that place and that… when we go on Nabadwip parikram and we going there it’s called Madhai-ghat. And in the Madhai-ghat there they used to serve the Vaishnavas clean the road there by the ghat, and make some provisions of the Vaishnavas could cross there, and they spent the rest of their life serving Gauranga and Nityananda Prabhu by serving the Vaishnavas.

#00:30:12#

But after the conversion of Jagai and Madhai Mahaprabhu’s fame became so great by the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu. So many times, we heard from Srila Govinda Maharaj: if you take shelter of the lotus feet of Nityananda Prabhu then you will get everything.

#00:30:33#

Even Mahaprabhu, Mahaprabhu is a Maha-vadanya-avatar, the most magnanimous manifestation of the Lord, [He] is Krishna, Reality the Beautiful. But overwhelmed with feeling of compassion, overwhelmed with feeling of audarya, [it] is called audarya, Krishna’s lila [is] sweetly, [this] lila is called madhurya-lila. And the distribution of that lila that is called audarya-lila. The distribution of Krishna-lila, of Krishna-prema is audarya-lila. So Mahaprabhu is come not only is the inaugurator of the Nama-sankirtan which is the yuga-dharma but within that He is giving Krishna-prema, distributing Krishna-prema, the highest goal of life. Distributing that like water. That’s why Krishna Das Kaviraj in his prayer to Mahaprabhu Chaitanyadev, there he says:

#00:31:39#

anarpita-charīṁ chirāt karuṇayāvatīrṇaḥ kalua
samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasāṁ sva-bhakti-śriyam…[11]

Anarpita-charīṁ chirāt. That means come to give what has never been given before. So, this is Mahaprabhu Chaitanyadev come to give Krishna-prema. But even He has some restriction. Because He accepted the dress of the sannyasi and never crossing the religion of the sannyasi. Then some people—He cannot accept who were offenders, He will not accept them. He will not accept, Nityananda Prabhu accepted them. Not only that, not only Nityananda Prabhu accepting those that Mahaprabhu won’t accept. Nityananda Prabhu also chasing those who don’t want to come to the lotus feet of Mahaprabhu. Those who don’t want to take Krishna-prema, He is chasing them and forcing them to take it: “You must take it. Falling at Their feet I will be your slave if you take it.”

#00:32:46#

This way. And all of the great devotees, they are considering themselves the recipients of the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu—Krishna Das Kaviraj, Vrindavan Das Thakur, Raghunath Das Goswami.

#00:33:04#

Raghunath Das Goswami, he was, you can say, like a prince, so wealthy. He was so wealthy. His father was a millionaire; his uncle also was a millionaire. And he was the oldest son of that family. And his father and his uncle, they both want to give all their wealth to him, very qualified young man. But he’s not interested in money or anything like that, he only wants to service of Mahaprabhu. And showing inclination towards that so much so that. His father is afraid that: “He’ll run away to join Chaitanyadev.” Then his father keeping bodyguards, twelve bodyguards watching him all the time—strong bodyguards, wrestlers, fighters. They are watching him all the time. Then whatever he does, he cannot get the opportunity to join Chaitanyadev Mahaprabhu. But he doesn’t want anything else.

#00:34:09#

He’s not even live, he won’t even live in the house of his father. He’s living in the courtyard of his father’s house, outside. So much he does—his disinterest for material things. Then anyway one day the news came: Nityananda Prabhu has come nearby to Panihati. Panihati maybe ten miles from there, from his father’s house. Then he managed to persuade his father: “I want to go and worship Nityananda Prabhu’s feet. Will you allow it?” And his father said, “If you promised me you would not run away then I allow and you can take the guards can go with you and you can go.” Then he went and Nityananda Prabhu come there to Panihati with maybe one thousand disciples, followers. Then when He saw Raghunath Das approaching from the distance, seeing him, He stood up and said, “Oh, Raghunath, today I’m going to give punishment to you.” And Raghunath said, “Oh, yes, my Lord, what punishment You will give, please give me that punishment.” Then Nityananda Prabhu said, “First if you can, first of all satisfy Me and all of My followers by giving making some Mahotsav, some festival, and feeding the Vaishnavas.” And Raghunath Das overjoyed because he’s very rich, much money at his disposal than within one hour he made a great big Mahotsav. That is called the Dadhi-chhira-mahotsav, the yogurt and flat rice. He bought so much yogurt and flat rice and rasagulla and gulabha, [he] had made a huge feast for Nityananda Prabhu and a thousand followers.

#00:36:10#

And with his own hands served everybody there and not only that every, everyone that was there. He also gave money to them, some pranami to them. Every, every person who was attending at that festival—he gave. And Nityananda Prabhu so happy with him. Then He told, “Now come and receive your punishment.” And Raghunath Das bowed down before Lord Nityananda Prabhu and Lord Nityananda put His two lotus feet on Raghunath Das head. And told him, “Now you return home and very soon you will get opportunity to join with Mahaprabhu. All obstacles, material obstacles, they will go and you will get chance to come to the lotus feet of Mahaprabhu.” And it was so. And Raghunath Das Goswami after that composed that verse:

#00:37:10#

nāma-śreṣṭhaṁ manum api śachī-putram atra svarūpaṁ
rūpaṁ tasyāgrajam uru-purīṁ māthurīṁ goṣṭavāṭīm
rādhā-kuṇḍaṁ giri-varam aho rādhikā-mādhavāśāṁ
prāpto yasya prathita-kṛpayā śrī guruṁ taṁ nato ’smi

“By the grace of Nityananda Prabhu I’ve received the Holy Name.”

#00:37:35#

nāma-śreṣṭhaṁ manum api śachī-putram…

“And the service of the son of Sachi Devi.”

#00:37:42#

…rūpaṁ tasyāgrajam…

“The association of Rupa Goswami.”

“The holy abode of Mathura and Vrindavan. The place of the highest lila of Krishna in Govardhan. And the most dear place of Krishna’s affection—Radha-kunda. And one day the chance that one day I may be accepted into the serving circle of Radha and Govinda. All of these things I’ve got by the grace of my Gurudev, Sri Nityananda Prabhu.”

#00:38:23#

And Raghunath Das came to Vrindavan and stayed in Vrindavan. And there finally his father sending money to him from his maintenance all the time but he’s living. He is not using that money for himself, where all that money coming to him. He’s everyday making a big festival for the Vaishnavas and feeding them. And he himself just to eat making some roti with some chapati and offering that to the Lord. And the Lord telling in his dream, told him, “Yes, I like that chapati but at least put some salt. [It’s] nice inside a little salt.” That [he] is giving some salt there. But finally, he’s thinking: “Mahaprabhu will not be happy that I am accepting this money always from my father.” Then he’d stopped not to take that anymore. And then he’s also thinking: “This is so much.” How renounced Raghunath Das, he is thinking: “Yes, I’m only eating chapati and offering to Krishna every day but I am offering for Krishna’s pleasure or my own sense gratification.” This means a dry chapati. So, he thought, “No, I’m going to stop eating that. That’s just like too much overindulgent.” And then after that what was his food? When the temple would leave the leftover prasadam then no one will take they’re putting in the field and the cows are coming to eat that. And then when it goes and rancid and the cows will turn up their nose and won’t touch that then Raghunath Das taking that and washing that and that eating that. Srila Govinda Maharaj says, “Anyone will try and do that they must die.” Impossible that anyone can do that but he can do that—Raghunath Das Goswami. And Raghunath Das Goswami considered as the prayojana-acharya, he [is] acharya of our highest attainment. But before getting the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu he could not do anything, he not goes anywhere.

#00:40:36#

But after receiving the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu then some possibility came to him for the service of Mahaprabhu. So, this is very instructive to us who do not worship the lotus feet of Nityananda Prabhu—they cannot get the service mercy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. And without the mercy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu no question of worshiping Radha and Govinda. In fact, Vrindavan Das Thakur, he is written in Chaitanya Bhagavat: “Who worships Radha and Krishna but ignore the lotus feet of Gaura-Nityananda they create only evil in the world.” A very heavy statement, very heavy statement. Extremely heavy. I’ve told these many times before but we saw: Srila Govinda Maharaj when some of our devotees came from South Africa, they’re mostly our mission in South Africa, mostly the devotees are all Indian origin. No white people at all practically. So, then they’re telling, “Maharaj,” about their preaching, “Yeah, we’re having these big pandal programs for Janmashtami and Rama-navami. And, you know, big thousands of people are coming.” [Srila Govinda Maharaj said,] “Oh, yeah, that’s very good.” They said, “So, and we are telling everyone about Krishna, about Gita and about Rama and so on but we’re not telling anyone about Lord Chaitanya because they don’t know who is Lord Chaitanya. Most people, most Indian people don’t know Lord Chaitanya. Then we are not telling about Them [Nitai-Gaura] but we’re telling about Krishna and Rama and very successful preaching.” And Govinda Maharaj said, “I can never support that, never. We are preachers of Mahaprabhu’s conception, Nityananda Prabhu’s conception.”

#00:42:35#

“And you have to educate them who is Lord Chaitanya, who is Nityananda Prabhu. Because without that then what is the use of your worship of Krishna, without the lotus feet of Mahaprabhu. Actually, it’s only imagination. That kind of worship is imaginary worship. Radha and Krishna there in Goloka Vrindavan and They are unassailable by the mundane effort. But Nityananda Prabhu and Mahaprabhu, They are not considering any offense and They are accepting whoever wants to try and worship Krishna in any small way. If it is directed through Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu, They are accepting that.”

#00:43:21#

And Nityananda Prabhu especially merciful to the fallen souls, Patita-pavan Nityananda Prabhu so merciful to the fallen souls. And His disciples, His followers even more merciful than Him. Then Vrindavan Das Thakur—his nature very heavy, Krishna Das Kaviraj—very gentle nature. You can tell from his writing, in Chaitanya-charitamritam. And Vrindavan Das Thakur very heavy and strong and there he is said, “Who do not accept the lotus feet of Nityananda Prabhu then I kick in their face with my left foot.” And then someone will say, “Oh, that’s not very tṛṇād api sunīcena, that’s not very humble or tolerant or giving honor to others—that he will kick in their face with his left foot. What is that?”

#00:44:16#

But Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, he was given explanation about that. That just like the naughty son, you can say, if the naughty son will make some offense. You know, I was on the bus one time with the [unclear] friend and his boy’s name was Prahlad. And he was maybe five-six years old that time. And the man sitting on the, on the bus behind him, he’s standing on the seat and he’s saying to the man behind him, “You’re a filthy karmi, you’re a filthy meat eating karmi, you’re just the demon.” And this way insulting the, the man. I don’t think the man understood what he was saying but nevertheless his father had to say to him, “Please, you excuse my son, don’t be, don’t be angry with him. He’s a naughty boy.”

#00:45:15#

So, in the same way Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, he’s saying, “This way Vrindavan Das Thakur purposely making offense to those people. So, the Nityananda Prabhu must come and give His grace to them: ‘Oh, don’t, don’t be angry with My disciple. He said, he will kick your head. Now that gives take this Krishna-prema and recompense for that.’” So, this way, merciful way.

#00:45:42#

And so many is told one of Nityananda Prabhu’s followers—Abhiram Thakur—he used to carry a bullwhip with him. And whenever he would see anyone who is not favorable to the lotus feet of Nityananda Prabhu he’ll give him lash of the bullwhip. But the that bullwhip whenever it would strike anybody instead of them yelling in pain, they were, you know, “Krishna, Krishna,” and become overwhelmed with Krishna-prema from his, the lash of his whip.

#00:46:22#

So, we are worshipers of that whip, we want, we want the lash of that whip. Because Krishna’s mercy sometimes come in all kinds of ways. And sometimes chastisement is even preferable to some flattery or something. One of our God-sisters, she snuck into the Jagannath temple one time, she was with Anuradha [Didi], Guru Maharaj’s, secretary of Guru Maharaj what the wife of Guru Maharaj’s secretary. But she’s from Sri Lanka. So, she has an Indian body. So, she went into the Jagannath temple, she told little unfair really, she told that girl, “I’m going to take darshan of Lord Jagannath. You wait here.” And she [unclear] wait. That girl was thinking, “I also want to take darshan of Lord Jagannath. Why I can’t take—just because I have a white body? Why it was very unfair?” Then she made a plan and she pulled her sari right over her head and she crouched over like an old lady and she snuck into there, she snuck into the temple and came in. And just that time they’re [pandas] doing one of the bhoga offerings to Lord Jagannath and she’s coming and looking to seeing Jagannath and suddenly someone spotted her. They’re very strictly there, they don’t let anyone. Even when Gandhi came with his Harijans, they wouldn’t let them in also. Even there’s one, there was one very famous devotee used to go everywhere with the, with the sandals of his Guru on his chest. And when he came, they said, “Oh, hold it. You can come in but you’ve got to take those sandals off,” they said. “No, these are my Guru sandals, they are worshipable.” “They may be worshipable to you, they’re sandals to us. Okay? They’re not coming in.” So, you know, they’re very strict and what to speak of people who are not born in India, they’re not, not allowed in at all.

#00:48:30#

So, she can’t but she came in. But in fact, she… this is an [unclear] to that Srila Govinda Maharaj said, “Within ten years they’ll start allowing westerners in for money, they’ll allow it.” But anyway, but that time they didn’t and today still they don’t allow. But she went in and they and they’re making the offering and suddenly this cry, “Come up! Gori! Gori!” She’s like white. It’s a white girl. Someone saw her: white girl. And they have guards and the guards carry big lattice and they all come piling in capture her. Then Anuradha there and she’s understood immediately, “Oh, my God, she’s come in.” Then she saw making the offering the head pandas, there the head priest and she knew him a little bit. And she ran to him, grabbing his feet, she said, “Don’t let them beat her because they would have beat her badly, beat her. And please, she doesn’t know, she didn’t, you know, she just wanted to see Lord Jagannath. Be merciful.” And they, they threw her out physically, rejected her would without any beating. And also, the whole offering that was being made they threw that all, all out also. They considered it was contaminated. Like if the, if the dog sees the offering, you’re not allowed to offer that anymore, it’s not considered is spoiled. So, they are thinking, “She’s like a dog.” Then they cannot make the offering. So anyway, she was rejected.

#00:50:10#

Then, then a few days later they came back to Nabadwip and Anuradha telling Guru Maharaj that story and Guru Maharaj was very unhappy. Then he said to her, that girl, “You know that Rupa and Sanatan never went in the temple of Lord Jagannath because they were, although they were brahmins by birth, because they worked in the Muslim government and they had also adopted Muslim names Dabir Khas and Sakar Malik.”

#00:50:38#

And they considered themselves too much fallen. And when they would come to see Mahaprabhu every day there were two routes. There’s one route you can go in the afternoon they would come to see Mahaprabhu at lunchtime. And that route there’s one the shaded route goes past the homes of the pandas. And the other route is you have to walk along the beach. If you’ve ever been in Puri in the middle of the day you can’t walk on the beach (well, I can’t) because your feet will blister from the heat of the sand. But they’re taking that route, their thinking is: “If we walk the route where the pandas live maybe our shadow might touch them and they’ll become contaminated, they’ll have to bathe and to be free or we don’t want to make offence.” Like that.

#51:29:00#

Mahaprabhu knew that but He never told them, “Oh, don’t be silly.” He was very happy. And then not only that Guru Maharaj told, not only that Haridas Thakur, the Nama-acharya, he never went in the temple of Lord Jagannath. But Mahaprabhu gave the first offering always to him for our greatest honor, always to him Nama-acharya Haridas Thakur, because Haridas Thakur was born in Muslim family. Sad but and Mahaprabhu is Jagannath then He could have changed everything if He wanted to, He could have told them, “Let, Haridas, come.” But He didn’t do that.

#52:07:00#

“So Rupa and Sanatan didn’t enter there, Haridas Thakur did not enter there but you think you can enter there,” he told her. Then he said, “And when they can, then when those guards came to beat you. If you’d have taken that beating, then you’d have got Lord Jagannath mercy. But you avoided that beating. So, you did not get mercy.”

#52:32:00#

It is a little beside the point but the meaning is that. Sometimes that’s more relishable to the devotee to get the punishment of their Lord. Rather than especially always more than indifference of their Lord, their Master, will be indifferent to them that is intolerable. Rather we will get the stick than to be indifferent because that means He’s taking some care for our welfare. He’s thinking about our welfare in different means whatever do on your life.

#53:10:00#

We saw that with Guru Maharaj so many people would come to Guru Maharaj with some plan. Somebody, they had some idea and many times the Guru Maharaj’s reply to us, “As you like. So, you may do.” Then they would come out and: “Guru Maharaj just give me a direct order. I have to do this to go and open a hostel for hippies in Sri Lanka because Guru Maharaj’s direct order to me.”

#00:53:35#

But that was an actual case. But we didn’t want that. That was the worst thing, you know, if Guru Maharaj said, “As you like so you may do.” No, we wanted: “No, you should not do that, you must do this,” because that meant that Guru Maharaj was caring about us for our welfare. So many would come. Guru Maharaj can see who is sincere, who is not sincere.

#54:00:00#

Mahaprabhu Himself praying like that: “You can embrace me or You can trample me under Your feet. Or You can be completely indifferent to me. But still You are my Lord unconditionally birth after birth.” But that indifference that is the worst thing.

#54:19:00#

We prefer the punishment, we want the left foot of Vrindavan Das Thakur kicking our head, we want the bullwhip of Abhiram Thakur slashing us. We want that. If that will give us Krishna-prema, that will give us real devotion—we want that. We would rather that than indifferent. “Then as you like so you may do.” Would rather that.

#54:48:00#

Really and Nityananda Prabhu so much giving so much mercy. When Mahaprabhu sent Nityananda Prabhu to Bengal, when He was staying in Puri, after sannyasi stayed in Puri, and sent Nityananda Prabhu: “You go and preach in Bengal.” Nityananda Prabhu, Guru Maharaj said, is not certain whether He was a sannyasi formerly if He’d taken sannyas or brahmachari. We think, brahmachari because Nityananda is a brahmachari name, [it’s] not a sannyasi name.

#00:55:24#

But nevertheless, when He returned to Bengal Mahaprabhu told to Him to marry. And Nityananda Prabhu married the two daughters of the brother of Gauridas Pandit. Gauridas Pandit’s brother, he has two daughters—Vishudha Devi and Jahnava Devi. And Nityananda Prabhu married both of them. And Vishudha Devi had one son—Virachandra. And Virachandra was initiated by Jahnava Devi. And after Nityananda Prabhu and Mahaprabhu disappeared then Jahnava Devi became the leader of our sampradaya. She was worshiped by Srinivas Acharya, Shyamananda Prabhu and the other great Vaishnavas of that time, Narottam Das Thakur—worshiped by them at Kheturi-gram. And she was a Guru and initiated many disciples including Virachandra, the son of Nityananda Prabhu. Although she never had any children herself. She was considered the greatest Vaishnava at her time. And the wife of Nityananda Prabhu and she also disappeared in Vrindavan. [It’s] very miraculous story. And Banke-Bihari mandir in Vrindavan. Banke-Bihari mandir maybe [is] the most popular temple in all of Vrindavan.

#00:57:02#

But always there when they joined the arati, they are every few minutes, they draw the curtains and then they open the curtains and then they draw the curtains and they open the curtains and the reason is because sometimes Banke-Bihari running away from the altar. Then in her last years when Jahnava Devi was an old lady, she is standing in the, in the Banke-Bihari temple during the arati in the back there, and during the arati Banke-Bihari run off the altar. And ran to Jahnava Devi and lifted her up in His arms and ran back onto the altar. And then He put her down and He Himself closed the door on the altar. And when they [servants] opened the altar door and gained, the priest open the altar again—He is standing alone and Jahnava Devi gone. That was how she left the world, very miraculous extraordinary.

#00:58:02#

And Nityananda Prabhu, Nityananda Prabhu is the reality, He’s not a myth or a fairy tale, substantially He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. And by worshiping Nityananda Prabhu, by showing some aptitude or some feeling towards Mahaprabhu, towards Chaitanyadev, towards His preaching, towards His life. Then Nityananda Prabhu will bless you so much, unlimitedly He will bless you. And with the blessings of Nityananda Prabhu you’ll get the grace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and with the grace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu the prospect is there that one day you will be able to enter into the serving circle of Radha and Govinda in Vrindavan, Goloka Vrindavan.

#00:58:53#

This is the method, this is the religion of this age—Harinam-sankirtan Mahaprabhu. And Nityananda Prabhu spread this Harinam-sankirtan all over the world. Without Harinam-sankirtan we are finished, we are lost. There is no other religious principle in this Kali-yuga. In this age only by the chanting of the Holy Name of Krishna. And even the japa, chanting of japa Guru Maharaj said, “This is feeble, that japa is feeble.”

#00:59:26#

But sankirtan when we chant together—such a vibration, congregational vibration, that come pierce the coverings of this universe and reach the lotus feet of Krishna. It is possible. It is the religion of this age. Never neglects that, never think it to be useless or worthless, it is everything. Harinam-sankirtan—it is the yuga-dharma. We are to sacrifice our self in the fire of Harinam-sankirtan by chanting together the Holy Names of Krishna, not to stay at home and with your karatals and chanting. Come together with the Vaishnavas and together chant Harinam. And with that chanting of Harinam we will get the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu and Mahaprabhu. And we also will be allowed entrance into the serving circle of Radha and Govinda in Vrindavan.

#01:00:26#

This is the truth, this is the promise that our Gurudev is made to us. We believe it and we know it to be the greatest thing, nothing else of any value in this or any other world.

Jai Patita-pavan Nityananda Prabhu ki jai!

Jai Padmavati Devi, Hadai Pandit Prabhu ki jai!

Nityananda avirbhav maha-mahotsav ki jai!

Harinama-sankirtan ki jai!

Nitai-Gaura premanande Haribol!

Captured by Ananta Krishna Das
Edited by Tradish Das




1  “I bow down to the beautiful lotus feet of my spiritual master, by whose causeless mercy I have obtained the supreme Holy Name, the divine mantra, the service of the son of Sachi-mata [Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu], the association of Srila Swarupa Damodara, Rupa Goswami, and his older brother Sanatana Goswami, the supreme abode of Mathura, the blissful abode of Vrindavana, the divine Radha-kunda and Govardhan Hill, and the desire within my heart for the loving service of Sri Radhika and Madhava in Vrindavan” (Srila Raghunatha Dasa Goswami. Sri Mukta-charitam).

2  “I bow my head in eternal obeisance to my Gurudeva, the best of Acharyas, Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj. He is the ever vigilant, stalwart guardian of the current of pure devotion whose highest form flows from our most worshipable Sri Rupanuga Guru-varga in their exclusive dedication to Mahabhava, Srimati Radharani.”

3  “I offer my respectful obeisances to Swami Bhakti Nirmal Acharya, who is energetically inspiring all of the Eastern and Western disciples on the path of pure devotion”.

4  “His Guru’s most cherished wishes, he’s truly fulfilling, adorned with his Guru-varga’s affectionate blessing. In knowledge both conceivable and inconceivable, His expertise illumines the ontological whole. He’s the foremost follower of Sri Rupa’s divine aim, Sri Bhakti Sundar Govinda is his celebrated name. His beautiful figure stands out, clean, clear and effulgent, devotionally endowed with transcendent sentiment. I worship him, the world-wide Guru from high above, the empowered bestower of the seed of Divine Love.”

5  “I fall at the feet of Srila Sridhar-Deva, who with charming expression sings his songs of sweet nectar. Dressed with fine garments like sun newly-risen, he’s the true saint the devotees have chosen. His detachment and knowledge are just like an ocean, the treasure-house of complete, perfect conclusion. Radiant in Pastimes of loving devotion, the abode of pure ecstasy, bestower of good fortune; foremost true follower of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, foremost great general of the whole renounced order, my lord and my master, my only shelter, I worship his feet, Srila Sridhar-Deva.”

6  “With his first step, he vigorously cut asunder the whole plane of exploitation, and with his second, he put a stop to all the calculations of the different scholars with their different conceptions of salvation, liberated stages. With his third step, he minimized the hardness and stiffness of the rules and regulations of calculative devotional service, by a touch of the Divine Love: crossing Vaikuntha, he gave us the worship of Sri Sri Radha and Govinda.”

ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATION: “The message of Sri Bhakti Siddhanta demolishes the illusion of the entire world, finishes the intellectual’s mad pursuit of liberation, properly adjusts scriptural regulations, and is an abode of loving attachment for Sri Radha’s Lord. May that message play within our hearts eternally.”

7  “I eternally offer my obeisance unto You, Sri Krishna Chaitanya, the supremely merciful, golden form of Sri Krishna, the giver of Krishna-prema” (Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita: Madhya-lila, 19.53).

8  “I eternally offer my respects unto Sri Vrinda Devi, Srimati Tulasi Maharani, who is the dearmost object of Lord Keshava’s affection. I bow down before Satyavati who can bestow pure dedication unto Lord Krishna.”

9  “I bow down unto the holy feet of the pure Vaishnavas, who are like desire trees able to fulfil all the devotees’ aspirations. The Lord’s devotees are comparable to a vast ocean of causeless mercy, as they deliver the fallen souls from material existence. I offer all respects unto them.”

10  “I offer my obeisance unto the deliverer of the distressed, Sri Guru, by whose mercy a mute can speak and a cripple can cross over a mountain” (Bhavartha Dipika).

11  “May the brilliantly golden, beautifully radiant Lord Sri Sachi-nandan Gaurahari always be resplendently manifest in the core of your heart. He has descended in the Age of Kali to distribute the treasure of His own prema—supremely exalted madhura-rasa, which has never before been revealed in this mundane world” (Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita: Adi-lila, 1.4).




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Nityananda Prabhu’s Appearance Day class by Devashis Prabhu given at the London Temple.

“Srila Govinda Maharaj said, ‘...We are preachers of Mahaprabhu’s conception, Nityananda Prabhu’s conception, and you have to educate the people as to who is Lord Chaitanya and who is Nityananda Prabhu, because without that then what is the use of your worship of Krishna? Without the lotus feet of Mahaprabhu actually it is only imagination—that kind of worship is imaginary worship.’”

16 February 2011. London, UK.

 

Лекция на день явления Нитьянанды Прабху, которая дана Девашишем Прабху в лондонском храме.

«Шрила Говинда Махарадж сказал: «...Мы проповедники концепции Махапрабху, концепции Нитьянанды Прабху, и вы должны открыть людям то, кто такой Господь Чайтанья и кто такой Нитьянанда Прабху, поскольку без этого какова польза от вашего поклонения Кришне? На самом деле без лотосных стоп Махапрабху это всего лишь воображение — такого рода поклонение является мнимым».

16 февраля 2011 года. Лондон, Великобритания.


English

Devashis Prabhu

Nityananda Prabhu’s Appearance Day

(16 February 2011. London, UK)

 

nāma-śreṣṭhaṁ manum api śachī-putram atra svarūpaṁ,
rūpaṁ tasyāgrajam uru-purīṁ māthurīṁ goṣṭavāṭīm
rādhā-kuṇḍaṁ giri-varam aho rādhikā-mādhavāśāṁ,
prāpto yasya prathita-kṛpayā śrī guruṁ taṁ nato ’smi[1]

pūjya śrī-guru-varga-vanditamahā-bhāvānvitāyāḥ sadā
paurvā paryya paramparā prachalita prājya pramūrttā kṛteḥ
bhakte nirmala-nirjharasya nibhṛtaṁ saṁrakṣakaṁ sādaraṁ
vande śrī-gurudevam ānata-śirā āchāryya-varyyaṁ nijam[2]

prerakaṁ prāchya-pāścātya-śiṣyāṇāṁ bhakti-vartmani
bhakti-nirmalam-ācārya-svāminaṁ praṇamāmy aham[3]

gurvvābhīṣṭa-supūrakaṁ guru-gaṇair āśīṣa-saṁbhūṣitaṁ
chintyāchintya-samasta-veda-nipuṇaṁ śrī-rūpa-panthānugam
govindābhidham ujjvalaṁ vara-tanuṁ bhakty anvitaṁ sundaraṁ
vande viśva-guruñ cha divya-bhagavat-premṇo hi bīja-pradam[4]

devaṁ divya-tanuṁ suchanda-vadanaṁ-bālārka-chelāñchitaṁ
sāndrānanda-puraṁ sad-eka-varanaṁ vairāgya-vidyāmbudhim
śrī-siddhānta-nidhiṁ subhakti-lasitaṁ sārasvatānām varaṁ
vande taṁ śubhadaṁ mad-eka-śaraṇaṁ nyāsīśvaraṁ śrīdharam[5]

nikhila-bhuvana-māyā-chhinna-vichchhinna-kartrī
vibudha-bahula-mṛgyā-mukti-mohānta-dātrī
śithilita-vidhi-rāgārādhya-rādheśa-dhānī
vilasatu hṛdi nityaṁ bhakti-siddhānta-vāṇī[6]

namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te
kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ[7]

vṛndāyai tulasī-devyai
priyāyai keśavasya cha
kṛṣṇa-bhakti-prade devi
satyavatyai namo namaḥ[8]

vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś cha kṛpā-sindhubhya eva cha
patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ[9]

mukaṁ karoti vāchālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat kṛpā tam aham vande śrī guru dīna-tāraṇam[10]

#00:02:21#

Today is the most wonderful day of all days because today Lord Nityananda Prabhu appeared in this mundane world to free us from the Maya, to liberate us from birth, death, old age and disease. But more than that He came to give us Gauranga-prema, love of Gauranga Mahaprabhu. Nityananda Prabhu is Baladev, Krishna’s older brother in Goloka Vrindavan.

#00:03:04#

And Sachimata, Mahaprabhu’s mother, she saw in a dream—Krishna and Balaram standing on the altar together. And Nityananda Prabhu challenging to Balarama, “Come down from there. Your time is Dvapara-yuga. Now is Kali-yuga, now is the time of My Lord Gauranga. You come down.” And Balaram saying, “No, I’m not go back.” And Balaram and Nityananda Prabhu [are] fighting. And finally, Nityananda Prabhu bringing Balaram down from that altar and bringing Krishna down and putting Gauranga Mahaprabhu there and standing with Gauranga Mahaprabhu. This is Sachimata’s vision.

#00:03:54#

Although They are non-different in Kali-yuga. This Kali-yuga Krishna and Balarama appearing as Gauranga and Nityananda. That is as the givers of Krishna-prema. Mahaprabhu Chaitanyadev coming as combined form of Radha-Govinda and Nityananda Prabhu coming as Baladev.

#00:04:22#

And Baladev is the eternal principle of Gurudev. Sri Gurudev we are seeing always as Baladev, as Nityananda Prabhu. Nityananda Prabhu born on this day, appeared on this day within Gaura-mandala in the Ekachakra Dham. Ekachakra Dham already mentioned as a holy place in Mahabharata. In Mahabharata Ekachakra Dham was the place where the Pancha Pandavas lived in hiding after the house of, the Palace of lack was burned to the ground. And that’s Ekachakra Dham is the village, small village of brahmins. And there, Pancha Pandavas staying there, hiding there from Duryodhana’s accomplices. And that place [is] the place of Nityananda Prabhu’s appearance.

#00:05:36#

So, His mother is Padmavati Devi and father is Haday Pandit. Guru Maharaj told, “Their title was Ojha, but now that title no longer existing on founding. So, the meaning we’re not sure.” But anyway, and Nityananda Prabhu very extraordinary child. Living in that place where incidentally, of course, today the forms of Nityananda and Mahaprabhu have been installed in our Chaitanya Saraswat Math there. If you have seen so beautiful forms of Their Lordships. They’re both like seven feet tall. Which is actually Their original height. Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu about seven feet tall. An original height and so into that original specification They’ve been the Lordships, have been installed today. That festival will now be completed and the devotees happily I’m sure taken prasadam and restingly and that festival going today. And we are thinking very much about that. And in our own small way trying to contribute to that by remembering the lotus feet of Nityananda Prabhu. In that very place, that place now is called Virachandrapur after Nityananda Prabhu son.

#00:07:15#

Then that very place Nityananda Prabhu played as a young child. But His play [is] not like ordinary children’s play, only He’s playing Krishna-lila, always playing Krishna-lila and always thinking Himself as Balarama. And playing and very seriously playing. We heard one time that He is also sometimes playing Rama-lila. And one day [He is] taking the mood of Lakshman. And He’s told everyone they’re part, telling everyone their part. Then one boy he is Rama, one boy he is Hanuman, one boy is Sugriva, like this way. Then struck by the arrow of Indrajit Lakshman become unconscious. So, He’s playing that part and fell unconscious on the floor. And He’s told everyone how the game will go like this. When they’re seeing—Nitai on the ground unconscious, no breathing, no pulse, everything everyone’s thinking, “Something very terrible has happened, very bad.” They can’t wake Him up, no matter what they do, you know, they’re saying, “Come on, you know, we were playing but now this is serious. Wake up, Nitai, wake up!” But He won’t wake up.

#00:08:36#

Then every all the boys, they’re all crying and then some adults will come there to see what’s happening and no one can wake Him, everyone’s thinking, “Maybe He’s dead.” They can’t—no breath, no pulse, no anything: “Maybe He’s dead.” But then one man who is a little bit more enlightened, maybe you can say, he could understand, “Oh, what were you’re playing? Yeah. So, we were playing Rama-lila, like this. Then what happened in the game? He was shot, Lakshman was shot and He lost consciousness. He is Lakshman and He lost consciousness. Then what was the next thing in the game? Then Hanuman had to go and bring the mountain back with the herbs [?] hill and come and bring the herbs back and give those. Then who’s Hanuman?” “I was Hanuman.” “Okay, then go and bring the hill.” And the boy comes bring the herbs then make the medicine, give the medicine to Him and give Him medicine. He is open His eyes, come awake again. It’s serious play. He’s not leaving His mom says, “Come on, time for dinner.” No, He’s not going till the games finished. So, this kind of play. This is Nityananda Prabhu’s playing. Such an extraordinary boy and everybody loved Him so much.

#00:10:07#

Not least of all His mother and father, they were completely devoted to Him. But one day when He was just twelve-year-old and that day one sannyasi came to their village and stayed in the house of Hadai Pandit and Padmavati Devi. Some people say that sannyasi was Madhavendra Puri. It is not explicitly told anywhere that but Guru Maharaj think—it was Madhavendra Puri. But anyway, that sannyasi told to Hadai Pandit and Padmavati Devi, “I’m going to many holy places and I need one assistant and this boy would be my perfect assistant. Twelve-year-old boy and very wonderful qualities. You please give this boy to me and to be my assistant.” Of course, they love this boy Nitai more than they love their own life. They could not think of living without Him. But then in those days religion was very strong and they are also perfect devotees. And some sannyasi will ask anything of you, even will ask your life, you cannot refuse that. Nowadays some sannyasi will ask for your son—you’ll call social services, probably the police or something. But then there was no thinking like that, everyone very high-minded. Then they knew, “We cannot refuse this although it will be like a death to us. We cannot refuse his request.”

#00:11:58#

And so, they gave their Nityananda Prabhu, they gave Him to the sannyasi. And Nityananda Prabhu left with that sannyasi and Hadai Pandit become like half mad after losing his son. And Nityananda Prabhu went happily, went with that sannyasi. If it were Madhavendra Puri or not at some point, He met Madhavendra Puri and considered Madhavendra Puri to be His eternal Gurudev and surrendered at his lotus feet, became servant of Madhavendra Puri until that sannyasi, until that Madhavendra Puri passed away. And Nityananda Prabhu goings everywhere around the India to all the holy tirthas. Like Baladev in the time of Krishna-lila. Baladev is also went on that tirtha-yatra, all the holy places. Nityananda Prabhu also doing that and with that sannyasi. But after that sannyasi passed away then He thought, “Now I will go to Vrindavan to find Krishna.”

#00:13:13#

He is all not thinking anything, He’s always only thinking Himself as Baladev, He’s not has no other ego, other than that He’s thinking Himself as Baladev, “I’m going to Vrindavan, I’m searching everywhere but cannot find Krishna there.” Then someone, some braja-basi told Him, “No, actually now Krishna has appeared in Nabadwip. And as the son of mother Sachi Krishna has appeared.” And Nityananda Prabhu thought, “Then now I will go to Nabadwip and find out Nimai Pandit and surrendered His lotus feet.” Then began His journey from Vrindavan to Nabadwip.

#00:14:03#

Then in the night Mahaprabhu Chaitanyadev with His associates doing kirtan and talking Hari-katha. And in the morning Mahaprabhu told His followers, “Last night I had a wonderful, very wonderful and mystical dream. In that dream this great personality came to Nabadwip in a big chariot. And that chariot with a flag with the palm tree on. He is not any ordinary person. You please go and find Him, I want to meet Him.” Then all the devotees went looking for that person as described by Mahaprabhu. And meantime Nityananda Prabhu arrived and staying at the house of Nandan Acharya but told Nandan Acharya, “Not, not to tell anyone, I want to see what will Krishna do.” And everyone looking, looking, looking but finally they came back and they’re thinking, “Oh, must have just been a dream because we could not find anyone as You mentioned.”

#00:15:15#

Mahaprabhu smiling told, “Oh, it is not a dream, not just a dream, it is real. And that person [is] not an ordinary person. We must find Him. Then I will find Him.” Then without even a second thought, immediately Lord Chaitanya proceeded to Nandan Acharya bhavan, a home of Nandan Acharya, and with the devotees following Him and as they approached, they saw this holy figure, very tall and broad and beautiful. And we are told wearing the red cloth like a sadhu. Then when that Nityananda Prabhu saw Lord Chaitanya and Lord Chaitanya saw Him, and immediately Nityananda Prabhu fainted. Then Mahaprabhu when He regained consciousness, Mahaprabhu ran to Him and embraced Him. And then They both fainted and again They woke and again embraced each other. And with so many tears and crying, “Krishna, Krishna, Krishna,” and again becoming unconscious, again awakening. And this incredible scene, all the devotees watching this incredible scene as Nityananda Prabhu and Mahaprabhu met each other ostensibly for the first time.

#00:16:49#

Then Mahaprabhu thought, Nityananda Prabhu crying and telling, “Oh, my Lord, I find You. You now, You please save me.” And Mahaprabhu overjoyed, overwhelmed with happiness. [He] told to Nityananda Prabhu, “Now We will begin Our sankirtan mission.” And then very next day in the, in an extensive way He began preaching. There in that assembly of devotees Haridas Thakur also there. Haridas Thakur already a great preacher of Krishna consciousness. And much senior to Chaitanyadev. Maybe fifty years senior to Chaitanya, Lord Chaitanya. And beloved of Lord Chaitanya and Lord Chaitanya told Haridas, “You and Nityananda Prabhu, you go and knock on the door of every householder.”

#00:18:05#

And sometimes the devotees say, “Oh, we just want to preach, we want to preach.” And Mahaprabhu told, showed how to preach. Nityananda Prabhu and Haidas go door to door and ask everyone, with the straw between your teeth ask everyone to lead a holy life and chant the Name of Krishna. And this they did. And so much success they’ve been getting just by going door to door. And Nityananda Prabhu, He would roll on the floor and beg them, “Please, take the Name of Mahaprabhu, accept Mahaprabhu as your life and soul and chant this Krishna-nam—Hare Krishna maha-mantra. I am will be your slave.”

#00:18:54#

And so much success they had with the good people of Nabadwip. But then they came across the infamous Jagai and Madhai. As their names were Jagadananda and Madhavananda. They were both brahmins by birth. But it’d become terrible devotees. They were infamous in the area and they, they had some position working in the Muslim government to oversee that area as like, I don’t know, like kind of police officers in the way they were, they were maintaining the status quo in that particular area. Near to the ghat where people would cross the river and take the toll and so on. But they were and they managed to do that because people were absolutely terrified of them. They were rogues to the utmost degree. They were always intoxicated, drinking wine and eating meat and robbing people. Anything you can imagine they did—murder, rape—everything they did. And everyone was completely terrified of them.

#00:20:20#

And Nityananda Prabhu and Haridas came upon them. And Nityananda Prabhu said, “Oh, if we can convert these two then really Lord Chaitanya’s fame will be so great. If these two can be converted then people will say, ‘Oh, He has some real power.’ If these two can be converted.” And Haridas is a little bit more reluctant. And he’s telling Nityananda Prabhu, “That’s okay for You to say, You’re young and strong. And if they come to attack You can run away easily but I’m an old man and I can’t run so, so fast if they get me, I’ll be finished. I don’t think we should... I think we should leave them. We’ve got the whole world, we can preach to… we don’t need to preach to those two.” But Nityananda Prabhu saying, “No, their cause is the greatest if we can save them. Then for the pratishtha of our Lord Mahaprabhu this will be so great if we can do that.”

#00:21:26#

So Haridas Thakur: “Okay, then I’ll just stand a little back and You can, You can talk to them.” So Nityananda Prabhu with the straw between His teeth and folded palms He approached them and they were completely intoxicated. And they said, “Get out of here. Why you’re coming preaching religion to us? And this new kind of religion, we don’t care about that. And if you’ve come here again, we’ll give you a good pasting, teach you a good lesson.” And then they began to chase them. And Nityananda Prabhu and Haridas, they managed to escape because they were drunk, they couldn’t run very, you know, couldn’t even walk in a straight line or to speak of run very fast. So Haridas and Nityananda Prabhu, they managed to escape that day and each night they’re going back and reporting their progress preaching progress to the Lord Chaitanya. And then Haridas told, “Oh, You can imagine, this a bunch of, pair of robbers that we met today. And Nityananda Prabhu very enthusiastic to preach to them and I told, I said, ‘They’re gonna try and beat us,’ but He said, ‘No, it is okay, that we’ll be okay.’ And somehow or another we managed to escape with our life but I don’t think again I will live if we have to preach to them.” And Nityananda Prabhu said, “I want to show the world how powerful is Your preaching. Then if I can convert them, if I can give them Krishna-prema, then we will, the world will see what kind of potency You have. Then again, I will go to them tomorrow.”

#00:23:23#

And Mahapraphu approved and told Haridas, “You also go with Him, you will be okay.” So next day again they came and Jagai and Madhai again drunk and very angry: “Oh, again you come already. We told you, sadhus, not to come here and now we will teach you a good lesson.” And that Jagai took the one clay wine pot and threw it on to Nityananda Prabhu’s head, smashed on Nityananda Prabhu’s head and blood coming from His head. And Nityananda Prabhu was saying, “Yes, again you can hit Me. It’s okay but just take Krishna’s Name. And hit Me many times but take Krishna’s Name. Everything will be okay.” And Haridas already gone. And some—maybe through Haridas Thakur or someone else—some news came to Mahaprabhu Chaitanyadev that they have struck Nityananda Prabhu with the wine pot. Then Mahaprabhu become so angry and immediately came to that place. “Who has struck My Nitai? Tell Me now or I will finish the whole place. Everyone will finish,” and He’s calling, “Chakra! Chakra! Chakra!” And His Sudarshan-chakra coming. And everyone can see that Sudarshan-weapon, Narayan’s weapon, the Sudarshan-chakra.

#00:25:00#

And He’s ready to finish them all and Nityananda Prabhu taking His lotus feet, told, “No, this is not Dwapara-yuga, my Lord, You cannot use this weapon in this Kali-yuga. In the Kali-yuga this… Your weapon is Hare Krishna maha-mantra, not that Sudarshan-chakra, put down the Sudarshan-chakra. Not, not through violence but through love You all defeat everyone in this Kali age.” And Mahaprabhu come a little pacified. “But I want, I must give punishment to them. They have struck My devotee, My Nitai and ask for punishment to them.” Then Nityananda Prabhu said, “But Madhai, he’s actually, he saved Me because after striking by Jagai, he wants to again hit Me. And then Madhai took his hand and said, ‘Why? They are just foolish sadhu-sannyasi. Not necessary to beat them again, leave Him now.’” And then Mahaprabhu will saw: “Oh, Madhai, you save My Nityananda Prabhu, you saved Him.” Then give embrace to Madhai and then Madhai become overwhelmed with by that embrace with Krishna-prema. And only coming from his mouse ‘Krishna’ and ‘Krishna, Krishna,’ tears flowing from his eyes. And all symptoms astika-satvika-bhava, eight kind of symptoms of ecstasy on his body, and rolling on the ground. And then when Jagai saw that, this change in Madhai and he also wanted that and falling at the feet of Mahaprabhu: “Oh, save me, my Lord, save me.” But Mahaprabhu said, “No, you have offended Nityananda Prabhu. I cannot save you. But if Nityananda Prabhu accepts you then I will save you.” Then Jagai taking the feet of Nityananda Prabhu and praying for His mercy. Nityananda Prabhu embraced him.

#00:27:15#

Then Mahaprabhu also embraced him. And he also like Madhai became overwhelmed with ecstatic love of Godhead. And then Mahaprabhu said, “You will never again you do, what you did before and with a holy life you will take the Name of Krishna.” And they promised: “Never. I will never do that again.”

#00:27:39#

Bhaktivinod Thakur is written about this incident: “We are so unfortunate that even Jagai and Madhai, they were the worst robbers, the worst offenders. When they never again for a moment return to their material life after receiving the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu and Mahaprabhu. But we are so unfortunate that our tendency even after being given so much mercy from Guru and Krishna, our tendency is still to go back to the Maya.” And that is… Bhaktivinod Thakur says, “I’m grateful ungrateful nature.” We call that, you know, biting the hand that feeds you. Like the wild animal—when you try to give some food to it may be very likely it will bite your hand while you try to feed it. Our unfortunate nature is like that although our… the Guru and Vaishnava, they are not different from Gaura-Nityananda and they have given grace so much, grace to us. Our ungrateful nature means we always want looking back, looking over our shoulder.

#00:29:02#

Srila Sridhar Maharaj used to say, “You cannot cut a return ticket to Vrindavan. You can only go on a one-way ticket.” But we’re always making some arrangement, you know, keeping the back door open. So, in case it doesn’t work out I’ve got an escape route planned. So, I can go back to my old life. So, this is ungrateful. So, we are not we are to be more like Jagai and Madhai in as much as they were never ungrateful and never again went back to that self-centered life, that self-indulgent life. Then they stayed in that place and that… when we go on Nabadwip parikram and we going there it’s called Madhai-ghat. And in the Madhai-ghat there they used to serve the Vaishnavas clean the road there by the ghat, and make some provisions of the Vaishnavas could cross there, and they spent the rest of their life serving Gauranga and Nityananda Prabhu by serving the Vaishnavas.

#00:30:12#

But after the conversion of Jagai and Madhai Mahaprabhu’s fame became so great by the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu. So many times, we heard from Srila Govinda Maharaj: if you take shelter of the lotus feet of Nityananda Prabhu then you will get everything.

#00:30:33#

Even Mahaprabhu, Mahaprabhu is a Maha-vadanya-avatar, the most magnanimous manifestation of the Lord, [He] is Krishna, Reality the Beautiful. But overwhelmed with feeling of compassion, overwhelmed with feeling of audarya, [it] is called audarya, Krishna’s lila [is] sweetly, [this] lila is called madhurya-lila. And the distribution of that lila that is called audarya-lila. The distribution of Krishna-lila, of Krishna-prema is audarya-lila. So Mahaprabhu is come not only is the inaugurator of the Nama-sankirtan which is the yuga-dharma but within that He is giving Krishna-prema, distributing Krishna-prema, the highest goal of life. Distributing that like water. That’s why Krishna Das Kaviraj in his prayer to Mahaprabhu Chaitanyadev, there he says:

#00:31:39#

anarpita-charīṁ chirāt karuṇayāvatīrṇaḥ kalua
samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasāṁ sva-bhakti-śriyam…[11]

Anarpita-charīṁ chirāt. That means come to give what has never been given before. So, this is Mahaprabhu Chaitanyadev come to give Krishna-prema. But even He has some restriction. Because He accepted the dress of the sannyasi and never crossing the religion of the sannyasi. Then some people—He cannot accept who were offenders, He will not accept them. He will not accept, Nityananda Prabhu accepted them. Not only that, not only Nityananda Prabhu accepting those that Mahaprabhu won’t accept. Nityananda Prabhu also chasing those who don’t want to come to the lotus feet of Mahaprabhu. Those who don’t want to take Krishna-prema, He is chasing them and forcing them to take it: “You must take it. Falling at Their feet I will be your slave if you take it.”

#00:32:46#

This way. And all of the great devotees, they are considering themselves the recipients of the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu—Krishna Das Kaviraj, Vrindavan Das Thakur, Raghunath Das Goswami.

#00:33:04#

Raghunath Das Goswami, he was, you can say, like a prince, so wealthy. He was so wealthy. His father was a millionaire; his uncle also was a millionaire. And he was the oldest son of that family. And his father and his uncle, they both want to give all their wealth to him, very qualified young man. But he’s not interested in money or anything like that, he only wants to service of Mahaprabhu. And showing inclination towards that so much so that. His father is afraid that: “He’ll run away to join Chaitanyadev.” Then his father keeping bodyguards, twelve bodyguards watching him all the time—strong bodyguards, wrestlers, fighters. They are watching him all the time. Then whatever he does, he cannot get the opportunity to join Chaitanyadev Mahaprabhu. But he doesn’t want anything else.

#00:34:09#

He’s not even live, he won’t even live in the house of his father. He’s living in the courtyard of his father’s house, outside. So much he does—his disinterest for material things. Then anyway one day the news came: Nityananda Prabhu has come nearby to Panihati. Panihati maybe ten miles from there, from his father’s house. Then he managed to persuade his father: “I want to go and worship Nityananda Prabhu’s feet. Will you allow it?” And his father said, “If you promised me you would not run away then I allow and you can take the guards can go with you and you can go.” Then he went and Nityananda Prabhu come there to Panihati with maybe one thousand disciples, followers. Then when He saw Raghunath Das approaching from the distance, seeing him, He stood up and said, “Oh, Raghunath, today I’m going to give punishment to you.” And Raghunath said, “Oh, yes, my Lord, what punishment You will give, please give me that punishment.” Then Nityananda Prabhu said, “First if you can, first of all satisfy Me and all of My followers by giving making some Mahotsav, some festival, and feeding the Vaishnavas.” And Raghunath Das overjoyed because he’s very rich, much money at his disposal than within one hour he made a great big Mahotsav. That is called the Dadhi-chhira-mahotsav, the yogurt and flat rice. He bought so much yogurt and flat rice and rasagulla and gulabha, [he] had made a huge feast for Nityananda Prabhu and a thousand followers.

#00:36:10#

And with his own hands served everybody there and not only that every, everyone that was there. He also gave money to them, some pranami to them. Every, every person who was attending at that festival—he gave. And Nityananda Prabhu so happy with him. Then He told, “Now come and receive your punishment.” And Raghunath Das bowed down before Lord Nityananda Prabhu and Lord Nityananda put His two lotus feet on Raghunath Das head. And told him, “Now you return home and very soon you will get opportunity to join with Mahaprabhu. All obstacles, material obstacles, they will go and you will get chance to come to the lotus feet of Mahaprabhu.” And it was so. And Raghunath Das Goswami after that composed that verse:

#00:37:10#

nāma-śreṣṭhaṁ manum api śachī-putram atra svarūpaṁ
rūpaṁ tasyāgrajam uru-purīṁ māthurīṁ goṣṭavāṭīm
rādhā-kuṇḍaṁ giri-varam aho rādhikā-mādhavāśāṁ
prāpto yasya prathita-kṛpayā śrī guruṁ taṁ nato ’smi

“By the grace of Nityananda Prabhu I’ve received the Holy Name.”

#00:37:35#

nāma-śreṣṭhaṁ manum api śachī-putram…

“And the service of the son of Sachi Devi.”

#00:37:42#

…rūpaṁ tasyāgrajam…

“The association of Rupa Goswami.”

“The holy abode of Mathura and Vrindavan. The place of the highest lila of Krishna in Govardhan. And the most dear place of Krishna’s affection—Radha-kunda. And one day the chance that one day I may be accepted into the serving circle of Radha and Govinda. All of these things I’ve got by the grace of my Gurudev, Sri Nityananda Prabhu.”

#00:38:23#

And Raghunath Das came to Vrindavan and stayed in Vrindavan. And there finally his father sending money to him from his maintenance all the time but he’s living. He is not using that money for himself, where all that money coming to him. He’s everyday making a big festival for the Vaishnavas and feeding them. And he himself just to eat making some roti with some chapati and offering that to the Lord. And the Lord telling in his dream, told him, “Yes, I like that chapati but at least put some salt. [It’s] nice inside a little salt.” That [he] is giving some salt there. But finally, he’s thinking: “Mahaprabhu will not be happy that I am accepting this money always from my father.” Then he’d stopped not to take that anymore. And then he’s also thinking: “This is so much.” How renounced Raghunath Das, he is thinking: “Yes, I’m only eating chapati and offering to Krishna every day but I am offering for Krishna’s pleasure or my own sense gratification.” This means a dry chapati. So, he thought, “No, I’m going to stop eating that. That’s just like too much overindulgent.” And then after that what was his food? When the temple would leave the leftover prasadam then no one will take they’re putting in the field and the cows are coming to eat that. And then when it goes and rancid and the cows will turn up their nose and won’t touch that then Raghunath Das taking that and washing that and that eating that. Srila Govinda Maharaj says, “Anyone will try and do that they must die.” Impossible that anyone can do that but he can do that—Raghunath Das Goswami. And Raghunath Das Goswami considered as the prayojana-acharya, he [is] acharya of our highest attainment. But before getting the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu he could not do anything, he not goes anywhere.

#00:40:36#

But after receiving the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu then some possibility came to him for the service of Mahaprabhu. So, this is very instructive to us who do not worship the lotus feet of Nityananda Prabhu—they cannot get the service mercy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. And without the mercy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu no question of worshiping Radha and Govinda. In fact, Vrindavan Das Thakur, he is written in Chaitanya Bhagavat: “Who worships Radha and Krishna but ignore the lotus feet of Gaura-Nityananda they create only evil in the world.” A very heavy statement, very heavy statement. Extremely heavy. I’ve told these many times before but we saw: Srila Govinda Maharaj when some of our devotees came from South Africa, they’re mostly our mission in South Africa, mostly the devotees are all Indian origin. No white people at all practically. So, then they’re telling, “Maharaj,” about their preaching, “Yeah, we’re having these big pandal programs for Janmashtami and Rama-navami. And, you know, big thousands of people are coming.” [Srila Govinda Maharaj said,] “Oh, yeah, that’s very good.” They said, “So, and we are telling everyone about Krishna, about Gita and about Rama and so on but we’re not telling anyone about Lord Chaitanya because they don’t know who is Lord Chaitanya. Most people, most Indian people don’t know Lord Chaitanya. Then we are not telling about Them [Nitai-Gaura] but we’re telling about Krishna and Rama and very successful preaching.” And Govinda Maharaj said, “I can never support that, never. We are preachers of Mahaprabhu’s conception, Nityananda Prabhu’s conception.”

#00:42:35#

“And you have to educate them who is Lord Chaitanya, who is Nityananda Prabhu. Because without that then what is the use of your worship of Krishna, without the lotus feet of Mahaprabhu. Actually, it’s only imagination. That kind of worship is imaginary worship. Radha and Krishna there in Goloka Vrindavan and They are unassailable by the mundane effort. But Nityananda Prabhu and Mahaprabhu, They are not considering any offense and They are accepting whoever wants to try and worship Krishna in any small way. If it is directed through Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu, They are accepting that.”

#00:43:21#

And Nityananda Prabhu especially merciful to the fallen souls, Patita-pavan Nityananda Prabhu so merciful to the fallen souls. And His disciples, His followers even more merciful than Him. Then Vrindavan Das Thakur—his nature very heavy, Krishna Das Kaviraj—very gentle nature. You can tell from his writing, in Chaitanya-charitamritam. And Vrindavan Das Thakur very heavy and strong and there he is said, “Who do not accept the lotus feet of Nityananda Prabhu then I kick in their face with my left foot.” And then someone will say, “Oh, that’s not very tṛṇād api sunīcena, that’s not very humble or tolerant or giving honor to others—that he will kick in their face with his left foot. What is that?”

#00:44:16#

But Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, he was given explanation about that. That just like the naughty son, you can say, if the naughty son will make some offense. You know, I was on the bus one time with the [unclear] friend and his boy’s name was Prahlad. And he was maybe five-six years old that time. And the man sitting on the, on the bus behind him, he’s standing on the seat and he’s saying to the man behind him, “You’re a filthy karmi, you’re a filthy meat eating karmi, you’re just the demon.” And this way insulting the, the man. I don’t think the man understood what he was saying but nevertheless his father had to say to him, “Please, you excuse my son, don’t be, don’t be angry with him. He’s a naughty boy.”

#00:45:15#

So, in the same way Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, he’s saying, “This way Vrindavan Das Thakur purposely making offense to those people. So, the Nityananda Prabhu must come and give His grace to them: ‘Oh, don’t, don’t be angry with My disciple. He said, he will kick your head. Now that gives take this Krishna-prema and recompense for that.’” So, this way, merciful way.

#00:45:42#

And so many is told one of Nityananda Prabhu’s followers—Abhiram Thakur—he used to carry a bullwhip with him. And whenever he would see anyone who is not favorable to the lotus feet of Nityananda Prabhu he’ll give him lash of the bullwhip. But the that bullwhip whenever it would strike anybody instead of them yelling in pain, they were, you know, “Krishna, Krishna,” and become overwhelmed with Krishna-prema from his, the lash of his whip.

#00:46:22#

So, we are worshipers of that whip, we want, we want the lash of that whip. Because Krishna’s mercy sometimes come in all kinds of ways. And sometimes chastisement is even preferable to some flattery or something. One of our God-sisters, she snuck into the Jagannath temple one time, she was with Anuradha [Didi], Guru Maharaj’s, secretary of Guru Maharaj what the wife of Guru Maharaj’s secretary. But she’s from Sri Lanka. So, she has an Indian body. So, she went into the Jagannath temple, she told little unfair really, she told that girl, “I’m going to take darshan of Lord Jagannath. You wait here.” And she [unclear] wait. That girl was thinking, “I also want to take darshan of Lord Jagannath. Why I can’t take—just because I have a white body? Why it was very unfair?” Then she made a plan and she pulled her sari right over her head and she crouched over like an old lady and she snuck into there, she snuck into the temple and came in. And just that time they’re [pandas] doing one of the bhoga offerings to Lord Jagannath and she’s coming and looking to seeing Jagannath and suddenly someone spotted her. They’re very strictly there, they don’t let anyone. Even when Gandhi came with his Harijans, they wouldn’t let them in also. Even there’s one, there was one very famous devotee used to go everywhere with the, with the sandals of his Guru on his chest. And when he came, they said, “Oh, hold it. You can come in but you’ve got to take those sandals off,” they said. “No, these are my Guru sandals, they are worshipable.” “They may be worshipable to you, they’re sandals to us. Okay? They’re not coming in.” So, you know, they’re very strict and what to speak of people who are not born in India, they’re not, not allowed in at all.

#00:48:30#

So, she can’t but she came in. But in fact, she… this is an [unclear] to that Srila Govinda Maharaj said, “Within ten years they’ll start allowing westerners in for money, they’ll allow it.” But anyway, but that time they didn’t and today still they don’t allow. But she went in and they and they’re making the offering and suddenly this cry, “Come up! Gori! Gori!” She’s like white. It’s a white girl. Someone saw her: white girl. And they have guards and the guards carry big lattice and they all come piling in capture her. Then Anuradha there and she’s understood immediately, “Oh, my God, she’s come in.” Then she saw making the offering the head pandas, there the head priest and she knew him a little bit. And she ran to him, grabbing his feet, she said, “Don’t let them beat her because they would have beat her badly, beat her. And please, she doesn’t know, she didn’t, you know, she just wanted to see Lord Jagannath. Be merciful.” And they, they threw her out physically, rejected her would without any beating. And also, the whole offering that was being made they threw that all, all out also. They considered it was contaminated. Like if the, if the dog sees the offering, you’re not allowed to offer that anymore, it’s not considered is spoiled. So, they are thinking, “She’s like a dog.” Then they cannot make the offering. So anyway, she was rejected.

#00:50:10#

Then, then a few days later they came back to Nabadwip and Anuradha telling Guru Maharaj that story and Guru Maharaj was very unhappy. Then he said to her, that girl, “You know that Rupa and Sanatan never went in the temple of Lord Jagannath because they were, although they were brahmins by birth, because they worked in the Muslim government and they had also adopted Muslim names Dabir Khas and Sakar Malik.”

#00:50:38#

And they considered themselves too much fallen. And when they would come to see Mahaprabhu every day there were two routes. There’s one route you can go in the afternoon they would come to see Mahaprabhu at lunchtime. And that route there’s one the shaded route goes past the homes of the pandas. And the other route is you have to walk along the beach. If you’ve ever been in Puri in the middle of the day you can’t walk on the beach (well, I can’t) because your feet will blister from the heat of the sand. But they’re taking that route, their thinking is: “If we walk the route where the pandas live maybe our shadow might touch them and they’ll become contaminated, they’ll have to bathe and to be free or we don’t want to make offence.” Like that.

#51:29:00#

Mahaprabhu knew that but He never told them, “Oh, don’t be silly.” He was very happy. And then not only that Guru Maharaj told, not only that Haridas Thakur, the Nama-acharya, he never went in the temple of Lord Jagannath. But Mahaprabhu gave the first offering always to him for our greatest honor, always to him Nama-acharya Haridas Thakur, because Haridas Thakur was born in Muslim family. Sad but and Mahaprabhu is Jagannath then He could have changed everything if He wanted to, He could have told them, “Let, Haridas, come.” But He didn’t do that.

#52:07:00#

“So Rupa and Sanatan didn’t enter there, Haridas Thakur did not enter there but you think you can enter there,” he told her. Then he said, “And when they can, then when those guards came to beat you. If you’d have taken that beating, then you’d have got Lord Jagannath mercy. But you avoided that beating. So, you did not get mercy.”

#52:32:00#

It is a little beside the point but the meaning is that. Sometimes that’s more relishable to the devotee to get the punishment of their Lord. Rather than especially always more than indifference of their Lord, their Master, will be indifferent to them that is intolerable. Rather we will get the stick than to be indifferent because that means He’s taking some care for our welfare. He’s thinking about our welfare in different means whatever do on your life.

#53:10:00#

We saw that with Guru Maharaj so many people would come to Guru Maharaj with some plan. Somebody, they had some idea and many times the Guru Maharaj’s reply to us, “As you like. So, you may do.” Then they would come out and: “Guru Maharaj just give me a direct order. I have to do this to go and open a hostel for hippies in Sri Lanka because Guru Maharaj’s direct order to me.”

#00:53:35#

But that was an actual case. But we didn’t want that. That was the worst thing, you know, if Guru Maharaj said, “As you like so you may do.” No, we wanted: “No, you should not do that, you must do this,” because that meant that Guru Maharaj was caring about us for our welfare. So many would come. Guru Maharaj can see who is sincere, who is not sincere.

#54:00:00#

Mahaprabhu Himself praying like that: “You can embrace me or You can trample me under Your feet. Or You can be completely indifferent to me. But still You are my Lord unconditionally birth after birth.” But that indifference that is the worst thing.

#54:19:00#

We prefer the punishment, we want the left foot of Vrindavan Das Thakur kicking our head, we want the bullwhip of Abhiram Thakur slashing us. We want that. If that will give us Krishna-prema, that will give us real devotion—we want that. We would rather that than indifferent. “Then as you like so you may do.” Would rather that.

#54:48:00#

Really and Nityananda Prabhu so much giving so much mercy. When Mahaprabhu sent Nityananda Prabhu to Bengal, when He was staying in Puri, after sannyasi stayed in Puri, and sent Nityananda Prabhu: “You go and preach in Bengal.” Nityananda Prabhu, Guru Maharaj said, is not certain whether He was a sannyasi formerly if He’d taken sannyas or brahmachari. We think, brahmachari because Nityananda is a brahmachari name, [it’s] not a sannyasi name.

#00:55:24#

But nevertheless, when He returned to Bengal Mahaprabhu told to Him to marry. And Nityananda Prabhu married the two daughters of the brother of Gauridas Pandit. Gauridas Pandit’s brother, he has two daughters—Vishudha Devi and Jahnava Devi. And Nityananda Prabhu married both of them. And Vishudha Devi had one son—Virachandra. And Virachandra was initiated by Jahnava Devi. And after Nityananda Prabhu and Mahaprabhu disappeared then Jahnava Devi became the leader of our sampradaya. She was worshiped by Srinivas Acharya, Shyamananda Prabhu and the other great Vaishnavas of that time, Narottam Das Thakur—worshiped by them at Kheturi-gram. And she was a Guru and initiated many disciples including Virachandra, the son of Nityananda Prabhu. Although she never had any children herself. She was considered the greatest Vaishnava at her time. And the wife of Nityananda Prabhu and she also disappeared in Vrindavan. [It’s] very miraculous story. And Banke-Bihari mandir in Vrindavan. Banke-Bihari mandir maybe [is] the most popular temple in all of Vrindavan.

#00:57:02#

But always there when they joined the arati, they are every few minutes, they draw the curtains and then they open the curtains and then they draw the curtains and they open the curtains and the reason is because sometimes Banke-Bihari running away from the altar. Then in her last years when Jahnava Devi was an old lady, she is standing in the, in the Banke-Bihari temple during the arati in the back there, and during the arati Banke-Bihari run off the altar. And ran to Jahnava Devi and lifted her up in His arms and ran back onto the altar. And then He put her down and He Himself closed the door on the altar. And when they [servants] opened the altar door and gained, the priest open the altar again—He is standing alone and Jahnava Devi gone. That was how she left the world, very miraculous extraordinary.

#00:58:02#

And Nityananda Prabhu, Nityananda Prabhu is the reality, He’s not a myth or a fairy tale, substantially He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. And by worshiping Nityananda Prabhu, by showing some aptitude or some feeling towards Mahaprabhu, towards Chaitanyadev, towards His preaching, towards His life. Then Nityananda Prabhu will bless you so much, unlimitedly He will bless you. And with the blessings of Nityananda Prabhu you’ll get the grace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and with the grace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu the prospect is there that one day you will be able to enter into the serving circle of Radha and Govinda in Vrindavan, Goloka Vrindavan.

#00:58:53#

This is the method, this is the religion of this age—Harinam-sankirtan Mahaprabhu. And Nityananda Prabhu spread this Harinam-sankirtan all over the world. Without Harinam-sankirtan we are finished, we are lost. There is no other religious principle in this Kali-yuga. In this age only by the chanting of the Holy Name of Krishna. And even the japa, chanting of japa Guru Maharaj said, “This is feeble, that japa is feeble.”

#00:59:26#

But sankirtan when we chant together—such a vibration, congregational vibration, that come pierce the coverings of this universe and reach the lotus feet of Krishna. It is possible. It is the religion of this age. Never neglects that, never think it to be useless or worthless, it is everything. Harinam-sankirtan—it is the yuga-dharma. We are to sacrifice our self in the fire of Harinam-sankirtan by chanting together the Holy Names of Krishna, not to stay at home and with your karatals and chanting. Come together with the Vaishnavas and together chant Harinam. And with that chanting of Harinam we will get the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu and Mahaprabhu. And we also will be allowed entrance into the serving circle of Radha and Govinda in Vrindavan.

#01:00:26#

This is the truth, this is the promise that our Gurudev is made to us. We believe it and we know it to be the greatest thing, nothing else of any value in this or any other world.

Jai Patita-pavan Nityananda Prabhu ki jai!

Jai Padmavati Devi, Hadai Pandit Prabhu ki jai!

Nityananda avirbhav maha-mahotsav ki jai!

Harinama-sankirtan ki jai!

Nitai-Gaura premanande Haribol!

Captured by Ananta Krishna Das
Edited by Tradish Das




[1] “I bow down to the beautiful lotus feet of my spiritual master, by whose causeless mercy I have obtained the supreme Holy Name, the divine mantra, the service of the son of Sachi-mata [Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu], the association of Srila Swarupa Damodara, Rupa Goswami, and his older brother Sanatana Goswami, the supreme abode of Mathura, the blissful abode of Vrindavana, the divine Radha-kunda and Govardhan Hill, and the desire within my heart for the loving service of Sri Radhika and Madhava in Vrindavan” (Srila Raghunatha Dasa Goswami. Sri Mukta-charitam).

[2] “I bow my head in eternal obeisance to my Gurudeva, the best of Acharyas, Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj. He is the ever vigilant, stalwart guardian of the current of pure devotion whose highest form flows from our most worshipable Sri Rupanuga Guru-varga in their exclusive dedication to Mahabhava, Srimati Radharani.”

[3] “I offer my respectful obeisances to Swami Bhakti Nirmal Acharya, who is energetically inspiring all of the Eastern and Western disciples on the path of pure devotion”.

[4] “His Guru’s most cherished wishes, he’s truly fulfilling, adorned with his Guru-varga’s affectionate blessing. In knowledge both conceivable and inconceivable, His expertise illumines the ontological whole. He’s the foremost follower of Sri Rupa’s divine aim, Sri Bhakti Sundar Govinda is his celebrated name. His beautiful figure stands out, clean, clear and effulgent, devotionally endowed with transcendent sentiment. I worship him, the world-wide Guru from high above, the empowered bestower of the seed of Divine Love.”

[5] “I fall at the feet of Srila Sridhar-Deva, who with charming expression sings his songs of sweet nectar. Dressed with fine garments like sun newly-risen, he’s the true saint the devotees have chosen. His detachment and knowledge are just like an ocean, the treasure-house of complete, perfect conclusion. Radiant in Pastimes of loving devotion, the abode of pure ecstasy, bestower of good fortune; foremost true follower of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, foremost great general of the whole renounced order, my lord and my master, my only shelter, I worship his feet, Srila Sridhar-Deva.”

[6] “With his first step, he vigorously cut asunder the whole plane of exploitation, and with his second, he put a stop to all the calculations of the different scholars with their different conceptions of salvation, liberated stages. With his third step, he minimized the hardness and stiffness of the rules and regulations of calculative devotional service, by a touch of the Divine Love: crossing Vaikuntha, he gave us the worship of Sri Sri Radha and Govinda.”

ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATION: “The message of Sri Bhakti Siddhanta demolishes the illusion of the entire world, finishes the intellectual’s mad pursuit of liberation, properly adjusts scriptural regulations, and is an abode of loving attachment for Sri Radha’s Lord. May that message play within our hearts eternally.”

[7] “I eternally offer my obeisance unto You, Sri Krishna Chaitanya, the supremely merciful, golden form of Sri Krishna, the giver of Krishna-prema” (Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita: Madhya-lila, 19.53).

[8] “I eternally offer my respects unto Sri Vrinda Devi, Srimati Tulasi Maharani, who is the dearmost object of Lord Keshava’s affection. I bow down before Satyavati who can bestow pure dedication unto Lord Krishna.”

[9] “I bow down unto the holy feet of the pure Vaishnavas, who are like desire trees able to fulfil all the devotees’ aspirations. The Lord’s devotees are comparable to a vast ocean of causeless mercy, as they deliver the fallen souls from material existence. I offer all respects unto them.”

[10] “I offer my obeisance unto the deliverer of the distressed, Sri Guru, by whose mercy a mute can speak and a cripple can cross over a mountain” (Bhavartha Dipika).

[11] “May the brilliantly golden, beautifully radiant Lord Sri Sachi-nandan Gaurahari always be resplendently manifest in the core of your heart. He has descended in the Age of Kali to distribute the treasure of His own prema—supremely exalted madhura-rasa, which has never before been revealed in this mundane world” (Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita: Adi-lila, 1.4).


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