32. Nityananda pastimes from Sri Caitanya Bhagavata with commentary (Madhya 11.1-25)

Shri Chaitanya-bhagavata

Madhya-khanda -

By 

Vyasa Avatara Shrila Vrindavana dasa Thakura

Chapter 11

The Characteristics of Nityananda

nidhi gauräìga kothä haite äilä prema-sindhu anäthera nätha prabhu, patita-janera bandhu

O Lord Gauränga, O great treasure, O ocean of ecstatic love, O master of those who have no master, O friend of the fallen souls, from where have You come?

Among all jewels found in the ocean, nine precious gems are considered the best. The author is joyfully describing the unique position of Çré Gaurasundara, the reservoir of ecstatic love, in order to reveal how wonderful is the ocean of love He resides in. Çré Gaura is the most rare treasure, the friend and deliverer of the fallen souls, and the only maintainer of persons who have no shelter.

TEXT 1

jaya jaya viçvambhara dvija-kula-simha jaya hau tora yata caranera bhrnga

All glories to You, Lord Viçvambhara, the lionlike personality among the brähmanasl All glories to Your devotees, who are just like bumblebees at Your lotus feet!

TEXT 2

jaya çré-paramänanda-purïra jïvana jaya dämodara-svarüpera präna-dhana

All glories to the life and soul of Çré Paramänanda Purl! All glories to the life and wealth of Dämodara Svarüpa!

TEXT 3

jaya rüpa-sanätana-priyamahäçaya jaya jagadïça-gopïnäthera hrdaya

All glories to the beloved Lord of Rüpa and Sanätana! All glories to the Lord who dwells in the hearts of Jagadïça and Gopénätha!

TEXT 4

hena-mate navadvïpe prabhu viçvambhara krïdä kare, nahe sarva-nayana-gocara

In this way Lord Viçvambhara enjoyed His pastimes in Navadvïpa. Yet not everyone could see them.

TEXT 5

navadvépe madhya-khande kautuka ananta ghare vasï dekhaye çréväsa bhägyavanta

The pastimes in Navadvïpa described in the Madhya-khanda are unlimited. The fortunate Çréväsa saw them in his own house.

TEXT 6

niskapate prabhure sevilä çréniväsa gosthï-saìge dekhe prabhura mahä-parakäça

Çréniväsa served the Lord without any duplicity. For this reason he and his family could see the Lord's mahä-prakäça, or divine manifestation.

TEXT 7-9

çréväsera ghare nityänandera vasati 'bäpa' bali' çréväsere karaye pérìti

aharniça bälya-bhäve bähya nähi jäne niravadhi mälinéra kare stana-päne

kabhu nähi dugdha, paraçile mätra haya e saba acintya-çakti mäliné dekhaya

Nityänanda continued to reside at the house of Çréväsa and lovingly addressed him as father. He was absorbed day and night in the mood of a child and was not aware of external events. He continually drank milk from Mäliné's breast. Although there was no milk in her breasts, by the touch of Nityänanda they were filled with milk. Such was the inconceivable potency of the Lord.

Lord Nityänanda considered Himself a cowherd boy of Vraja and Çréväsa and Mäliné as His father and mother. Considering Mäliné as a elderly gopï and Himself as a cowherd boy, Nityänanda enacted the pastime of drinking Mäliné's breast milk. Although there was no

milk in the breast of Mälinì, when she saw that her breasts were filled with an abundance of milk for the pastimes of Nityananda, she became struck with wonder.

TEXT 10

caitanyera nivärane kåre nähi kahe niravadhi bälya-bhäva mäliné dekhaye

Being forbidden by Lord Caitanya, Mäliné did not tell anyone about this. She constantly saw the childhood pastimes of Nityananda.

Mälinédevé, the wife of Çréväsa, always treated Nityananda Prabhu as her own son. These extraordinary pastimes were not disclosed to anyone by the order of Çréman Mahäprabhu.

TEXT 11-15

prabhu viçvambhara bale,—"çuna nityananda hähäro sahita päche kara tumi dvandva

caìcalatä nä karibä çrìväsera ghare" çuniyä çré-nityänanda 'çrì-krsna' saìare

"ämära cäìcalya tumi kabhu nä päibä äpanära mata tumi käre nä väsibä"

viçvambhara bale,—"ami tomä bhäla jäni" nityananda bale,—"dosa kaha dekhi çuni"

häsi' bale gauracandra,—"ki dosa tomära? saba ghare anna-vrsti kara avatära"

Lord Viçvambhara said, "Listen, Nityananda, You always pick a quarrel with someone. Do not play mischief at the house of Çréväsa." Hearing these words, Nityananda remembered Lord Krsna and replied, "You will never see Me playing mischief. Do not consider Me like Yourself." Viçvambhara then said, "I know You very well." Nityananda replied, "Tell Me what faults You find in Me." Gauracandra smiled and said, "Do You want to know Your faults? You throw showers of foodstuffs in every room."

Understanding Lord Nityänanda's extraordinary characteristics, Çré Mahäprabhu forbade Him from creating any mischief. But Nityänanda objected to this. On hearing His objection, Mahäprabhu smiled as He pointed out the faults in Nityänanda. While describing His faults, Gauracandra said, "You enact the pastime of throwing a shower of food everywhere." The word anna here refers to eatables. When a child is unable to chew, he is given liquid items like milk as food and drink. If we accept the showered liquid item as a food, then it must refer in this case to milk, which is the food of a child. When a child grows up, milk is no longer found in the breast of his mother. But by the inconceivable potency of Nityänanda there was a profuse supply of milk where it was otherwise not available.

TEXT 16

nityänanda bale,—"ihä pägale se kare e chaläya ghare bhäta nä dibe ämäre?

Nityänanda said, "Only a madman acts like that. This is Your trick to deprive Me from eating rice.

After hearing His faults pointed out by Mahäprabhu, Çri Nityänanda said, "Only madmen act in such a way. But it is not proper for You to cheat Me from enjoying My food on the pretext that I must stop playing mischief."

TEXT 17

ämäre nä diyä bhäta sukhe tumi khäo apakérti ära hena baliyä \edäo?"

"You do not feed Me rice while You Yourself eat happily. Why else are You telling everyone about My misdeeds?"

Being inspired by Çré Baladeva's statement to Krsna in the pas- times of Vraja, Nityänanda lovingly quarreled with Çré Gaurasundara as follows: "While residing at the house of Nanda Mahäräja, You (Krsna) always demand foodstuffs from Yaçodä and enjoy them, whereas if I try to take such foodstuffs You criticize Me and disclose the topics of My mischief to everyone. This is nothing but selfishness." The Lord regularly ate at the house of mother Çacé.

Not receiving His share there and being absorbed in the mood of Vraja, Nityananda spoke like this while conversing with Gaura- sundara.

TEXT 18

prabhu bale,—"tomara apakïrtye läja päi sei se kärane ami tomäre çihhäi"

The Lord said, "I feel embarrassed by Your misdeeds. For this reason I am instructing You."

TEXT 19

häsi' bale nityananda,—"bada bhäla bhäla cäìcalya dekhile çihhäibä sarva-käla

Nityananda smiled and said, "That is very good. Whenever You see Me restless, please chastise Me.

TEXT 20

niçcaya bujhilä tumi, ami se caìcala" eta bali, prabhu cähi' häse khala hhala

"You must have understood that I am indeed restless." After speaking in this way He looked at the Lord and laughed loudly.

TEXT 21-22

änande nä jäne bähya, kon karma kare digambara hai' vastra bändhilena sire

jode jode lampha dei häsiyä häsiyä sakala angane bule dhuliyä dhuliyä

Out of ecstasy Nityananda lost His external consciousness and forgot what he was doing. He then removed His cloth and tied it on His head. He laughed as He jumped about and staggered like a drunkard around the courtyard.

We see that being inspired by His transcendental Vraja pastimes Nityananda removed His clothes and tied them on His head like a

turban. These activities are simply Nityänanda's reenactment of His Vraja pastimes while absorbed in bliss and completely devoid of external consideration. According to the consideration of the exter- nal world, Nityänanda Prabhu was at that time an adult. But His imitation of childish activities completely bewilders the minds of people who are dependant on sensual perception. His hopping about and frivolous sporting in various way are beyond the con- sideration of materialists.

TEXT 23

gadädhara, çréniväsa, ära haridäsa çiksära prasäde sabe dekhe dig-väsa

Seeing Nityänanda without any clothes, Gadädhara, Çrïniväsa, and Haridäsa understood that these pastimes were to teach some lesson.

TEXT 24

däkï bale viçvambhara,—"e ki kara karma? grhasthera bädéte e-mata nahe dharma

Viçvambhara called out, "What are You doing? It is not proper to act like this in a householder's house.

Çrïman Mahäprabhu was the covered fountainhead of all incar- nations. He never agreed to display His conjugal pastimes of Krsna. That is why He loudly protested such mischievous activities of Nityänanda and said that it is extremely objectionable for an adult to wander about like a boy without any clothes on.

TEXT 25

ekhani balilä tumi—'ami ki pägala?' ei-ksane nija väkya ghucila sakala"

"A little while ago You asked, 'Am I a madman?' But now You are contradicting Your own words."

"O Nityananda, You just said You are not a madman, and now You again failed to maintain Your truthfulness by acting in a con- tradictory way by removing Your clothes."