Saturday, January 18, 2014

37. Nityananda pastimes from Sri Caitanya Bhagavata with commentary (Madhya 12.29-63)


Shri Chaitanya-bhagavata
Madhya-khanda -
By 
Vyasa Avatara Shrila Vrindavana dasa Thakura

Chapter Twelve

The Glories of Nityananda


TEXT 29
ihära vyabhåra saba krsna-rasa-maya ihäne sevile krsna-prema-bhahti haya
"His dealings are full of transcendental mellows for Krsna. Just by serving Him one obtains devotional service in love of Krsna.
Since Nityananda was always eager to serve Krsna in ecstatic love, simply by serving Him the serving propensity of persons who are thirsty after loving devotional service, to Krsna will be fully awakened. In Caitanya-caritämrta (Ädi 5.204) it is stated as follows:
jaya jaya nityänanda-caranäravinda yäìhä haite päinu çré-rädhä-govinda
"All glory, all glory to the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda, by whose mercy I have attained Çré Rädhä-Govinda."

TEXT 30
bhahti hari' ihäna haupéna bandha' sire mahäyatne ihä püjä kara giyä ghare"
"Tie the piece of His kaupïna on your head with devotion. Go home and worship it with great care."

päiyä prabhura äjìä sarva-bhakta-gana parama ädare sire karilä bandhana
Being ordered by the Lord, all the devotees respectfully tied those pieces of kaupéna on their heads.
By the order of Mahäprabhu all the devotees tied the pieces of kaupénas on their heads, and by the order of the Lord they took them to their houses and regularly worshiped them with devotion. To consider the clothes that the Supreme Lord or His devotees wear below the navel on the lower parts of their body as equal to the clothes ordinary people wear on the lower parts of their body is completely against the intention of the devotional scriptures. The dust of the feet and clothes for the lower part of the body of worshipable personalities are sources of strength for persons who are hankering after devotional service. If one considers these items abominable or equal to one's own, then the first level of devotional service known as çraddhä, or faith, is disturbed. In Caitanya- caritämrta (Antya 16.60) it is stated: "The dust of the feet of a devotee, the water that has washed the feet of a devotee, and the remnants of food left by a devotee are three very powerful substan- ces." There is no possibility of one obtaining devotional service to Visnu until one is fixed in the understanding: chädiyä vaisnava-sevä nistära päyeche kebä—without serving a pure devotee, one cannot advance in spiritual life. It is not proper for a person to consider his own stool and urine, or the stool and urine of those who are inferior to him, to be equal to the stool and urine of an exalted worshipable person. If one develops such a consideration, it will disturb his service to Hari, Guru, and Vaisnava. And if one considers that which is not Hari, Guru, and Vaisnava as Hari, Guru, and Vaisnava, then instead of becoming faithful such a person becomes faithless and deprived of respectable personalities' mercy. This is aversion to the service of the Lord or the nondevotional platform.

TEXT 32
prabhu bale,—"çunaha sakala bhakta-gana nityänanda-pädodaka karaha grahana

The Lord said, "Listen, devotees, drink the water that has washed the feet of Nityananda.

TEXT 33
karilei mätra ei pädodaha päna
krsne drdha bhakti haya, ithe nähi äna"
"As soon as one drinks that water, one will develop fixed devotional service to Krsna. There is no doubt about it."

TEXT 34
äjìä päï sabe nityänandera carana päkhäliyä pädodaka karaye grahana
Being ordered by the Lord, all the devotees immediately washed the feet of Nityananda with water and drank it.

TEXT 35
päìca-bära daça-bära eka-jane khäya bähya nähi, nityananda häsaye sadäya

Some of the devotees drank five times and some drank ten times. Nityananda laughed constantly and did not know what was going on.

TEXT 36
äpane vasiyä mahäprabhu gaura-räya nityänanda-pädodaha kautuke lotäya
Sitting where He was, Gauränga Mahäprabhu in great jubila- tion personally distributed the water that had washed the feet of Nityananda.

TEXT 37
sabe nityänanda-pådodaha karï päna matta-präya 'hari' bali' karaye àhväna

After drinking the water from Nityänanda's feet everyone be- came intoxicated and loudly chanted the name of Hari.

TEXT 38
keha bale,—"äji dhanya haila jlvana" keha bale,—"äji saba khandila bandhana"
Someone said, "Today my life has become successful." Some- one else said, "Today my material bondage is vanquished."

TEXT 39-40
keha bale,—"äji hailäma krsna-däsa" keha bale,—"äji dhanya divasa-prakäça"
keha bale,—"pädodaka bada svådu läge ekhano mukhera mïstatä nähi bhäìge"
Someone said, "Today I have become a servant of Krsna." Someone else said, "Today is the most auspicious day for me." Another said, "This water is so tasty that I still feel sweetness in my mouth."
After drinking on the order of Çré Gaurasundara the water that had washed the feet of Çré Nityananda, someone said, "The water from Nityänanda's feet is very tasty. After drinking this water its sweet taste does not vanish. Even after drinking this water the sweetness remains in the mouth for a long time." Since ordinary foolish people consider the water that has washed the feet of Nityananda as ordinary water, they remain entangled by the ropes of material desire. But the glories of this water is such that a devotee who drinks it becomes self-realized and understands his eternal position as a servant of the Lord. Meanwhile, someone else said, "Today all inauspiciousness has disappeared and a new dawn of self-realization has arisen." Those who consider Çrï Nityänanda's lotus feet similar to the feet of ordinary living entities and thus lack a taste for those lotus feet are understood to be devoid of devotion to Krsna. Those who drink the water that has washed the lotus feet of the Lord become intoxicated and constantly chant the holy names of the Lord, and those who are intoxicated by material enjoyment

think themselves as Nityänanda while posing as "spiritual masters." The material conceptions of such hellish persons increase their false ego and foolishness.
TEXT 41
ki se nityänanda pädodakera prabhäva päna-mätra sabe hailä caìcala-svabhäva
What wonderful influence the water that washed the feet of Nityänanda has, for just by drinking that water everyone became agitated.

TEXT 42
keha näce, keha gäya, keha gadï yäya huìhära garjana keha karaye sadäya
After drinking that water, someone danced, someone sang, and someone rolled on the ground. Others roared loudly all the time.

TEXT 43
uthila paramänanda krsnera kértana vihvala haiyä nrtya hare bhakta-gana
A tumultuous ecstatic kïrtana was begun, and all the devotees were completely overwhelmed as they danced.

TEXT 44
ksaneke çrï-gauracandra kariyä huìkära uthiyä lägilä nrtya karite apära
Soon Çré Gauracandra roared loudly and began to dance profusely.

TEXT 45
nityänanda-svarüpa uthilä tata-ksana nrtya kare dui prabhu vedï bhakta-gana

Nityananda Svarüpa immediately got up and joined the Lord, and both Lords danced in the midst of the devotees.

TEXT 46
kära gäye kebä pade, kebä bare dhare kebä kära caranera dhüli laya sire
No one knew who fell on whom, who caught whom, and who took whose feet dust on their heads.

TEXT 47
kebä kära gala dlxarï karaye rodana kebä kon rüpa kare,—nä yäya varnana
One cannot describe who cried by holding whose neck or who did what.

TEXT 48
prabhu kariyä o käro kichu bhaya näìi prabhu-bhrtya-sakale nåcaye eka thäìi
The devotees did not fear that they were with the Lord. Both the Lord and His servants danced together.

TEXT 49
nityänanda-caitanye kariyä koläkuli änande näcena dui prabhu kutuhalï
Lord Nityananda and Lord Caitanya embraced each other and danced in ecstasy.

TEXT 50
prthivi kampitä nityänanda-pada-täle dekhiyä änande sarva-gane 'hari' bale
The earth shook by the weight of Nityänanda's steps. Seeing His dancing, all the devotees chanted, "Hari! Hari!"

prema-rase matta dui vaikuntha-ìçvara näcena laiyä saba prema-anucara
Being intoxicated with ecstasy, the two Lords of Vaikuntha danced in the company of Their devoted followers.

TEXT 52
e-saba lélära kabhu nähi paìccheda 'avirbhäva', 'tirobhäva' mätra kahe veda
Although the Vedas describe Their "appearance" and "disap- pearance," there is never an end to Their pastimes.

TEXT 53
ei-mata sarva-dina prabhu nrtya karï vasilena sarva-gana-saìge gaurahari
After dancing in this way for the entire day, Gaurahari sat down with His associates.

TEXT 54
hate tina tali diyä çré-gaurasundara sabäre kahena ati amåyä-uttara
Clapping His hands three times, Çré Gaurasundara frankly spoke to everyone as follows.

TEXT 55-57
prabhu bale,—"ei nityänanda-svarupere ye karaye bhakti-çraddhä, se kare ämäre
ihäna carana—çiva-brahmära vandita ataeva ihäne kariha sabe préta
tilärdheka ihäne yähära dvesa rahe bhakta haile o se ämära priya nahe

The Lord said, "Anyone who keeps faith and engages in the service of this Nityananda Svarüpa actually keeps faith and serves Me. His lotus feet are worshiped by Lord Brahma and Lord Çiva. Therefore all of you show love to Him. If a person maintains even a tinge of envy towards Him, then he is not dear to Me even if he is a devotee.
Çré Nityananda Prabhu and Çré Gaurasundara are nondifferent. Simply by serving the lotus feet of Çré Nityananda, one obtains the fruits of serving Çré Gaurasundara. The lotus feet of Çré Nityananda are worshiped by qualitative incarnations like Lord Brahma and Lord Çiva; those who are neglectful of these most worshipable objects, maintaining envy for even a moment and expressing eager- ness to serve the external energy, mäyä, can never become worthy candidates for Çré Gaurasundara's affection.

TEXT 58
ihäna vätäsa lägibeka yära gäya tähäre o krsna nä chädibe sarvathäya"
"Krsna will never leave that person who is touched by the air that has passed by Nityänanda's body."
Subtle fragrance is spread by the air. The touch of Çré Nityänanda's bodily fragrance makes a person's devotional service to Krsna so firm that the worshipable Lord Krsna can never reject him.

TEXT 59
çuniyä prabhura väkya sarva-bhakta-gana mahä jaya-jaya-dhvani karìlä tahhana
After hearing the Lord's words, all the devotees immediately chanted "Jaya! Jaya!"

TEXT 60
bhakti karï ye çunaye e saba äkhyäna tära svåmé haya gauracandra bhagavän

Lord Gauracandra becomes the master of one who hears these topics with devotion.
Those who hear with faith the topics of Çri Nityänanda Prabhu's transcendental characteristics can never become averse to the ser- vice of Çri Caitanya. Only those who are inclined towards the service of Çré Nityänanda Prabhu are able to serve Çré Gaurasundara in all respects. On seeing here the word svämé, or "master," the gaura- nägarïs should not think that like the concocted nadéyä-nägarls they also can enlist Çri Gaurasundara, who is nondifferent from Jagat- guru Çré Nityänanda Prabhu, as a debauchee and display the wild dancing of their material conceptions.

TEXT 61
nityänanda-svarupera e sakala kathä ye-dekhila, se täìhäre jänaye sarvathä

Those who saw these pastimes of Nityänanda Svarüpa know His glories in truth.

TEXT 62
ei-mata kata nityänandera prabhäva jäne yata caitanyera priya mahäbhäga

Only Lord Caitanya's most fortunate associates know the un- limited influence of Lord Nityänanda.
Only the most fortunate and dear associates of Çré Caitanya are capable of understanding the influence of Çré Nityänanda.

TEXT 63
çri krsna-caitanya nityänanda-cända jäna vrndävana-däsa tachu pada-yuge gäna

Accepting Çré Caitanya and Nityänanda Prabhu as my life and soul, I Vmdävana däsa, sing the glories of Their lotus feet.

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