6. 16 Reasons To Regularly Chant 'Nityananda'

16 Reasons To Regularly Chant 'Nityananda' -- By Swami Gaurangapada


16 reasons to regularly chant 'Nityananda' along with the chanting of
the 'Gauranga' Mantra & Maha-mantra.

[Note: Pancha-tattva Mantra has to be chanted before each round of
maha-mantra as per the instructions of Shrila Prabhupada].

(1) BECAUSE GREAT ACHARYAS HAVE DONE IT IN THE PAST:

Cc Adi 11.33:
navadvipe purusottama pandita mahasaya, nityananda-name yanra
mahonmada haya

Purusottama Pandita, a resident of Navadvipa, was the Krishna's
eighth gopala, Stoka-Krishna for Vrindavan. He would become almost mad
as soon as he chanted or heard the holy name 'Nityananda'.

Cc Adi 11.34
balarama dasa--krishna-prema-rasasvadi, nityananda-name haya parama
unmadi

Balarama dasa always fully tasted the nectar of love of Krishna. Upon
chanting or hearing the name of 'Nityananda', he would become
extremely maddened.

(2) BECAUSE THE NAME 'NITYANANDA' IMMEDIATELY EVOKES PURE LOVE OF
KRISHNA EVEN IN A SINFUL PERSON

Chaitanya-charitamrita Adi-lila 8.23:
'nityananda' balite haya krishna-premodaya;aulaya sakala anga,asru-
ganga vaya.

"Simply by chanting the name 'Nityananda' one awakens his love for
Krishna.

Thus all his bodily limbs are agitated by ecstasy of love of God, and
tears flow from his eyes like the waters of the Ganges."

(3) BECAUSE ANYONE WHO EVEN HEARS 'NITYANANDA' ONCE CERTAINLY
ACHIEVES KRISHNA

Chaitanya-bhagavata, Adi-khanda 9.385:
nityananda-hena bhakta sunile sravane; avasya paibe krishnacandra sei
jane.

Shripada Madhavendera Puri states:

"If one simply hears the name 'Nityananda', he will most certainly
attain the lotus feet of Lord Krishnacandra irrespective of any other
consideration."

(4) BECAUSE WITHOUT NITYANANDA ONE CAN NEVER ACHIEVE THE MERCY OF
GAURANGA EVEN AFTER WORSHIPING GAURANGA FOR A MINIMUM 100 LIVES

From Shri Navadvipa-dhama-mahatmya, Chp 4:
tumi yabe kara daya sei anayase; shri chaitanya-pada paya prema-jale
bhase.

Shrila Jiva tells Lord Nityananda, "If You are merciful on someone,
that person will effortlessly achieve the lotus feet of Lord Gauranga
Mahaprabhu and thus drown in the ocean of pure ecstatic love for Lord
Krishna.

tomara karuna vina gaura nahi paya, sata janma bhaje yadi gauranga
hiyaya.

"But if someone does not get Your mercy, then such a person will
never achieve Lord Gaura even if he or she worships Lord Gauranga for
a minimum of 100 lifetimes."

Chaitanya-charitamrita Antya 6.131:
tomara krpa vina keha'chaitanya' na paya;tumi krpa kaile tanre
adhameha paya.

"No one can attain the shelter of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu without
Your (Lord Nityananda's) mercy, but if You are merciful, even the
lowest of men can attain shelter at His lotus feet."

(5) BECAUSE IF GAURANGA'S PUNISHES, NITYANANDA PROTECTS US BUT IF
NITYANANDA PUNISHES THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO HOPE

From Shri Navadvipa-dhama-mahatmya, Chp 4: Jiva Goswami to Lord
Nityananda:
gaura danta kara yadi tumi raksa kara, tumi yare danta kara gaura
tara para.

"If Lord Gauranga punishes a devotee, You (Nityananda) protect him
and somehow engage him in Gauranga's service (like in the example of
Kala Krishnadasa), but if You punish a devotee, he eternally becomes
estranged from Lord Gauranga."

(6) BECAUSE NITYANANDA'S NAME ARE FORM ARE FULL OF SUPREME ETERNAL
BLISS

Chaitanya-bhagavata, Madhya-khanda 12.18:
name nityananda tumi, rupe nityananda; ei tumi nityananda rama
murttimanta.

Lord Gauranga tells Lord Nityananda:

"Your name is Nityananda (eternally full of eternal bliss). Your form
is also Nityananda (eternally full of eternal bliss). Your are
Nityananda (unlimited bliss) in personified form because You are Lord
Balarama Himself."

(7) BECAUSE WITHOUT NITYANANDA ONE CAN NEVER ACHIEVE RADHA-KRSNA AND
VRINDAVNA-DHAMA

Chaitanya-charitamrita Adi 5.204:
jaya jaya nityananda-caranaravinda, yanha haite painu shri-radha-
govinda

"All glory, all glory to the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda, by whose
mercy I have attained Shri Radha-Govinda!"

Shrila Narottama das Thakura sings:
heno nitai vine bhai, radha-krishna paite nai

"Unless one worships Nityananda, one can never achieve Radha-Krishna."

nitae karuna habe vraje radha-krishna pabe

"If Nityananda is merciful,only then one will achieve the direct
service of Radha-Krishna in Vraja."

(8) BECAUSE NO ONE IN THIS CREATION BUT ONLY NITYANANDA CAN BESTOW
MERCY ON THE MOST FALLEN SOULS LIKE US

Chaitanya-charitamrita Adi 5.207:
emana nirghrna more keba krpa kare, eka nityananda vinu jagat bhitare

"Who in this creation but Lord Nityananda could show His mercy to
such an abominable, comtemptible and the lowest person as me?

(9) BECAUSE LORD NITYANANDA BESTOWS MERCY WITHOUT EVEN CONSIDERING
OUR QUALIFICATION

Chaitanya-charitamrita Adi 5.208-9:
preme matta nityananda krpa-avatara, uttama, adhama, kichu na kare
vicara

"Because He is always fully intoxicated by ecstatic love for Lord
Gauranga, He is an incarnation of causeless mercy. Thus He does not
distinguish between the good and the bad people because He Himself is
always intoxicated in pure love.

ye age padaye, tare karaye nistara, ataeva nistarila mo-hena duracara

"He indiscriminately delivers all those who simply fall down before
Him.

Therefore He has delivered such a sinful and fallen person as me."

(10) BECAUSE LORD NITYANANDA IMMEDIATELY BESTOWS HIS TOPMOST MERCY
PLEASED AT A SLIGHTEST SERVICE RENDERED BY US

Cc Adi 5.181:
bhaike bhartsinu muni, lana ei guna, sei ratre prabhu more dila
darasana

"That night Lord Nityananda personally appeared to me in a dream in
His most enchanting form and placed His lotus feet on my head and
gave me eternal residence in Shri Vrindavana-dhama simply because I
defended His glories and that of His intimate associate Minaketana
Ramadasa while quarelling with my brother who had faith in Lord
Gauranga but only a shadow of faith in Lord Nityananda." (WHAT A
MERCIFUL LORD!)

(11) BECAUSE THE NAME 'NITYANANDA' IN A MANTRA ALSO

According to Jaiva Dharma all the names of Gauranga are actually
mantras, and the Lord should be worshiped through these namatmaka-
mantras. Thus the name 'Nityananda' is also actually a mantra and He
should be worshiped by chanting this namatmaka-mantra.

(12) BECAUSE ANYONE WHO HAS NO RELATION WITH NITYANANDA BY THE
REGULAR CHANTING OF HIS NAME HAS WASTED HIS LIFE AND IS JUST LIKE AN
ANIMAL

se sambandha nahi ja'r, brtha janma gelo ta'r
sei pasu boro duracar
nitai na bolilo mukhe, majilo samsara-sukhe
vidya-kule ki koribe tar (Narottama das Thakura)

"Anyone who has not established his relationship with Nityananda
Prabhu by chanting His name 'Nityananda' is understood to have
spoiled his valuable human birth. Such a human being is actually an
uncontrollable animal.

Because he never uttered the holy name 'Nityananda', he has become
merged into so-called material happiness. What can his useless
education and family tradition do to save him from the cycle of birth
and death?"

(13) BECAUSE BY CHANTING NITYANANDA'S NAME SINFUL REACTIONS OF
UNLIMITED NO. OF LIVES ARE IMMEDIATELY DESTROYED

Shri Navadvipa-dhama-mahatmya, Chp 1, states:

gauranga-nitai yei bale eka bara; ananta karama-dosa anta haya tara.

"The most fortunate person who chants the names Nityananda and
Gauranga just once immediately destroys the unlimited sinful
reactions accumulated for unlimited number of lives in the past."

(14) BECAUSE BY CHANTING NITYANANDA'S NAME, KRISHNA-PREM COMES
SEARCHING AFTER THAT PERSON. ONE ACHIEVES KRISHNA-PREM EVEN WITH
OFFENSES IN HIS HEART AND THEN OFFENSES FLEE. WHAT A SUBLIME AND EASY
WAY TO GET KRISHNA-PREM.

nitai-chaitanya bali yei jiva dake; suvimala krishna-prema anvesaye
thake.

"If one feelingly and loudly calls out the names of Nityananda and
Gauranga, the purest Krishna-prema (pure love of Krishna) comes searching
after such a person."

aparadha badha tara kichu nahi kare; nirmala krishna-preme tara ankhi
jhare.

"The offenses (which may be present) don't create any obstacles in
path of achieving this love and tears start flowing from his eyes in
pure ecstatic love."

svalpa kale aparadha apani palaya; hrdaya sodhita haya prema bade
taya.

"In a very short, the offenses themselves flee and the heart becomes
completely purified and thus the love furthur increases.

(15) BECAUSE IN THE NAME OF NITYANANDA THERE ARE NO OFFENSES

Cc Adi 8.31
chaitanya-nityanande nahi esaba vicara, nama laite prema dena, vahe
asrudhara

"But if one only chants, with some slight faith, the holy names of
Lord Gauranga and Nityananda, very quickly he is cleansed of all
offenses. Since in the chanting of the names of Nityananda-Gauranga
there is no consideration of offenses, one will very quickly come to
the stage of love of God, simply by chanting Their names and tears of
pure love for Krishna will flow from the eyes."

PURPORT BY SRILA PRABHUPADA:

 There are offenses to be considered in chanting the Hare Krishna
maha-mantra, but there are no such considerations in chanting the
names of Gaura-Nityananda. Therefore, if one chants the Hare Krishna
maha-mantra but his life is still full of sinful activities, it will
be very difficult for him to achieve the platform of loving service
to the Lord. But if in spite of being an offender one chants the holy
names of Gaura-Nityananda, he is very quickly freed from the
reactions to his offenses. Therefore, one should first approach Lord
Chaitanya and Nityananda, or worship Guru-Gauranga, and then come to
the stage of worshiping Radha-Krishna.  One should first take
shelter of Gaura-Nityananda in order to reach, ultimately, Radha-
Krishna."

"For an ordinary man, worship of Shri Chaitanya and Nityananda
Prabhu or the Panca-tattva is easier than worship of Radha and Krishna.
Unless one is very fortunate, he should not be induced to worship
Radha-Krishna directly. A neophyte student who is not sufficiently
educated or enlightened should not indulge in the worship of Shri
Radha and Krishna or the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra. Even if he
does so, he cannot get the desired result. One should therefore chant
the names of Nitai-Gaura and worship Them without false prestige."

PURPORT BY SHRILA BHAKTISIDDHANTA SARASVATI THAKURA PRABHUPADA:

 "The Hare Krishna maha-mantra considers the offenses whereas the
names of Gaura-Nityananda don't consider offenses. An offensive
chanter will never achieve the fruit of chanting (pure love for
Krishna) by chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Therefore till the
time he is commiting offenses, he should chant the names of Gaura-
Nityananda. Due the repeated chanting of the names of Gaura-
Nityananda, the offenses will destroyed and he will achieve the fruit
of chanting."

"The name of Krishna and Gaura-Both are non-different than the
named Lord. Those who think that Krishna is any way inferior or limited
than Gaura are in gross ignorance. But in practical considerations
with respect to benefit awarded to the conditioned souls, the
chanting of Shri Gaura-Nityananda's Name is more useful and helpful
for everyone. Krishna's mercy is generally only upon liberated or
perfected souls who are surrendered to Him. But the magnanimity of
Lord Gaura-Nityananda is especially for the souls who are offenders
and full of anarthas and desires for material sense-gratification.
The chanting of Lord Gaura-Nityananda's name and Their worship
quickly delivers the soul from all the offenses and thus the soul
achieves shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Gaura-Krishna."

(16) BECAUSE ONE CAN NEVER EVEN VISIT VRINDAVANA WITHOUT ACHIEVING
THE MERCY OF NITYANANDA AND GAURANGA

Cc Adi 8.3 purport:

"In the beginning one should very regularly chant Shri Gaurasundara's
holy name and then chant the holy name of Lord Nityananda. Thus one's
heart will be cleansed of impure desires for material enjoyment. Then
one can approach Vrndavana-dhama to worship Lord Krishna. Unless one is
favored by Lord Chaitanya and Nityananda, there is no need to go to
Vrndavana, for unless one's mind is purified, he cannot see
Vrndavana, even if he goes there."

The glories of Lord Nityananda as the incarnation of Lord Balarama,
the origin of both the spiritual and material world, are given in the
revealed scriptures as follows:

Vayu Purana

(1) balaramo mamaivamsah, so 'pi mat-prstham esyati;
nityananda iti khyato nyasi-cudamanih ksitau

In the Vayu Purana, the Lord tells Brahma: "Lord Balarama, who is My
first expansion and non-different from Me will also appear by My side
as Lord Shri Nityananda. He will become the crest jewel of all
renunciants on the earth."

(2) krtvavadhuta-vesam sa, dharman bhagavatan bahun;
grahayitva janan ittham grhinam asramam tatah.

"Assuming the dress of an avadhuta, He will freely distribute
bhagavata dharma i.e. love of God. He will distribute this pure love
through various means and deliver all the living entities. He will do
so first as a brahmacari and later as a householder."

(3) jahnavy-adibhir atmanam, darsayisyati manavan.

"Accompanied by His eternal consort Shrimati Jahnavi-devi and many
other intimate associates, He (Nityananda) will reveal His
transcendental pastimes to the people."

Ananta-Samhita

nityanando maha-kayo, bhutva mat-kirtane ratah;
vimudhan bhakti-rahitan, mama bhaktan karisyasi.

In the Ananta-Samhita, the Lord states to Anantadeva: "When I appear
in Navadvipa in Kali-yuga, You will become Nityananda. You will have
a very tall, beautiful and large body, and You will be constantly
absorbed in chanting My name and glories. In this way, by Your
causeless mercy You will convert many bewildered fools who are devoid
of devotion into My pure unalloyed devotees."

Shri Chaitanya-Charitamrita, Adi 1.8-9

sankarsanah karana-toya-sayi
garbhoda-sayi ca payobdhi-sayi
sesas ca yasyamsa-kalah sa nitya-
nandakhya-ramah saranam mamastu

May Shri Nityananda Rama be the object of my constant remembrance.

Sankarsana, Sesa Naga and the Vishnus who lie on the Karana Ocean,
Garbha Ocean and ocean of milk are His plenary portions and the
portions of His plenary portions.

mayatite vyapi-vaikuntha-loke
purnaisvarye shri-catur-vyuha-madhye
rupam yasyodbhati sankarsanakhyam
tam shri-nityananda-ramam prapadye

I surrender unto the lotus feet of Shri Nityananda Rama, who is known
as Sankarsana in the midst of the catur-vyuha [consisting of
Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha]. He possesses full
opulences and resides in Vaikunthaloka, far beyond the material
creation.

CONCLUSION:

One can worship Lord Nityananda in the topmost manner by chanting His
name (atleast 1008 times or 10 rounds) daily and by daily reading (1 chapter of) Chaitanya-Bhagavata daily which is the topmost scripture
on the glories of Lord Nityananda composed by His most confidential
associate Shrila Vrindavana das Thakura. And also by daily worshiping
the Deities of Lord Nitai-Gauranga! Nitai-Gaura Premanande!