36. Nityananda pastimes from Sri Caitanya Bhagavata with commentary (Madhya 12.1-28)

Shri Chaitanya-bhagavata

Madhya-khanda -

By 

Vyasa Avatara Shrila Vrindavana dasa Thakura

Chapter Twelve

The Glories of Nityananda

TEXT 1

jaya viçvambhara sarva vaisnavera nätha bhakti diyäjéve prabhu kara ätmasät

All glories to Viçvambhara, the Lord of all Vaisnavas! O Lord, please bestow Your devotional service on the living entities and deliver them.

TEXT 2

hena lélä nityänanda-viçvambhara-saìge navadvïpe dui jane kare bahu range

In this way Lord Nityänanda and Lord Viçvambhara enjoyed various pastimes in Navadvïpa.

TEXT 3

krsnänande alaukika nityånanda-räya niravadhi bälakera präya vyavasäya

Lord Nityänanda was fully absorbed in transcendental ecstatic love for Krsna, yet He constantly behaved like a young boy.

Persons who are intoxicated by material happiness do not pos- sess any information about the happiness derived from Krsna's service. Since Lord Nityananda was fully intoxicated by ecstatic love for Krsna, He constantly displayed the characteristics of a small boy. People who are intoxicated by material enjoyment deviate from the principle of simplicity by taking shelter of worldly deceit. Such material conceptions were never found in the characteristics of Nityananda.

TEXT 4

sabäre dekhiyä préta madhura sambhäsa äpanä-äpani nrtya-vädya-gïta-häsa

Nityananda spoke sweetly with everyone He saw. He engaged in dancing, singing, playing musical instruments, and laughing.

TEXT 5

svänubhävänande ksane karena huìkära çunile apürva buddhi janmaye sabära

Sometimes He roared loudly out of His own ecstasy. Hearing His roar, everyone became struck with wonder.

TEXT 6

varsäte gangäye dheu kumbhire vestita tähäte bhäsaye, tiïärdheka nähi bhïta

During the rainy season the waves of the Ganges were full of crocodiles, yet Nityananda fearlessly floated in those waters.

During the rainy season many crocodiles were seen in the river. Nityananda did not for even a moment become afraid to play in the waters of such a crocodile-infested river.

TEXT 7

sarva-loka dekhi' dare kare—'häya häya' tathäpi bhäsena häsi' nityänanda-räya

On seeing Him floating, people became frightened and ex- claimed, "Alas! Alas!" But Nityänanda smiled and continued to float.

TEXT 8

anantera bhäve prabhu bhäsena gaìgäya nä bujhiyä sarva-loka kare—'häya häya'

Nityänanda floated in the Ganges in the mood of Ananta. Not understanding His glories, everyone lamented, "Alas! Alas!"

Lord Ananta eternally lies down in the Casual Ocean. In the same mood Nityänanda floated in the Ganges by way of swimming. Those who did not know His glories became filled with anxiety.

TEXT 9

änande mürchita vä hayena kona ksana una cäri divase o nä haya cetana

Sometimes He lost consciousness due to ecstatic love and did not regain consciousness even after three or four days.

Being absorbed in ecstatic love for Krsna, Nityänanda sometimes did not manifest external consciousness for three or four days.

TEXT 10

ei-mata ära kata acintya kathana ananta-mukhete närì karite varnana

In this way Nityänanda performed many other inconceivable pastimes. I could not describe them all even if I possessed un- limited mouths.

TEXT 11

daive eka-dina yathä prabhu vasï ache äilena nityänanda ïçvarera käche

By providence, one day Nityänanda came before the Lord while He was sitting.

bälya-bhäve digambara häsya çré-vadane sarvadä änanda-dhärä vahe çrï-nayane

In the mood of a child, Nityananda had no clothes on. He constantly smiled and tears of love flowed from His lotus eyes.

As needy boys always cry to express their misery, Lord Nityananda in ar opposite mood (always joyful) smiled and shed tears of love. Sometimes His clothes would loosen. As a result His childish sweetness contradicted the principle of shyness.

TEXT 13

niravadhi ei bali' karena huìkära "mora prabhu nimäi pandita nadéyära"

Lord Nityananda roared loudly and repeatedly proclaimed, "Nimäi Pandita of Nadia is My Lord."

TEXT 14

base prabhu dekhi' täna mürti digambara mahä-jyotir-maya tanu dehhite sundara

On seeing Nityananda without any clothes on, the Lord laughed. The beautiful body of Nityananda was full of effulgence.

TEXT 15

äthe-vyathe prabhu nija mastakera väsa paräiyä thuilena—tathäpiha häsa

The Lord hurriedly took off the cloth from His own head and put it on Nityananda, who simply laughed.

Whenever Nityananda would take off His clothes out of ecstasy, Mahäprabhu covered Nityänanda's body with the cloth that the Lord tied on His own head. By this action of Mahäprabhu, Nityananda smiled and expressed His childish nature.

äpane lepilä täna aìga divya gandhe çese mälya paripürna dilena çré-aìge

Thereafter the Lord smeared sandalwood paste on Nityänanda's transcendental body and offered Him a flower gar- land.

TEXT 17

vasite dilena nija sammukhe äsana

stuti hare prabhu, çune sarva bhakta-gana

The Lord offered Nityänanda an äsana to sit in front of Him. Then the Lord offered prayers while all the devotees attentively listened.

TEXT 18

"name nityänanda tumi, rüpe nityänanda ei tumi nityänanda räma-mürtimanta

"Your name is Nityänanda and Your form is nityänanda, full of eternal bliss. You are directly Lord Balaräma.

While offering prayers to Nityänanda, Mahäprabhu said, "Your name is Nityänanda, and Your form is directly nityänanda, eternal bliss. The now of bliss is never checked in You. You are directly Lord Balaräma." In the Brhad-yämala Lord Krsna speaks as follows:

balarämo mamaivämçah    so 'pi tatra bhavisyati nityänanda iti khäto    nyäsi cüdämanih ksitau

"Çrï Balaräma, who is My expansion, will also appear in Navadvïpa as the crest jewel among the sannyåsés and will be known as Çrï Nityänanda." It is stated in the Caitanya-caìtämrta (Ädi 5.6) as follows:

ei krsna—navadvépe çrï-caitanya-candra sei balaräma—saìge çré-nityänanda

"That original Lord Krsna appeared in Navadvépa as Lord Caitanya, and Balaräma appeared with Him as Lord Nityananda."

TEXT 19

nityananda paryatana, bhojana, vebhära nityananda vinä hichu nähiha tomära

"Your traveling, eating, and dealings are all full of eternal bliss. There is never any diminution in Your enjoyment of eternal bliss.

Çréman Mahäprabhu said, "O Nityananda, there is no interrup- tion of bliss in Your traveling, eating, and all varieties of behavior."

TEXT 20

tomäre bujhite çakti manusyera hothä? parama susatya—tumi yathä, krsna tathä"

"How can human beings understand You? It is a fact that You are present wherever Krsna is."

"Wherever Krsna is, You are also there. Just as Lord Krsna is eternal, You also constantly remain with Him and are eternal. Since You are beyond the jurisdiction of human beings' material percep- tion, which is under the three material modes of nature, they cannot understand You."

TEXT 21

caitanyera rase nityananda mahämati ye balena, ye karena—sarvatra sammati

The most magnanimous Nityananda is absorbed in ecstatic love for Lord Caitanya, so whatever He speaks or does is always approved by the Lord.

TEXT 22

prabhu bale,—"eka khäni kaupéna tomära deha'—ihä bada icchä ächaye ämära"

The Lord said, "Give Me a piece of Your kaupéna. I have a great desire to have it."

While traveling to the holy places with one sannyäsì, Lord Nityänanda formally accepted the principle of wearing the brahmacäré kaupéna. Mahäprabhu expressed a desire to beg that kaupéna, which is the sign of a brahmacäré. The wearing of kaupéna entails covering the lower part of one's body with the minimum required cloth. Persons who are intoxicated by material enjoyment engage in deceitfulness in the name of civilization and declare the absence of simplicity as gentlemanliness by dressing opulently. In order to stop dressing and eating opulently, which are aimed at maintaining adultery, the acceptance of kaupéna is indicative of the greatness of äçrama-dharma, the occupational duty of a particular caste.

TEXT 23

eta balï prabhu tära haupéna äniyä chota karï cirilena aneka kariyä

After speaking in this way the Lord took Nityänanda's kaupéna and tore it into many small pieces.

TEXT 24

sakala-vaisnava-mandalïre jane jane khäni khäni karï prabhu dilena äpane

The Lord then personally distributed those pieces to every one of the Vaisnavas.

TEXT 25

prabhu bale,—"e vastra bändhaha sabe sire anyera ki däya—ihä väìche yogeçvare

The Lord said, "Tie this piece of cloth on your head. What to speak of others, even the greatest mystic yogis desire this.

nityänanda-prasäde se haya visnu-bhakti jäniha—hrsnera nityananda pürna-çakti

"Simply by the mercy of Nityananda one obtains devotional service of Visnu. Know it for certain that Nityananda is the full potency of Krsna.

Mahäprabhu said, "You should know Çré Nityananda Prabhu as the complete potency of Lord Krsna. He is the topmost among the servants of Krsna. Only by His mercy can one achieve devotion to Visnu. He is the form of Visnu presiding over the sandhinï potency. Although He is Lord Visnu Himself, He nevertheless serves the supreme Visnu. He serves the origin of all visnu-tattvas. Only by His mercy is the living entities' propensity for worshiping Hari awakened." In His form as the younger sister of Rädhäräné, Çré Nityananda Prabhu nourishes conjugal mellows. That is why Çrï Thäkura Narottama has said:

hena nitäi vine bhäi,     rädhä-krsna päite näi, drdha hari' dhara nitäira päya

"Unless one takes shelter under the shade of the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda, it will be very difficult for him to approach Rädhä- Krsna. If one actually wants to enter into the dancing party of Rädhä-Krsna, he must firmly catch hold of the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda." As the supreme Jagat-guru, Çré Nityananda Prabhu alone is the origin of guru-tattva. In regards to the devotee Jagat- guru, the spiritual master is an incarnation of Çré Nityananda, who is the manifestation of Çré Caitanya. The spiritual master is most dear to Lord Krsna because like Çré Nityananda he is also a manifes- tation of Çré Caitanya, and he is renowned to be as good as Nityananda. The travelers on the path of devotional service do not accept the identification of Nityänanda's family through seminal consideration. The nondevotee smärtas who are averse to the service of Visnu attribute such unreasonable propositions to the family of Nityananda, but the devotees of the Lord are completely against this. The family of Nityananda is based on disciplic succession. Since it is not based on seminal succession, many ordinary villagers

who were disciples of Vïrabhadra Prabhu considered themselves as belonging to the family of Çré Nityänanda. The book Nityänanda- vamça-vistära, composed by a person from Beniatola (Calcutta) at the end of nineteenth century, is modern and opposed to history.

TEXT 27

krsnera dvitéya nityänanda bai näi

saìgl, sakhä, çayana, bhüsana, bandhu, bhäi

"Nityänanda is the second manifestation of Krsna. He serves the Lord as His companion, friend, bed, ornaments, well-wisher, and brother.

Krsna's second manifestation, Çré Baladeva Prabhu, is Çré Gaurasundara's second manifestation, Nityänanda Prabhu. Lord Krsna is one without a second, and Lord Nityänanda is His second manifestation. Nityänanda is inseparably related to the Absolute Personality of Godhead, Krsna. He is the companion of Gauräìga, the friend of Gauräìga, the bed of Gauräìga, the carrier of Gauräìga, the ornaments of Gauräìga, and the relative of Gauräìga, in the form of His elder brother.

TEXT 28

vedera agamya nityänandera caritra sarva-jéva-janaka, raksaka, sarva-mitra

"The characteristics of Nityänanda are incomprehensible to the Vedas. He is the origin, protector, and friend of all living entities.

The characteristics of Nityänanda are incomprehensible to the knowers of the Vedas. Coming from this Nityänanda, the Saìkarsana form of Väsudeva in Mahä-Vaikuntha considered by the followers of the Paìcarätras is not Nityänanda's partial identity. He is a self-manifested object. From Him, Käranodakaçäyé Visnu, Garbhodakaçäyé Visnu, and Ksérodakaçäyé Visnu manifest and ìoat in the three oceans. These three Visnus reside in Mahä-Vaikuntha as Aniruddha, Pradyumna, and Saìkarsana as the cause of both Vaikuntha and the material world. The form of Visnu presiding over the sandhiné potency manifests Käranodakaçäyé Visnu, from whom

all the occasional incarnations are manifested. Since the living en- tities who belong to the marginal energy of the Lord are manifested from Käranodakaçäyé Visnu, He is the father of all living entities. Because He is the maintainer of all living entities, He is the "protec- tor," and because He is the shelter of all living entities, He is the "friend." Lord Nityananda is the supreme controller, and the living entities are His separated parts. They are born from the marginal energy of the Lord and are servants of the Lord. In Caitanya- caìtämrta (Ädi 5.43-45) it is stated: "One variety of the pastimes of the spiritual energy is described as pure goodness [viçuddha-sattva]. It comprises all the abodes of Vaikuntha. The six attributes are all spiritual. Know for certain that they are all manifestations of the opulence of Saìkarsana. There is one marginal potency, known as the jéva. Mahä-saìkarsana is the shelter of all jévas."