This is the injunction in the śāstra, that this form of the Lord, who is accompanied by His associate... Sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu is always associated with Śrī Advaita Prabhu, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, Śrī Gadādhara Prabhu, Śrī Śrīvāsa Prabhu. Therefore the process of worship is śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. That is perfect process. Not to cut short. No. As it is indicated. This is indication in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tvisakṛṣṇaṁ sangopangastra... (SB 11.5.32). So when we have to worship Lord Caitanya, we worship with His associates. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. No cut-short method. So that is sastric injunction. So in order to get rid of the sinful activities of this age, it is already prescribed in the śāstras and confirmed by the greatest authority, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Nityananda (Lectures, Other)
Lectures
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
So all these persons associated with Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, Śrī Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita, and Gadādhara and Śrīvāsa, all of them, they are one. One in this sense, they are all interested how to push on Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He's trying personally, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu, Śrīvāsa, Gadādhara, they are trying to help. So..., and to approach all these five supreme persons, you require the help of guru. Therefore the guru is offered first the respectful prayers, vande gurūn. And gurūn, bahu-vacana, plural number, that many gurus. But they are not many; they are one, guru-tattva. Just like Kṛṣṇa has many forms, but that does not mean Kṛṣṇa is different. No. Kṛṣṇa is one. Similarly, guru, there may be many gurus, it doesn't matter, but their philosophy must be one: to teach everyone that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So there may be thousands of gurus, but the guru's business is to teach the disciple that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the test of guru.
Pradyumna: "I offer my respectful obeisances unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda, who are like the sun and moon. They have arisen simultaneously on the horizon of Gauḍa to dissipate the darkness of ignorance and thus wonderfully bestow benediction upon all."
Prabhupāda:
- vande śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-
- nityāndandau sahoditau
- gauḍodaye puṣpavantau
- citrau śandau tamo-nudau
- (CC Adi 1.2)
So yesterday we discussed the first verse,
- (vande) gurūn īśa-bhaktān
- īśam īśāvatārakān
- tat-prakāśāṁś ca tac-chaktiḥ
- kṛṣṇa-caitanya-saṁjñakam
- (CC Adi 1.1)
Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, He has got manyfold expansion. The first expansion is prakāśa, svayaṁ-prakāśa, Balarāma. And Nityānanda is Balarāma. Vrajendra-nandana yei, śacī-sūta hoilo sei, balarāma hoilo nitāi. We have to understand from the mahājana, Narottama das Ṭhākura. Sometimes some foolish people interpret Nityānanda as expansion of Rādhārāṇī, but that is not the fact. Nityānanda is Balarāma. We have to know from mahājana. We cannot manufacture our own idea. That is blasphemy, sahajiyā. Yata mat tata pat. These things are not accepted by mahājana. Mahājana means who follows the previous mahājana. This is the system. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu strictly followed this principle. Kṛṣṇa also recommended evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2). We have to receive knowledge through the disciplic succession.
So Nityānanda means prakāśa, svayaṁ-prakāśa, Balarāma. Balarāma is, I mean to say, presenting Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Balarāma is guru-tattva. Guru is representative of Balarāma, of Nityānanda, Guru Nityānanda, because He is exhibiting Kṛṣṇa. He is presenting Kṛṣṇa, prakāśa. Just like when there is sunshine you can see everything very correctly. That is called prakāśa. In the darkness everything is covered. At night we cannot see, but during daytime, when there is prakāśa, illumination, then we can see everything. So Nityānanda Prabhu is Balarāma. Balarāma is prakāśa-tattva. He's manifesting Kṛṣṇa. Balarāma hoila nitāi. So vande śrī... Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is the Supreme Absolute Personality of Godhead, and next, Nityānanda, or, yes, Nityānanda, is exhibiting Him. When Nityānanda was preaching in Bengal, He first of all delivered the Jagāi and Mādhāi. That was his first business. He showed how to serve Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya means Kṛṣṇa Himself. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya rādha-kṛṣṇa nahe anya. Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa combined together is Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. And Nityānanda is exhibiting Kṛṣṇa Caitanyadeva.
So how one can exhibit Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that is... By His personal example Nityānanda Prabhu has given us lesson. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu was sending His devotees to preach and Nityānanda Prabhu was doing that, He used to go with Haridāsa Ṭhākura to preach on the street, home to home. So when they saw there was a big crowd on the street, so Nityānanda Prabhu inquired from the people, "Why there is so many people assembled?" He was informed that "There are two gundas, rogues. They are creating some trouble." The gundas, their business is to create trouble, that's all. Every one of us we know, especially at the present moment in Bengal. Yes. This is due to lack of preaching of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Nityānanda Prabhu is not given the chance. Nityānanda Prabhu is very eager to preach, but He's not given chance. Actually, those who are proud of becoming descendants of Nityānanda Prabhu... In Bengal there is a family, they say that they are descendants from Nityānanda Prabhu. So apart from controversy, even accepting that they are descendants from Nityānanda Prabhu, their business is also to act like Nityānanda Prabhu. So that business, what is that business? That is described by Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, mahājana, pāpī tāpī yata chilo, hari-nāme uddhārilo, ta'ra sākṣī jagāi-mādhāi. This is the business of Nityānanda Prabhu along with Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Vrajendra-nandana yei, śacī-sūta hoilo sei, balarāma hoilo nitāi.
So here Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and Nityānanda, Their identification is Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Now, in the Kṛṣṇa incarnation, these two brothers were engaged as cowherd boys and friends of the gopīs, sons of Mother Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja. That is actual life in Vṛndāvana. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, They are village cowherds boy. That is the early age history of Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma. And Their another business, when They went to Mathurā They killed Kaṁsa and the wrestlers, and then again, when They went to Dvārakā, They had to fight with so many demons. But Their childhood life, up to sixteenth year, They were in Vṛndāvana, happy life, simply love. That is paritrāṇāya sādhūnām (BG 4.8). Sādhus, devotees, they are always anxious to see Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma and Their associates. They are always very much aggrieved on account of separation. To give them rejuvenation of life, Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma play Their childhood days in Vṛndāvana.
That is paritrāṇāya sādhūnām (BG 4.8). Sādhus, devotees, they are always anxious to see Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma and Their associates. They are always very much aggrieved on account of separation. To give them rejuvenation of life, Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma play Their childhood days in Vṛndāvana. And out of Vṛndāvana, beginning from Mathurā up to Dvārakā and other places, the business was vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām: killing. So They have got two businesses, one for pacifying the devotees, and the other is to kill the demons. Of course, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, They are Absolute Truth. There is no difference between killing and loving. They... Absolute. Those who were killed, you know, they were also delivered from this material bondage.
Now these same two brothers have again descended as Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya-Nityānanda.
So Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and Nityānanda, They came, descended again, being merciful, same Kṛṣṇa. Vrajendra-nandana yei, Śacī-sūta hoilo sei. Same Kṛṣṇa. In a different way they canvassed the same principle. (aside:) You can sit down there. You are sleeping. Don't sleep. Don't show that sleeping. Go there. So this is the darkness. And Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared to drive away this darkness—same Kṛṣṇa, the same Kṛṣṇa. There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa's preaching and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu's preaching. There is no difference. The difference is that Kṛṣṇa, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is demanding that "You rascal, you surrender unto Me. You are suffering so much. You are rascal. I am your father. I want to see you happy; therefore I have come. Surrender unto Me. I shall give you all protection."
He does not know that he's suffering. Māyā has given his body to suffer, but even in the pig's body, he's thinking that is enjoying life. This is called māyā. Mohitaṁ nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam (BG 7.13). This is called illusion. Illusion. Everyone in this material world, they are suffering in different grades. Just like in the prison house there are different grades of prisoner: first class, second class, third class. But if the first-class prisoner thinks they are enjoying life, that is ignorance. He should know that he's in the prison house. In the prison house where is there enjoyment? It is all suffering. Maybe first-class suffering, (laughter) but it is suffering. So they are all in the darkness, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu appeared to dissipate, tamo-nudau, to dissipate this darkness of the whole human society. That is Their kindness.
So Nityānanda Prabhu, being prakāśā, He is manifesting Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He's canvassing the same thing. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is canvassing to accept Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and to accept Kṛṣṇa consciousness through the mercy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu and Their other assistants is easier, easier. Therefore we see practically, we have taught our disciples to chant first of all the Pañca-tattva, śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya (devotees chant) prabhu-nityānanda, śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. Thank you. So through the mercy of this Pañca-tattva, easily you can approach Kṛṣṇa, easily. Otherwise how it is possible? These Europeans, Americans, they did not know what was Kṛṣṇa. Four or five years ago they were unknown. How they have become so devotee of Kṛṣṇa that ten thousand miles, crossing over the sea, they have come here at Māyāpur, unless they have got developed love for this? Their coming is not so easy from neighboring villages, but it costs. They have spent lakhs of dollars—one dollar equal to eight rupees—and they have come here. Why? Through the mercy of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. (end)
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu, both of Them have come to deliver these fallen souls of this material world who are in the darkness of conception. So They are fighting all over the world this darkness. Just now somebody told me that the king of the Arabia is killed. He is killed now by his nephew or somebody else. This is going on. Even in family affairs it is going on. Why? This darkness. Ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). Janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu along with His associates, Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu, Gadādhara Prabhu and Śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda, they are trying to dissipate the darkness of this false identification. Kṛṣṇa simply instructed Arjuna about his darkness of identity, and He punished him, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "You are talking very big, big words, but you are lamenting on a subject matter on which no learned person laments." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. That means "You are fool number one." Paṇḍitāḥ. "No paṇḍita makes like that. Now try to understand what is the position."
Nitāi: "May Śrī Nityānanda Rāma be the object of my constant remembrance. Saṅkarṣaṇa, Śeṣa Nāga and the Viṣṇus who lie on the Kāraṇa Ocean, Garbha Ocean and ocean of milk are His plenary portions and the portions of His plenary portions."
Prabhupāda:
- saṅkarṣaṇaḥ kāraṇa-toya-śāyī
garbhoda-śāyī ca payobdhi-śāyī,
- śeṣaś ca yasyāṁśa-kalāḥ sa nityā-
- nandākhya-rāmaḥ śaraṇaṁ mamāstu
- (CC Adi 1.7)
So Kavirāja Gosvāmī, after offering his respectful obeisances to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and describing the purpose of His incarnation, He is now trying to describe Nityānanda. Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Caitanya Prabhu-Nityānanda. Pañca-tattva, one after another... First of all Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then Nityānanda Prabhu, then Advaita Prabhu, then Gadādhara, and then Śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. He is summarizing the obeisances to the Pañca-tattva. Now, what is the identification of Nityānandākhya-Rāma? Rāma, Balarāma, and Baladeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa—there are so many names of Śrī Baladeva. In the Upaniṣad it is said, nāyam ātmā bala-hīnena labhyo: "Self-realization is not possible without being strengthened by the mercy of Balarāma." Sometimes they take it foolishly, that "Without being very strong bodily, nobody can realize self." But that is not the fact. Nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhayā na bahunā śrutena. This is the Vedic injunction. That bala-hīnena means without being favored by Nityānanda Prabhu, Balarāma.
Balarāma is Nityānanda. That we know by following the footprints of mahājanas. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, vrajendra-nandana yei, śacī-suta hoila sei, balarāma hoila nitāi: "Balarāma has appeared now as Nityānanda." So bala means strength, spiritual strength, and rāma means enjoyer. Iti rāma padenāsau param brahma ity abhidhīyate. Rāma means Para-brahman. Satyānande cid-ātmani. Ramante yoginaḥ anante (CC Madhya 9.29). Yogi, they are also interested in enjoying life. There are different kinds of yogis. Of all the yogis, the bhakti-yogi, that is the best. That is said by Kṛṣṇa:
- yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
- mad-gatenāntarātmanā
- śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
- sa me yuktatamo mataḥ
- (BG 6.47)
Yogis, there are many yogis, but the bhakti-yogi is the best because by bhakta-yoga only, you can approach the Supreme Personality of... There is no other way. Jñāna, karma, and haṭha-yoga, they can help little, but they are not competent to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhaktyā mām abhijānātievaṁ (BG 18.55). If you want to know Kṛṣṇa, then karma, yoga, jñāna, these, although they can elevate you to some extent, but you cannot approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead by karma, jñāna, yoga. If you want to know Kṛṣṇa as He is, then you have to accept the path of bhakti-yoga. Kṛṣṇa says personally, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥevaṁ prasanna-manaso. And in order to attain this perfection of bhakti-yoga, you require strength from Balarāma, Saṅkarṣaṇa.
So this word rāma is explained in the śāstra that one who is expert in enjoying eternal happiness, he is perfect yogi. Not flickering happiness. Flickering happiness, the yogis are not interested in flickering happiness or material happiness. Material happiness is always flickering, temporary. That is not happiness, but we take it. Real happiness is when we enjoy life with Kṛṣṇa, rāma. That is real happiness. Ramante yoginaḥ anante satyānande. That is ananta. Ananta means unlimited. So our... We are seeking after ānanda. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). By our nature we want to be very blissful, always happy. That is our nature. And we can possess, revive our nature of eternal happiness, provided we try to get it in this human form of life. There is no difficulty if we follow the path enunciated by great authorities. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). So Nityānanda Prabhu, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and Their disciples, they are all mahājanas, great personalities. If we follow their principles, then it is very easy. There is no difficulty. But difficulty is that we do not follow.
This is the process. You'll find this later on. So payobdhi-śāyī and śeṣaś ca, Sesa, that is also incarnation of Viṣṇu. He is sustaining the body of Viṣṇu in different oceans, and He is serving the Lord Viṣṇu in so many ways. Śayyā, āsana, sitting place, bed, and upavīta, and clothes, garments—so many ways He is serving. Now, all these different incarnation of Viṣṇu is summarized here by Kavirāja Gosvāmī that "All of them are partial expansion of Nityānanda," to understand what is Nityānanda Prabhu. The prakāśa-vigraha... Kṛṣṇa first. Then His prakāśa-vigraha, manifested form, a little difference in bodily feature, but the same powerful, that is Balarāma. And then, from Balarāma, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, in this way, quadruple expansion... Then Nārāyaṇa, then another quadruple expansion, then from that quadruple, second manifestation of Saṅkarṣaṇa, all these different Viṣṇus, Kāraṇa-toyāśāyī, Garbhodakaśayī, Kṣīrodhi-śāyī—in this way, expanding. Dīpārcir eva hi daśāntaram abhyupetya (Bs. 5.46). Just like you take one candle, then you lit up another candle, another candle, another candle. All these candles are equally powerful, but still, the calculation is, Kṛṣṇa is the first candle, Balarāma is the second candle. In this way, viṣṇutayā vibhāti—the expansion of Viṣṇu, innumerable.
We have to follow the śāstra; otherwise there is no other alternative to understand the exalted position of Kṛṣṇa, how He expands in different forms, as Viṣṇu, as Nārāyaṇa. Sometimes they argue that Kṛṣṇa is incarnation of Viṣṇu. That is also truth. You'll find in Caitanya... Truth in this way, that when any incarnation comes, He comes through the Kṣīrobdhi-śāyī Viṣṇu. But Kṣīrobdhi-śāyī is partial expansion of Kṛṣṇa. The subject matter is very intricate, but if we follow the śāstra and accept it, then some clear conception we can have.
So Nityānanda Rāma... So yasyāṁśa sa nityānanda-rāmaḥ. Nityānanda is Balarāma. Therefore He is said, nityānandākhya-rāmaḥ. Just like Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu... Kṛṣṇāya-kṛṣṇa-caitanya nāmne: "I offer my respectful obeisances to Kṛṣṇa now appeared as Kṛṣṇa Caitanya." He's Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, Nityānanda is Balarāma. So balarāma hoilo nitāi. Therefore it is said here, nityānandākhya-rāmaḥ: "He's Rāma, Balarāma, but at the present moment He has appeared by the name Nityānanda."
Nitāi: "I surrender unto the lotus feet of Śrī Nityānanda Rāma, who is known as Saṅkarṣaṇa in the midst of the catur-vyūha consisting of Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha. He possesses full opulences and resides in Vaikuṇṭhaloka, far beyond the material creation."
Prabhupāda:
- māyātīte vyāpi-vaikuṇṭha-loke
- pūrṇaiśvarye śrī-catur-vyūha-madhye
- rūpaṁ yasya udbhāti saṅkarṣaṇākhyaṁ
- taṁ śrī-nityānanda-rāmaṁ prapadye
- (CC Adi 1.8)
So identification of Nityānanda Prabhu. So He is the second Saṅkarṣaṇa also. The first Saṅkarṣaṇa... From Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, four, quadruple expansions of Balarāma... Then, from Saṅkarṣaṇa, first Saṅkarsana, the Nārāyaṇa, four-handed Nārāyaṇa, that is the next expansion, and again, from Nārāyaṇa, there is another quadruple expansion, second Saṅkarṣaṇa, Vāsudeva, Pradyumna. So the second Saṅkarṣaṇa also is expansion of Nityānanda Rāma, Balarāma. So where is this Vaikuṇṭhaloka? It is rather imprudent to inquire because we cannot calculate even this material world, what is the length and breadth of this universe. This is only one universe. This is called māyika brahmānanda. Māyika means shadow. Shadow... Shadow is existing on account of the real.
Nitāi: "I offer my full obeisances unto the feet of Śrī Nityānanda Rāma, whose partial representation called Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, lying on the Kāraṇa Ocean, is the original puruṣa, the master of the illusory energy, and the shelter of all the universes."
Prabhupāda:
- māyā-bhartājāṇḍa-saṅghāśrayāṅgaḥ
- śete sākṣāt kāraṇāmbhodhi-madhye
- yasyaikāṁśaḥ śrī-pumān ādi-devas
- taṁ śrī-nityānanda-rāmaṁ prapadye
- (CC Adi 1.9)
Yesterday we discussed about pūrṇāiśvarya, saṅkarṣaṇākhyam, nityānanda-rāmam, the Deity, the superintending Deity of the spiritual world. Here also, anywhere, the master is Kṛṣṇa in His different forms. So just like for management we expand some secretaries, or personal representatives, similarly there is good management also in Kṛṣṇa's affairs. The original person is Kṛṣṇa, and His expansions, they are also as good as Kṛṣṇa, but departmental.
Nitāi: "I offer my full obeisances unto the feet of Śrī Nityānanda Rāma, a partial part of whom is Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. From the navel of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu sprouts the lotus that is the birthplace of Brahmā, the engineer of the universe. The stem of that lotus is the resting place of the multitude of planets."
Prabhupāda:
- yasyāṁśāṁśaḥ śrīla-garbhoda-śāyī
- yan-nābhy-abjaṁ loka-saṅghāta-nālam
- loka-sraṣṭuḥ sūtikā-dhāma dhātuḥ
- taṁ śrī-nityānanda-rāmaṁ prapadye
- (CC Adi 1.10)
We have already discussed Kāraṇodakaśāyī, who is the plenary portion of Saṅkarṣaṇa. Now, from Kāraṇodakaśāyī is Garbhodakaśāyī. Garbhodakaśāyī means this, within the womb or bottom of this universe, there is a ocean, big ocean, and in that ocean the plenary portion of Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu enters. This is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, viṣṭabhya aham idaṁ kṛtsnam ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). By one portion, the Garbho..., er, Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu enters each universe, and within that universe He creates a ocean by His perspiration. Now, there are so many questions: "How these oceans are created?" The scientist says that it is a combination of hydrogen and oxygen gas. So wherefrom this gas came? The answer is here. Of course, from the gas, water comes out. If you cover one boiling pot, the gas, the vapor coming... And you will find spots of water. So from the gas, the water comes, and from the water, gas comes.
Nitāi: "I offer my respectful obeisances unto the feet of Śrī Nityānanda Rāma, whose secondary part is the Viṣṇu lying in the ocean of milk. That Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu is the Supersoul of all living entities and the maintainer of all the universes. Śeṣa Nāga is His further subpart."
Prabhupāda:
- yasyāṁśāṁśāṁśaḥ parātmākhilānāṁ
- poṣṭā viṣṇur bhāti dugdhābdhi-śāyī
- kṣauṇī-bhartā yat-kalā so 'py anantas
- taṁ śrī-nityānanda-rāmaṁ prapadye
- (CC Adi 1.11)
So all these Viṣṇu descriptions beginning from Kāraṇodakaśāyī, Mahā-Viṣṇu, who is producing universes... Then next Viṣṇu is Garbhodakaśāyī, means the same Mahā-Viṣṇu entering in each and every universe. Then again, the same Viṣṇu, for maintenance of this material world, is lying on the kṣīrabdhi, ocean of milk. And the same Viṣṇu, Kṣīrabdhiśāyī Viṣṇu, is maintaining not only these universal affair, but also He is entering in each and every living being's heart, even within the atom.
So this is our position. We do not know who is the actual architect behind all this nice material creation. That is Mahā-Viṣṇu, and His incarnation is Advaita Prabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is directly Kṛṣṇa, or Kṛṣṇa's incarnation. Nityānanda Prabhu is directly incarnation of Baladeva, and similarly, Śrī Advaita Prabhu is incarnation of Mahā-Viṣṇu. So all of Them are on the equal footing. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda, śrī-advaita. They are on the same equal level. And then śakti-tattva, Śrī-Gadādhara and Śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. Gadādhara is the internal energy, and Śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda, they are marginal energy. So Īśvara-tattva and śakti-tattva. So within this group, there is no this material energy because in the spiritual world there is no action of material energy, only spiritual energy. In the material world there is action of material energy. In the spiritual world there is no material energy. Therefore, in this Pañca-tattva, there is no mention of material energy because in the spiritual world there is no material energy. Māyā-gandha-hīna.
So we have to go through like that. As Caitanya-caritāmṛta Kar is explaining, we have to follow this principle. Then if you are really inquisitive to learn the Absolute Truth, they will explain, as here it is explained that here Advaita Ācārya is īśvara, He's incarnation of Mahā-Viṣṇu. Sometimes Advaita Ācārya is called Sadāśiva avatāra. The Sadāśiva is also expansion of Mahā-Viṣṇu. So either way you say, incarnation of Sadāśiva or Mahā-Viṣṇu, it doesn't matter. But Advaita Ācārya is īśvara-tattva. He's not śakti-tattva. He's īśvara-tattva. And we are all śakti-tattva; therefore there is difference. Śakti-śaktimān. Although there is no difference abhinna, but still, śakti-tattva is superior, er, śaktimān tattva is superior than śakti-tattva. So in this way try to understand Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu, and Gadādhara and Śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. And... But they are so kind because they have come to deliver the fallen souls. If you sincerely chant their name, śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda...
So gradually the author is offering respect, śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita. He has already offered respect to Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda. Now it is the turn for Śrī Advaitācārya. So advaitam, nondifferent, expansion of Mahā-Viṣṇu. Therefore He is Viṣṇu-tattva; He is not jīva-tattva. Therefore He is advaita. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Kṛṣṇa has got unlimited number of expansions: expansion, expansion of the expansion, then expansion of the expansion, in this way. So Advaitācārya is expansion of Kṛṣṇa, it is already explained. Therefore He is called advaitam, and ācāryaṁ bhakti-śaṁsanāt.
So Advaita Ācārya is the typical example how to become ācārya. All are our ācāryas, śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda, śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. All of them are ācāryas because they are following the ācārya, supreme ācārya, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Therefore they are ācārya. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). So we have to follow the ācārya. Then, when we are completely, cent per cent follower of ācārya, then you can also act as ācārya. This is the process. Don't become premature ācārya. First of all follow the orders of ācārya, and you become mature. Then it is better to become ācārya. Because we are interested in preparing ācārya, but the etiquette is, at least for the period the guru is present, one should not become ācārya. Even if he is complete he should not, because the etiquette is, if somebody comes for becoming initiated, it is the duty of such person to bring that prospective candidate to his ācārya. Not that "Now people are coming to me, so I can become ācārya."
That will be falldown. Just like during the lifetime of our Guru Mahārāja, all our Godbrothers now who are acting as ācārya, they did not do so. That is not etiquette. Ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyāt na avaman... That is insult. So if you insult your ācārya, then you are finished. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasya aprasādāt na gatiḥ kuto 'pi **—finished. If you displease your ācārya, then you are finished. Therefore it is said, Caitanya Mahāprabhu says to all the ācāryas... Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu and Śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda, they are all carriers of orders of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So try to follow the path of ācārya process. Then life will be successful.
And to become ācārya is not very difficult. First of all, to become very faithful servant of your ācārya, follow strictly what he says. Try to please him and spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That's all. It is not at all difficult. Try to follow the instruction of your Guru Mahārāja and spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the order of Lord Caitanya.
So to achieve strength, Kṛṣṇa is prepared to help us in so many ways. That He is pañca-tattvātmakam, He is coming as Lord Kṛṣṇa, and ordering, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Still we are making mistake; we don't accept Kṛṣṇa's word. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is coming as Caitanya Mahāprabhu, along with His associates Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu, Gadādhara Prabhu, just to teach us the same process: how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. So our real business is that, how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. And if we take shelter of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, along with His associates, then the task becomes very easy. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ (SB 11.5.32). Very easy; not at all difficult. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's method for approaching Kṛṣṇa is very, very easy. Now we have got this center, Māyāpur center. We have got hundreds of centers, but this is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's birthplace.
So our only request is that take shelter of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, chant always śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda, and Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. (devotees chant also) Thank you. So it is not very difficult task. Anyone, just like the children, the boys, two years, three years old, they are also doing the same thing. Where is the difficulty? Young man can perform the same thing; old man can also perform; everyone can perform, it is so nice. So do not forget this principle,
- pañca-tattvātmakaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ
- bhakta-rūpa-svarūpakam
- bhaktāvatāraṁ bhaktākhyaṁ
- namāmi bhakta-śaktikam
Bhakta-śakti, everything requires strength, so we can derive strength by chanting Caitanya Mahāprabhu's name, and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. You don't require very high education, neither you require to take your birth in very high family. Ahaitukī.
Kevala ānanda-kanda, parama-karuṇa: "There are many incarnation, but no better incarnation, no magnanimous incarnation, like Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu." Nityānanda Prabhu is always... Vrajenda-nandana yei, śaci-suta haila sei, balarāma haila nitāi. Nitāi-Gaura means—Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who was formerly Kṛṣṇa... He's Kṛṣṇa still. Just for our understanding... As we think that "I had my former life"—actually I had—but that former life is finished; I am now a new life. But in case of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is not like that. It is simultaneously existing. Kṛṣṇa is also existing, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu also existing. The example is given in this connection, just like the sun. Now it is not visible in India, the sun. But other part, in America, it is visible. So sun is there, but it is not visible at the present moment in India. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is there, Caitanya Mahāprabhu is there. Their pastimes are there, it is going on, but it is now not visible in this part of the universe. There are innumerable universes, so by rotation Kṛṣṇa or Caitanya Mahāprabhu comes to a particular universe at a certain period. Just like the sun will rise again, tomorrow morning, at six p.m., at six a.m., similarly, Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Kṛṣṇa and all His incarnation, they are rotating regularly.
So, Kavirāja Gosvāmī the author of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, he first offered his obeisances to Lord Caitanya in the first verse, agaty-eka-gatiṁ natvā (CC Adi 7.1). After offering obeisances to the Supreme Lord, who is the only hope for the hopeless, now he's again offering, jaya jaya mahāprabhu śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya. Prabhu and Mahāprabhu. Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu. Any Vaiṣṇava is addressed as prabhu, but Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Mahāprabhu, the topmost prabhu, the master prabhu. All others are servant prabhu. Just like, it is very easy to understand: if you are working in an office, your immediate boss, you consider him as your master, but he's not the master. The master of the office is the managing director, manager or the proprietor. But still those who are working under him, sub-prabhus, they are also called prabhu. So all Vaiṣṇava should be addressed as prabhu; that is the etiquette. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Mahāprabhu. As soon as you utter the name of Śrī Caitanya, the Mahāprabhu... Because He's the greatest master.
So it is the business of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu... He's so magnanimous that He is distributing Kṛṣṇa. So take shelter of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You have come from distant place, you have spent much money, thousands of money to come here. Take advantage of this journey and chant śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. Then you'll get Kṛṣṇa. Then you'll get, surely. This land, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's birthsite. So anyone who takes shelter of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he is dhanya, he is glorified.
Acāryāṁ māṁ vijānīyān (SB 11.17.27). So, that guru-tattva has been explained by the author, Kavirāja Gosvāmī in five chapters, six chapters, and the seventh chapter he's describing the five tattvas. Īśa-prakāśa. Nityānanda Prabhu is the direct manifestation of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa. Vrajendra-nandana yei śacī-suta hoila sei balarāma hoila nitāi. So Nityānanda Prabhu is the first expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa or Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya. When you speak of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, we should understand immediately that He's Kṛṣṇa in Rādhā's attitude, Rādhā-bhāva. Kṛṣṇa, Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, They are one; They are not different. Rādhā kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī śaktir asmād (CC Adi 1.5). Rādhārāṇī is expansion of Kṛṣṇa's pleasure potency. So Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa Himself, but the pleasure potency of Kṛṣṇa is prominent in His activities. Because Kṛṣṇa, in order to understand Himself, He took the position of Rādhārāṇī to understand Himself. Personally He could not understand His potencies, but when He appeared as Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu in the attitude of Rādhārāṇī's love for Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-prema, then He could fully understand Him. These are very intricate subject matter to understand, but this is the fact.
So Nityānanda Prabhu is the immediate expansion of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared here at Māyāpur, this very place where you are now sitting, with all these five features: Nityānanda Prabhu, Śrī Advaita Prabhu, and Gadādhara Prabhu, Śrīnivāsa Prabhu. So He Himself, Kṛṣṇa, and Nityānanda Prabhu is immediate expansion of His personal self; Advaita Prabhu is incarnation of Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, Mahāviṣṇu, three; and Gadādhara Prabhu is the expansion of spiritual energy; and Śrīnivāsa Prabhu is the expansion of His marginal potency, marginal energy, jīva-tattya. Jīva-tattva, śakti-tattva, prakāśa-tattva, and avatāra-tattva, and He Himself. This Pañca-tattva. This Pañca-tattva will be explained in this chapter. That is the proposal of the author. Guru-tattva kahiyāchi ebe pāñcera vicāra. Consideration of the five. So although the Absolute Truth is one, He expands in His various features. That has been divided in Caitanya Mahāprabhu's practical exposition of tattva-vicāra, in six: five personal, and the guru is also representative. Sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair **. Guru is also expansion of Hari for the benefit of the conditioned soul. For the benefit of the conditioned soul, He is within everyone's heart.
Therefore, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu is practically teaching us with His five associates: Advaita, Nityānanda, Gadādhara and Śrīvāsādi gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. Therefore if we want to approach the Absolute Truth, it is our duty to offer our respect to these five features of the Lord.
- śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
- śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda
(I offer my obeisances to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, Prabhu Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa and all others in the line of devotion.)
Therefore, in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we first of all worship the Pañca-tattva: śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara—then we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Then it will be successful. Without going through the Pañca-tattva, with the mercy, nobody can understand Kṛṣṇa. It will remain a myth.
So here Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has appeared with Pañca-tattva. Kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣā-kṛṣṇaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam, yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana (SB 11.5.32). He has appeared, these five tattvas. In our exhibition ground we have first placed these five tattvas: Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu, Gadādhara Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu, and Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. Nityānanda Prabhu is the immediate expansion of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Baladeva-tattva. Baladeva means who gives strength for spiritual advancement. Nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo nāyam ātmā balahinena labhyaḥ. These are the Vedic injunctions. So without Baladeva's or Nityānanda's grace, one cannot make advancement.
- āra kabe nitāi-cānda karuṇā ha-ibe
- saṁsāra vāsanā mora kabe tuccha ha'be
This is the grace of Nityānanda Prabhu. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura explains, āra kabe nitāi-cānda, karuṇā ha-ibe. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura is aspiring for the day when Nityānanda Prabhu will be pleased upon him. Just like Jagāi-Mādhāi was delivered by the mercy of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, so we have to pray Nityānanda Prabhu. He's very merciful. He's so kind, Baladeva, He gives spiritual strength. Then we can approach the Supreme Lord. Therefore we chant "Nitāi-Gaura." This is the process. We cannot change this policy. Pañca-tattva must be worshiped; otherwise wherefrom we shall get...? The spiritual master... Nityānanda Prabhu is the spiritual master. Or spiritual master is the replica, representation, of Nityānanda Prabhu. So when Nityānanda Prabhu is pleased, then we become detached from this material attraction.
So in this way, if we try to understand that Pañca-tattva, śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda, śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda... This is Pañca-tattva: Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, Śrī Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita, Śrī Gadādhara, and Śrīvāsādi. Śrīvāsādi means jīva-tattva. The jīva-tattva, śakti-tattva, viṣṇu-tattva, these are all tattvas. So Pañca-tattva. Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is the supreme tattva, Kṛṣṇa. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya, rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya. We are worshiping Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. So Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa combined. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya, rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya.
So we should not consider that Nityānanda is different from Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, or Advaita Prabhu is different from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. But at the same time, They are different. This is inconceivable, a taste. If you worship Nityānanda Prabhu, it is as good as to worship Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The best thing is... Because Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared in His five different features, therefore the ācāryas, they worship all of them at a time. That is our prayer:
- śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
- śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda
(I offer my obeisances to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, Prabhu Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa and all others in the line of devotion.)
This is the varieties, transcendental varieties, different tastes. Nityānanda Prabhu is guru-tattva, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu is sevya-tattva. The guru is teaching, Nityānanda Prabhu is teaching how to worship Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
This is Nityānanda Prabhu's business. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says that gaurāṅgera balite habe, pulaka śarīre, hari hari balite, nayane ba'be nīra. Gaurāṅga. So to become immediately in ecstasy of transcendental love, if we chant this śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda, it is easier. There is no offense in chanting this Pañca-tattva, but there is offense if you do not properly chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. There are ten kinds of offenses, you know. But in chanting śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda, there is no aparādha. You chant in any way; you'll get the result. This is the difference, taste. This is variety. Although there is no difference by chanting śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda and Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, mahā-mantra, but still by chanting this Pañca-tattva, you'll get immediately, quickly, result. Therefore our process is to chant the holy names of the Pañca-tattva and then we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. That is perfect. And neither mixing. The mixing taste is called rasābhāsa. Rasābhāsa. And we don't manufacture anything. Just follow. We disagree with the persons who chant that bhaja nitāi-gaura rādhe-śyāma.
That is perfect. And neither mixing. The mixing taste is called rasābhāsa. Rasābhāsa. And we don't manufacture anything. Just follow. We disagree with the persons who chant that bhaja nitāi-gaura rādhe-śyāma. No. We must follow strictly. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). We cannot manufacture simply for some worldly cheap reputation and prestige. If we manufacture something, that will not help us. We must follow. Mahājano yena. Dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ. We must follow the mahājanas. So you'll find in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, the Kavirāja Gosvāmī, in every chapter he begins, śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda, jaya advaita..., gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. This is the process.
So this acintya-bhedābheda-tattva... Pañca-tattva-eka-vastu, nāhi kichu bheda rasa āsvādite. Rasa āsvādite, the mellows, transcendental mellows. So these chapters of Caitanya-caritāmṛta are very... These are postgraduate study. You have to read it very carefully and as they are described. We have tried to describe them as far as possible for being understood by us, but we should be very careful.
- śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
- śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda
(I offer my obeisances to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, Prabhu Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa and all others in the line of devotion.)
Thank you very much. (end)
In this way, Pañcatattva, these five pictures you have seen: Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Caitanya Prabhu Nityānanda Śrī-Advaita Gadādhara Śrīvāsadi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. They inaugurated this movement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness five hundred years before, and it is predicted here that this movement will sanctify the situation of the whole world.
- ei pañcatattva śrī-kṛṣṇa...
- kṛṣṇa-nāma-prema diyā viśva kailā dhanya
He has already impregnated the seed. Just like Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda. In 1896 he sent the Caitanya Mahāprabhu's message to McGill University. That book you have seen. The letter was there. And these are coincidence. Now, after so many years, a servant of that disciplic succession has come here again to preach. So these things are significant. Caitanya Mahāprabhu practically sown the seed of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and it is spreading, and it is sure it will spread. Now it has come to your country, and I am sure the students who are taking very seriously about this movement, they will spread in the western world.
Āra kabe nitāi-cānder koruṇā hoibe: "And when I shall be favored by Nityānanda Prabhu?" Āra kabe nitāi-cānder koruṇā hoibe, saṁsāra-bāsanā mora kabe tuccha ha'be: "When I shall be detached from material enjoyment?" Viṣaya chāriyā kabe śuddha ha'be mana: "And when I shall be detached from this material enjoyment, my mind will be purified. My mind will be freed from all contamination of material dirty things." Kabe hāma herabo śrī-vṛndāvana: "And at that time it will be possible to see Vṛndāvana." Rūpa-raghunātha-pade hoibe ākuti. Now, here the author, I mean to..., the singer says that "When I shall be too much devoted to the principles of Rūpa Gosvāmī so that I'll be able to understand what is the pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa?" In other words, if we want to understand Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa and Caitanya philosophy, then we should try to follow the instruction left by Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī. They are the commander in chief in this movement.
Nityānanda-gosāñe pāṭhāilā gauḍa-deśe. So Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī, they were sent to Vṛndāvana, and Nityānanda Prabhu was sent to Bengal, that "You go and preach there." Teṅho bhakti pracārilā aśeṣa-viśeṣe. And in Bengal this Caitanya philosophy is taught by Nityānanda Prabhu and His disciplic succession.
- āpane dakṣiṇa deśa karilā gamana
- grāme grāme kailā kṛṣṇa-nāma pracāraṇa
And He Himself went to the southern part of India, and He preached this Kṛṣṇa consciousness from village to village, town to town.
So sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam. About Caitanya Mahāprabhu it is said in the Bhāgavatam, kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam (SB 11.5.32). Saṅga, associates. Therefore we worship Caitanya Mahāprabhu with His associates. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. These are principal associates, and similarly other devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, just like six Gosvāmīs and many others—we have got the list in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta—so they are all nitya-siddhas, eternal. There are two kinds of living entities: nitya-siddha and nitya-baddha. Nitya-siddha means they never fall a victim of māyā. That is nitya-siddha. Even though they are within this material world, they are never victimized. That is called nitya-siddha. And one who is victimized, he is called nitya-baddha. But the actual constitutional position of every living entity is nitya-siddha, because God is eternal and His part and parcels, the living entities, they are also eternal. So that is nitya-siddha. Nitya-siddha, sādhana-siddha, kṛpā-siddha—there are different grades. They are all described in The Nectar of Devotion. So one can become sādhana-siddha. By following the rules and regulations and instructions of the spiritual master, he can also become siddha. He can become again nitya-siddha.
So how he can make everyone fortunate? That is... Caitanya Mahāprabhu advises that āmāra ajñāya guru hañā. You follow the principles of Caitanya Mahāprabhu's instruction first of all. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda, śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. You just take their mercy. Then you become guru. And then what is your business? His business is yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). So guru-kṛṣṇa. Guru makes the people fortunate, and then the people become Kṛṣṇa conscious, and then he becomes fortunate. This is the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Everyone is advised to become guru. Especially those who are born in India. They can easily take the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement because in the blood there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness on account of taking birth in this holy land of Bhāratavarṣa.
"Now, in this age of Kali-yuga, there will be avatāra, incarnation, who is Kṛṣṇa, but His color of the body is not black." That is Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya was very fair complexion, nice looking. So kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣā. Tviṣā, by complexion, He is not Kṛṣṇa, but He is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa-varṇam tviṣākṛṣṇam and sāṅgo 'pāṅgāstra-pārṣadam. And He is associated by His confidential, I mean to say, devotees. You'll find Lord Caitanya always crowded by His devotees, always. His dancing mood—you have seen the picture. Special associates, that Advaita, Gadādhara, Nityānanda. So that incarnation, who is Kṛṣṇa, but His color, His complexion, is not black, but He is associated with devotees... And the process of worshiping that incarnation is to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare.
Gaurāṅga means white complexion. Another name is Gaurasundara, "very beautiful." So kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇam (SB 11.5.32). Tviṣā, tviṣā means by complexion akṛṣṇa, not kṛṣṇa. Although He is Kṛṣṇa, His complexion is not kṛṣṇa. Then next? Kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam. He is always accompanied by His associates. You will see in the picture. There is Nityānanda Prabhu, there is Advaita Prabhu, there is Śrīvāsa, and always He was... From the beginning, when He was a child... Not child. When He was a boy, He started the saṅkīrtana movement. You see the picture: He is surrounded. And throughout whole, so long He lived, He was present on this world, that was... He was surrounded by this Hare Kṛṣṇa party. Sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam. This is the yugāvatāra of this age.
This is the process of offering respect to Lord Caitanya. What is that? Lord Caitanya is always presented with five transcendental entourage. He is Himself present, and His next expansion, Nityānanda, and His incarnation, Advaita, and His internal potency, Gadādhara, and His marginal potency, Śrī Śrīvāsa... So pañca-tattvātmakaṁ kṛṣṇam. He is Kṛṣṇa, but He is present in this age with His five associates. Pañca-tattvātmakaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ bhakta-rūpa-svarūpakam. But although He is Kṛṣṇa, He presents Himself as a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Bhakta-rūpa-svarūpakam. Bhaktāvatāram bhaktākhyam. And incarnation of devotee, Advaita, and bhaktākhyam. These five associates are always with Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. So to offer Kṛṣṇa Caitanya means to offer with His associates. Sa-ghoṣṭi. This is the process.
They do not know. Less intelligent class of men, they think impersonal form or the universal form or even the four-handed Viṣṇu form... They consider that they are greater. But in the Eleventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā you will find that Kṛṣṇa, by the request of Arjuna, assumed His universal form, viśvarūpa. Now, after seeing the viśvarūpa Arjuna was afraid. He was in friendly relationship with Kṛṣṇa, and when he saw His viśvarūpa, he became too much perturbed in his mind: "Oh, what mistake I have done. I took Kṛṣṇa as my friend, and I do not know how much offenses I have committed. Friendly relation, there are sometimes very slackened languages and used sometimes calling, 'You, Kṛṣṇa,' sometimes..., so many things. Friendly relations are very relaxation relation." So he thought that "I have committed so much offenses to Kṛṣṇa," and he begged pardon. "Out of my impudence, out of my ignorance, I have done so many things. Please excuse just like a father excuses his son, just like a friend excuses his friend, just like husband excuses wife or the wife excuses." These things are there.
Then again he asked Kṛṣṇa to assume His four-handed Nārāyaṇa-rūpa. So Kṛṣṇa also showed him the Nārāyaṇa four-handed rūpa. And then again Kṛṣṇa transformed Himself again into that two-handed Śyāmasundara with flute, and as it is, He transformed Himself. Now, the question is: If Kṛṣṇa is ordinary person, just like some foolish commentators say, "Not to Kṛṣṇa," then how could He assume this viśvarūpa and the Nārāyaṇa-rūpa? Can an ordinary person assume that rūpa, that form? It is not possible. Therefore the answer in the Bhagavad-gītā is avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā (BG 9.11). There is stated, paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ: "They do not know." Now, Arjuna wanted to confirm this paraṁ bhāvam, that the less intelligent class of men who are fond of the universal form or the Viṣṇu, Nārāyaṇa form, and there are so many innumerable forms... Advaita acyuta anādi ananta-rūpam. Kṛṣṇa has ananta-rūpa. But the ultimate, supreme form is Kṛṣṇa. They do not know. Paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ. Ajānantaḥ means they do not know that paraṁ bhāva. So here the same thing is confirmed by Lord Caitanya, that He says, advaya-jñāna-tattva kṛṣṇa-svayaṁ bhagavān.
Sri Isopanisad Lectures
You have seen, those who have read: sammohāya, for bewildering sura-dviṣām. Sura-dviṣām means persons who are envious of the Vaiṣṇavas. The atheist class, demons, they are always envious of the devotees. That is the law of nature. You see this father. Father became an enemy of a five-years-old son. What was his fault? He was a devotee. That's all. Innocent boy. Simply he was, I mean to say, attracted with chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. The father himself, he became a staunch enemy: "Kill this boy." So if a father can become enemy, what to speak of others. So you should always expect that as soon as you become a devotee, the whole world becomes your enemy. That's all. But you have to deal with them, because you are appointed servants of God. Your mission is to enlighten them. So you cannot be. Just like Lord Nityānanda, He was injured, but still He delivered Jagāi-Mādhāi. That should be your principle. Sometimes we have to cheat, sometimes we have to be injured—so many things. The only device is how people can become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is our mission. Some way or other these rascals should be converted to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, either this way or that way.
Festival Lectures
So Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa. It is confirmed by the śāstras. Here it is said, channaḥ kalau yad abhava. In the Kali-yuga, directly He does not appear as the incarnation like Nṛsiṁha-deva or Vāmanadeva or Lord Rāmacandra, yes, but as devotee. So He's the same incarnation, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Abhavat. "Therefore sometimes You are called as tri-yuga." There are four yugas, but He is known... Because in three yugas He appears distinctly, and in the fourth yuga, the Kali-yuga, as devotee, therefore He's called tri-yuga.
So today is the birthday or appearance day of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and this is the birthplace, this Māyāpur, and you are all present here. It is a good fortune. Always remember Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and chant śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda...
So about Śrī Cai... Because Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, so many rascals have imitated: "Well, this Nimāi Paṇḍita, if He can become avatāra, then why not Gadādhara Paṇḍita?" This Ramakrishna, his name was Gadadhar Chatterjee. So he was also imitation of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Where is the reference in the śāstra? So far Caitanya Mahāprabhu is concerned, there are so many innumerable references, in Mahābhārata, in Bhāgavata, in Purāṇa, in Upaniṣad. Therefore we accept Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Not by rascal's vote that "Let us vote this man is God; then he becomes." So kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam (SB 11.5.32). He associated with other devotees—Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu, then Gadādhara Prabhu and Śrīnivāsa. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. Whenever Caitanya Mahāprabhu is present, there are so many devotees. Gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. So sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam. This is the incarnation of Kali.
So yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ (SB 11.5.32). Those who have got brain substance, not dull, filled up with cow dung, they cannot understand what is the saṅkīrtana-yajña. But śāstra says, yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ: "Those who have got nice brain substance, they can perform this yajña, saṅkīrtana-yajña." Then it fulfills the injunction of the Bhagavad-gītā, yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-karma. So for this saṅkīrtana movement, saṅkīrtana-yajña, in this age, before the Deity of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and associated (with) Nityānanda, Advaita, others... If not all, at least Nityānanda or Gadādhara. Gaura-Gadādhara or Gaura-Nityānanda, or all of them, five. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda. You have got Pañca-tattva? No picture here? It was there.
Oh, all right. So Gaura-Nityānanda is here. That's all right. So this is the yajña. So yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-karma na tyājyam. You cannot give up in any stage of life, but because the yajñas mentioned in the Vedas it is not possible to perform in this age Kali-yuga because they are mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10). In this age people may advertise themselves they are making very good progress. They are all unfortunate, disturbed. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyāḥ. Manda-bhāgyāḥ means unfortunate. And upadrutāḥ, always disturbed. This is the position of the people in this age. How they can perform the Vedic ritualistic ceremony? It is not possible. So this is the yajña. So yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtanaiḥ, you keep Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and perform yajña, the saṅkīrtana-yajña before Him, and you become all perfect.
So anyway, it was Kṛṣṇa's grace. I would not go, but their point of view was that unless I certify that sādhu, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he'll not be accepted. Therefore he dragged me. So I went to see Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura on that day. On the first meeting, just we offer our obeisances. It is the practice. So immediately he began his talking that "You are all educated young men. Why don't you take up Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's cult and preach all over the English knowing public? Why don't you take up this matter?" So I argued with him in so many... At that time I was nationalist. So I told that "Who will accept our message? We are dependent nation. Nobody will care." In this way, in my own way, in these younger days... But we belonged to the Vaiṣṇava family, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda, Rādhā-Govinda. That is our worshipable Deity. So I was very glad that "Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa cult, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's cult, this sādhu is trying to preach. It is very nice."
So 1922 I met my Guru Mahārāja through the exigency of my intimate friend, Mr. Narendranath Mullik. And I would not go. He told me information, "There is a nice sādhu. Let us go and see." I did not like very much these sādhus in those days, national spirit. So I said, "I have seen many sādhus. They come at my father's care. I was not very much pleased with their behavior." So he dragged me forcibly: "No, I have heard this person is very exalted." So I went. And his first opening version was that "You are educated young men. Why don't you preach Caitanya Mahāprabhu's gospel in the Western countries?" I did not know. So this was his blessing in the first meeting. I did not know, but because we belonged to a Vaiṣṇava family we were very much worshiper of Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda, our family Deity. So I was very much pleased that "Here is a personality who is going to preach Caitanya Mahāprabhu's gospel." I was very much pleased.
This is a song by Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, a great ācārya of the Gauḍīya-vaiṣṇava-sampradāya. He has written many songs about the Vaiṣṇava philosophy, and they are approved as completely corresponding with Vedic instructions. So here Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura is singing that "The whole world is suffering under the blazing fire of material existence. Therefore, if one takes the shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda...," whose birthday is today, 31st, January, 1969. So we should relish this instruction of Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura that in order to get relief from the pangs of blazing fire of this material existence, one should take shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda because it is as cooling as the moon rays combined together of millions of moons. That means one will immediately find peaceful atmosphere. Just like a man works whole day and if he comes under the moonshine he feels relief.
Similarly, any materialistic man who comes under the shelter of Lord Nityānanda will immediately feel that relief.
He says that "If you are anxious to go back to home, back to Godhead, and become associate with Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, then the best policy is to take shelter of Nityānanda." Then he says, se sambandha nāhi jā'r, bṛthā janma gelo tā'r: "One who has not been able to contact Nityānanda, then one should think of himself that he has simply spoiled his valuable life." Bṛthā janma gelo, bṛthā means for nothing, and janma means life. Gelo tā'r, spoiled. Because he has not made connection with Nityānanda. The Nityānanda, very name, suggests... Nitya means eternal. Ānanda means pleasure. Material pleasure is not eternal. That is the distinction. Therefore those who are intelligent, they are not interested with this flickering pleasure of material world. Every one of us, as living entity, we are searching after pleasure. But the pleasure which we are seeking, that is flickering, temporary. That is not pleasure. Real pleasure is nityānanda, eternal pleasure. So anyone who has no contact with Nityānanda, it is to be understood that his life is spoiled.
Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura uses here very harsh word. He says that such human being is an animal, an uncontrollable animal. As there are some animals that cannot be tamed, so anyone who has not contacted Nityānanda, he should be considered as an untamed animal. Sei paśu boro durācār. Why? Because nitāi nā bolilo mukhe: "He never uttered the holy name of Nityānanda." And majilo saṁsāra-sukhe, "and become merged into this material happiness." Vidyā-kule ki koribe tār. "That nonsense does not know that what will his education and family and tradition and nationality will help him?" These things cannot help him. These are all temporary things. Simply, if we want eternal pleasure, we must contact Nityānanda. Vidyā-kule ki koribe tār. Vidyā means education, and kula means family, nationality. So we may have a very nice family connection or we may have very nice national prestige, but after ending this body, these things will not help me. I'll carry my work with me, and according to that work, I shall have to accept by force another type of body. It may be something other than human body. So these things cannot protect us or give us the real pleasure. So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura advises that vidyā-kule ki koribe tār. Then he says, ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā. "Being maddened after false prestige and identification..." False identification with the body and prestige of bodily relationship, it is called ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā. One is mad after this false prestige. Ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā, nitāi-pada pāsariyā. Due to this false prestige we are thinking, "Oh, what is Nityānanda? What can He do for me? I don't care." So these are the signs of false prestige. Ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā, nitāi-pada pāsa..., asatyere satya kori māni. The result is that I am accepting something which is false. For example, I am accepting this body. This body, I am not this body. Therefore, with false identification I am becoming entangled more and more. So one who is puffed up with this false prestige, ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā, nitāi-pada pā..., asatyere satya kori māni, he accepts something wrong as right. Then he says, nitāiyer koruṇā habe, braje rādhā-kṛṣṇa pābe. If you are actually serious about going back to home, back to Godhead, then please seek after the mercy of Nityānanda.
"Please catch up the lotus feet of Nityānanda." Then he says, nitāiyer caraṇa satya. One may think that as we catch hold of so many shelter, but in this material world later on they prove false, similarly, suppose we catch hold of the lotus feet of Nityānanda; it may also prove false. But Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura assures that nitāiyer caraṇa satya: "It is not false. Because Nityānanda is eternal, His lotus feet is also eternal." Tāṅhāra sevaka nitya. And anyone who takes to the service of Nityānanda, they also become eternal. Without being eternal, nobody can serve the eternal. That is the Vedic injunction. Without becoming Brahman, one cannot approach the Supreme Brahman. Just like without being fire, nobody can enter into the fire. Without being water, nobody can enter into the water. Similarly, without being fully spiritualized, nobody can enter into the spiritual kingdom. So nitāiyer caraṇa satya. If you catch nitāiyer, the lotus feet of Nityānanda, then you become immediately spiritualized. Just like if you touch electricity, immediately you become electrified. That is natural. Similarly, Nityānanda is eternal happiness, if you touch Nityānanda some way or other, then you become also eternally happy. Tāṅhāra sevaka nitya. Therefore one who has in contact with Nityānanda, they have become eternal.
So just catch Him very tightly. Narottama boro duḥkhī, nitāi more koro sukhī. At the last Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, the composer of this song, he is appealing to Nityānanda, "My dear Lord, I am very unhappy. So You please make me happy. And You kindly keep me in corner of Your lotus feet." That is the sum and substance of this song. (end)
So today, the appearance day of Nityānanda Prabhu... Nityānanda Prabhu is Baladeva, Baladeva-tattva.
vrajendra-nandana yei, śacī-suta haila sei,
- balarāma haila nitāi
"Who was formerly the son of Nanda Mahārāja, He has appeared as the son of Śacīdevi." Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mother's name was Śacīdevi. So Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and Balarāma is Nityānanda Prabhu. Now...
vrajendra-nandana yei, śacī-suta haila sei,
balarāma haila nitāi
So Balarāma... In the Vedic literature it is said, nāyam ātmā bala-hinena labhyaḥ; na bahunā śrutena. So bala means strength. Sometimes some rascal philosophers, they take it that bala means bodily strength. They propagate this philosophy that "Unless you are bodily stout and strong, you cannot achieve spiritual salvation. You must be very strong and stout and eat meat and fight, and then you'll get next spiritual birth" No. This bala, this strength, is different. This is spiritual strength.
Balarāma means guru-tattva. Balarāma represents guru. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **. If we want to understand Caitanya Mahāprabhu, if we want to understand Kṛṣṇa, then we must take shelter of Balarāma. Nāyam ātmā bala-hinena labhyaḥ. This bala-hinena labhyaḥ, this Vedic injunction, means "Without the mercy of Balarāma you cannot understand, you cannot realize your spiritual identification. So that Balarāma comes as Nityānanda Prabhu. Balarāma hailā nitāi. Therefore we must take shelter of Balarāma. That is... This song has been sung by Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura. Nitāi-pada-kamala, koṭi-candra-suśītala. If we take shelter of Nityānanda Prabhu, then we get peace. Koṭi-candra-suśītala. Just like in daytime, especially in the summer season, we become very much exasperated. But at night, in the evening, as soon as there is moonshine, we become very much satisfied. All day's labor and fatigue is immediately moved. So nitāi-pada-kamala, the shade of Nityānanda Prabhu's lotus feet, is koṭi-candra-suśītala, as pleasing as one crore of moonshine. One moonshine gives us so much pleasure. So if we want actually peace of mind, if we actually want to be free from this material fatiguement, then we must take the shelter of Nityānanda Prabhu. Nityānanda Prabhu is the strength, spiritual strength.
So we must have spiritual strength. That source of spiritual strength is Balarāma, Kṛṣṇa's next manifestation, prakāśa-vigraha. Kṛṣṇa is manifesting Himself through Balarāma. So we have to take shelter of Nityānanda Prabhu.
nitāi-pada-kamala, koṭi-candra-suśītala,
- je chāyāy jagata jurāy
The whole world is suffering, but if you want peace, then you take the shelter of Nityānanda Prabhu.
heno nitāi bine bhāi, rādhā-kṛṣṇa pāite nāi
- dhṛdha kori' dharo nitāir pāy
Our real aim of life—how to go back home back to Godhead and associate with Rādhā Kṛṣṇa. In another song the same author says,
manuṣya-janama pāiyā, rādhā-kṛṣṇa nā bhajiyā,
- jāniyā śuniyā biṣa khāinu
Unless you come to Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, you cannot get real pleasure. If you want to dance and get pleasure, don't dance independently. Dance with Kṛṣṇa. Then you'll be happy. The dancing is there, but dancing without association of Kṛṣṇa... Just like here, in our temple, we are also eating, but we are eating the remnants of foodstuff left by Kṛṣṇa. That is real pleasure. It is not that we are stopping eating. We are not stopping eating. We are not dry philosophers.
Unless you come to Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, you cannot get real pleasure. If you want to dance and get pleasure, don't dance independently. Dance with Kṛṣṇa. Then you'll be happy. The dancing is there, but dancing without association of Kṛṣṇa... Just like here, in our temple, we are also eating, but we are eating the remnants of foodstuff left by Kṛṣṇa. That is real pleasure. It is not that we are stopping eating. We are not stopping eating. We are not dry philosophers. Kṛṣṇa baro doyāmoy, koribāre jihwā jay, swa-prasād-anna dilo bhāi. All over the world we are eating Kṛṣṇa prasādam, and we have got good experience. At least ten thousand men and women, they are taking Kṛṣṇa prasādam, but we have no anxiety. We have no anxiety. A family consists of a few members. They are full of anxiety how to maintain the family. And we are maintaining a family of ten thousand men. We have no anxiety. Just see practically. We have no anxiety. We require thousands and thousands of rupees for maintaining Europe, America, a costly affair. But because we are under the shelter of Nityānanda Prabhu, Balarāma, we have no anxiety. That means material life means anxiety. You cannot avoid anxiety if you lead a material life. Then you will be anxious.
Sambandha nāhi jār, bṛthā janma gelo tār. So if you have no connection with Nityānanda Prabhu... Nityānanda means always. Nitya means always, ānanda means pleasure. This is another meaning you can draw. So therefore, if you have no connection with Nityānanda Prabhu... Se tār: "He's simply wasting time." Bṛthā means useless. Uselessly, he's wasting time. Se paśu boro durācār. And Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has used very strong word. "Anyone who has no connection with Nityānanda Prabhu, he's a paśu." Sei paśu. He's a paśu, means animal. So animal, how one animal can get happiness? That is not possible. The dog, from the childhood he's searching after food, searching after food. And cannot get food. Unless a dog has got a master, he's street dog and he's always unhappy. So better to become a dog of Nityānanda Prabhu. Then we shall be happy. Instead of becoming dog of so many other people... Everyone is dog. Everyone is searching after to serve a master. But none of them are satisfied because that is false master. You take real master, Nityānanda Prabhu. You'll be happy. Se paśu boro durācār. He does not know where is happiness.
"My dear Vaiṣṇava Ṭhākura, kindly accept me as your dog, as your dog. I am dog already, but I am māyā's dog. I'm not Vaiṣṇava's dog. So kindly accept me." If you become a Vaiṣṇava's dog... Chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava sevā, nistār pāiche kebā. If you do not become a dog of Vaiṣṇava and Nityānanda Prabhu... Nityānanda is guru. So if you do not become a dog of Nityānanda Prabhu, Vaiṣṇava, or guru, there is no question of happiness. Se sambandha nāhi yār, bṛthā janma gelo... se paśu boro durācār. Nitāi nā bolilo mukhe, majilā saṁsāra-sukhe. He who has no connection with Nityānanda Prabhu, and he does not say, "Jaya Nitāi! Jaya Gaura!" And majilo saṁsāra-sukhe, he thinks that this society, family, and... "Society, friendship and love, divinely bestowed upon man." These materialist persons, they say like that. That is called majilo saṁsāra sukhe. In saṁsāra there cannot be any sukha, but he's attracted by that. Majilo saṁsāra sukhe. Vidyā-kule ki koribe tār. What we'll do with university education or born in big family or... This will not help. This is not possible. Vidyā-kule ki karibe tār. Why they're accepting this false? Ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā, nitāi-pada pasariya, asatyere satya kori māni. On account of being misled by false prestige and false egotism, asatyere satya kori māni, we are accepting this body which is asat, which will not exist. That we have taken as reality. Ahaṅkare matta hoiya, nitāi pada pasariya. But if we take shelter of Nityānanda Prabhu, then you get the enlightenment. Asatyere satya kori māni. Nitāiyer koruṇā habe, braje rādhā-kṛṣṇa pabe, dharo nitāi-caraṇa du'khāni.
Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura advises that... Today is Nityānanda Prabhu's āvirbhāva appearance day. Let us at least remember today nitāi-pada-kamala. That is wanted. Nitāi caraṇa satya, tāhāra sevaka nitya. The reality is nitāi-caraṇa, and anyone who is servant of Nitāi... So nitāiyer caraṇa satya, tāhāra sevaka nitya. One who has become the dog of Nityānanda Prabhu, he gets his eternal life. We are eternal, but under misconception of material identification, we are under the subjugation of māyā. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). Tathā dehāntara... (BG 2.13) It is very botheration, but they do not know. I am going from one body to another transmigration. And that is not guaranteed, what kind of body. They have no science, no knowledge about understanding tathā dehāntara, the very first instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. They are so rascals, and they are proud of their education, their universities. This is going on.
Nitāi caraṇa satya, tāhāra sevaka..., nitāi-pada sadā koro āśā. Therefore we should always expect to be under the shelter of nitāi-pada-kamala. Narottama boro duḥkhī. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, he's ācārya. He is presenting himself... That is ācārya. Means he is not duḥkhī, but he's presenting himself as duḥkhī. That is ācārya. Ācāryas, they are never duḥkhī. But taking the common man's position, he says, narottama boro duḥkhī. Or, in other words, Narottama... Narottama means the best of the human being. So here in this material world one may be the best of the human being, very exalted position, but everyone is duḥkī, unhappy. Narottama boro duḥkī, nitāi more koro sukhī: "Only Nityānanda can make me happy. Otherwise not possible." Rakho raṅga-caraṇera pāśa. So today is Nityānanda Prabhu's appearance day. We shall always pray Nityānanda Prabhu, "Kindly keep me under your shelter so that... I am very duḥkī; I am very unhappy. Under the shelter of Your lotus feet I shall be happy." And that is real happiness. Thank you very much.
Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda! (end) (this lecture followed by Bengali speech of Nityānanda Kanurgo, former chief minister of Gujarat)
Yes. So zamindar, landholder. So he belonged to a very big landholder... His father, his father and uncle, two brothers. So he was the only son. So naturally, he was to inherit the whole property, and at that time it was twelve hundred thousands dollars' income. Just see how much he was rich man. When he used to see Caitanya Mahāprabhu or Nityānanda in his youth-hood, when he was eighteen years', twenty years' age—he was almost of the contemporary of Lord Caitanya—he used to distribute gold to the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas, gold, so much gold. What is the price of so much gold? He used to distribute. He was rich man, so he was doing like rich man. So that is the history of Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. That is the history of Sanātana Gosvāmī. None of them were belonging to the Vaiṣṇava sect or nothing. Caitanya Mahāprabhu turned them.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
We see you chanting the mahā-mantra. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu predicted that in every village, town, country on the surface of the globe this saṅkīrtana movement will be spreading. So we are very much obliged to you that in this remote place, which is thousands and thousands miles away from Lord Caitanya's birthplace, Navadvīpa, and you are carrying out, to fulfill His desire, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu—the picture is there—assisted by four others, Pañca-tattva. Kṛṣṇa appeared in five principles. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa Himself, and Nityānanda Prabhu is His immediate expansion, and Advaita Prabhu is incarnation. Gadādhara Prabhu is internal potency, and śrīvāsādi, Śrīvāsa is heading the list of His devotees. Śrīvāsa represents the marginal potency of Kṛṣṇa.
So śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda means Kṛṣṇa complete. Just like when we speak of a king, "king" does not mean king is alone. He, somebody says the king is coming here, it is to be understood that king with his associates coming. King does not come alone. Whenever a..., the king goes, he goes with his secretary, minister, commander, so many other people. King is never alone. There must be queen also, and queen's associates. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa, the supreme king, how He can be alone? He's not alone. He's always with His associates. Therefore you see Kṛṣṇa's picture, Vṛndāvana picture. He's with His associates—a cowherds boy, a cowherds girl, Kṛṣṇa's father Nanda Mahārāja, Mother Yaśodā. But Kṛṣṇa is not alone. Supreme..., any person, he can not be alone. Just like we are here, we are not alone. We are so many friends, so many associates. So person does not mean alone. Person means with associates. This Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Prabhu Nityānanda, worshiping Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu means to worship Him with His associates, Pañca-tattva. Pañca-tattvātmakaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ bhakta-rūpa-svarūpakam.
It is great fortune for you. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared for delivering all kinds of fallen souls in this age. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings, pāpī-tāpī yāta chilo, hari-nāme uddhārilo, tāra sākṣī jagāi and mādhāi. So brajendra-nandana yei, śacī-suta hoilo sei, balarāma hoilo nitāi. The same Kṛṣṇa and same Balarāma... Kṛṣṇa has appeared as the son of mother Śacī, and Balarāma has appeared as Nityānanda, and Their business is to deliver all fallen souls, especially in this age, Kali-yuga. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission was that He should be present by His name, by His form, by His pastimes, in every town and village of the world. And you are fulfilling His mission. So undoubtedly, you will be blessed and you will get Kṛṣṇa's mercy through the mercy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
So I am very glad that you are worshiping Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu. So continue to do this. There is no need of installing Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa at least at the present moment. When you become more advanced in spiritual consciousness, you can establish. But even if you do not establish, it doesn't matter. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is sufficient. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is combination of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. In one place you worship Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. So I see this place is very nice, and you are also very nice. Take advantage of this opportunity, and go on chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and worship Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He will bless you sufficiently to become successful in getting shelter of the lotus feet of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.
Thank you very much. (end)
So, Caitanya Mahāprabhu is very kind. Parama karuṇa, pahū dui jana. Two Lords, Nitāi-Gauracandra, Nityānanda Prabhu and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, They are very kind, you see? They have appeared just to reclaim the fallen souls of this age. So They are more kind than Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, He is also very kind. He comes to deliver. But Kṛṣṇa demands that first of all surrender. Caitanya Mahāprabhu even does not demand surrender. He is so kind. (voice choking) So take shelter of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and be happy. Thank you very much. (weeping) (end)
So we are, of course, opening so many branches all over the world, and I am very pleased to see this branch. There is wonderful prospective. Utilize it properly and stick to the principle that āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra ei deśa (CC Madhya 7.128). The ājñā, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and ājñā, our Kṛṣṇa, not different. Because Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa Himself, and when He appeared as Kṛṣṇa, people misunderstood Him; therefore He has come as a devotee to teach us how to love Kṛṣṇa. So therefore, if we go through Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, chanting
- śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
- śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda
(I offer my obeisances to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, Prabhu Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa and all others in the line of devotion.)
and then we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, so rest assured the full perfection is awaiting you.
Thank you very much. (end)
Initiation Lectures
Because from the age of twenty-five years old up to fifty years, one can beget nice children. Gṛhastha life, householder life, is meant for begetting nice children. If there are Kṛṣṇa conscious children in the society, there will be no disturbance. According to Vedic system, the population is divided into two divisions. Illegitimate sons are called varṇa-saṅkara. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that when the population becomes varṇa-saṅkara, the whole social situation becomes hellish. Actually that is the fact. So one should be very careful to beget nice children so that society, social order, political order will be calm, quiet, peaceful. That is the idea of gṛhastha life. And many devotees... There are twelve selected personalities who are considered to be the authority of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Out of twelve authorities, seven authorities were all gṛhasthas, householders. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's associates, Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu, Gadādhara, and Śrīvāsa, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself, they were all householders. So it is not that simply sannyāsī or brahmacārī can realize Kṛṣṇa consciousness and not the householders. No.
Ahaṁ tariṣyāmi duranta-pāraṁ tamo mukundāṅghri-niṣevayaiva. As explained in the beginning, the whole process is to engage in the service of Kṛṣṇa, whose another name is Mukunda. Muk means liberation, one who gives liberation and blissful life. So this Kṛṣṇa Conscious movement is meant for delivering the conditioned soul of this age, Kali-yuga, as it was inaugurated by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself, accompanied by Nityānanda. He also took sannyāsa at the age of twenty-four years only, very young man. So according to Vedic system, one takes sannyāsa at the fag end of life. Just like I have taken. While I was going to die, I took sannyāsa. So, that is also, something is better than nothing. And now you have sannyāsa in prime youthful life. So you are all far better than me. You have got enough opportunity to serve Kṛṣṇa and His mission. I am old man. I may pass away at any moment. The wording is already there. So you remain and preach this cult.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, has many expansion or incarnation, but this expansion, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, is unique because in other incarnation the duty is paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). In Kṛṣṇa avatāra, Kṛṣṇa had to fight with the so many demons, but this incarnation, there is no question of fighting with the demons, but simply by mercy they were delivered, just like Jagāi, Mādhāi. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has sung, vrajendra-nandana yei, śacī-suta hoilo sei: "The same Personality of Godhead who was formerly the son of Nanda Mahārāja, Vrajendra-nandana, He has now appeared as the son of mother Śacī." Balarāma hoilo nitāi: "And Balarāma, Rohiṇī-nandana, He has become Nityānanda." The same Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma has become Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu. So what is Their business? The business is: pāpī-tāpī yata chilo, hari-nāme uddhārilo. They delivered simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra all people who were sinful and suffering. In the material world we are suffering. This is a place of suffering. Duḥkhalayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15), Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā. So there are different methods of mitigating suffering, but in this age, Kali-yuga, simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, the pāpī-tāpī, those who are sinful and suffering, they can be delivered. This is the unique contribution of this incarnation, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. This is composed by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared to deliver all the sinful men. Pāpī tāpī yata chilo, harināme uddhārilo, tāra sākṣī jagāi and mādhāi. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura said that "Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu (is) so merciful that He delivered all kinds of sinful men," pāpī tāpī, "all types of suffering from material disease." And what is the medicine? Pāpī tāpī yata chilo, harināme uddhārilo. And evidence? Tāra sākṣī jagāi and mādhāi. You see Jagāi-Mādhāi. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu exhibited one example, to deliver Jagāi-Mādhāi. Jagāi-Mādhāi means they were born in a very aristocratic brāhmaṇa family but by bad association they became illicit sex, woman-hunter, drunkards and meat-eaters and gamblers. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu, through the mercy of Nityānanda Prabhu, delivered them. And the only promise was that "You promise no more this sinful life. Then I accept you." So if we give up our sinful activity, immediately Caitanya Mahāprabhu takes you. There is no condition, because in this age everyone is addicted to sinful life, but he simply promises that "Henceforward I shall not act anything sinfully," these four principles. Then you go back to home, back to Godhead.
Wedding Ceremonies
(I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master and of all the other preceptors on the path of devotional service. I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiṣṇavas and unto the six Gosvāmīs, including Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Jīva Gosvāmī and their associates. I offer my respectful obeisances unto Śrī Advaita Ācārya Prabhu, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and all His devotees, headed by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. I then offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and all the gopīs, headed by Lalitā and Viśākhā.)
Locana dāsa Ṭhākura, he sings that "This Nitai-Gaura incarnation, parama karuṇa—very, very merciful." Parama karuṇa, pahū dui jana: "Two lords, Nitai-Gaura." Parama karuṇa, pahū dui jana. Dui jana means two. Parama karuṇa, pahū dui jana, nitāi gauracandra: "Nityānanda and Caitanya Mahāprabhu, or Gaura Hari." Saba avatāra, sāra śiromaṇi kevala ānanda-khanda: "There are many incarnation, but Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda—simply ānanda, bliss." Ānanda, bliss, kevala ānanda-khanda. Now, for spiritual advancement, generally according to the Vedic system, so one has to accept the order of renounced life. Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally taught it, but He never condemned gṛhastha life, householder life.
Departure Talks
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Rāmeśvara: It is very basic. But this will be the cover of the Antya-līlā, volume two. It is a scene of all of the devotees at a big feast, and Lord Nityānanda is there, and Lord Caitanya is invisible except to a few devotees.
Prabhupāda: Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī's feast.
Rāmeśvara: Yes. So the questions they have are: While Lord Nityānanda is inducing all the devotees to chant, can some of the devotees be paying their daṇḍavats to Lord Nityānanda at that time? And the other question is: Although Lord Caitanya cannot be seen, except for a few devotees...
Prabhupāda: No, only Nityānanda.
Rāmeśvara: Nityānanda only. But can He be shown also with His hand upraised in the air?
Prabhupāda: No. Why?
Rāmeśvara: Well, they want to make Lord Caitanya very prominent, because this will be on the cover of the book.
Prabhupāda: Arjuna saw solid; others did not.
Rāmeśvara: But whenever it says that Lord Caitanya cannot be seen, still, we should paint Him solid?
Prabhupāda: No, no. Cannot be seen is not that.
Rāmeśvara: Well, invisible except to the eyes of Nityānanda Prabhu.
Prabhupāda: Yes. (break)
Rāmeśvara: ...and nine volumes of Madhya-līlā, and five volumes of Antya-līlā.
Prabhupāda: Oh. Then three...
Rāmeśvara: Seventeen volumes just of Caitanya-caritāmṛta. And then about five volumes of Fifth Canto.
Prabhupāda: Twenty-two volumes. So instead of seventeen, you have to print twenty-two.
Philosophy Discussions
Śyāmasundara: He is trying to find out the standard of pleasure that is most desirable.
Prabhupāda: That he does not know. That he has to learn from us. He may be a big philosopher in the Western countries, but our utility of pleasure he does not know. Our pleasure is... (break) ...incessant. It will not stop. That is the standard of high-class pleasure. That is quality. Here in the material world we have got experience, we get pleasure, but that is transient. Just like ordinary men, they understand sex pleasure is the highest pleasure. Actually, on sex pleasure the whole material world is existing. But how long this sex pleasure can remain? A few minutes. So our philosophy is we don't want that few minutes' pleasure. We want pleasure which will continue perpetually. Nityānanda. Nitya. Nitya means eternal. Ānanda means bliss. Satyānanda, real pleasure. Satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi (SB 1.1.1). We want the actual truth. That is quality. So that standard is mentioned in the Vedic literature, that those who are intelligent persons, those who are yogis... Yogi means perfect man. So they want pleasure which is eternal, not transient. Transient pleasure is liked by fools and rascals. Because fools and rascals, they do not know what is their constitutional position. But one who is intelligent, one who is learned, he knows his constitutional position, that he is eternal, he is not this body. Therefore he must be seeking eternal pleasure. Bodily pleasure... Body is transient, and bodily pleasures are also transient. So that is not sought after by any intelligent man. Those are sought by rascals. Because one identifies himself with the body, therefore bodily pleasure is this pleasure. But one who knows that he is not body, he is eternal. Then he seeks what is that eternal pleasure.
Hayagrīva: This, he goes on to say, he says it doesn't belong, strictly belong, strictly belong to theism or pantheism. "The answer must be it is not strictly referable to either taken by itself, that in different respects it belongs to both, and that if a choice must be made, it is theistic," that is personal, "for God for us is..."
Prabhupāda: That, that means when you come to the personal God you see that everything is with reference to God. There is nothing independent. Idaṁ hi viśvaṁ bhagavān ivetaro. That is explained, that this viśvarūpa universe is Bhagavān, but it appears that it is different from Bhagavān to the less intelligent. So then there cannot exist anything without Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but those who have no sufficient knowledge, they think that "This is separate from God and God is separate from you."
Purports to Songs
So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura is giving us the direction, how one can reach the highest perfectional stage of associating with Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. The first thing is that one should be very much attached to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. That will lead us. Because He came to deliver the understanding of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, therefore one should first of all surrender to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. By surrendering to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu will be pleased, and by His pleasing, we shall be freed from material desires. And when material desires are no more, then we shall be able to enter Vṛndāvana. And after entering Vṛndāvana, when we are eager to serve the six Gosvāmīs, then we can reach the platform to understand the pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Yes. (end)
Nitāi-pada-kamala, koṭi-candra-suśītala, je chāyāy jagata jurāy. This is a very nice song sung by Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura. He is advising that nitāi-pada, the lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda Kamala means lotus feet, er, lotus, and pada means feet. So Nitāi-pada-kamala means the lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda. Koṭi-candra-suśītala. It is just a shelter where you will get the soothing moonlight not only of one, but of millions of moons. Just we have to imagine what is the aggregate total value of the soothing shine of millions of moons. Koṭi-candra-suśītala, je chāyāy jagata jurāy. Jagat, this material world, which is progressing towards hell, and there is always a blazing fire, everyone is struggling hard, nobody finds peace. Therefore, if the world wants to have real peace, then it should take shelter under the lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda, which is supposed to be cooling like the shining moon, millions in number. Nitāi-pada-kamala, koṭi-candra-suśītala, je chāyāy jagata jurāy. Jurāy means relief. If you actually want relief from the struggle of existence and if you actually want to extinguish the fire of material pangs, then Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura advises, "Please take shelter of Lord Nityānanda." What will be the result of accepting the shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda? He says that heno nitāi bine bhāi: "Unless you take shelter under the shade of lotus feet of Nityānanda," rādhā-kṛṣṇa pāite nāi, "it will be very difficult to approach Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa." Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for approaching Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, to be associated with the Supreme Lord in His sublime pleasure dance. That is the aim of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura's advice is "If you actually want to enter into the dancing party of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, then you must take shelter of the lotus feet of Nityānanda."
Then he says, se sambandha nāhi jā'r. Sambandha means connection or contact. "So anybody who has not contacted a relationship with Nityānanda," se sambandha nāhi jā'r, bṛthā janma gelo tā'r, "then he is supposed to have spoiled his human birth." In other song also Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, hari hari biphale janama goṅāinu: "Anyone who does not approach Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa through the relationship of Nityānanda, his life is uselessly spoiled." Se sambandha nāhi jā'r, bṛthā janma gelo tā'r. Bṛthā means useless, janma means life, tāra means his, and sambandha means relationship. "So anyone who has no relationship with Nityānanda, he is simply spoiling his, the boon of human form of life." Why he is spoiling? Se paśu boro durācār. Se means that; paśu, animal; durācār, dura, misbehaved, mostly misbehaved. Because without our elevation to Kṛṣṇa consciousness through the mercy of Lord Caitanya-Nityānanda, the life is simply animal propensities. That's all. Sense gratification. And Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says that ordinary animal, he can be tamed, but a human being, when he is animalistic, when he has simply animal propensities, oh, he is horrible.
The enactment or state laws cannot make a man, a thief, an honest man because he cannot be tamed. His heart is polluted. Every man sees that a person committing criminal offense is punished by the government. And in scriptural injunction there is mention that "If you do this, you will be punished in the hell." He has heard from the scripture, and he has practically seen by the punishment of state laws. Still, he is not tamed. He cannot be tamed. So why? Because he hasn't got his relationship with Nityānanda. Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, durācāra. Durācāra means very much misbehaved. He cannot be tamed. Sei paśu boro durācār. And what they are doing? Nitāi nā bolilo mukhe. They do not know who is Nityānanda, so never says "Lord Nityānanda," or "Lord Caitanya." So nitāi nā bolilo mukhe, majilo saṁsāra-sukhe. Majilo means becomes absorbed, dipped into the so-called material enjoyment. They don't care who is Nityānanda or Caitanya. So nitāi nā bolilo mukhe. Because his life is animalistic, sei paśu boro durācār, very difficult to be tamed, so he is going down, deep into this material existence.
Vidyā-kule ki koribe tār. Somebody may say, "Oh, why he is going to hell? He is so much educated, he has got academic qualification, he has got degrees." Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura replies, vidyā-kule ki koribe tār: "If he has no connection with Nityānanda and if he does not come to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness, his vidyā or his so-called academic education, and kula, and birth in high family or great nation, will not protect him because nature's law will act. "Either you are born in a very big family or nation, or either you have got a very advanced academic education, at the time of death your work will be judged and you will get another body according to that work. So vidyā kule ki koribe tār. Why they are doing so, these animals, human animals? Ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā, nitāi-pada pāsariyā: "They have become maddened by a false concept of the bodily life." Ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā, nitāi-pada pāsariyā: "And for this reason they have completely forgotten their eternal relationship with Nityānanda." Ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā, nitāi-pada pāsariyā, asatyere satya kari māni: "Such forgetful persons accept the illusory energy as fact." Asatyere. Asatya means which is not fact. In other words, it is called māyā. Māyā means which has no existence, a temporary illusion only. So such persons who have no contact with Nityānanda, they accept this illusion as fact, this illusory body as fact. Asatyere satya kori māni.
Then he says, nitāiyer koruṇā habe, braje rādhā-kṛṣṇa pābe. He says that "If you actually want to approach the association of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, then try to achieve the mercy of Lord Nityānanda. When He will be merciful upon you, then you will be able to approach Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa." Dharo nitāi-caraṇa duḥkhāni. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura advises us that "You firmly catch the lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda." Then again he says, nitāiyer caraṇa satya. One may not misunderstand that as he has caught hold of this māyā, similarly, the lotus feet of Nityānanda may also be something like that māyā, illusion. Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura confirms that nitāiyer caraṇa satya: "The lotus feet of Nityānanda is not illusion; it is transcendental fact, satya." Nitāiyer caraṇa satya, tāṅhāra sevaka nitya: "And eveyone who is engaged in the transcendental loving service of Nityānanda he is also transcendental." If anyone is engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, immediately he achieves his transcendental position, spiritual platform. And spiritual platform means eternal, blissful. So anyone who engages himself in the service of Nityānanda, it is supposed that he is also immediately in his eternal position. Nitāiyer caraṇa satya, tāṅhāra sevaka nitya, nitāi-pada sadā koro āśa. Therefore he advises that "You always hope to catch the lotus feet of Nityānanda."
Narottama boro duḥkhī. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, the ācārya, he is taking for himself that "I am very unhappy." He is representing ourselves. He is liberated, but representing ourself. "My dear Lord, I am very unhappy." Nitāi more koro sukhī: "So I am praying Lord Nityānanda to make me happy." Rākho rāṅgā caraṇera pāśa: "Please keep me in some corner of your red lotus feet." That's all... (end)
So it is not to be imitated. But Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura is recommending when that opportune moment will come to us, that as soon as we shall chant Lord Gaurāṅga's name, there will shivering in the body. And, after the shivering, hari hari bolite nayane ba'be nīr, by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa there will be tears in the eyes. Then again he says āra kabe nitāicand koruṇā karibe. We are all asking about the mercy of Lord Nityānanda. Nityānanda is supposed to be the original spiritual master. So we have to approach Gaurāṅga, or Lord Caitanya, through the mercy of Lord Nityānanda. So what is the symptom of a person who has achieved the causeless mercy of Lord Nityānanda? Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says that one who has actually received the causeless mercy of Nityānanda, he has no more any material desire. That is the symptom. Āra kabe nitāicand koruṇā karibe saṁsāra-vāsanā mora kabe tuccha. Saṁsāra-vāsanā means desire for material enjoyment, when it will become very insignificant. Of course, so long we have got this body we have to accept so many things, material. But not in the spirit of enjoyment, but to keep up the body and soul together.
Pradyumna: Kibā, hello. Dakṣine?
Prabhupāda: Dakṣine, on the right side.
Pradyumna: Nitai.
Prabhupāda: Lord Nityānanda.
Pradyumna: Cand? Cand.
Prabhupāda: Cand, Nitāicand. His name, Nityānanda's, means Nitāicand. Yes.
Pradyumna: Bāme.
Prabhupāda: Bāme, on the left side. This is Nityānanda on the right side, and that is Gadādhara on the left side.
Pradyumna: Nikaṭe.
Prabhupāda: Nikaṭe, nearby.
Pradyumna: Advaita Prabhu.
Prabhupāda: Here is Advaita Prabhu.
Parama koruṇa, pahū dui jana, nitāi gauracandra. This is a song by Locana dāsa Ṭhākura, a great devotee and ācārya of the Gauḍīya-sampradāya. He is declaring that pahū dui jana. Pahū means lords. Dui jana means two. Who are the two lords? Nitai Gauracandra. One is Lord Nitāi, Nityānanda; another is Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So he says that "These two Lords are very merciful." Parama koruṇa, pahū dui jana. Parama koruṇa means very merciful. Nitai Gauracandra. Saba avatāra, sāra śiromaṇi. Avatāra means incarnation, and saba means all. "They are the essence of all incarnations." Saba avatāra, sāra śiromaṇi, kevala ānanda-kanda: "And the specific significance of these incarnations is that to prosecute their ways of self-realization is simply joyful," ānanda-kanda. They introduced chanting and dancing. No other incarnation There are many incarnation, just like Lord Rāma. Even Kṛṣṇa, He taught Bhagavad-gītā. That requires knowledge, understanding. But here Lord Caitanya, Nityānanda, introduced some process which is simply joyful: simply chant and dance. Kevala ānanda-kanda. Saba avatāra, sāra śiromaṇi, kevala ānanda-kanda.
Therefore he requests everyone, bhajo bhajo bhāi, caitanya nitāi: "My dear brothers, I request you. Just you worship Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda." Sudṛḍha biśwāsa kori': "With firm conviction and faith." Don't think that this chanting and dancing will not lead you to the desired goal. It will because there is assurance of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu that you will get all perfection by this process. Therefore Locana dāsa Ṭhākura says that "You must have firm faith and conviction." It will act. Bhajo bhajo bhāi, caitanya nitāi, sudṛḍha. Sudṛḍha means firm. Biśwāsa kori', with faith and conviction. But what is the process? The process is viṣaya chāḍiyā, se rase majiyā. If you want to be Kṛṣṇa conscious under that process, then you have to give up your engagement of sense gratification. That is the only restriction. You cannot do that. Then it will be very nice. If you give up sense gratification and come to this stage, then it is sure that you will reach to the desired goal. Viṣaya chāḍiya, se rase majiyā, mukhe bolo hari hari: "And you have to simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, 'Hari Hari,' that's all, without any motive of sense gratification."
Dekho dekho bhāi, tri-bhuvane nāi. He says, "My dear brothers, you just try and examine that within these three worlds there is nobody like Lord Caitanya or Nityānanda Prabhu." Because, paśu pākhī jhure, pāṣāṇa vidare: "Their mercy and qualities are so great that even birds and beasts, they are crying, what to speak of human being?" Actually, when Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu passed through the forest of Jhārigrāma, the tigers, the elephants, the snake, the deer, all joined Him in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. It is so nice. Anyone can join. Animals can join, what to speak of human being? Of course, it is not possible for ordinary man to enthuse animals to chant, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu did it actually. So even if we cannot enthuse animals, we can enthuse at least human being to this path of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra chanting. Paśu pākhī jhure, pāṣāṇa vidare. And it is so nice that even the most stonehearted men will be melted. Pāṣāṇa vidare. Pāṣāṇa means stone, and vidare. Pāṣāṇa, even stone, will melt. It is so nice. But he regrets that, viṣaya majiyā: "Being entrapped by sense gratification..." Viṣaya majiyā, rohili bhuliyā. He's addressing himself, "My dear mind, you are entrapped in the sense gratification process and you have no attraction for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa."
Viṣaya bhuliyā, rohili majiyā, se pade nahilo āśa: "You have no attraction for the lotus feet of Caitanya-Nityānanda. So what can I say? It is only..." Āpana karama, bhuñjāya śamana: "I can simply think of my misfortune only that Yamaraja, the superintendent of death, he is punishing me in this way, that he is not allowing me to be attracted to this movement." This is the statement of Kahoye locana-dāsa: "This is the statement of Locana dāsa Ṭhākura." (end)
Then he says: yei gaurāṅgera nāma laya, tāra haya premodaya. Now, the devotees are concerned how to develop love of Godhead. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura recommends that anyone who simply chants śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda..." Gaurāṅga means with all this paraphernalia. As soon as we speak of gaurāṅga, we should mean the five: Lord Nityānanda, Advaita, Gadādhara, and Śrīvāsa. All together. So yei gaurāṅgera nāma laya, anyone who chants, immediately he will develop love of Godhead. Yei gaurāṅgera nāma laya, tara haya premodaya, tāre mui jaya bole hari. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says "I offer him all congratulation." Because it is certain that he has developed love of Godhead. Then he says, gaurāṅga-guṇete jhure, nitya-līlā tāre sphure. Anyone, if he cries by simply by hearing the transcendental qualities of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he at once understands what is the loving affairs between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.
That is specially. And another devotee is called nitya-siddha. Nitya-siddha means they were never contaminated. The sādhana-siddha and kṛpā-siddha was contaminated by material touch, and by following regulative principles or by the mercy or grace of some devotee and ācārya they're elevated to the perfectional state. But nitya-siddha means they were never contaminated. They're ever liberated. So all the associates of Lord Caitanya, just like Advaita Prabhu, Śrīvāsa, Gadādhara, Nityānanda, they are Viṣṇu-tattva. They are all liberated. Not only they, the Gosvāmīs... There are many others. So they are ever-liberated. So one who can understand that the associates of Lord Caitanya are ever-liberated... Nitya-siddha bale māni, sei yaya vrajendra suta-pāśa. Immediately he becomes eligible to enter into the abode of Kṛṣṇa.
Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, "Such devotee, it doesn't matter whether he's in the renounced order of life or whether he is a householder." Gṛha. Gṛha means householder. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement does not say that one has to become a renounced order, sannyāsī. Just like Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, impersonalists, Śaṅkarācārya, they first, they put the first condition that "You take up the renounced order of life first, and then talk of spiritual advancement." So in Śaṅkara sampradāya nobody is accepted as bona fide impersonalist unless he has accepted the renounced order of life. But here, in Caitanya's movement, there is no such restriction. Advaita Prabhu, He was a householder. Nityānanda, He was householder. Gadādhara, He was also householder. And Śrīvāsa, he was also householder. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu also married twice. So it doesn't matter. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says that to become in renounced order of life, or to remain in householder life, that does not matter. If he is actually taking part in the movements of Caitanya's saṅkīrtana activities and actually understanding what it is, he is taking sport in the waves of such devotional ocean, then such person is always liberated. And Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura is aspiring his association ever increasingly. That is the sum and substance of this song. (end)
And after finishing respectful obeisances to the spiritual master and the Gosvāmīs, then we approach Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya is also approached with His associates. Sāvadhūtam, sādvaitam. Sa means "with." Advaita, Advaita Gosai. And avadhūta means Nityānanda. So with Advaita and with Nityānanda, the offering goes to the Lord, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So after finishing all these obeisances one after another, according to the system, then śrī-rādhā-kṛṣṇa-pādān, then we approach Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is also associate. Kṛṣṇa is associated with Rādhārāṇī, and He (she?) is associated with Her immediate companions like Lalitā, Viśākhā, and others. So this is the process of offering respectful obeisances to the Deity. We cannot approach Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa directly. We have to approach through the spiritual master, through the Gosvāmīs, through the associates of Lord Caitanya. Then we approach Rādhā, then Kṛṣṇa. If one approaches Kṛṣṇa through this channel of disciplic succession, his efforts becomes successful. Otherwise, if he wants to approach Kṛṣṇa directly, it will be futile endeavor. (end)
So we have to follow the footprints of Lord Caitanya. And Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura teaches that "First of all, try to chant the name of Gaursundara." Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. In this way, when we are a little bit attached with Gaurasundara, Lord Caitanya, then we automatically feel transcendental emotion. And that emotional stage is exhibited by shivering in the body. We should not, however, imitate such shivering to show to the public that "I have become a great devotee," but we should execute devotional service nicely and faithfully.; then that stage will come automatically, shivering. As soon as one will chant the name of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, there will be shivering.
The next line is āra kabe nitāi-cānder koruṇā hoibe. (spells out) Āra kabe nitāi-cānder koruṇā koribe. This is also aspiration, that "When Nityānanda Prabhu, the constant associate of Lord Caitanya, will be pleased upon me?" Koruṇā koribe. Koruṇā koribe means He will be pleased upon me. Nityānanda Prabhu or Nitāi-cānd, is the original spiritual master. He is Baladeva. Bala means strength, and deva, the Personality of Godhead who gives strength. Therefore Nitāi-cānd is the symbol of spiritual master who gives strength to the disciples. This is the process of disciplic succession. We have to acquire the spiritual strength. No amount of material strength can help me in the advancement of spiritual life. We must derive the spiritual strength. Just like we have to take electricity from the powerhouse by directly connecting with the powerhouse. Not the wiring but the electricity. Similarly, this disciplic succession means the strength is descending from the original person through the spiritual master. That is the idea. So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura explains that "When Nitāicānd will be pleased?" And the result of such pleasure of Nitāicānd is that one becomes free from all desires for material enjoyment.
The next line is viṣaya chāḍiyā kabe śuddha ha'be mana. (spells out) This kabe means when, aspiring. Śuddha means purified. Ha'be, will be. Mana means mind. So when actually our spiritual master or Nityānanda Prabhu is pleased upon us, at that time the symptom will be that we shall no longer hanker after material enjoyment. When that stage of life is arrived, at that time only, we can understand what is Vṛndāvana, the abode of Kṛṣṇa. Vṛndāvana is not a material place, just like ordinary city or country. It is transcendental. So appreciation of Vṛndāvana will be possible when our mind is free from all material desires. Viṣaya chāḍiyā. Viṣaya means eating, sleeping, mating and defending. They are called viṣaya. Viṣaya means objects. In the material world there are, these four objects are in view: how I shall eat, how I shall sleep, how shall I mate, how shall I defend. So as soon as one is purified of all material desires, these material objectives will not be a problem.
"When I shall be very much eager to understand what is spoken by the Gosvāmīs?" These are the processes. We have to derive the pleasure of Nityānanda. We have to understand the six Gosvāmīs, what they are speaking. We have to cleanse our mind from material desires. These are the qualifications to understand what is Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise we shall be misled, we shall think Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa ordinary boy and girl. No. The activities are just like that, but it is all spiritual. There is no material contamination at all. There is no material inebrieties. Therefore, in such loving affairs, in such embracing, such kissing, in Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, that is all spiritual, eternal, blissful, full of knowledge, full of pleasure.
So at the present moment, in material condition, it is not possible to understand, but this is the purificatory process. We have to chant śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda, Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. This chanting process has got the spiritual value to lead us to the highest stage of understanding Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. And as soon as we are capable of understanding what is Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, then it is possible for getting admission in the spiritual world. So all people interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness should follow the regulative principles, gradually raise himself one after another, and reach the highest successful transcendental platform of understanding Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. (end)
Then he prays to Lord Nityānanda. He says, hā hā prabhu nityānanda, premānanda sukhī. "My dear Lord Nityānanda, You are always joyful, in spiritual bliss, and You appear always very happy. So I have come to You because I am most unhappy. So if You kindly put Your glance over me, then I may also become happy."
Then he prays to Advaita Prabhu: hā hā prabhu sītā-pati advaita gosāi. Advaita Prabhu's wife's name was Sītā. Therefore He is sometimes addressed as sītā-pati. So "My dear Advaita Prabhu, the husband of Sītā, please You also be kind upon me because if You become kind upon me, then naturally Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda also will be kind upon me." The reason is that actually, Advaita Prabhu invited Lord Caitanya to come down. When Advaita Prabhu saw the fallen souls, they are all engaged simply in sense gratificatory processes without understanding Kṛṣṇa consciousness, He felt very much compassionate upon the fallen souls, and He felt Himself as incapable of claiming all these fallen souls. He therefore prayed to Lord Kṛṣṇa that "You come Yourself. Without Your personal presence, it is not possible to deliver these fallen souls." So by His invitation Lord Caitanya appeared. "Naturally..." Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura prays Advaita Prabhu that "If You be kind upon me, naturally Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda also will be kind upon me."
Parama koruṇa, pahū dui jana, nitāi gauracandra. This is a song sung by Locana dāsa Ṭhākura, a great devotee of Lord Caitanya, almost contemporary. He wrote one book, Caitanya-maṅgala, depicting the activities of Lord Caitanya. That is a very famous book, Caitanya-maṅgala. And he has composed many songs. Practically all Vaiṣṇavas, they are transcendentally poetic. That is one of the 26 qualifications of the Vaiṣṇava. So he says that "These two Lords," nitāi gauracandra, "Lord Nityānanda and Lord Gaurāṅga, or Lord Caitanya, They are very merciful incarnations." Saba avatāra-sāra śiromaṇi. "They are essence of all incarnations." The incarnation is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā that whenever there is discrepancies in the prosecution of religiosities and there is prominence of impious activities, at that time the Lord incarnates, or He descends on this material world, for protecting the pious and annihilating the impious. That is the mission of incarnation. Every incarnation you'll find two things. Lord Kṛṣṇa, He's so beautiful, so kind, but He is very dangerous to the demons. The demons were seeing Him as thunderbolt and the gopīs were seeing Him as the most beautiful cupid. So in the Bhagavad-gītā also it is stated, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). The God is realized in proportion to one's freedom from the demoniac propensities.
Then he recommends, bhajo bhajo bhāi, caitanya nitāi. "My dear brother, just try to worship these two Lords, Caitanya and Nityānanda," sudṛḍha viśvāsa kori', "with faith and conviction." One should have faith in the words of Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya says that "Go on chanting. Simply by chanting, one will get all perfection of life." So this is a fact. Unless we take to chanting, we cannot realize it, but those who are chanting, they are realizing that they're getting all desired perfection of life very quickly. So we should chant this mantra with faith and conviction. But the only qualification required in this connection, he says, viṣaya chāḍiyā, se rase majiyā, mukhe bolo hari hari. We have to chant with faith and conviction at the same time we should take care, we should be guarding against sense enjoyment. Viṣaya chāḍiyā, viṣaya means sense enjoyment.
Then he says, brajendra-nandana jei, śaci-suta hoilo sei. Brajendra-nandana, the son of King of Braja. That is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is known as son of Nanda Mahārāja. He was King of Brajabhūmi. So brajendra-nandana jei, the same personality who was formerly the son of Nanda Mahārāja has now appeared as the son of Mother Śacī. Śacī-suta hoilo sei. And balarāma hoilo nitāi. And Lord Balarāma has become Nityānanda. So these two brothers adventing, they are delivering all kinds of fallen souls. Pāpī-tāpī jata chilo. As many fallen souls there were within this world, they're delivering them simply by this chanting procession. Hari-nāme uddhārilo, simply by this chanting. How it is possible? Then he says, tāra sākṣī jagāi and mādhāi. The living example is the two brothers, Jagāi and Mādhāi. These Jagāi and Mādhāi, two brothers, they happened to be born in a brāhmaṇa family but they turned to be debauch number one. And... Of course, nowadays, in this age, their qualification is not considered debauch. Their debauchery was because they were drunkard and woman hunter. Therefore they were called debauch. And meat-eater also. So... But they became later on delivered by Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda. Great devotees.
The shortcut is pahū. Prabhu, lord, or master. So these prabhu two, two prabhus, Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu... Caitanya Mahāprabhu is addressed as Mahāprabhu, Mahā-puruṣa. And others, they are addressed as prabhu. So these two prabhus, Nityānanda Prabhu and Caitanya Mahāprabhu, are very merciful, parama koruṇa. Parama koruṇa means extremely merciful. Extremely merciful because Kṛṣṇa is also merciful, but because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His original feature... Caitanya Mahāprabhu is also Kṛṣṇa, but He is acting as devotee. He is not acting as Kṛṣṇa. He is acting as devotee of Kṛṣṇa.
| Page Title: | Nityananda (Lectures, Other) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Mayapur |
| Created: | 22 of Nov, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=111, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 111 |