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Om Vishnupad 108 Tridandi Swami Sri Srimat Bhakti Sravan Tirtha Goswami Maharaj ki Jai!!

 

In the scriptures it is written:

eka mahaprabhu, ara prabhu dui-jana
dui prabhu seve mahaprabhura charana
(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta: Adi-lila, 7.14)

There is one ‘Mahaprabhu’. He is the famous Sri Gaurangasundar of  Nabadwip Dham, who later became known as Sri Krishna Chaitanya. Advaita Prabhu and Nityananda Prabhu, both are ‘Prabhu’ (Master), but Mahaprabhu is ‘Maha-Prabhu’ (the Supreme Master). Both Advaita Acharya and Nityananda Prabhu very happily served Mahaprabhu and spread His conception of Krishna consciousness throughout the universe during their divine Pastimes.

Advaita Prabhu prayed constantly with tears, Ganges water and tulasi leaves for Lord Krishna to appear and rescue the fallen souls of Kali-yuga, and Mahaprabhu appeared in answer to His prayers. So Mahaprabhu appeared by the grace of Advaita Prabhu. But before Mahaprabhu appeared, Nityananda Prabhu also appeared and made all the arrangements for rescuing the souls of this world.

Young Nityananda

Nityananda Prabhu was born in Radha Des near Burdwan in the Birbhum district of Bengal in the village of Ekachakra. Later that village became known as Garbhavas and at present is well known as Birchandrapur.

Birchandra Prabhu was the son of Nityananda Prabhu and to honour his name the village is famous as Birchandrapur. Gauranga Mahaprabhu also went there. There Nityananda Prabhu took birth as the only son of Padmavati Devi and Hadai Pandit Ojha.

After Nityananda Prabhu had taken birth, all auspiciousness came to Radha Des. It was enriched with Krishna-bhakti. He grew up there with the children of the village and His Pastimes were all very miraculous. All the children of Ekachakra would play with Nityananda Prabhu, but He would only play Krishna-lila. Just like Balaram played as a child in Vrindavan, Nityananda Prabhu’s childhood very similarly took place in Radha Des as He enacted the divine pastimes of Krishna-lila with the other children of the village.

Taken by a sannyasi

When Nityananda Prabhu was just twelve years old, a sannyasi came to His father’s house. As soon as the sannyasi saw young Nityananda he immediately understood that He was not an ordinary boy and felt he could not bear to be parted with Nityananda Prabhu. The sannyasi fainted to see Nityananda Prabhu and finally asked His father, Hadai Pandit, “I am going on a pada-yatra (on foot) to many places of pilgrimage and it is my prayer that you give this boy to me as an associate servitor.”

Hearing this was like a thunderbolt to Hadai Pandit and he fainted. Nityananda Prabhu was the very joy of his life. At that time religion was very strong within the mind of everyone. In those times, it was the custom that if any wandering sannyasi, especially any Vaisnava sannyasi asked for something in alms - even one’s son or one’s own life - the people would give it to him. Such was their faith in men of God.

Nityananda Prabhu meant more than life to Hadai Pandit, but that was the custom. Hadai Pandit felt he could never part from his only son Nityananda, but he also felt he could not say, “No, I cannot leave Nityananda.”

So finally he considered, “The sannyasi has prayed, and we must fulfil his desire.” He could not deny the sannyasi’s demand, and finally he gave Nityananda Prabhu over to that sannyasi. After giving away Nityananda, Hadai Pandit was like a mad man (loke bale, “Hado Ojha haila pagala” (Cb: Madhya, 3.98).). He became half-mad in separation and Mother Padmavati fainted, but still they gave away Nityananda Prabhu.

In this way Nityananda Prabhu left His house when He was twelve years old. His Pastimes were miraculous and He was an avadhut from childhood. He went with that sannyasi and toured the whole of the sub-continent.

Some say that sannyasi was Madhavendra Puri, and some say he was another sannyasi, but it is certain that later Nityananda met Madhavendra Puri in the pilgrimage places. Later we know that Nityananda Prabhu and Madhavendra Puri could understand each other easily and Madhavendra Puri accepted Nityananda Prabhu, by divine will, as his disciple.

Where is Krishna?

Meeting Madhavendra Puri was a turning point in Nityananda Prabhu’s life and after that He went on to visit many pilgrimage places. He saw all the hallowed spiritual places in the ecstasy of Krishna-prema. Everywhere He went, He gave Krishna-prema but He Himself was hiding His real identity.

Before joining Mahaprabhu’s Pastimes, Nityananda Prabhu did not reveal much of His actual nature. But He was always thinking Himself to be Balaram, and His activities were similar to Balaram. Finally He went to Vrndavan, where He searched, “Where is Krishna? Where is Krishna?” He asked the Vraja-vasis where He could find Krishna. Krishna Himself in the form of a young boy came to Him and said, “I am not here. I have now appeared in the town of Nabadwip.” Then, clearly the feeling manifested within the heart of Nityananda Prabhu: “Now My time has come to join Chaitanyadev—Nimai Pandit—in Nabadwip Dham.” He knew that Nimai Pandit was really Krishna Himself.

The Avadhut

When Sripad Nityananda Prabhu first came to Nabadwip Dham, no one could understand who He was or where He had come from. No one could say whether He was a brahmachari, a grhastha, a vanaprastha, or a sannyasi. People saw all these forms in Him. At that time many people came to criticise Nityananda Prabhu’s divine character because He lived under no rules or regulations. Actually Nityananda Prabhu’s nature was to be an avadhut. The ordinary idea of an avadhut has been given in the Vaisnava-tantra,

antah saktah bahih saivah sabhayam vaisnavo matah
nana vesa-dhara kola vicharanti mahi-tale

"He appears to be internally like a sakta, a worshipper of material energy. Externally he appears like a follower of Lord Siva, but He still participates in the assemblies of Vaisnavas and seems to appreciate Vaisnava thought. He does not care for any particular dress or follow any rules or regulations as He wanders throughout the world.”

But Nityananda Prabhu is fully transcendental and should never be confused with anyone mundane. His nature as an avadhut can be understood in this way, “In His heart (antah) is playing Radha-Krishna (suddha-saktah), and His form externally (bahih) is like Lord Siva (saivah). When He joins an assembly, His mentality is fully that of a Vaisnava. When He is travelling, sometimes He wears cloth, sometimes He wears no cloth, sometimes He wears many gold ornaments, jewels, and rich garments, and sometimes He wears sannyasi dress.”

Waiting for Nityananda

Nityananda Prabhu appeared to the common people of Nabadwip as if He were a mad monk. Just at the time, Mahaprabhu had also returned to Nabadwip from Gaya Dham. Mahaprabhu started performing sankirtan every night in Srivas Pandit’s house and showed His Krishna-prema to the devotees’ assembly. Advaita Prabhu declared that Mahaprabhu was Bhagavan. Srivas Pandit, Gadadhar Pandit, and all the devotees everywhere declared that Mahaprabhu was Bhagavan, and Mahaprabhu also showed them that. When the devotees understood the divine form of Mahaprabhu, they were very happy, and they understood that the Lord Himself had appeared for bestowing His mercy to the world through Hari-nam-sankirtan.

But Mahaprabhu was not showing His full manifestation as the giver of Krishna-prema. Nobody knew why Mahaprabhu wasn’t widely starting His sankirtan movement, but when Nityananda came they understood the cause of Mahaprabhu’s behaviour. Mahaprabhu had been waiting for Nityananda.

Mahaprabhu’s dream

Nityananda Prabhu came to Nabadwip searching, “Where is Nimai Pandit? Where is Nimai Pandit?” When He understood that Mahaprabhu was living in Jagannath Misra’s house, He hid Himself in Mayapur to wait and see if Mahaprabhu would discover Him. He went to the house of Mahaprabhu’s dear devotee Nandan Acharya and hid Himself, telling Nandan Acharya, “Do not tell anyone anything. I want to see what Krishna will do.”

That morning Mahaprabhu told His devotees,

tala-dhvaja eka ratha—samsarera sara
asiya rahila ratha—amara duyara
(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavat: Madhya-lila, 3.142)

“Last night I saw in My dream a chariot marked with the flag of a palm tree. It was the chariot of Baladev Himself. Within the chariot there was one Mahapurush, great personage, and He was searching for My house. That chariot came in front of My house, and I saw that Mahapurush. I now think that Baladev Himself has taken the form of a Mahapurush and come to Nabadwip. Go and find out where He is! He must be somewhere in Nabadwip. He has appeared here, and I want to see if He will discover Me.”

The devotees searched everywhere, but they could not find Nityananda Prabhu. They were thinking it was simply Mahaprabhu’s dream, and they came back and told Mahaprabhu, “We could not find Him anywhere.” Mahaprabhu smiled and said, “It is not just a dream. It is a deep hidden leela. Nityananda is hiding Himself, and I have go to find Him and reveal Him.”

Ecstatic embrace

Then Mahaprabhu went directly to Nandan Acharya’s home and there Mahaprabhu and His devotees saw Nityananda Prabhu seated on the veranda of the house. Nityananda had seen Mahaprabhu come and could not move because His heart was so full of ecstasy and the joy of Krishna-prema. When Mahaprabhu saw Nityananda, His heart was also filled with the joy of Krishna-prema, and He felt very intoxicated. They both fainted. Then Mahaprabhu came forward and embraced Nityananda, and They both fainted again. After some time They regained their senses, and They cried in the name of Krishna.

Nityananda Prabhu said, “I went to Vrndavan, but Krishna was not there. Then someone told Me You were here in Nabadwip, so I have come. Now I beg You, ‘Please save Me.’ Nityananda Prabhu surrendered to Mahaprabhu and Mahaprabhu embraced Nityananda Prabhu with full love, affection, and honour.

Both Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu assumed Their divine forms, and the devotees understood that Nityananda Prabhu was not an ordinary sannyasi or brahmachari. They did not know Nityananda Prabhu at the time, but they saw Mahaprabhu’s expression and Nityananda Prabhu’s expression, and they immediately understood that They had both appeared from the divine abode.

In many places in the scriptures it is said that Mahaprabhu is nondifferent from Krishna (abhinna-svarup), and they also considered Nityananda Prabhu in that way to be non-different from Balaram.

Mahasankirtan

That was the first day that Nityananda Prabhu joined Mahaprabhu’s party, and up to His last days Nityananda Prabhu preached Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s glories. From that day Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu started mahasankirtan. Mahaprabhu appeared to inaugurate sankirtan-yajna, sacrifice in the form of sankirtan (congregational chanting), as described in the Srimad Bhagavatam:


krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam sangopangastra-parsadam
yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah
(11.5.32)

“In the Age of Kali, persons of fine theistic intellect perform the sacrifice of congregational chanting (sankirtan-yajna) to worship the form of the Lord who constantly sings nothing but the Names of Krishna and describes His glories with great pleasure. He is Krishna Himself appearing in a molten gold complexion born from supreme divine emotion. With His personal beauty, Divine Name, all-merciful nature, and benevolent associates, He destroys the darkness of ignorance in the mundane world.”

Mahaprabhu Himself gave the gist of the nature of Hari-nam-sankirtan:

cheto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam
sreyah-kairava-chandrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam
anandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamrtasvadanam
sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam
(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta: Antya-lila, 20.12)

“Sri Krishna-sankirtan cleanses the mirror of consciousness, extinguishes the raging forest fire of material existence, shines moonlight on the evening lotus of good fortune, is the life of the potency of divine knowledge, expands the ocean of ecstasy, is the taste of full nectar at every moment, and soothes the entire self. May Sri Krishna-sankirtan be supremely victorious!”

 

 

Nitai-Gaur Hari Bol!!

Jai Gurudev!

Jai Jai Sri Radhey!