19930304 Śrī Advaita Ācārya's Tattva and Pastimes

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on March 3^{rd &} 4^th, 1993 in Śrī Māyāpur, India. The talk was given during the Caitanya-līlā Seminar.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 1.1

vande gurūn īśa-bhaktān
īśam īśāvatārakān
tat-prakāśāṁś ca tac-chaktīḥ
kṛṣṇa-caitanya-saṁjñakam

Translation: I offer my respectful obeisances unto the spiritual masters, the devotees of the Lord, the Lord’s incarnations, His plenary portions, His energies and the primeval Lord Himself, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 1.4

anarpita-carīṁ cirāt karuṇayāvatīrṇaḥ kalau
samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasāṁ sva-bhakti-śriyam
hariḥ puraṭa-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandīpitaḥ
sadā hṛdaya-kandare sphuratu vaḥ śacī-nandanaḥ

Translation: May the Supreme Lord who is known as the son of Śrīmatī Śacī-devī be transcendentally situated in the innermost chambers of your heart. Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold, He has appeared in the Age of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation has ever offered before: the most sublime and radiant mellow of devotional service, the mellow of conjugal love.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 1.5

rādhā kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī śaktir asmād
ekātmānāv api bhuvi purā deha-bhedaṁ gatau tau
caitanyākhyaṁ prakaṭam adhunā tad-dvayaṁ caikyam āptaṁ
rādhā-bhāva-dyuti-suvalitaṁ naumi kṛṣṇa-svarūpam

Translation: The loving affairs of Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are transcendental manifestations of the Lord’s internal pleasure-giving potency. Although Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are one in Their identity, previously They separated Themselves. Now these two transcendental identities have again united, in the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. I bow down to Him, who has manifested Himself with the sentiment and complexion of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī although He is Kṛṣṇa Himself.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 1.6

śrī-rādhāyāḥ praṇaya-mahimā kīdṛśo vānayaivā-
svādyo yenādbhuta-madhurimā kīdṛśo vā madīyaḥ
saukhyaṁ cāsyā mad-anubhavataḥ kīdṛśaṁ veti lobhāt
tad-bhāvāḍhyaḥ samajani śacī-garbha-sindhau harīnduḥ

Translation: Desiring to understand the glory of Rādhārāṇī’s love, the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the happiness She feels when She realizes the sweetness of His love, the Supreme Lord Hari, richly endowed with Her emotions, appeared from the womb of Śrīmatī Śacī-devī, as the moon appeared from the ocean.

* * *

Jayapatākā Swami: We discussed that Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu actually each day to discuss little about each of the Pañca-tattva for an hour almost is inconceivable because there is unlimited to say about each of the five personalities of the Pañca-tattva. We just went on Navadvīpa parikramā for seven days from morning to night, we are discussing about all the unlimited qualities and pastimes of Lord Caitanya, Nityānanda, Advaita, Gadādhara and Śrīvāsa, we just were touching just the smallest fraction, so, obviously it is not possible to cover all of the pastimes, or even an overview, but just to take opportunity to meditate on some of the transcendental pastimes and for the sake of a variety and the different personalities who are in the Pañca-tattva. So, each day we will speak on one personality predominantly. Although, one can never separate one pastime from the other.

Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as we have heard from Caitanya-caritāmṛta, He had His very sublime purpose for coming into the material world, His inner purposes of understanding kṛṣṇa-prema, the glory of Rādhārāṇī’s love – these are the primary causes for Lord Caitanya’s appearance and it is considered to be an incidental cause or secondary cause that is coming to give the yuga-dharma. So, but for the fallen souls in many respects the yuga-dharma is more important for them and for the liberated souls the internal reason for Lord Caitanya’s coming is more important than those who are trying to be liberated. So, like when we have general meetings on Lord Caitanya then everyone is in the public, they are more concerned with is His preaching activities, sometimes the devotees would like to discuss His more intimate pastimes – discussion with Rāmānanda Rāya and so on, all these different aspects are very much integrated in Lord Caitanya’s life and character.

When Lord Caitanya was a child, He was not revealing His position as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. At the same time He could show that, sometimes He would reveal, seemed like He had almost like a sense of humor, He definitely has a very great sense of humor about, that somehow like He would reveal His position and would hide Himself and again reveal and would hide Himself, being a channa-avatāra was a unique situation where He would keep Himself concealed even from His devotees, but then some other time He would reveal but then yogamāyā would cover them and they would just think of Lord Caitanya as a beloved one.

There was one pastime when Lord Caitanya was just barely able to walk and Mother Śacī was feeding Him milk in her lap and then He was walking, just toddling on the veranda of their house and all of a sudden in the courtyard of Jagannātha Miśra’s house, so many effulgent personalities appeared with big helmets, someone with four arms, some with two arms, some with various features they were obviously residents from other planets, from the higher planetary systems, the devas they were all effulgent with so much gold and jewels and Jagannātha Miśra was sleeping in the room, next to the Deity room and Mother Śacī wanted to call out she was frightened, “Who are all these people? What is going on?”, but she could not move, she was frozen.

Even today we see UFO we tremble, they cannot move, they cannot speak. Anyways, Mother Śacī, The Caitanya-maṅgala explains, she could not move she was completely stunned, she was just seeing what was going on and she saw them take Lord Caitanya and pick Him up and she was ready to scream that, “Jagannātha Miśra, do something, save our child! They are taking Him what are they going to do?” and they put Lord Caitanya on the golden raised throne in the center of the courtyard and one of the priestly persons amongst them, he started taking various auspicious articles like milk, yoghurt, ghee and honey and nectar water and so many things which she could not keep track, so many nectarian things and started to perform a mahā-abhiṣeka on the child baby little tod, Lord Caitanya and there was so much sound and they were chanting mantras and they were offering prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, worshipping Lord Caitanya with so much devotion, then after the ceremony was over, they took Lord Caitanya and placed Him on the ground and Lord Caitanya walked again and He went up on the veranda and then He turned to all the devas and He told them, “Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa”, while Lord Caitanya was walking and dancing there was a sound of nūpura, ankle bell – ching, ching, ching, but Mother Śacī noted there was no ankle bells on His feet and then Lord Caitanya, He Himself started to chant:

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

And He started to dance, He could hardly walk and now He is dancing and Mother Śacī, she saw all these devas. When Lord Caitanya said, “You dance! You dance!” and they all started to dance, and seeing all these demigods dancing and Lord Caitanya, the little child dancing, it was too much for Mother Śacī, “Oh!”, she fainted and when she fainted, she hit the ground – thud, thud, it made a sound, that sound woke up Jagannātha Miśra, not all the kīrtana, (laughter) the bugle, all that was on some other dimension it did not wake Jagannātha Miśra up but that just woke him up, “Śacī, Dear Śacī, Are you alright?” Mother Śacī heard his voice and woke up and “Oh!” she started crying, she was so overwhelmed, “What is wrong?” and she ran to him and embraced him and she almost, you know, she was totally hysterical what to say, he was holding her and said, “What is wrong?”

She started to explain everything happened, the devas they came and they filled the courtyard and they did this and did that and you know.. it was just too much, such an experience, “Okay, take it easy, tell me what happened.” She calmed down and she started to explain everything that happened, he said, “Did this really happen or was it just a dream?” Jagannātha Miśra looked, there little Caitanya started crawling in the courtyard smiling and looking from the side, there was no sign of any yoghurt or any abhiṣeka, no dust, no nothing, “Hmm.. Anyways it is alright there is nothing to be worried about, it must have been some dream or something.” Ofcourse, later on they again heard the ching, ching, ching and they looked and they saw Lord Caitanya is walking but there were no ankle bells, then they thought, “Hmm, it is true.”

So, Lord Caitanya, He would reveal Himself and hide Himself, later when He was walking with.. later one day Mother Śacī got up and she came running to Lord Caitanya and said, “Nimāi, what does this mean? I had such a dream last night, I cannot understand it. I was dreaming that I was offering bhoga to the Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Deities and when I went back to bring more then there in the room, there was You as a little child and Lord Nityānanda as a little child and Nityānanda was telling Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, “That this offering is not for You, this offering should be given to Gaura”. Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! “You are from the Dvāpara-yuga and Gaurāṅga is for Kali-yuga. This is His yuga, so this offering should be for Him.” “I could not understand what is Nityānanda talking about?” and then all of a sudden, He ran to me and He said, “Mother Śacī, feed Me, I am hungry!” Then I woke up, it was too much. “What does this mean? I could not understand anything.” Then Lord Caitanya told her, “Anyways, it must mean that Nityānanda is hungry, we should invite Him for lunch.” (laughter)

So, then He went to find Nityānanda, Nityānanda was by the Ganges’ side, playing with some children, jumping in the Ganges and chanting with them and then Lord Caitanya told Him, “Come on, today You have to take lunch at My house, Mother Śacī wants to cook for You.” “Oh! Very nice”, whatever Mother Śacī cooks was like nectar. In fact, Lord Caitanya said He is in five places, one of those is where Mother Śacī is cooking, He is there.

So, He was walking with Lord Nityānanda, He told Lord Nityānanda, “Listen, no funny business today.”

“What do You mean funny business? I do not do funny business; it is You who do funny business.”

“Well, I do not, You do funny business.”

“No no, I do not do.”

So, the two of Them, they were exchanging their very intimate relationship.

Then Mother Śacī, she was so excited that she was able to cook for Nimāi and Nitāi. She cooked a very nice feast and she put down the āsanas, and the leaf plates, the banana leaves, in her ecstasy, she put down three but they were only two of them but she put three down anyways. Sometimes in ecstasy one does not see everything in the same way.

So, she came and she filled up, she had so many vyañjanas, so many vegetables, so many sūktas (bitter preparations) and śākas (green leafy vegetables), so many things, big pile of rice with ghee on top, she gave very nice offering and then she went out to get more and when she came back in the room instead of Nitāi and Gaura there, there were small child Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma taking prasāda. She looked, “Oh!” (fainted) Next thing, she knew, Nimāi was, “Mother Śacī, what is wrong, Mother Śacī! What is wrong, why did you faint?” And she opened her eyes and looked, there was Nimāi and there was Nitāi, and she just got up and ran away and locked up the room and would not talk to anybody the rest of the day, nobody’s business.

So, one of the big, one of the major things with Lord Caitanya is revealing Himself to devotees, but those devotees who are fixed in a particular relationship to Lord Caitanya like Mother Śacī, Jagannātha Miśra, they are very fixed in vātsalya-bhāva, so they were always thinking that “Lord Caitanya is my Nimāi, is my son, I have to protect Him and I have to take care of Him.” One time Jagannātha Miśra had a dream, one brāhmaṇa said, “Why do you scold Nimāi? You do not know He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, how can you do that?” Jagannātha Miśra was arguing with him in the dream, “No, I do not care who He is, He is my son, I have to bring Him up properly. I have to see He is properly trained and protected and I am His father; I must do my duty.” So, this arguing was going on. “What do you mean your duty? What can you train the Supreme Lord? He knows everything!” And finally, when the brāhmaṇa was saying that, Jagannātha Miśra’s dream broke and he woke up. He shook his head, “Anyway, whatever, I have to take care of my son,” and he went back, yogamāyā kept him fixed in their relationship, but then there were some devotees to whom Lord Caitanya revealed His glories or somehow they could find out and He told them, “Do not tell anybody.”

There was a time when Lord Caitanya as a child was coming out of the Ganges, there was one, very great devotee of Mother Ganges bathing, he was doing gāyatrī and praying by the side of the Ganges, his whole life he had been worshipping Mother Ganges and he was seeing that this golden boy was leaving the Ganges and the Ganges water was rising up as if it was trying to keep touching His Lotus feet but it was going up higher and higher, what is this? It is very unique, why is the Ganges water rising and increasing like that just for no reason, no visible reason, all of a sudden he saw his worshipable Deity, the Gaṅgā Devī in her devī form manifest out of water and bow down at the lotus feet of Nimāi and offer Him worship. Then this paṇḍita, this brāhmaṇa, this great mendicant worshiper of the Ganges saw his worshipable Deity, he never hoped, he would be able to see the personified form of the Ganges, of the Deity form and that it seemed she was offering worship to Nimāi and then he could realize that Nimāi was Kṛṣṇa Himself.

When she went back into the water and then he went and offered his obeisances, then Lord Caitanya told him, “You do not tell anyone, if you tell anyone then you may not remain here in this world very long. You can stay and watch the pastimes”, so there are these devotees who were living in Navadvīpa who knew who Lord Caitanya was and they were just watching every move but what He is doing, and then there were so many devotees they did not know who Lord Caitanya was but they just loved Lord Caitanya, they did not know why they loved Lord Caitanya but they loved Him from the core of their hearts.

Nimāi even when He was not manifesting His saṅkīrtana movement, He was very argumentative. He came out and one time Gadādhara he saw, “Oh, there is Nimāi”, and he turned away and he started walking away but Nimāi saw him and said, “Gadādhara why are you walking away? My dear friend Gadādhara, where are you going come here why are you not coming to My ṭol (learning centre in Bengali) and studying with Me.” Gadādhara was caught and he came back and said, “Well you study vyākaraṇa or grammar, now I am studying in another ṭol (learning centre in Bengali) I am studying Sanskrit, poetry, kavitā.”

So, Lord Nimāi said, “Well we also know Sanskrit poetry, so let us see what you have learnt tell us some poetry that you composed”, so Gadādhara was, “Oh no, now I am caught”, because whatever he would say Nimāi would be more intelligent and would defeat him and so Nimāi was like that He was very humble, He would always ask some question if you stick your neck out, He will cut it, He will defeat you and capture you. So, in this way there was such a relationship and then in the end He went over Gadādhara, “Alright, I will come to your ṭol (learning centre in Bengali), I will come to study with you.”

In this way Nimāi would capture all the top students in Navadvīpa, He was a youth leader, He was only a teenager but He was already a PhD or more in terms of the highest educational qualification but in His dealings, He just completely won over all these students, it was not only His learning it was everything they just loved Him.

But when He came back from Gayā then He was changed then He was telling everything in relation to Kṛṣṇa, no more was it just a debate or nyāya, the argumentation, it was everything He came to connect it with Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! They went to Gaṅgadāsa Paṇḍita said, “What has happened to Gaurāṅga, to Gaurahari, to Nimāi Paṇḍita? Nimāi Paṇḍita now whatever He is saying, it is all about Kṛṣṇa, He does not argue anymore, He does not just go and challenge people. I think He has lost His brāhmaṇical edge.”

So, Gaṅgadāsa Paṇḍita came over and saw Nimāi and asked Him what is wrong and he heard that He has given up His brāhmaṇical abilities of debate and nyāya, Lord Caitanya said, “Who said? I can still, I challenge anyone I can defeat them in debate after defeating them. I will take their point of view and I will re-establish that again and I will take their opposite view and re-establish that. The next person who comes I will challenge him”. So, He went up to the street corner and He is waiting who is the next person and all the students saw Him and were encouraged, “Now our Nimāi Paṇḍita is back to His old form.”

So, the next person who came by... happened to be Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura’s brother and Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura’s brother was chanting verses from the Bhāgavatam and when Lord Caitanya heard the verses from the Bhāgavatam, how Pūtanā went to kill Kṛṣṇa with poison on her breast. Instead Kṛṣṇa liberated her and elevated her to the position of His mother because she offered her breast to Him and how Kṛṣṇa was so merciful and when Lord Caitanya heard this pastime of Kṛṣṇa, He said, “Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!” and He fell on the ground He was crying in separation, He was rolling on the ground and shouting “Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!” and all the students were watching, “Oh no!”

And when Nimāi, after He came back to His consciousness of the external world, then He called all the students by the side of the Ganges and He told them, “Alright. I have to admit something to you. After I went to Gayā and I was initiated by Īśvara Purī, there is a change in Me and now I have realized that the summum bonum of life is Kṛṣṇa and the best means to achieving Kṛṣṇa in this Age of Kali is the harināma-saṅkīrtana. So, I cannot give you something which I know is not to be the best but you may have come to My class for many other reasons. So, I free all of you if you want you can go to any other teacher, because now what I am going to do is the harināma-saṅkīrtana so this is the most effective means of achieving the perfection in life. So, it is up to you what you want to do you can stay or you can go I free you there is no offence if you want to go.”

So, one of the leading students stood up and said, “Nimāi Paṇḍita, you have always given us the best of the education, but you never taught us saṅkīrtana before, so how do we know how to do saṅkīrtana in the other corner, so now you have to teach us otherwise how can we do it? But we do not want to leave you, no matter what we want to stay with you.” They all said, “Yes! Yes!” Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! So even though they did not know that they did not know that Lord Caitanya was Kṛṣṇa or God they thought He was their… they all loved Him and then He brought Śrīvāsa and the Vaiṣṇavas and then He brought different devotees and He trained all those students to chant the holy name in saṅkīrtana.

So, in this way sometimes Lord Caitanya although He is covered, He would attract the hearts of all the devotees, just like Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana, they would not think Kṛṣṇa was God. In Navadvīpa, no one thought Lord Caitanya was God but they loved Lord Caitanya, they did not know how much they loved Him, some of them until He left. We described that on the parikramā, the whole Navadvīpa went swimming across to the other side after ten years when He returned from Jagannātha Purī, mad to join with Lord Caitanya. Ofcourse, for the very intimate devotees on some rare occasion, Lord Caitanya He would reveal, He would get into the ecstasy of being Nārāyaṇa or Kṛṣṇa and He would reveal His full glory, the mahā-prakāśa, twenty-one-hour saṅkīrtana in Śrīvāsa-aṅgana and one other time to Advaita.

There was a couple, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura and Murāri Gupta they could realize Lord Caitanya is Viṣṇu on more than one occasion and few scattered over. Generally, whenever Lord Caitanya was in normal consciousness when He was not in a specific ecstasy as Kṛṣṇa, He would very vehemently, anyone who would address Him as Kṛṣṇa, cover His ears and say, “Viṣṇu, Viṣṇu, Viṣṇu, very offensive do not ever call a devotee as God.” That was ninety-nine percent of the time, ninety-nine-point nine percent, a very rare occasion did He break from the normal mood and come into the ecstasy of Kṛṣṇa.

One time, Śrīvāsa, anyways we can discuss Śrīvāsa later. So, that is.. so, because Lord Caitanya was so covered by His yogamāyā that people just considered Him a fellow student or a fellow president of Navadvīpa, therefore some of the students offended Him, when He was chanting the names of the gopīs, He got angry with them for disturbing His ecstasy chased them with a stick then they started to criticize, then Lord Caitanya decided that He would have to take sannyāsa in order to liberate the conditioned souls, then at least in those days the sannyāsīs they would give some respect. At the age of twenty-four, He went with His five associates: Lord Nityānanda, Māmu Ṭhākura – Candraśekhara, Gadādhara, Mukunda one more, I remember it was five they knew ahead of time, day before, two days before that He was going to take and then He left that night. Last night Viṣṇupriyā would see Him she was always worshipping Him in separation from then. They went to Katwa and He took sannyāsa, you can still see in Katwa, the samādhi of Lord Caitanya’s hair. How many of you have been to Katwa – three, four, five, six... There is also the samādhi of the sannyāsa-guru of Lord Caitanya, Keśava Bhāratī, there is a samādhi to Gadādhara Dāsa, non-different from the effulgence of Rādhārāṇī.

After taking sannyāsa, then, Lord Nityānanda tricked Him to go to Śāntipura to meet with Mother Śacī, how Lord Caitanya was so reciprocative with His mother… You can imagine how His mother was overwhelmed to see Him as a sannyāsī, and He said, “Well you have given Me this body. Whatever you order Me to do, I will do it, you have given this body to Me, it belongs to you, but I beg you please forgive Me, but I have given it to Kṛṣṇa, but I will do what you say”, but actually because Mother Śacī was such a pure devotee, she loved Lord Caitanya so much she knew that once her son took sannyāsa, it would be a very great disgrace if He were to come back.

Actually, one devotee was sent here and he joined the temple, then he left the temple, went home and his parents said, “What have you done, you are a disgrace to our family, get back to the temple now. How can you leave once you have surrendered to Kṛṣṇa? You go back to the Hare Kṛṣṇa temple” and I am sure you have seen this many times in the West.

Mother Śacī, when she saw Lord Caitanya as a sannyāsī, His compassion most of them presenting everything to her, she melted, she did not know what to say, she asked Nityānanda, “Please have Him stay at Jagannātha Purī, do not go to Vṛndāvana to stay because it is so far away, we would not hear anything about You. If You are in Jagannātha Purī, we can get some information.” She knows that He had to go and whatever separation and whatever pain she was feeling, He wiped it away with His affectionate words. Factually, Lord Caitanya was playing on the heart of all the devotees, His relationships with the various devotees were so intensely played on by Lord Caitanya, He was swimming in the ocean of the transcendental mellows.

When Lord Caitanya was in Jagannātha Purī, in Gaura-Gambhīrā, then He absorbed Himself in the pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa and only a few, two and a half devotees would accompany Him in Gambhīrā for those very intimate exchanges. Sometimes He was in internal, external consciousness, sometimes intermediate and sometimes internal, somehow in between the internal and external, He would reveal sometimes what He had been experiencing in the pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya, rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya, All glories to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Any questions?

So, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He came down here giving His mercy to all the conditioned souls, one of the devotees on the parikramā mentioned, we missed Him just by five hundred years was not it that... he mentioned that, but actually it is true we are very unfortunate to have missed the pastimes of Lord Caitanya but then in the beginning of Caitanya-Bhāgavata, Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura mentions that the pastimes of Lord Caitanya are still going on,

ādyāpi sei līlā kare gaura-rāya,
kona kona bhāgyavān dekhibāre pāya
[Cb. Madhya 10.283]

By hearing about them, by discussing them, by engaging in the saṅkīrtana movement, by engaging in Navadvīpa parikramā, by doing the devotional service to Lord Caitanya, we can actually experience even today the drop of that nectar, the presence of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Once somebody gets the taste, how you can live without Caitanya Mahāprabhu, how can we survive without that association. Gaurāṅga! Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya! Any questions?

Question: (inaudible)

Jayapatākā Swami: I do not understand the question very well. Well, having a relationship with Lord Caitanya as a mother is bona fide. (Aside: Pull out the plug) So, it is one of the bona-fide relationships, that one has to be guided by one’s spiritual master in detail regarding, whether one is maintaining the proper mood — whether it is sentimental or properly based on reality and śāstra. Some of the pastimes… Śrīla Prabhupāda explained that if someone is attracted to a particular pastime of Lord Caitanya, then that may indicate a specific relationship. For example, if one is attracted to Lord Caitanya’s childhood pastimes, that may indicate a parental mood. Others may have attraction in another mood. So, if they are attracted to Lord Caitanya’s childhood pastimes and they have spontaneous attraction toward those, that may be an indication. Śrīla Prabhupāda cautioned that we have to be careful because in the beginning, even if one may have a woman’s body, that does not mean that spiritually one necessarily has a relationship with Kṛṣṇa is as a gopī or as a woman. It may be as a friend, it may be as a father, it may be as a mother, may be… it is not necessarily what our present physical body is, indicates what… this present physical body has nothing to do with the siddha-svarūpa or the spiritual body. So, if someone identifies with the present body and on that basis feels some bodily sentiment, that would not be reliable. There is a higher sense of understanding our relationship with Lord Caitanya. The body we have at present may, by coincidence, we have an appropriate body but that is just a coincidence. Any other question?

Question: (inaudible)

Jayapatākā Swami: When He [Lord Nityānanda] got to Vṛndāvana, and He was there just like Balarāma, and all of the associates of Vṛndāvana came and deers and cows, they would come and they were licking the feet of Nityānanda, they had spontaneous attraction for Lord Nityānanda. At that time, Nityānanda had the vision that Lord Caitanya had just started the saṅkīrtana movement. So, He decided to go to Navadvīpa, and He came and took shelter in the house of Nandana Ācārya. That was the first place that devotees visited to, on the Navadvīpa parikramā. There, in that house, He was present. Then Lord Caitanya told all His associates to look for Lord Nityānanda, “My eternal counterpart is here, you can find Him.” He sent the devotees down and they went out searching, but even late in the night they could not find Him. They were returning at such a late hour, at eight o’clock at night, nine o’clock knocking on people’s doors. They said, “What do you want? It is already late. What are you doing up?” The devotees replied, “We are looking for Nityānanda.” “What Nityānanda? Get out of here, what is wrong with you, followers of Lord Caitanya, Do not bother!”, So, they came back to Gaurāṅga and reported that they could not find Him and He asked everyone, “Did you find Him?”, and everyone said, No one could find Him. Lord Caitanya said, “Of course, You cannot find Him! You cannot find God when you look for Him. He must reveal Himself.” No one knew what He was talking about. Then, He said, “Anyways, I will go, I will find Him. Tomorrow we will go out.”

So, Lord Caitanya took the saṅkīrtana party and then He entered the courtyard of Nandana Ācārya and as the kīrtana was coming, Nityānanda stood up. When Lord Caitanya entered, He was so so happy, so ecstatic to see Lord Gaurāṅga and immediately, ofcourse this is the first time they are meeting but then immediately, they are eternal associates, as soon as Lord Caitanya came, Lord Nityānanda simultaneously said, “Gaurāṅga!” and Lord Gaurāṅga said, “Nityānanda!”, “Gaurāṅga!” Nityānanda!”, “Gaurāṅga!” Nityānanda!” And they ran to each other and embraced each other, and all the devotees were like, Nitāi Gaura Premānande Haribol! Hari! Hari! Haribol! Haribol! The devas were showering flowers upon Them. They were crying profusely, and they went on a massive saṅkīrtana throughout the whole of Navadvīpa. The people were amazed: “Who is this other one – so tall, so beautiful, who is that with Lord Gaurāṅga?”, From that time on, Lord Caitanya (Gaurāṅga) and Lord Nityānanda were almost constant companions in Navadvīpa, and so many pastimes were performed.

There was one Vyāsa-pūjā connected with Lord Nityānanda, and during that time Nityānanda was able to see the various forms of Lord Caitanya. This is described in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, Chapter Seventeen.

tabe nityānanda svarūpera āgamana
prabhuke miliyā pāila ṣaḍ-bhuja-darśana
(Cc. Ādi 17.12)

Translation: After this function at the house of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, Nityānanda Prabhu appeared, and when He met with Lord Caitanya He got the opportunity to see Him in His six-armed form.

Purport: The form of Ṣaḍ-bhuja, the six-armed Lord Gaurasundara, is a representation of three incarnations. The form of Śrī Rāmacandra is symbolized by a bow in one hand and an arrow in another, the form of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is symbolized by a stick and a flute like those generally held by a cowherd boy, and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is symbolized by a sannyāsa-daṇḍa and a kamaṇḍalu, or waterpot.

prathame ṣaḍ-bhuja tāṅre dekhāila īśvara
śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-padma-śārṅga-veṇu-dhara
(Cc. Ādi 17.13)

Translation: One day Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu exhibited to Lord Nityānanda Prabhu a six-armed form bearing a conchshell, disc, club, Lotus flower, bow and flute.

tabe catur-bhuja hailā, tina-aṅga vakra
dui haste veṇu bājāya, duye śaṅkha-cakra
(Cc. Ādi 17.14)

Translation: Thereafter the Lord showed Him His four-armed form, standing in a three-curved posture. With two hands He played upon a flute, and in the other two He carried a conchshell and disc.

tabe ta’ dvi-bhuja kevala vaṁśī-vadana
śyāma-aṅga pīta-vastra vrajendra-nandana
(Cc. Ādi 17.15)

Translation: Finally the Lord showed Nityānanda Prabhu His two-armed form of Kṛṣṇa, the son of Mahārāja Nanda, simply playing on His flute, His bluish body dressed in yellow garments.

“Nityānanda Prabhu then arranged to offer Vyāsa-pūjā, or worship of the spiritual master, to Lord Śrī Gaurasundara. But Lord Caitanya carried the plowlike weapon called muṣala in the ecstasy of being Nityānanda Prabhu. Thereafter mother Śacīdevī saw the brothers Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma in Their manifestation of Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda. Then the Lord delivered the two brothers Jagāi and Mādhāi.” (Cc. Ādi 17.16-17)

So, many different pastimes were happening. One very interesting pastime was how sometimes Lord Nityānanda, He would come into the ecstasy of a small boy. And Caitanya-bhāgavata, it explains, sometimes Nityānanda would float in the Ganges and He would not move. People were seeing Him and they thought that maybe His body was floating there so they did not know. Just like Lord Ananta, Lord Nityānanda would float on the Ganges. People would not understand. Sometimes He would lie unconscious for two or three days without coming back to consciousness. So, many inconceivable things were done by Lord Nityānanda. No one can express anything about Nityānanda completely. Not even all the heads of Ananta could do so. Lord Nityānanda would get so ecstatic in Kṛṣṇa consciousness that when He would faint, nobody could revive Him for two or three or four days. That was how ecstatic He became.

Just like small children would sometimes cry when they do not get something. Sometimes Lord Nityānanda, He would feel so much separation from the Lord that He would literally cry like a small child. Sometimes then He would suddenly change and He would become always blissful, very happy. Sometimes He would be in the mood of a small child and He would forget to put His clothes on. So, this one pastime happened.

One day Lord Caitanya was seated and also then Lord Nityānanda came to Him and He was totally absorbed in childhood pastimes and He came and He was totally in His birthday suit, without any clothes with a big smile on His face like a small child and at that time there were just tears coming from His eyes in ecstasy and He was crying out, “My Lord is Nimāi Paṇḍita! O Lord Nimāi! My Master is Nimāi Paṇḍita!” and when the Lord saw Him doing this, He could not help but smile. His body was completely effulgent like so many suns but the Lord quickly took His turban off, took that cloth covering His head and He covered up Lord Nityānanda.

Then He put the sandalwood pulp on Lord Nityānanda and gave Him a garland and He had Him sit down in front of His own seat and then the Lord started to offer Him respect and all the devotees could hear and the Lord said, “Your name is Nityānanda and Your form is Nityānanda. Nityānanda means eternally blissful or transcendental eternal bliss. So, Your name is Nityānanda Your form is Nityānanda and You are having that form of Nityānanda Rāma whenever You are travelling, whenever You are eating, whenever You are in ecstasy You are always Nityānanda, there is nothing about You that is not Nityānanda. Everything is transcendentally blissful about You, eternally blissful. What human being can understand You? You are Nityānanda. You are the supreme transcendental reality. Wherever You are, Lord Kṛṣṇa is there.”

tomāre bujhite śakti manuṣyera kothā?
parama susatya — tumi yathā, kṛṣṇa tathā
(Cb. Madhya 12.20)

Whatever Lord Caitanya would say, Lord Nityānanda would try to satisfy. He was always agreeable to carry out the order of Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya said “Give Me one of Your kaupīnas, it is My desire to have one of Your kaupīnas.” Lord Caitanya took His kaupīna and cut it into little pieces and gave to all of the Vaiṣṇavas that were present and everyone put a small piece of kaupīna on their head. He told them “All of you tie this to your head, you will get the supreme fruit from the Master of all yoga.”

So, Lord Caitanya, He suddenly explained that, “By the mercy of Nityānanda one gets viṣṇu-bhakti. You should know that Nityānanda is Kṛṣṇa’s, He has Kṛṣṇa’s full potency. Kṛṣṇa’s second is Lord Nityānanda – His associate, His friend, His bed, His decoration, His confidante, His brother. No one can know the end of Lord Nityānanda’s qualities and character. He is the lord of all the jīvas, the protector of the jīvas, and the dearmost friend of all the jīvas. His every activity is filled with the ecstasy of Kṛṣṇa’s devotion. Worshipping Him, serving Him, one gets kṛṣṇa-prema-bhakti. So, with devotion tie His kaupīna on your head with great care, worship, go and do your worship in your house.”

So, getting the order from Lord Gaurāṅga, all the devotees with great affection they tied the piece of His kaupīna on their head and then the Lord said “Listen all My devotees, the water from Nityānanda’s Lotus feet should be taken.” If you just by taking it you get very intense devotion for Lord Kṛṣṇa, so when they got the order that all of them went to Nityānanda’s lotus feet and washed His lotus feet and took the water from His lotus feet. Somebody is taking five times someone is taking, giving ten times, “Give me more! Give me more! Nityānanda, He was not… He was in ecstasy, He is simply smiling in ecstasy the whole time.

Then Lord Gaurāṅga sitting down seeing that everyone is taking the drink, the foot bathing water of Lord Nityānanda, everyone started becoming madly chanting out “Hari! Hari! Haribol! Haribol! Haribol!” By taking the bath water from Lord Nityānanda’s lotus feet, they became mad and the whole sky was filled with the sound of Haribol! Somebody said “Today my life is perfected”, someone else said “Today all the bondage to the material world is cut” and someone else said “Today I have finally become the servitor of Lord Kṛṣṇa” and someone else said “Today the most wonderful day has manifested” and someone said that “This caraṇāmṛta is very, very tasteful, even now the sweet taste has not left my mouth!”, what a wonderful effect everyone got from the bath water of Lord Nityānanda’s lotus feet just by taking it everyone became very anxious in love of Kṛṣṇa. Someone was dancing someone was chanting, someone was rolling on the ground, someone was crying out “Gaurāṅga! Nityānanda!”, someone was crying and this way there was a huge kīrtana,

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Hare, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

All the devotees were dancing for a while. Then Lord Caitanya after a while, Lord Caitanya, He started to shout out the holyname and He got up and He started to dance in the most beautiful way. At that time Nityānanda Prabhu, He got up and the two Prabhus were dancing together surrounded by all the devotees. Some devotee would fall against another devotee and sometimes somebody would grab another one sometimes somebody would grab the dust from someone’s lotus feet and put it on their head and sometimes, someone would grab the neck of someone else and cry in separation of the Lord.

No one could say what form they had taken or were taking and no one could explain all the wonderful things that were happening and this way Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda they embraced each other and in great ecstasy the two Prabhus were dancing all the devotees were dancing around them the whole world started to shake under the vibration of Lord Nityānanda’s lotus feet. Seeing this all the devotees started to cry out, “Haribol! Haribol!” So, in this way filled with the ecstasy of love of Kṛṣṇa in madness of love of Kṛṣṇa, the two Lords of Vaikuṇṭha, they were dancing with all the devotees in love of Godhead. In these transcendental pastimes, there was no separation, the Lord was constantly dancing.

So, like this, then the Lord clapped His hands three times and He again was glorifying the lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda, saying how Brahmā and Śiva worship these lotus feet. These lotus feet are so sacred, even if a breeze from the lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda happens to pass over somebody’s body, they can never give up Kṛṣṇa ever.” When all the devotees heard the glory of Lord Nityānanda, there was a great shout “Nityānanda Prabhu kī jaya! Jaya! Jaya!” we are all hearing about the glories of Lord Nityānanda, whose master was Gauracandra. Whoever hears about these words of Lord Caitanya, whoever has seen these pastimes, they always see Lord Nityānanda, they can never forget the glories of Lord Nityānanda. So, like this there were so many intimate pastimes between Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda and Jagāi Mādhāi was delivered by Lord Nityānanda, then there was the dance drama where Lord Caitanya took a role, also Nityānanda was there.

They was travelling all over Nadia, one time Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda they were going and they went over to the other side of the river and there there was one āśrama with one — one so-called Vaiṣṇava, a sādhu with a beard but he had tilaka and he called them “Please come into my āśrama” and then he asked them to sit down, “Let me give You some prasāda.” He gave them some fruit and he was talking and telling nice things then, he said the two Prabhus sat down and accepted the fruit prasāda then he asked, “Why do You not stay for lunch, for You will make some nice fish.” Lord Caitanya looked at Nityānanda, Nityānanda looked at Lord Caitanya, “Fish? You eat fish?! Did you put it in the water or something?”, he was some kind of sahajiyā, “Argh!”, He spit out the food they were eating and said, “You are a bogus sādhu! How can a Vaiṣṇava eat these things and how are we accepting your food?” They ran, the two of them ran all the way to the Ganges and they jumped into the Ganges with their clothes on, feeling themselves contaminated by taking the fruit from a fish-eating Vaiṣṇava.

It is important in Bengal now, many kula-gurus, family hereditary gurus, they give people initiation. I met one, he said he had two thousand disciples. I asked him, “Of your two thousand disciples, how many are vegetarian?” He thought for a long time, he said, “Maybe ten.” I said, “Do you know that you have to take all the karma for that?” “My father never told me that. He just said give a dīkṣā and get the donation, what about the karma? He did not tell me about karma.” Alot of people, they get some cheap initiation and they are not following and they are thinking Lord Caitanya is accepting but we can see from this pastime Lord Caitanya did not accept, Nityānanda Prabhu did not accept, rather when They know that these people were taking, far from accepting, They jumped into the Ganges for purification.

Then there was the pastime also Śrīvāsa and Mālinī, they would have a vātsalya-bhāva or a parental mood with Lord Nityānanda. Then Mother Śacī, I told that pastime yesterday, how Mother Śacī was feeding Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda – mahā-prasāda and how when she went back in the room she looked and instead of Gaura-Nitāi, there were Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma and she fainted. Then there was a special abhiṣeka for Lord Caitanya. [Aside: So, Where are we now?]

Then He went with the Lord when He took sannyāsa; He took the Lord to Advaita’s house. Murāri Gupta realized the transcendental qualities of Lord Nityānanda. Lord Nityānanda was there when Lord Caitanya was performing the mahā-prakāśa, the twenty-one-hour saṅkīrtana. What was Lord Nityānanda doing, who can say? [Aside: Yes? No!] In the mahā-prakāśa, the twenty-one-hour kīrtana, Lord Nityānanda was doing a service for Lord Caitanya. He was holding the umbrella over Lord Caitanya’s head, chātra-dhāra. It is nice to see for some point but for some time He was holding the umbrella, the ceremonial umbrella. He was in the nāgara-kīrtana. He saw the Viśvarūpa, the universal form of Lord Caitanya. He went with Lord Caitanya, I mentioned that, then He went with Lord Caitanya when He went to Jagannātha Purī. He broke His daṇḍa, three parts threw it in the river. Lord Caitanya got angry and ran ahead.

Then Lord Caitanya later ordered Lord Nityānanda to go back to Bengal to accept gṛhastha-āśrama and to preach, to establish the preaching. He said that “We both are here, who is going to preach?” So Lord Nityānanda came back and established the Nāma-haṭṭa at Surabhi-kuñja and spent many days with Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura in Śrīvāsa-aṅgana and He organized a massive preaching throughout the whole of Bengal and He flooded Bengal with the harināma-saṅkīrtana.

Nityānanda, He got married in Śāligrāma with the help of Hoḍa Kṛṣṇadāsa in Baḍagāchi, that is another interesting pastime. Sūryadāsa Sarakhela had two daughters and he asked Hoḍa Kṛṣṇadāsa to find a good husband for them and he came back and he suggested that Nityānanda would be the only suitable husband and He should marry both because both of them are equal, they are qualified, and no one else was as qualified as Him. [Aside: Okay, later. Hare Kṛṣṇa] But then the anti-Nityānanda group had told rumours to Sūryadāsa Sarakhela and he heard that “Oh, Nityānanda is like an avadhūta and he acts funny sometimes.” He said, “Me? Marry my daughter to Nityānanda, that avadhūta? Never!”

Kṛṣṇa Hoḍa got very offended, “You do not know who You are talking about, you do not know who Nityānanda Prabhu is. I cannot stay here and hear these offences,” and he left. [Aside: Hare Kṛṣṇa] But that night, Sūryadāsa Sarakhela, he had a vision and he saw his daughter, he saw actually Kṛṣṇa, excuse me, Balarāma, and he saw Revatī and Varuṇī, the two consorts of Balarāma and then he saw Revatī and Varuṇī turn into Vasudhā and Jāhnavā and Balarāma turn into Nityānanda. Then he saw himself giving them, his daughters in marriage to Nityānanda and he woke up and he realised that Nityānanda was a divine personality and he had committed a great offence.

He sent a messenger to get the King Kṛṣṇa Hoḍa and he apologised and he told, “Alright, you can arrange it.” And Kṛṣṇa Hoḍa went to tell Nityānanda, and Nityānanda that time was giving a Bhāgavatam class and all the devotees were around and he waited until the Bhāgavatam class was over and then he was sitting there talking with Śrīvāsa and some devotees and he told Śrīvāsa the news that this alliance could be made and he could carry out the order of Lord Caitanya. Then Śrīvāsa went over and whispered in the ear of Nityānanda like this, “Excuse me Nityānanda Prabhu”, “Okay Okay”, and He went on with the discussion, no big discussion.

Then He went over to the place of Baḍagāchi. In this Baḍagāchi today, there was a beautiful four-hundred-and-fifty-year-old Deity of Gaura–Nitāi, about almost five and a half, six feet high, very beautiful deity, the Deities of Hoḍa Kṛṣṇadāsa, one of the associates of Lord Nityānanda. Lord Nityānanda, there He was given abhiṣeka for His wedding by all the brāhmaṇas the day before. And in Śāligrāma, another village where Sūryadāsa Sarakhela, and his two daughters and Gaurīdāsa Paṇḍita lived. The brāhmaṇas there did abhiṣeka for the two daughters and then next day Nityānanda came and there was a whole big wedding ceremony with lots of kīrtana and all the other normal wedding ceremonies, changing garlands and everything.

Then after one day Nityānanda went back to Baḍagāchi, then from there He went over back to Navadvīpa. From Navadvīpa then He went to Śāntipura. Then from Śāntipura He got down to Khardaha and in Khardaha He built His house and so, as you can see in Khardaha, you can see the house where Lord Nityānanda stayed with Vasudhā and Jāhnavā and where Vīracandra and Gaṅgā-devī had appeared.

Lord Nityānanda also visited Lord Caitanya in Jagannātha Purī many times. Lord Nityānanda taught a lesson to that Rāmacandra Khān. Then, He gave the mercy to Raghunātha dāsa at daṇḍa-mahotsava in Pānihāṭi. Actually, every time they had a child, Abhirāma Ṭhākura would pay obeisances to the children of Nityānanda and they would die. Abhirāma Ṭhākura was also, he was a devotee left over from the Dvāpara-yuga. When he would go over to the temple and bow down, if there was any bogus sālagrāma-śilā it would explode; his devotion was so strong that any unbonafide Deity would break. So when he paid obeisance to Nityānanda’s children, if they were not transcendental, they died immediately. So finally when he bowed down to Gaṅgā-devī and to Vīracandra they did not die. Vīracandra is Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and Gaṅgā-devī is Gaṅgā. So, like this, so many transcendental pastimes of Lord Nityānanda, just to remember His transcendental glories. He is the ādi-guru, the original guru. The spiritual master is considered a confidential associate or representative of, or devotee of, Lord Nityānanda. Nityānanda Prabhu kī jaya! Nitāi-Gaurāṅga! Nitāi Gaurā Premānande Hari Haribol! Hare Kṛṣṇa! Any question? Yes, Kṛpāmaya Prabhu?

Question: (inaudible)

Jayapatākā Swami: Separate books. There are some separate books, but at least one of them is apparently dubious in its reliability. I know one that is of Nityānanda, but people say it is not bona fide; it was made much later by the Nityānanda-vaṁśa who try to sustain some kind of wrong philosophy that they propel. Basically, Nityānanda is very profusely described in many chapters of the Caitanya Bhāgavata, and His pastimes and glories are mentioned in Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Caitanya Maṅgala, and other scriptures. In the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa there is a mention of Lord Nityānanda. Śrī Jayānanda Candra Gosvāmī has given the gāyatrī and meditation of Nityānanda. There is an offering, nāma-dvādaśaka by Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya; there is a Nityānanda-aṣṭaka by Sārvabhauma. But that is the mention.

Specifically, the only thing about a separate biography for Nityānanda, there was something by the servant of Advaita, it is in Advaita-prakāśa, which is given some historical, not completely, but some historical value as far as I know, but it is not Nityānanda. There is someone who came up with a Nityānanda-prakāśa, but I have heard it is not valid, not bona-fide. Anything else?

Question: (inaudible)

Jayapatākā Swami: The problem is that in some different books they said different things, that is the problem. Some say Lakṣmīpati, some say Mādhavendra Purī. Then there is another book called Prema-vilāsa, which is not really accepted, where they say Īśvara Purī, but that is not accepted by the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas. Prabhupāda accepted that He was initiated by Lakṣmīpati when He was travelling throughout India, but there seems to be some basis that He did meet Mādhavendra Purī at some time; that is where the idea came. “Do you have any more information?”

Devotee: (inaudible)

Jayapatākā Swami: I have to write it all out, all the dates of their birth and disappearance and figure it all out – Mādhavendra Purī and Īśvara Purī.

Devotee: (inaudible)

Jayapatākā Swami: He was initiated when He was about sixteen.

Devotee: So, at what point was Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu started to initiate?

Jayapatākā Swami: Initiating? As in who was the person He initiated? Rūpa and Sanātana. He was in South India. Rūpa, Sanātana, and some people in South India — He would give them Harināma initiation when He was travelling in South India. When He was in Navadvīpa, He did the... He organised the initiation of Gadādhara Prabhu to Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi. Anything on today’s class?

Devotee: I was wondering when Lord Nityānanda, come for the first time here, when the saṅkīrtana movement started, or was He in Ekacakrā? And Lord Caitanya went to Ekacakrā and He met Him there or something?

Jayapatākā Swami: No, they met for the first time here when the saṅkīrtana movement started. He was in Ekacakrā till twelve years of age, and He went with this mendicant sannyāsī, all over, all the holy places in India – South India and then He was in Vṛndāvana. From Vṛndāvana, He came here. That was the first time that He in this manifested pastime met with Lord Caitanya. So, Lord Caitanya had already started the saṅkīrtana movement for some short time.

Devotee: After He [Lord Nityānanda] was married, did He act like an avadhūta while He was preaching?

Jayapatākā Swami: When He was preaching, there is no mention of any extreme avadhūta activities. It was more when Lord Caitanya was there, He was in those earlier pastimes, when He was actually preaching; you do not hear about those activities, these avadhūta things. When He was preaching, you don’t hear about those activities. Except that sometimes He would run in ecstasy or something. (audio abruptly stops)