20201009 Amusing Loving Quarrel of Advaita Ācārya and Lord Nityānanda

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on October 9th, 2020 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram

hariḥ oṁ tat sat

govardhanadharam vande  
gopālam goparūpiṇam
gokulotsavam īśānam 
govindam gopikāpriyam

Introduction: Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu book compilation:

Today's chapter is entitled as: Amusing Loving Quarrel of Advaita Ācārya and Lord Nityānanda

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.79

advaitera sahita nitāira prema-kautuka-vitaṇḍā :—

nityānanda kahe kailuṅ tina upavāsa 
āji pāraṇā karite chila baḍa āśa

Translation: Nityānanda Prabhu said, “I have undergone fasting for three days continuously. Today I had hoped to break My fast.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.80

āji upavāsa haila ācārya-nimantraṇe 
ardha-peṭa nā bharibe ei grāseka anne

Translation: Although Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was thinking that the quantity of food was enormous, Nityānanda Prabhu, on the contrary, thought it not even a morsel. He had been fasting for three days and had greatly hoped to break fast on that day. Indeed, He said, “Although I am invited to eat by Advaita Ācārya, today also is a fast. So small a quantity of food will not fill even half My belly.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Nityānanda is having a loving humorous quarrel with Advaita.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.81

ācārya kahe — tumi hao tairthika sannyāsī 
kabhu phala-mūla khāo, kabhu upavāsī

Translation: Advaita Ācārya replied, “Sir, You are a mendicant traveling on pilgrimage. Sometimes You eat fruits and roots, and sometimes You simply go on fasting.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.82

daridra-brāhmaṇa-ghare ye pāilā muṣṭy-eka anna 
ihāte santuṣṭa hao, chāḍa lobha-mana

Translation: “I am a poor brāhmaṇa, and You have come to My home. Please be satisfied with whatever little food You have received and give up Your greedy mentality.”

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way Lord Advaita prabhu is responding to Lord Nityānanda’s complaint answering Him in kind.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.83

nityānanda bale — yabe kaile nimantraṇa 
tata dite cāha, yata kariye bhojana

Translation: Lord Nityānanda Prabhu replied, “Whatever I may be, You have invited Me. Therefore You must supply as much as I want to eat.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.84

śuni’ nityānandera kathā ṭhākura advaita 
kahena tāṅhāre kichu pāiyā pirīta

Translation: His Divine Grace Advaita Ācārya, after hearing the statement of Nityānanda Prabhu, took the opportunity presented by the joking words and spoke to Him as follows.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.85

bhraṣṭa avadhūta tumi, udara bharite 
sannyāsa la-iyācha, bujhi, brāhmaṇa daṇḍite

Translation: Advaita Ācārya said, “You are a reject paramahaṁsa, and You have accepted the renounced order of life just to fill up Your belly. I can understand that Your business is to give trouble to brāhmaṇas.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this loving argument between Lord Advaita and Lord Nityānanda was performed in a very joking manner. This shows the personal exchange between devotees, this cannot be understood by impersonalist but it is relished by the devotees.

Purport by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda: There is always a difference of opinion between a smārta-brāhmaṇa and a Vaiṣṇava gosvāmī. There are even smārta opinions and Vaiṣṇava gosvāmī opinions available in astrological and astronomical calculations. By calling Nityānanda Prabhu a bhraṣṭa avadhūta (a rejected paramahaṁsa), Advaita Ācārya Prabhu in a sense accepted Nityānanda Prabhu as a paramahaṁsa. In other words, Nityānanda Prabhu had nothing to do with the rules governing smārta-brāhmaṇas. Thus under pretense of condemning Him, Advaita Ācārya was actually praising Him. In the avadhūta stage, the paramahaṁsa stage, which is the supermost stage, one may appear to be viṣayī, on the platform of sense gratification, but in actuality he has nothing to do with sense gratification. At that stage, a person sometimes accepts the symbols and dress of a sannyāsī and sometimes does not. Sometimes he dresses like a householder. We should know, however, that these are all joking words between Advaita Ācārya and Nityānanda Prabhu. They are not to be taken as insults.

In Khaḍadaha, sometimes people misunderstood Nityānanda Prabhu to belong to the śākta-sampradāya, whose philosophy is antaḥ śāktaḥ bahiḥ śaivaḥ sabhāyāṁ vaiṣṇavo mataḥ. According to the śākta-sampradāya, a person called kaulāvadhūta thinks materially while externally appearing to be a great devotee of Lord Śiva. When such a person is in an assembly of Vaiṣṇavas, he appears like a Vaiṣṇava. Actually, Nityānanda Prabhu did not belong to such a community. Nityānanda Prabhu was always a brahmacārī of a sannyāsī of the vaidika order. Actually, He was a paramahaṁsa. Sometimes He is accepted to be a disciple of Lakṣmīpati Tīrtha. If He is so accepted, Nityānanda Prabhu belonged to the Madhva-sampradāya. He did not belong to the tāntrika-sampradāya of Bengal.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.86

tumi khete pāra daśa-viśa mānera anna 
āmi tāhā kāṅhā pāba daridra brāhmaṇa

Translation: Advaita Ācārya accused Nityānanda Prabhu, saying, “You can eat ten to twenty mānas of rice. I am a poor brāhmaṇa. How shall I get so much rice?

Jayapatākā Swami: One māna of rice is 40 kilos, eating ten to twenty mānas is like 400 to 800 kilos.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.87

ye pāñācha muṣṭy-eka anna, tāhā khāñā uṭha 
pāgalāmi nā kariha, nā chaḍāio jhuṭha”

Translation: “Whatever You have, though it be a palmful of rice, please eat it and get up. Don’t show Your madness and strew the remnants of food here and there.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.88

prabhudvayera praṇayakautuka kalahe mahāprabhura hāsya :—

ei mata hāsya-rase karena bhojana 
ardha-ardha khāñā prabhu chāḍena vyañjana

Translation: In this way, Nityānanda Prabhu and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu ate and talked with Advaita Ācārya jokingly. After eating half of each vegetable preparation given to Him, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu abandoned it and went on to the next.

Jayapatākā Swami: Actually, as Śrīla Prabhupāda said that, during taking prasāda there should be light talks because that helps the digestion. So, when he was host, He will also joke with the people He was serving prasāda to. So Lord Nityānanda and Advaita Ācārya are exchanging joking words.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.89

ācāryera icchāmata mahāprabhura paripūrṇa bhojana :—

sei vyañjana ācārya punaḥ karena pūraṇa 
ei mata punaḥ punaḥ pariveśe vyañjana

Translation: As soon as half of the vegetable in the pot was finished, Advaita Ācārya filled it up again. In this way, as the Lord finished half of a preparation, Advaita Ācārya again and again filled it up.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya was trying to limit His consumptions, by taking half of the vegetables. But as soon as He finishes the half Advaita Ācārya filled up the pot again.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.90

donā vyañjane bhari’ karena prārthana 
prabhu balena — āra kata kariba bhojana

Translation: After filling a pot with vegetables, Advaita Ācārya requested Them to eat more, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “How much more can I go on eating?”

Jayapatākā Swami: Sometimes in India, the host serves so much prasāda that, there is a saying that if you say enough, they will serve more to you. You have to say again No! No! I had enough they still serve you. Unless you pick up the palte and shout no! No! then they will stop. This standard was practically given by Advaita Gosāi.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.91

ācārya kahe — ye diyāchi, tāhā nā chāḍibā 
ekhana ye diye, tāra ardheka khāibā

Translation: Advaita Ācārya said, “Please do not give up whatever I have already given You. Now, whatever I am giving, You may eat half and leave half.”

Jayapatākā Swami: He already are half and he filled it again. This is the blissful serving of prasāda.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.92

nānā yatna-dainye prabhure karāila bhojana 
ācāryera icchā prabhu karila pūraṇa

Translation: In this way, by submitting various humble requests, Advaita Ācārya made Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Lord Nityānanda eat. Thus Caitanya Mahāprabhu fulfilled all the desires of Advaita Ācārya.

Jayapatākā Swami: It is not that Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu or Lord Nityānanda actually they need to eat that much but they are doing so to please Lord Advaita. Thus all the desire of Lord Advaita were satisfied.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.93

arddhabhukta-bhāne kṛtrima-krodhabhare nitāira ekamuṣṭi anna-vikṣepa —

nityānanda kahe — āmāra peṭa nā bharila 
lañā yāha, tora anna kichu nā khāila

Translation: Again Nityānanda Prabhu jokingly said, “My belly is not yet filled up. Please take away Your food. I have not taken the least of it.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.94

eta bali’ eka-grāsa bhāta hāte lañā 
ujhāli’ phelila āge yena kruddha hañā

Translation: After saying this, Nityānanda Prabhu took a handful of rice and threw it on the floor in front of Him, as if He were angry.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Nityānanda just threw the prsadam just to have joking argument with Lord Advaita.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.95

nitāira sei nikṣipta ucchiṣṭa aṅge sparśahetu advaitera premabhare nṛtya :—

bhāta dui-cāri lāge ācāryera aṅge 
bhāta aṅge lañā ācārya nāce bahu-raṅge

Translation: When two or four pieces of the thrown rice touched His body, Advaita Ācārya began to dance in various ways with the rice still stuck to His body.

Jayapatākā Swami: Advaita Ācārya was so blissful to have the ucchiṣṭa or the remanants of Lord Nityānanda’s prasāda stuck to Him.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.96

avadhūtera jhuṭhā lāgila mora aṅge 
parama pavitra more kaila ei ḍhaṅge

Translation: When the rice thrown by Nityānanda Prabhu touched His body, Advaita Ācārya thought Himself purified by the touch of remnants thrown by Paramahaṁsa Nityānanda. Therefore He began dancing.

Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda: The word avadhūta refers to one above all rules and regulations. Sometimes, not observing all the rules and regulations of a sannyāsī, Nityānanda Prabhu exhibited the behavior of a mad avadhūta. He threw the remnants of food on the ground, and some of these remnants touched the body of Advaita Ācārya. Advaita Ācārya accepted this happily because He presented Himself as a member of the community of smārta-brāhmaṇas. By touching the remnants of food thrown by Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Ācārya immediately felt Himself purified of all smārta contamination. The remnants of food left by a pure Vaiṣṇava are called mahā-mahā-prasādam. This is completely spiritual and is identified with Lord Viṣṇu. Such remnants are not ordinary. The spiritual master is to be considered on the stage of paramahaṁsa and beyond the jurisdiction of the varṇāśrama institution. The remnants of food left by the spiritual master and similar paramahaṁsas, or pure Vaiṣṇavas, are purifying. When an ordinary person touches such prasādam, his mind is purified, and his mind is raised to the status of a pure brāhmaṇa. The behavior and statements of Advaita Ācārya are meant for the understanding of ordinary people who are unaware of the strength of spiritual values, not knowing the potency of food left by the bona fide spiritual master and pure Vaiṣṇavas.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya had said that there are three things which are greatly powerful, remnants or prasāda left by pure devotees, dust from their lotus feet, and the water which washes their lotus feet.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.97

nindācchale advaitera nityānanda-stuti :—

tore nimantraṇa kari’ pāinu tāra phala 
tora jāti-kula nāhi, sahaje pāgala

Translation: Advaita Ācārya jokingly said, “My dear Nityānanda, I invited You, and indeed I have received the results. You have no fixed caste or dynasty. By nature You are a madman.

Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda: The words sahaje pāgala (”by nature a madman”) indicate that Nityānanda Prabhu was transcendentally situated on the paramahaṁsa stage. Because He always remembered Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and Their service, this was transcendental madness. Śrī Advaita Ācārya was pointing out this fact.

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote an article “Who is crazy?” the materialist think that the devotees are crazy because they cannot understand why they do what they do? The devotees think that the materialist are crazy, because they are going after the temporary things? So Śrīla Prabhupāda was saying “Who is crazy?” Advaita Gosvāmī was speaking from the point of view of materialists but actually He is praising Lord Nityānanda, by saying that “He is transcendental” ordinary people may think that He is crazy!

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.98

āpanāra sama more karibāra tare 
jhuṭhā dile, vipra bali’ bhaya nā karile

Translation: “To make Me a madman like Yourself, You have thrown the remnants of Your food at Me. You did not even fear the fact that I am a brāhmaṇa.”

Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda: The words āpanāra sama indicate that Advaita Ācārya considered Himself to belong to the smārta-brāhmaṇas, and He considered Nityānanda Prabhu to be on the transcendental stage with pure Vaiṣṇavas. Lord Nityānanda gave Advaita Ācārya His remnants to situate Him on the same platform and make Him a pure unalloyed Vaiṣṇava or paramahaṁsa. Advaita Ācārya’s statement indicates that a paramahaṁsa Vaiṣṇava is transcendentally situated. A pure Vaiṣṇava is not subject to the rules and regulations of the smārta-brāhmaṇas. That was the reason for Advaita Ācārya’s stating, āpanāra sama more karibāra tare: “to raise Me to Your own standard.” A pure Vaiṣṇava, or a person on the paramahaṁsa stage, accepts the remnants of food (mahā-prasādam) as spiritual. He does not consider it to be material or sense gratificatory. He accepts mahā-prasādam not as ordinary dāl and rice but as spiritual substance. To say nothing of the remnants of food left by a pure Vaiṣṇava, prasādam is never polluted even if it is touched by the mouth of a caṇḍāla. Indeed, it retains its spiritual value. Therefore by eating or touching such mahā-prasādam, a brāhmaṇa is not degraded. There is no question of being polluted by touching the remnants of such food. Actually, by eating such mahā-prasādam, one is freed from all the contaminations of the material condition. That is the verdict of the śāstra.

Jayapatākā Swami: So Advaita Ācārya, He could speak one thing that ait will have a secret meaning on the other hanḍ So He criticize Lord Nityānanda as madman and it meant that Nityānanda was above the rules and regulations and He was transcendentally situated. So Advaita was presenting Himslef as smārta-brāhmaṇas and by the mercy of Lord Nityānanda, was being elevated to the transcendental platform.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.99

nityānandera advaitake śāstidānera bhaya-pradarśana o prāyaścitta vyavasthā :—

nityānanda bale, — ei kṛṣṇera prasāda 
ihāke ‘jhuṭhā’ kahile, tumi kaile aparādha

Translation: Nityānanda Prabhu replied, “These are the remnants of food left by Lord Kṛṣṇa. If You take them to be ordinary remnants, You have committed an offense.”

Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda: In the Bṛhad-viṣṇu Purāṇa it is stated that one who considers mahā-prasādam to be equal to ordinary rice and dāl certainly commits a great offense. Ordinary edibles are touchable and untouchable, but there are no such dualistic considerations where prasādam is concerned. Prasādam is transcendental, and there are no transformations or contaminations, just as there are no contaminations or transformations in the body of Lord Viṣṇu Himself. Thus even if one is a brāhmaṇa he is certain to be attacked by leprosy and bereft of all family members if he makes such dualistic considerations. Such an offender goes to hell, never to return. This is the injunction of the Bṛhad-Viṣṇu Purāṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: So the prasāda or foodstuff offred to Lord Viṣṇu is always considered transcendental.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.100

śateka sannyāsī yadi karāha bhojana 
tabe ei aparādha ha-ibe khaṇḍana

Translation: Śrīla Nityānanda Prabhu continued, “If You invite at least one hundred sannyāsīs to Your home and feed them sumptuously, Your offense will be nullified.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.101

vaiṣṇava-sannyāsadvārā smārtavidhi-lopa :—

ācārya kahe — nā kariba sannyāsi-nimantraṇa 
sannyāsī nāśila mora saba smṛti-dharma

Translation: Advaita Ācārya replied, “I shall never again invite another sannyāsī, for it is a sannyāsī who has spoiled all My brahminical smṛti regulations.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this joking is continuing with Advaita Ācārya, considering that His materialistic brahminical qualifications are destroyed. Actually, these are all joking words because Advaita Ācārya is a pure vaiṣṇava.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.102

ācamanānte prabhudvayake advaitera kālocita sevā :—

eta bali’ dui jane karāila ācamana 
uttama śayyāte la-iyā karāila śayana

Translation: After this, Advaita Ācārya made the Lords wash Their hands and mouths. He then took Them to a nice bed and made Them lie down to take rest.

Jayapatākā Swami: So may be ordinary people cannot understand the discussion between Advaita Ācārya and Nityānanda prabhu but they are having many esoteric meaning in the form of joking.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.103

lavaṅga elācī-bīja — uttama rasa-vāsa 
tulasī-mañjarī saha dila mukha-vāsa

Translation: Śrī Advaita Ācārya fed the two Lords cloves and cardamom mixed with tulasī flowers. Thus there was a good fragrance within Their mouths.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.104

sugandhi candane lipta kaila kalevara 
sugandhi puṣpa-mālā āni’ dila hṛdaya-upara

Translation: Śrī Advaita Ācārya then smeared the bodies of the Lords with sandalwood pulp and then placed very fragrant flower garlands on Their chests.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.105

advaitakarttṛka prabhura pādasammāhana-ceṣṭā :—

ācārya karite cāhe pāda-saṁvāhana 
saṅkucita hañā prabhu balena vacana

Translation: When the Lord lay down on the bed, Advaita Ācārya waited to massage His legs, but the Lord was very hesitant and spoke as follows to Advaita Ācārya.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.106

prabhura lajjā o ācāryake mukunda-haridāsera saha bhojane ājṣā :—

bahuta nācāile tumi, chāḍa nācāna 
mukunda-haridāsa la-iyā karaha bhojana

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “Advaita Ācārya, You have made Me dance in various ways. Now give up this practice. Go with Mukunda and Haridāsa and accept Your lunch.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So Lord Caitanya is describing the distribution of prasāda by Advaita Ācārya, as making Him dance. He said that you made me to dance in various ways, now give up this practice and taking lunch with Mukunda and Haridāsa.

Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is here telling Advaita Ācārya that it is not befitting for a sannyāsī to accept nice beds to lie on or to chew cloves and cardamom and have his body smeared with sandalwood pulp. Nor is it befitting for him to accept fragrant garlands and have his legs massaged by a pure Vaiṣṇava. “You have already made Me dance according to Your vow,” Caitanya Mahāprabhu said. “Now please stop it. You can go and take Your lunch with Mukunda and Haridāsa.”

Jayapatākā Swami: In other words, things that Advaita was doing was not to practice by a sannyāsī should do it. Advaita was doing this because He knew Lord Caitanya’s actual position but at one-point Lord Caitanya told him, “you can go and take your lunch.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.107

tabe ta’ ācārya saṅge lañā dui jane 
karila icchāya bhojana, ye āchila mane

Translation: Thereupon Advaita Ācārya took prasādam with Mukunda and Haridāsa, and they all wholeheartedly ate as much as they desired.

Jayapatākā Swami: So Mukunda and Haridāsa ṭhākura were waiting to take some of the Lords remnants so they very happily took prasāda.

Haribol!

Thus Ends the Chapter, Amusing Loving Quarrel of Advaita Ācārya and Lord Nityānanda