20200207 Evening Nityānanda Kathā

The following is a reading from the new Sri Krishna Caitanya Book by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on February 7th, 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!

Today is the auspicious day when Lord Nityānanda entered the world from the spiritual world. When Lord Caitanya agreed to come down to this material world, this universe of the four headed Brahma, He asked Lord Nityānanda, His Balarāma expansion to also come down. So then, Lord Nityānanda joined Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Śacīnandana, in Navadvīpa-dhāma to help Him expand the saṅkīrtana movement. So it says, for the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas, these two days, Nityānanda Trayodaśī and Gaura Pūrṇimā, they are very important. We should observe both. So, by Lord Nityānanda’s mercy, we could observe the Nityānanda Trayodaśī today. There was an extended abhiṣeka of Lord Nityānanda. Different senior devotees like His Holiness Gopāla Krsna Swami Mahārāja, Bhakti Vighna Vināśana Nṛsiṁha Swami Mahārāja and others participated in the bathing ceremony. There were over thousands of devotees who were witnessing this ceremony. So I had the opportunity to speak at 7 am in Bengali and we were enjoying the pastimes of Lord Nityānanda. We understood that Lord Nityānanda’s mercy is unbounded, sīmā nāi, unbounded. In fact, even they liberated the great sinners Jagāi and Mādhāi. Even though He was struck on the head by Mādhāi and caused to bleed, He still was determined to give them love of Krsna. Jagāi, he recognized that Lord Nityānanda even after being struck, was still talking love. So he understood that Lord Nityānanda was not an ordinary person. In the Pañca Tattva, Lord Nityānanda is the expansion of a devotee. He is the first expansion of Lord Kṛṣna, of Lord Caitanya. Being empowered by Lord Caitanya, He expanded His mercy unlimitedly. So, today the mercy of the spiritual master is a reflection of the mercy of Lord Nityānanda. Jai Nitāi! Jai Nitāi! Jaiiiiiii! Nitaaaaiiiiii!

There is a deity near Ekacakra called Bāṅkā-rāya and it is said that Lord Nitāi entered into that Kṛṣṇa deity when He left the world. So that deity is still there, a few hundred meters from Ekacakra. So, there is an Ananta Śeṣa tree, a tree that looks like Ananta Śeṣa leaning over on one side with its limbs and leaves spread out like Ananta Śeṣa Nāga. So Lord Nityānanda used to play His dramas underneath that tree. We went there many times, on safari. Otherwise, they have now built a very big temple and there they are having constant remembrance of Lord Nityānanda. Today, there must be many people who attended the festival for Lord Nitāi. It says when Kṛṣṇa falls unconscious because of the ecstasy of Rādhārāṇī, everything stops. The only person who doesn’t stop is Lord Balarāma and He awakens Kṛṣṇa and everything starts again. So Nitāi is the same Balarāma, in the pastime of Lord Caitanya. So He always stays awake even when Lord Caitanya faints in ecstasy. So we should have the mercy of Lord Nityānanda in order to gain the mercy of Rādhā Kṛṣṇa, the mercy of Lord Śacīnandana.

When Nityānanda came to Jagannātha Purī, on the order of Lord Caitanya, He chanted first in Pāṇihāti dhāma. Thousands of people gathered there to participate in the chanting and they became overwhelmed in chanting by the ecstasy. In fact, they would stay like three days, 72 hours in the kīrtana and afterwards, they would go home. But they would still chant

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

So people, they would gather, like the kīrtana party went all over Bengal. And thousands of people gathered and when Lord Nityānanda danced, His dancing is so sweet, so artistic, so wonderful. He carried out the order of Lord Caitanya. He spread the Harināma-saṅkīrtana all over Bengal, Odisha and in this way, He spread the saṅkīrtana movement. Today, Śrīla Prabhupāda has taken the mercy of Nitāi-Gaura all over the world. And every place, they are appreciating the mercy of Nitāi and Gaura! They are getting His mercy! In Atlanta, Śrīla Prabhupāda was saying, this place is New Pāṇihāti. So merciful. Nitāi Gauracandra. The deity is here, Nitāi Gaura are here, they are here! Although your place is far away from the holy dhāma of Navadvīpa where you are sitting, but you are very fortunate because Gaura Nitāi have come here before you. And Nitāi-Gauracandra are dancing, in ecstasy. So all over ISKCON we have Nitāi-Gaura deities and in almost every temple.

So today is a very special day when Lord Nityananda appeared in this material world. He came down from Goloka Vṛndāvana and He expanded His pastime. It says that if one chants 100 names of Lord Nityānanda that awakens their dormant love for Krsna. I remember the second name was Śankarsaṇa, but He has 100 names composed by Sarvabhauma Bhattacārya. And we are supposed to chant those names. Any questions on Lord Nityānanda? 

Question: Hare Krsna dear most Guru Mahārāja, want to hear from you how Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda met? 

—Your spiritual daughter, Śāntā Gopī Devī Dāsī

Jayapatākā Swami: I explained this in Bengali in the morning, you were there? Lord Nityānanda, He was in Vṛndāvana and He realized that Lord Caitanya had started the saṅkīrtana movement. So He took Sridāma and Abhirāma Ṭhākura and they went to Navadvīpa. They stayed in the Nandanācārya temple. Then, Lord Caitanya had sent his devotees out but nobody could find Lord Nityānanda. Then Lord Caitanya said, were you looking for Lord Nityānanda? They said, yes. He said, no wonder you could not find Him. You cannot find the Lord by looking for Him, He has to reveal Himself to you. So if you want to realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He has to reveal Himself to you. Śrīla Prabhupāda said that we should try to do such service to Lord Kṛṣṇa, Lord Caitanya, then they would want to meet us. So anyway, Lord Caitanya told the devotees that I can find Him, you cannot find Him. I can find Him. So next morning they went out in kīrtana, Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. So Lord Nityānanda, He heard the kīrtana and His hairs stood on end and He stood up. And then Lord Caitanya entered into the courtyard of Nandanācārya and then He saw Lord Nityānanda! Nitāi! And then Lord Nityānanda saw Gaurāṇga and said, Gauuuuranga! Nityānanda! Gaurāṇga! Nityānanda! Gaurāṇga! Nityānanda! Gaurāṇga! And then They came and embraced each other. All the devotees were Haribol! Haribol! Nitai-Gaura Haribol! Haribol! Hari Hari Hari Hari bol! Nitāi! Nitāi! Nitāi! Gaura! Gaura! Gaura! Nitāi-Gaura! Nitāi-Gaura! Nitāi! Nitāi! Gaura! Gaura! 

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Question: Dearest Gurudeva (Guru Mahārāja said: Yes, yes!) PAMRO (Guru Maharāja said: Yes! I accept). Could you please tell us about Lord Nityānanda as Ādi Guru?

—Your daughter, Rasamayī Devī Dāsī

Jayapatākā Swami: Since Caitanya came down, He descended as an avatāra, the way to reach Caitanya avatāra is through Lord Nityānanda. So, in that sense, Lord Nityānanda is the original spiritual master. If we want worship Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, we need the mercy of Lord Nityānanda. The guru on this planet is described as the mercy avatāra of Lord Nityānanda. So, he represents the mercy of Lord Nityānanda. So, since the guru is very merciful to his disciples, Lord Nityānanda is the original guru, He is very merciful to everyone. Haribol!

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Question: Could you describe the kīrtana of Lord Nityānanda?

Jayapatākā Swami: In Pāṇihāti they were doing kīrtana for many, many days. And thus they started to manifest super powers; One devotee went to the top of a tree and started jumping from tree to tree like a balloon. Another devotee uprooted a tree and started dancing with it. A whole big tree, he danced. One devotee took a 60 foot long bamboo, held it on one side and played it like a flute. It is very hard though with so much weight. Rāghava Paṇḍita said, this way I will not have any trees left! Please move your kīrtana on! I won’t be able to offer you any sabzis, any trees, if all are uprooted. Lord Caitanya gradually headed from Pāṇihāti to Korda and different places and in this way throughout Bengal His saṅkīrtana went on day and night. Haribol!

Thank you very much.