20230112 Nityānanda Prabhu Meets Lord Caitanya and Tumbles Down in Ecstatic Love of God part 1

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on January 12th, 2023 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!

Hare Kṛṣṇa! Dear Devotees! Today we will continue with the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya book Today's chapter is entitled as:

Nityānanda Prabhu Meets Lord Caitanya and Tumbles Down in Ecstatic Love of God, Part 1
Under the section: Śrī Nityānanda’s Return Journey to Nīlācala from Navadvīpa

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.3

gauḍīya bhaktagaṇera prabhu-darśanārtha ratha-yātrā upalakṣe purī-yātrāḥ—

varṣāntare saba bhakta prabhure dekhite
parama-ānande sabe nīlācala yāite

Translation: The next year, all the devotees were very pleased to go to Jagannātha Purī [Nīlācala] to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Jayapatākā Swami: This was a great pleasure for devotees to walk 5 to 700 kilometers to Nīlācala to see Lord Caitanya.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.4

advaitapramukha gauḍīya-bhaktagaṇaḥ—

advaitācārya-gosāñi—sarva-agra-gaṇya
ācāryaratna, ācāryanidhi, śrīvāsa ādi dhanya

Translation: Advaita Ācārya Gosāñi led the party from Bengal. He was followed by Ācāryaratna, Ācāryanidhi, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura and other glorious devotees.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this was a special party led by Advaita Ācārya Gosāñi.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.5

gaurera niṣedhasattveo prabhu-premika nityānandera yātrāḥ—

yadyapi prabhura ājñā gauḍe rahite
tathāpi nityānanda preme calilā dekhite

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had ordered Lord Nityānanda to stay in Bengal, but nevertheless, because of ecstatic love, Lord Nityānanda also went to see Him.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya had ordered Lord Nityānanda Prabhu to stay in Bengal and preach, but sometimes He could not resist to go and see Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.6

nityānandera gaurājñā-laṅghana vicāra, anurāgera lakṣaṇaḥ—

anurāgera lakṣaṇa ei,—‘vidhi’ nāhi māne
tāṅra ājñā bhāṅge tāṅra saṅgera kāraṇe

Translation: Indeed, it is a symptom of real affection that one breaks the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not caring for the regulative principles, to associate with Him.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.7

tāhāra dṛṣṭānta-rāse gopīgaṇera kṛṣṇasevāḥ–

rāse yaiche ghara yāite gopīre ājñā dilā
tāṅra ājñā bhāṅgi’ tāṅra saṅge se rahilā

Translation: During the rāsa dance, Kṛṣṇa asked all the gopīs to return home, but they neglected His order and stayed there for His association.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the gopīs' love for Lord Kṛṣṇa is greater than the fear of neglecting His order.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.8

vidhi o anurāgamārge viṣṇu o kṛṣṇatoṣaṇa-vaicitrya

ājñā-pālane kṛṣṇera yaiche paritoṣa
preme ājñā bhāṅgile haya koṭi-sukha-poṣa

Translation: If one carries out Kṛṣṇa’s order, Kṛṣṇa is certainly pleased, but if one sometimes breaks His order due to ecstatic love, that gives Him millions of times greater happiness.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this reveals how if one become very much intensely in love with Kṛṣṇa, that he breaks his vow or his order, actually Kṛṣṇa becomes more pleased, millions of times. This is the symptom that Lord Nityānanda, He normally followed but sometime He did not follow.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, 7.1

maṅgalācaraṇa—

jaya jaya śrī-vaikuṇṭha-nātha gauracandra
jaya jaya śrī-sevā-vigraha nityānanda

Translation: All glories to Śrī Gauracandra, the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha! All glories to Śrī Nityānanda, the personification of the Lord’s service!

Purport: The phrase śrī-sevā-vigraha is explained as follows: Śrī Baladeva Prabhu serves the Lord by assuming ten different forms. Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu serves Lord Gaurasundara by enacting the pastimes of distributing love of God. That is why He is śrī-gaura-sevā-vigraha, the personification of Gaura’s service.

Jayapatākā Swami: Since Baladeva is the first expansion of Kṛṣṇa and Lord Nityānanda is the first expansion of Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya's pastimes is distributing harināma-saṅkīrtana and therefore Lord Nityānanda, He was helping the Lord by showing extreme mercy and distributing the love of Kṛṣṇa to everyone. Lord Nityānanda saved Jagai and Madhāi, Madhāi had caused Him to bleed by hitting His head with a wine bottle, but Lord Nityānanda said, “just because you caused Me to bleed it doesn’t mean that I will not give you love of Godhead?” Therefore, He is known as the Gaura-sevā-vigraha, the personification of Lord Gaura’s service.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, 7.6

nityānanda-saṅgigaṇera kṛṣṇa nṛtya-gītai bhajana—

hena-mate nityānanda navadvīpa-pure
viharena prema-bhakti-ānanda-sāgare

Translation: In this way Lord Nityānanda enjoyed in the ocean of ecstatic love of Lord Kṛṣṇa while staying in Navadvīpa town.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, 7.7

niravadhi bhakta-saṅge karena kīrtana
kṛṣṇa-nṛtya-gīta haila sabāra bhajana

Translation: Lord Nityānanda would constantly engage in saṅkīrtana along with His devotees. Indeed, chanting and dancing in glorification of Lord Kṛṣṇa became their constant worship. 

Jayapatākā Swami: So, on the order of Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityānanda prabhu had continued the saṅkīrtana movement in Bengal. So therefore He was chanting and dancing and continuously worshiping Kṛṣṇa in pure love. 

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, 7.8-9

gopa-śiśu-gaṇa-saṅge prati-ghare ghare
yena krīḍā karilena gokula-nagare

Translation: Lord Nityānanda would constantly engage in saṅkīrtana along with His devotees. Indeed, chanting and dancing in glorification of Lord Kṛṣṇa became their constant worship.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, on the order of Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityānanda prabhu had continued the saṅkīrtana movement in Bengal. So therefore He was chanting and dancing and continuously worshiping Kṛṣṇa in pure love.

sei-mata gokulera ānanda prakāśi’
kīrtana karena nityānanda suvilāsī

Translation: As Lord Nityānanda had previously sported house to house with the cowherd boys in Gokula, Lord Nityānanda manifested those blissful Gokula pastimes while joyfully performing harināma-sankīrtana.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this was the daily activity of Lord Nityānanda with His associates, following the instructions of Lord Caitanya. He continued flooding Bengal with His saṅkīrtana movement.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, 7.10

icchā-maya nityānanda-candra bhagavān
gauracandra dekhite haila icchā tāna

Jayapatākā Swami: The supremely independent Supreme Lord Nityānanda-candra desired to see Lord Gauracandra.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, 7.11

śacīmātāra nikaṭa haite vidāya grahaṇa—

āi-sthāne hailena santoṣe vidāya
nīlācale calilena caitanya-icchāya

Jayapatākā Swami: Going to the house of Mother Śacī, He took her permission to depart. Then He went to Nīlācala according to the will of Lord Śrī Caitanya.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, 7.12

parama-vihvala pāriṣada-saba-saṅge
āilena śrī-caitanya-nāma-guṇa-raṅge

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Nityānanda became transcendentally overwhelmed while traveling on the path to Nīlācala with His associates, joyfully chanting Lord Caitanya’s names and qualities.

Lord Nityānanda and His associates were chanting and dancing, singing the glories of Lord Caitanya. This ecstatic mood Lord Nityānanda was overwhelmed with transcendental ecstasy.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, 7.13

huṅkāra, garjana, nṛtya, ānanda krandana
niravadhi kare saba pāriṣada-gaṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: All his transcendental associates would constantly roar, shout loudly, dance, and crying in blissful ecstasy.