20230303 Boyish Pranks of Nityānanda showers mercy on the children

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on March 3rd,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:

Boyish Pranks of Nityānanda Showers Mercy on the Children
Under the section: The Pastimes of Nityānanda

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.352-353

baladevābhinna-vigraha nityānandera pārṣada gopālagaṇera śiṅgā-betrādi dhāraṇa—

pāriṣada saba dharilena alaṅkāra
aṅgada, balaya, malla, nūpura, su-hāra
śiṅgā, vetra, vaṁśī, chāṅda-daḍi, guñjā-
mālāsabe dharilena gopālera aṁśa-kalā

Jayapatākā Swami: All the associates of Nityānanda sported various ornaments like bracelets, bangles, leg bands, ankle bells, beautiful necklaces, buffalo horns, sticks, flutes, ropes (used to bind the hind legs of a cow while milking), and garlands of guñjā (small red-and-black seeds). The eternal associates of Lord Nityananda were all were all aṁśa and kalā, that means expannsion or the expansion of the expanions of the cowherd boys.

So, the eternal associates of Lord Nityānanda, aṁśa-kalā, the part or part of the part of cowherd boys, friends of Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.354

sapārṣada nityānandera gaṅgāra ubhaya pāśvavartī grāme-grāme bhaktagṛhe paryaṭana-līlā—

ei mata nityānanda svānubhāva-raṅge
viharena sakala pārṣada kari’ saṅge

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way Lord Nityānanda enjoyed His own ecstatic mood as He went with in the company of all His associates.

Lord Nityānanda was manifesting His pastimes from village to village with his associates and in this way He spread the Harināma-saṅkīrtana.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.355

tabe prabhu sarva-pāriṣada-gaṇa meli’
bhakta-gṛhe gṛhe kare paryaṭana-keli

Jayapatākā Swami: Then Lord Nityānanda, He took all of His associates, different devotees, house to house and He did the sporting of travelling.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.356

jāhnavīra dui kūle yata āche grāma
sarvatra bhramena nityānanda jyotir-dhāma

Jayapatākā Swami: On the two banks of the Ganges all the villages were there, everyone was visited by Lord Nityānanda, who was the abode of transcendental effulgence.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.357

daraśana-mātra sarva-jīva mugdha haya
nāma-tattva dui—nityānanda-rasa-maya

Jayapatākā Swami: Simply by seeing Lord Nityānanda, all the living entities were charmed. The verbally expressible (The Lord, who is the named) & the verbal expression (The Holy name of the Lord) are the two forms of the Absolute Truth. These two are Lord Nityānanda, reservoir of all pleasure.

Purport (By His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Śrīla Prabhupāda): Since Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu decorated Himself with various valuable ornaments and garments, foolish people saw that He was absorbed in the mood of opulence rather than in the transcendental mood of Vraja. Ordinary poor people, who as a result of poverty considered themselves destitute, did not commit offenses at the lotus feet of Avadhūta Śrī Nityānanda while seeing His opulent manifestation of decorating Himself with various ornaments; rather, since those ornaments were worn to attract the attention of people bewildered by opulence, they became astonished and found in them sweetness and topics related to the service of Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu is directly svayaṁ-prakāśa-tattva. The holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself combine together and manifest as svayaṁ-prakāśa Nityānanda, the reservoir of transcendental happiness. Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu and the name Śrī Nityānanda are most relishable transcendental objects. This was revealed to the living entities by the mercy of Śrī Nityānanda.

Since Lord Nityanada is non-different from Balarāma. Therefore, Lord Nityānanda is the svayam-prakāśa of Lord Caitanya. So, He was wearing valuable ornaments and chanting in ecstasy, so people were charmed by His appearance and they became convinced to chant Hare Krsna.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.358

pāṣaṇḍī o dekhilei mātra kare stuti
sarvasva dibāre sei kṣaṇe haya mati

Jayapatākā Swami: Even the atheists, simply by seeing Lord Nityānanda, they offered their prayers. Such an atheist desires to offer everything, at that very moment.

Purport (By His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Śrīla Prabhupāda): Those who consider transcendental Viṣṇu and Vaiṣṇavas as equal to mundane objects or ordinary persons are called pāṣaṇḍīs, or atheists. Even such godless people would offer respect to Nityānanda Prabhu when they saw Him. By seeing the Supreme Lord, their mundane conceptions based on material enjoyment were vanquished. Therefore they ended up surrendering everything to the Lord. Those who surrender everything to the Supreme Lord do not see the external world as the object of their enjoyment, in other words, they become liberated souls.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Nityānanda had such a special quality that everyone who saw Him felt inclined to pure devotional service. Even the atheists they became convered. So, Lord Caitanya sent Lord Nityanand to help the foolish, lowborn, fallen and distressed, and Lord Nityānanda did that.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.359

nityānanda-svarūpera śarīra madhura
sabārei kṛpā-dṛṣṭi karena pracura

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Nityānanda Svarūpa’s body is so sweet like nectar. On everyone, Nityānanda cast merciful glance profusely.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.360

anukṣaṇa saṅkīrtana-pracāre pramatta nityānanda—

ki bhojane ki śayane kibā paryaṭane
kṣaṇeka nā yāya vyartha saṅkīrtana vine

Jayapatākā Swami: Whether during eating, or sleeping, or wandering about, even a moment was not wasted without doing Harināma-saṅkīrtana.

Purport (By His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Śrīla Prabhupāda): Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu would always glorify the topics of Śrī Gaurahari, even while eating, sleeping, or traveling. He spoke only about topics or Kṛṣṇa, nothing else. His every activity was accompanied by hari-kīrtana.

Therefore, while describing Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanyadeva’s teachings in his commentary on the Seventh Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and in the Bhakti-sandarbha, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī Prabhu has written about the activities of Śrī Nityānanda as follows:

“Although other processes of devotional service should be performed in Kali-yuga, they must all be accompanied by the chanting of the holy names.”

Jayapatākā Swami: In ISKCON temples during all the programs like ārati worship or offerings, they are always accompanied by the chanting of the holy names with Harināma-saṅkīrtana. Am I right?

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.361

yekhāne karena nṛtya kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana
tathāya vihvala haya kata kata jana

Jayapatākā Swami: Wherever Lord Nityānanda performed dancing and congregational glorification of Kṛṣṇa’s glories, there were astounded many many astounded people.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.362

bālakajīvana nityānandera śiśugaṇera prati kṛpāvarṣaṇa-līlā—

gṛhasthera śiśu kona kichui nā jāne
tāhārā o mahā-mahā-vṛkṣa dhari’ ṭāne

Jayapatākā Swami: The householders’ children did not know anything. Even they caught hold and pulled many, many big trees.

So, everyone who engaged with Lord Nityānanda in Harināma-saṅkīrtana became very powerful.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.363

huṅkāra kariyā vṛkṣa phele upāḍiyā
“muñire gopāla” bali’ veḍāya dhāiyā

Jayapatākā Swami: These children, roaring loudly, hurled the trees after uprooting them and exclaiming, “I am Gopāla,” wandered about running.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.364

hena se sāmarthya eka śisura śarīre
śata-jane miliyā o dharite nā pāre

Jayapatākā Swami: Such was the ability in each and every child’s body that even a hundred people together could not hold them.

So, even the little children, by engaging in Harināma-saṅkīrtana became so strong that they became like a hundred people. Haribol!

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.365

“śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya jaya nityānanda” bali’
siṁha-nāda kare śiśu hai’ kutūhalī

Jayapatākā Swami: All glories to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya said Lord Nityānanda, said Lord Nityānanda, saying this, the children roared like lions, being very blissfully enthusiastic.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.366

ei-mata nityānanda—bālaka-jīvana
vihvala karite lāgilena śiśu-gaṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way Lord Nityānanda, the life and soul of all children, overwhelmed those children with ecstatic love.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.367

māseke o eka śiśu nā kare āhāra
dekhite lokera citte lāge camatkāra

Jayapatākā Swami: Aftar a month each and every child did not eat anything. Seeing this, the people’s consciousness was astonished.

Be being engaged in Harināma-saṅkīrtana, people would forget about their eating. Such was the ecstatic bliss.

So, today is Āmalakī Ekādaśī, if Lord Nityānanda would have been here, He would usually have fasted the whole day and night. Have you circumambulated the Āmalakī tree today?

We will bring the Āmalakī tree and you all can circumbulate that.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.368

hailena vihvala sakala bhakta-vṛnda
sabāra rakṣaka hailena nityānanda

Jayapatākā Swami: All the assembled devotees became overwhelmed with ecstatic love, and Lord Nityānanda was the protector of everyone. Haribol!

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.369

putra-prāya kari’ prabhu sabāre dhariyā
karāyena bhojana āpane hasta diyā

Jayapatākā Swami: As if they were like His sons, Lord Nityānanda embraced everyone and fed them with His own hand.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.370

kāre o vā bāndhiyā rākhena nija-pāśe
mārena bāndhena—tabu aṭṭa aṭṭa hāse

Jayapatākā Swami: Although he would tie someone and keep them by His side. Lord Nityānanda although He hit and tied someone, still they would laugh loudly.

Purport (By His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Śrīla Prabhupāda): Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu indiscriminately distributed His affection to the children. Sometimes He would feed them, and sometimes He would display the pastime of tying them up to stop their mischief. Everyone was satisfied by their behavior. The children accepted Him as Baladeva and themselves as cowherd boys subordinate to personalities like Śrīdāma.

Somehow all the children participated with Lord Nityānanda in the Harināma-saṅkīrtana, in this way they remembered the pastimes of the cowherd boys in Vṛndāvana and they were happy to be serving Lord Nityānanda in that mood.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Boyish Pranks of Nityānanda showers mercy on the children Under the section: The Pastimes of Nityānanda