20230413 Some of the names and characters of the associates of Nityānanda [Part 3]

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on April 13th,2023 in Dallas, Texas, USA.

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

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Haribol!

Jayapatākā Swami: Today we are continuing with the compilation of the Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book in the matter of Lord Nityānanda’s Associates’ names and qualities. We had parts one and two and now we are going into the last part of Lord Nityānanda’s associates.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.751

śrī-jīva-paṇḍita—

mahābhāgyavanta jīva-paṇḍita udāra
yāṅra ghare nityānanda-candrera vihāra

Jayapatākā Swami: The most fortune Jīva Paṇḍita was mag. Lord Nityānanda Candra enjoyed pastimes in his house.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 11.44

nityānanda-bhṛtya—paramānanda upādhyāya
śrī-jīva paṇḍita nityānanda-guṇa gāya

Translation: Paramānanda Upādhyāya was Nityānanda Prabhu’s great servitor. Śrī Jīva Paṇḍita glorified the qualities of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu.

Purport: Śrī Paramānanda Upādhyāya was an advanced devotee. His name is mentioned in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, where Śrī Jīva Paṇḍita is also mentioned as the second son of Ratnagarbha Ācārya and a childhood friend of Hāḍāi Ojhā, the father of Nityānanda Prabhu. In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (169) it is said that Śrī Jīva Paṇḍita was formerly the gopī named Indirā.

Jayapatākā Swami: So these associates of Lord Nityānanda have been previously in Lord Kṛṣṇa’s līlā and they had descended from the spiritual world to help and associate with Lord Nityānanda.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.752

śrī-manohara, nārāyaṇa, kṛṣṇa-dāsa o devānanda—

nityānanda-priya—manohara, nārāyaṇa
kṛṣṇadāsa, devānanda—ei cāri-jana

Jayapatākā Swami: The four devotees – Manohara, Nārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇadāsa and Devānanda – were very dear to Lord Nityānanda.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 11.46

nārāyaṇa, kṛṣṇadāsa āra manohara
devānanda—cāri bhāi nitāi-kiṅkara

Translation: The thirty-second, thirty-third, thirty-fourth and thirty-fifth prominent devotees were Nārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇadāsa, Manohara and Devānanda, who always engaged in the service of Lord Nityānanda.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.753

yata bhṛtya nityānanda-candrera sahite
śata-vatsare o tāhā nā pāri likhite

Jayapatākā Swami: I am unable to write about all the servants of Lord Nityānandacandra, even in a hundred years!

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.754

sahasra sahasra eko sevakera gaṇa
sabāra caitanya-nityānanda dhana-prāṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: Each of those servants had thousands of followers. They all accepted Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda Prabhu as their wealth and life.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.755

nityānanda-kṛpāya sakalei ācārya—

nityānanda-prasāde tāṅhārā guru-sama
śrī-caitanya-rase sabe parama uddāma

Jayapatākā Swami: By the mercy of Lord Nityānanda, they were all qualified spiritual masters. They were all greatly intoxicated by the mellows of love for Lord Caitanya.

It is said that every devotee was expected to take up the responsibility of spreading the saṅkīrtana movement. In fact, these great devotees had thousands of disciples. But even if some devotee makes one disciple or a handful, but everybody has to take some commitment to help spread the saṅkīrtana movement.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.756

kichu-mātra āmi likhilāṅa jāni’ yāṅre
sakala vidita haiba vedavyāsa-dvāre

Jayapatākā Swami: I have mentioned only a few of those associates, those whom I know. The others are well known and will be described by Veda-vyāsa.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.757

granthakāra-ṭhākura vṛndāvanera āpanāke śrī-nityānandera śeṣabhṛtyarūpe paricaya-pradāna—

sarva-śeṣa-bhṛtya tāna—vṛndāvana-dāsa
avaśeṣa-pātra-nārāyaṇī-garbha-jāta

Jayapatākā Swami: The last of Lord Nityānanda’s servants is Vṛndāvana dāsa. He took birth from the womb of Nārāyaṇī, who was the recipient of Lord Nityānanda’s remnants.

Purport: The author, Śrī Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura, is not identified as a descendent by his paternal line. Rather he became famous for his relationship with his mother, who was a devotee of Gaura. It is well known that his mother, Śrī Nārāyaṇī devī, accepted the remnants of Śrī Caitanyadeva. Śrī Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura, the son of this Nārāyaṇī, was the final servant of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu.

Jayapatākā Swami: So he has had the prasāda of Lord Caitanya. As previously described in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Lord Caitanya was stating how all the soldiers in the boat would be made to have love of Kṛṣṇa. He did so to demonstrate His power, He said, “This little girl, she is only four years old, Nārāyaṇī, she will develop love of Godhead just now!” And immediately she started crying, “O Kṛṣṇa! O Kṛṣṇa!” She was overwhelmed in ecstatic love. So this Nārāyaṇī was the mother of Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura. Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura, he was the writer of the Caitanya-bhāgavata and he was a completely surrendered devotee of Lord Nityānanda. Haribol!

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.758

adyāpiha vaiṣṇava-maṇḍale yāṅra dhvani
‘caitanyera avaśeṣa-pātra nārāyaṇī’

Jayapatākā Swami: Even today the Vaiṣṇavas glorify Nārāyaṇī as the recipient of Lord Caitanya’s prasāda remnants.

Actually, the childhood pastimes of Lord Caitanya were revealed by Nārāyaṇī by to Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Some of the Names and Characters of the Associates of Nityānanda [Part 3]
Under the Section: The Pastimes of Nityānanda

Haribol! You see how humble Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura was. He said that he was the last of associates of Lord Nityānanda, and he glorified his mother Nārāyaṇī. So, he was mentioned as the Veda-vyāsa of caitanya-līlā by Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī. Anyway, we heard about some of the prominent disciples, devotees, associates of Lord Nityānanda. And how it is said that each of them had thousands of followers and therefore they were all helping Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda to spread the saṅkīrtana movement. I hope that all the devotees will read Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Caitanya-caritāmṛta and other books. Bhagavad-gītā, part of the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu and the Īśopaniṣad and other small books are necessary to read for the Bhakti-śāstrī. The first six cantos of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are needed for the Bhakti-vaibhava degree. The last six cantos of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam make up Bhakti-vedānta degree. The Caitanya-caritāmṛta makes up the Bhakti-sārvabhauma degree.