20230420 The Brāhmaṇa Obtains Lord Nityānanda’s Mercy by Lord Caitanya’s Instruction

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on April 20th,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!

Today we will continue with the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book. Today's chapter is entitled as:

The Brāhmaṇa Obtains Lord Nityānanda’s Mercy by Lord Caitanya’s Instruction
Under the section: The Glories of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.114

viprera prati mahāprabhura bhāgavata-kathā-kīrtana-dvārā nityānanda-prati sandeha-parityāge upadeśa—

“kahilāṅa ei vipra, bhāgavata-kathā
nityānanda-prati dvidhā chāḍaha sarvathā

Jayapatākā Swami: “O brāhmaṇa, I have thus explained to you topics from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Completely give up your doubts about Nityānanda.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.116

alaukika-ceṣṭā ye vā kichu dekha tāna
tāhāte o ādara karile pāi trāṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: “Whatever uncommon activities of Nityananda’s is seen, if one shows respect, one will obtain liberation.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.117

patitera trāṇa lāgi’ tāṅra avatāra
yāṅhāra haite sarva-jīva haibe uddhāra

Jayapatākā Swami: “He incarnated to save the fallen souls. All living entities will be delivered by Him.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.118

vidhiniṣedhātīta acintya-caritra nityānandera nindā ajñatākrame haileo viṣṇu-bhaktite adhikāra-prāpta vyaktira paryanta tāhā haite ciravañcita haite haya—

tāṅhāra ācāra—vidhi-niṣedhera pāra
tāṅhāre jānite śakti āchaye kāhāra

Jayapatākā Swami: “His behavior is beyond all rules and regulations. Who has the power to Him?

Purport: Foolish people with no understanding of Śrī Nityānanda, the source of all viṣṇu-tattvas, consider Him an ordinary living entity forced to enjoy the fruits of karma like themselves, and thus they traverse the path to hell. If as a result of committing offenses described in verses like arcye viṣṇau śilā-dhīr, one sees Lord Viṣṇu as equal to other personalities, then he is certain to go to hell. People who are puffed-up with false ego and cheated by mundane knowledge bring about their own ruination by seeing them through external vision as equal. As a result, they fall from the lotus feet of Gopīnātha. What to speak of this, they even fall from the lotus feet of Āloyārnātha. When a person loses the good fortune of serving Āloyārnātha, he begins to worship the Jagannātha of the pañcopāsakas. While worshiping Jagannātha, he fixes his mind in the worship of Bhuvaneśvara. Thereafter, when he commits offense at the feet of Bhuvaneśvara, the best of the devotees, he develops the propensity to perform pious activities. As a result, the desire awakens in him to take bath in and perform fruitive activities at the Vaitaraṇī River in Yājapura. When he falls from pious activities and begins to commit sinful activities, he becomes ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā, or bewildered by false ego, and the sense of considering himself the doer distracts him from the path of spiritual life. When he further increases his offenses, he becomes averse to seeing the beauty of Śrī Gopīnātha’s lotus feet. Therefore, those who have not discussed the purport of the Vedic statement: nāyam ātmā bala-hīnena (“One cannot attain the goal of life without the mercy of Balarāma”) are inevitably degraded. Without the mercy of Nityānanda Prabhu, no living entity can attain any auspiciousness. If as a result of mundane knowledge one feels powerful and gives up the service of Baladeva, then he cannot attain the good fortune of serving Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: So we can understand from this that the path of serving Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa is achieved by the mercy of Baladeva. Similarly, by serving Lord Nityānanda Prabhu, we get the mercy to serve Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.119

nā bujhiyā ninde tāṅra caritra agādha
pāiyā o viṣṇu-bhakti haya tāra vādha

Jayapatākā Swami: If one fails to understand Lord Nityānanda and criticizes His inconceivable behavior, even if he has obtained devotional service to Lord Viṣṇu, he will lose that also, finding various obstacles.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.120

viprake navadvīpe gamanapūrvaka ei sakala upadeśa sakalera nikaṭa kīrtanārtha ādeśa-dvārā prabhura loka-samūhake nityānanda caraṇe mahāparādha haite rakṣā —

cala vipra, tumi śīghra navadvīpe yāo
ei kathā kahi’ tumi sabāre bujhāo

Jayapatākā Swami: O brāhmaṇa, go quickly to Navadvīpa and tell others of these talks and you should make them understand.

So Lord Caitanya was instructing the brāhmaṇa to go and deliver these examples to other people of Navadvīpa so that they can be saved from the great offence of blaspheming Lord Nityānanda.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.121

pāche tāṅre keha kona-rūpe nindā kare
tabe āra rakṣā tāra nāhi yama-ghare

Jayapatākā Swami: if anyone in any way criticizes Lord Nityānanda, then they have no protection in the abode of King Yamarāja.

Lord Caitanya was giving these instructions so that people would not criticize Lord Nityānanda and thus can be freed from the great offence of criticizing a highly qualified soul.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.122

nityānanda-prītitei gauraprīti—

ye tāṅhāre prīti kare, se kare āmāre
satya satya satya vipra, kahila tomāre

Jayapatākā Swami: One who loves Lord Nityānanda, loves Me. This is true! This is true! This is true O brāhmaṇa. I have spoken to you.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.123

sarvatantra-svatantra baladeva-nityānanda —

madirā yavanī yadi nityānanda dhare
tathāpi brahmāra vandya kahila tomāre”

Jayapatākā Swami: If liquor or an outcaste girl is held by Lord Nityānanda, nevertheless He is worshipable by Lord Brahmā, I say this unto you.

Purport: One who has great love for the lotus feet of Śrī Guru and Vaiṣṇava is extremely dear to the Supreme Lord. It is impossible for a person who has no love for the lotus feet of Śrī Guru and Vaiṣṇava to attain Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. Love for one’s fellow human beings and service to the conditioned souls cannot attract the Supreme Lord’s love. The conditional knowledge of a living entity is dispelled only by the influence of service to Śrī Guru and Vaiṣṇava. As a result of the knowledge of one’s relationship to Kṛṣṇa that the spiritual master imparts in their ears, the conditioned souls develop love for Śrī Hari, Guru, and Vaiṣṇava and engage in their eternal service. On that platform, the spirit of material enjoyment cannot attack them. The taste that sinful people develop by accepting misconceptions about so-called gurus and the Supreme Lord, the original shelter, is completely separate from the eternal truth and is simply illusion. That is why Śrī Gaurasundara used the word satya three times. If duplicitous so-called gurus accept this teaching of the Supreme Lord in a perverted way and use it to accumulate ingredients for their own sense gratification, then such so-called gurus will fall with their disciples into hell forever and never return.

Jayapatākā Swami: The apa-sampradāya what they follow is to accept Them, but they don’t follow the instructions of Lord Caitanya. Therefore, they are neglected by Lord Caitanya. One should follow the guru who follows Lord Caitanya, His guru and His guru. Lord Nityānanda is the ādi-guru. One should respect ādi-guru Lord Nityānanda, His representative, the spiritual master. In this way, one will follow Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.124

tathāhi śrī-mukhakṛta-śikṣāślokaḥ—

gṛhṇīyād yavanī pāṇiṁ
viśed vāśauṇḍikālayam
tathāpi brahmaṇo vandyaṁ
nityānanda-padām-bujam

Translation: “Whether Śrī Nityānanda accepts the hand of a Yavana woman or enters a liquor shop, His lotus feet are still worshipable by even Brahmā.”

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.125

viprera saṁśaya-mocana o nityānanda-caraṇe viśvāsa

śuniñā prabhura vākya sukṛti brāhmaṇa
parama ānanda-yukta haila takhana

Jayapatākā Swami: After hearing Lord Caitanya’s instructions, the fortunate brāhmaṇa became greatly happy at that time.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.126

nityānanda-prati baḍa janmila viśvāsa
tabe āilena vipra navadvīpa-vāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: Towards Lord Nityānanda, the brāhmaṇa achieved pure faith, regarding Lord Nityānanda. Thus the the brāhmaṇa came to stay to his residence in Navadvīpa.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.127

viprera navadvīpe āgamana o nityānanda-caraṇe kṣamā-bhikṣā o nityānandera prasannatā —

sei bhāgyavanta vipra āsi’ navadvīpe
sarvādye āilā nityānandera samīpe

Jayapatākā Swami: That fortunate brāhmaṇa upon returning to Navadvīpa, he first went to see Lord Nityānanda.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.128

akaitave kahilena nija aparādha
prabhu o śuniñā tāṅre karilā praśāda

Jayapatākā Swami: The brāhmaṇa admitted his offence without any duplicity, and Lord Nityānanda Prabhu, after hearing him bestowed His mercy on him.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.129

vedaguhya o lokavāhya abhinna-baladeva nityānandera caritra caitanyakṛpā-vyatīta duravagāha—

hena nityānanda svarūpera vyavahāra
veda-guhya loka-bāhya yāṅhāra ācāra

Jayapatākā Swami: Such is the behavior of Lord Nityānanda Svarūpa. His dealings are incomprehensible to the Vedas and ordinary people.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.130

paramārthe nityānanda—parama yogendra
yāṅre kahi—ādideva dharaṇī-dharendra

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Nityānanda, according to spiritual consideration, is supreme among the best of the mystic yogīs. He is known as Ādideva, the sustainer and holder of all universes.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.131

sahasra vadana nitya-śuddha-kalevara
caitanyera kṛpā vinā jānite duṣkara

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Nityānanda, He is non-different from Anantadeva and therefore He has thousands of heads. And His body is eternally pure. Without the mercy of Lord Caitanya, it is very difficult to understand Lord Nityānanda.

So Lord Nityānanda since He is the first expansion of Kṛṣṇa, He is non-different from Balarāma. So, it is very hard to understand Him. One can understand Him by Lord Caitanya’s causeless mercy.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.132

vibhinna bhūmikā haite nityānanda-sambandhe vibhinna ukti—

keha bale,—“nityānanda yena balarāma”
keha bale,—“caitanyera baḍa priya-dhāma”

Jayapatākā Swami: Some people say, Lord Nityānanda is like Lord Balarāma. Others say, Lord Nityānanda is most dear to Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.133

keha bale,—“mahātejī aṁśa adhikārī”
keha bale,—“kona-rūpa bujhite nā pāri”

Jayapatākā Swami: Some people say, Lord Nityānanda is a powerful plenary portion of the Supreme Lord. Other people say, “We cannot understand Lord Nityānanda or anything about Him.”

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.134

kibā jīva nityānanda, kibā bhakta-jñānī
yāṅra yena mata icchā nā balaye keni

Jayapatākā Swami: Someone may consider Lord Nityānanda an ordinary living entity, someone may consider Him a devotee, and some may consider Him a jñānī. They may say whatever they like, according to their vision.

Lord Nityānanda Svarūpa, He is what He is and people if they give their interpretation, will not affect Lord Nityānanda’s actual position. So we should try to understand the position of Lord Nityānanda from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.135

kintu nityānandai nitya-jagadguru —

ye-se-kene caitanyera nityānanda nahe
tāna pāda-padma mora rahuka hṛdaye

Jayapatākā Swami: In whatever way Lord Nityānanda is related to Lord Caitanya, I request, I desire that His lotus feet remain in my heart.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.136

‘se āmāra prabhu, āmi janma janma dāsa’
sabāra caraṇe mora ei abhilāṣa

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Nityānanda is my master, and I am His servant birth after birth. This is my aspiration at the lotus feet of everyone.

So, Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura, the author of the Caitanya-bhāgavata, he wants to maintain his eternal relationship as a servant of Lord Nityānanda.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.137

nityānanda-nindakera prati nityānanda-bhṛtyera ahaituka kṛpā —

eta parihāreo ye pāpī nindā kare
tabe lāthi māroṅ tāra śirera upare

Jayapatākā Swami: Disregarding all these, if a sinner criticizes Lord Nityānanda, then I kick him on his head.

Purport: In the Hari-bhakti-kalpa-latikā (2.46) it is stated:

“Although the devotees are all-tolerant, they cannot tolerate the blasphemy of other devotees. Always desiring Lord Kṛṣṇa’s service, they do not desire anything else.”

And in the Hari-bhakti-kalpa-latikā (3.15) it is stated:

“O Lord, if we become lusty to attain Your devotional service, angry at those who blaspheme You, greedy to accept food, flowers, and other things offered to You, enchanted by You, proud to identify as Your devotee, and intoxicated by drinking the honey of Your lotus feet, then we may easily defeat the lust, anger, greed, enchantment, pride, and intoxication that are our enemies.”

Translation: This verse explains how being very attached to the lotus feet of devotees, one can defeat all of the enemies, all of the vices.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.138

guru-sevakera bharasā o abhilāṣa—

āmāra prabhura prabhu śrī-gaurasundara
e baḍa bharasā āmi dhariye antara

Jayapatākā Swami: The Lord of my Lord Nityānanda is Lord Śrī Gaurasundara. This is a great hope that I hold in my heart.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.139

hena dina haibe ki caitanya nityānanda
dekhiba veṣṭita catur-dige bhakta-vṛnda

Jayapatākā Swami: Will that day come when I may see Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda in the midst of Their devotees?

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.140

jaya jaya jaya mahāprabhu gauracandra
dilāo milāo tumi prabhu nityānanda

Jayapatākā Swami: All glories, glories, glories to Lord Mahāprabhu Gauracandra, by Your mercy, please give me to Lord Nityānanda.

By the mercy of Lord Caitanya one gets Lord Nityānanda and by Lord Nityānanda’s mercy one gets the mercy of Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.141

tathāpiha ei kṛpā kara gaurahari
nityānanda-saṅge yena tomā nā pāsari’

Jayapatākā Swami: Nevertheless, after gaining Your mercy O Gaurahari, having the association of Lord Nityānanda, please allow that I never forget You.

Purport: Nityānanda is śrī guru-tattva. It is not proper for the Lord’s devotees to have any relationship with those who associate with any atheist envious of Nityānanda, whose body is nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa. The qualification to serve the lotus feet of the spiritual master diminishes by the influence of bad association. Therefore one should never act in a way that will disrupt remembrance of one’s spiritual master, who is the unalloyed eternal servant of Śrī Gaurasundara and whose body is nondifferent from Śrī Gaurasundara. Those who use spiritual life for material gain are not devotees but servants of sense gratification. A so-called devotee and a devotee have completely opposite characteristics. That is why it is very unfortunate to consider those who indulge in materialistic association as members of a spiritual society. When one invites his own destruction, he becomes deprived of spiritual life and considers the spiritual master, who is nondifferent from Nityānanda,as separate from Śrī Nityānanda, the prakāśa-vigraha of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. Such people can never attain the service of Śrī Gaurasundara. They suffer perpetually because of disrespecting their guru.

The path currently pursued by some completely duplicitous so-called devotees opposed to Śrī Gauḍīya Maṭha will result in inauspiciousness. That is why the devotees are greatly distressed to see their impending inauspiciousness.

Jayapatākā Swami: Here Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he is warning all the people who are against Lord Nityānanda, Lord Caitanya, they are creating their own ruination.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.142

nityasevā vā dāsya-prārthanā —

yathā yathā tumi dui kara avatāra
tathā tathā dāsye mora hau adhikāra

Jayapatākā Swami: Wherever You two incarnate (Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda), may I achieve the qualification to become Your servant.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.143

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nityānanda-cānda jāna
vṛndāvanadāsa tachu pada-yuge gāna

Jayapatākā Swami: Accepting Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda Prabhu as my life and soul, I, Vṛndāvana dāsa sing the glories of Their lotus feet.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, The Brāhmaṇa Obtains Lord Nityānanda’s Mercy by Lord Caitanya’s Instruction
Under the section: The Glories of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu

So, we understand from these verses how we have to be very careful to respect Lord Nityānanda and Lord Caitanya. Those who are representing Them. So in this way, we see how Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura he is very much committed to serving Lord Nityānanda and Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya.

Hare Kṛṣṇa!