20241103 Address to the ISKCON Chowpatty Kārtika Yātrā Day 3

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
Harihi oṁ tat sat

Jayapatākā Swami: So, I was asked to speak a little about Lord Nityānanda. Lord Nityānanda went with Lord Caitanya to Jagannātha Purī. And then one day, Lord Caitanya talked with Lord Nityānanda. No one knew what They were talking. He said that I had to leave Bengal but the work is not completed. So I think (They were in Jagannātha Purī) You should return to Bengal and finish what We left. You don’t have to come every year to Jagannātha Purī. Lord Nityānanda said that He would need some devotees. Lord Caitanya told Him He could take some devotees. Mīnaketana Rāmadāsa and many other devotees went back to Bengal with Lord Nityānanda. This is just an introduction. There are many pastimes that happened in Pānihāṭi when Lord Nityānanda, He went to Ādi-saptagrāma. And then He decided to go back to Navadvīpa.

When He went to Navadvīpa He met Śacīmātā. She begged Him to stay a little time in Navadvīpa. So, then He took His associates and did some nagara-kīrtana in Navadvīpa. And so, He stayed in a house of a brāhmaṇa devotee and He was doing His kīrtana. But, at that time, there were some dacoits who lived in Navadvīpa. Dacoits means armed robbers. Their head was someone who was born in a brāhmaṇa family. But he always teamed up with dacoits and did many sinful things. So he gathered all the dacoits together and said Caṇḍī has helped us, she has brought all the wealth to one place! Lord Nityānanda, He had finger rings on His hands, pearl necklace around His neck. He was covered with jewels – diamond ear rings. The dacoit leader said we cannot underestimate His jewels, His diamond rings and necklaces and silver nupur, ankle bells. So it must be lakhs of rupees in one place. So this is all the mercy of Caṇḍī, she has got all the wealth in one place for us to steal! So, like this he enthused the dacoits. They sent a spy ahead to see what was happening, what the Avadhūta was doing. And he said, “He is eating bhāth”, they were rough people. Of course, we usually say we are eating prasāda. But that is how they talk, the rough people. So the spy said, “He was eating and the others were dancing and doing kīrtana.” So, the dacoit leader, the brāhmaṇa, “Alright let us sit for some time till they get tired and go to sleep.”

Then they went to a tree and sat under the tree. There one after another they were meditating on Lord Nityānanda. They said, “Alright, I want the diamond ear rings. Someone said I want His pearl necklace. Someone said I want His rings.” Each dacoit was thinking what he could take but then the illusory energy of the Lord covered all of them and they fell asleep. Snore! Snore! I am glad to see you are all awake! So then, sleep overcame all the dacoits. They were in deep sleep. So deep that even the sun rose and when the crows started cawing out, caw, caw, caw! Then they woke up. One started accusing the other, “You feel asleep first!” He said, “Oh yeah! What were you doing?” So like this they hid all their spears and weapons in the nearby forests. and the dacoit leader the brāhmaṇa, he said, “This is all arranged by Caṇḍī, because we did not properly worship her. We should do a big pūjā, offer her meat and wine. We did not do the pūjā and this is what happened to us.” So next day they did an elaborate pūjā of Caṇḍī, the demigoddess of the thieves! They came to Lord Nityānanda’s house. They surrounded the house, they suddenly saw that the house was guarded by infantry men who were having sandalwood pulp on their forehead and garlands hanging down up to their feet and they were chanting:

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

So, each infantry man was very well built. One of these infantry men could kill a few hundred people. They were so strong! So the dacoits thought maybe some king or someone is visiting the Avadhūta. And all his soldiers are surrounding the house. So, it is not the time to attack them. We will wait for ten days or something and then all these people would go. So the dacoits that night, they left. Then they came back after a week or ten days. And that night there were clouds overhead and it was pitch black. So they were moving in but they could not really see anything. Some fell in a ditch where they had, people had thrown remnants of food and they were bitten by leeches, scorpions and insects. Some dacoits fell in some canal and they broke their bones! And Indra rained on them hailstorms and rain. So they were feeling great pain. And then, at this time the dacoit leader, he remembered that these things that they fell asleep, there was a strong infantry and now they were falling in the ditch. So then he had this remembrance that these are not accidents, this Nitāi, He is actually the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Even if you fall in the ground, the ground supports you and you get up with the support of the ground. So like this, Lord Nityānanda should save us. Lord Nityānanda is not an ordinary person. He is the Supreme Lord. That is why every attempt was foiled. Jaya Nitāi! Jaya Nitāi! Jaya Nitāi!

So, the dacoit leader, he came and fell down at the feet of Lord Nityānanda. He said, “Nitāi, Nitāi, please save me!” But some of Lord Nityānanda’s associates said, “He is a thief! Maybe he is saying something to make us believe him! But then he may be a spy and see what our weak points are.” Then Lord Nityānanda asked him, “What have you been doing?” He said, “I was born in a brāhmaṇa family but my whole life I have been hanging out with dacoits. I killed many brāhmaṇas, many cows and am a very sinful man! What have I not done with this body, it is hard to think! So I came with the idea to harm You and steal Your diamonds and jewels. I think the only thing for me to do is to go into the Ganges and drown myself.” So thieves never admit to being a thief. But since he admitted and he said he wanted to take his life in the Ganges, Lord Nityānanda said that, “If you don’t do these things anymore then I will forgive you. But if you do it again, you will get full punishment.” So, the dacoit leader, he touched the lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda. Lord Nityānanda told him that, “You should bring your other dacoit friends and follow the righteous path.” So, he agreed to that and started chanting and raising his hands in the air, like you were all doing! In this way, Lord Nityānanda brought all the dacoits to also surrender to Him. In this way, Lord Nityānanda said that, “You can all surrender to Lord Caitanya!”

Nitāi Gaurāṅga! Nitāi Gaurāṅga! Nitāi Gaurāṅga! Jaya Nitāi Gaurāṅga! Nitāi Gaurāṅga! Nitāi Gaurāṅga! Jaya Nitāi Gaurāṅga! Nitāi Gaurāṅga! Jaya Nitāi Gaurāṅga! Nitāi Gaurāṅga! Jaya Nitāi Gaurāṅga! Nitāi Gaurāṅga! Jaya Nitāi Gaurāṅga! Nitāi Gaurāṅga! Jaya Nitāi Gaurāṅga!

Like this, Lord Nityānanda, He was preaching in Bengal. And He would wander around like Lord Balarāma with jewels, and gold ornaments. But He had nothing to fear! He, in this way was preaching throughout Navadvīpa and other places. He was accompanied by His associates. It says if you just remember the names of His associates you can receive love of God very easily. But I cannot remember all the names.

They said that it was about time for the Dāmodarāṣṭakam. When Lord Advaita He came to Jagannātha Purī and then Lord Caitanya asked Him, “How are things going on in Bengal?” He said that, “The bazar is flooded! There are no more clients, everything is taken, love of Godhead!” Advaita Ācārya, He was saying it in a bit humorous way. That Lord Nityānanda was flooding the whole country with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So, I hope you are enjoying your visit to Māyāpur? How many of you have downloaded the Māyāpur App? They are just saying just ‘Haribol’ or you have downloaded it? So, His Holiness Rādhānātha Swami has been giving long ecstatic classes! In case you were sitting for a long time  you have kīrtana and you were all standing and dancing!

I was thinking today is the appearance day of Subhadrā. There was a blind devotee who wanted to go to Jagannātha Purī. But people would tell him, “Oh, I will take you!” But then they would leave him and go with Śivānanda Sena. Because taking a blind man and walking to Jagannātha Purī from Māyāpur is a very big responsibility. So then the blind man, he realized that Śivānanda Sena and all the devotees had left! Then he was praying to the Lord that I want to serve You. Then Lord Jagannātha, Lord Baladeva and Subhadrā appeared to him and said, “Now, tomorrow when you bathe in the Ganges, a big log will touch you. Have that brought out of the water and have this leper carpenter carve it into Jagannātha Baladeva Subhadrā.” So then he did that, but when he asked the leper carpenter to carve the Deities, he said, “I cannot carve the Deities. I am impure, I am a leper.” Then the blind devotee he said, “The Lord has told me that you should carve the Deities. I take full responsibility and any offence will fall on me. So would you disobey the order of Lord Jagannātha?” So then he carved the Deities of Lord Jagannātha, Baladeva and Subhadrā. When he carved the Deities and when he was finished he was cured of his leprosy.

Normally, the Deities in Jagannātha Purī, they are changed every 12 years. But we have the Deities here in Rājāpur, the same Deities, 500 years! These Deities are very active! In Bengal they call jāgrata. Like, we are worshiping these Lord Jagannātha, Baladeva and Subhadrā. One time, the pūjārī, he was riding his bicycle back to Māyāpur. There was a guy sleeping on the road and jumped up and screaming, pushed the pūjārī off the bike. And he was lying on the ground. He thought, “What did I do wrong?” So then he went back to the temple. He had put salt instead of sugar in the caraṇāmṛta! So we have so many examples of how if you make a mistake, the Deities immediately react.

So, our standard there is anyone who comes we let them go in. One guy he took Jagannātha tongue (khāja) prasāda and threw it on the ground and said, “I do not take food offered to the Deities!”  So then the pūjārī said, “Why did you come here? If come here you worship the Deity.” So then the guy left. He was a beardwala Muslim. The next day he came by and the pūjārī asked him, “What are you doing here?” He said, “Please give me prasāda!” “Are you crazy or what the pūjārī”, said. “Yesterday you threw it and today you are begging for it!” “You see, this guy with the white face, he grabbed my neck and threatened me, you threw My brother’s prasāda on the ground and the yellow faced lady, She said, “Get him, get him!” Then the guy with the black face, He smiled and said, “Let him go, it was his first offence, it is not so serious.” “So I BELIEVE I BELIEVE, I BELIEVE! I want prasāda! I am not going to throw prasāda again.” So he was given prasāda and he ate it. I did not know what to say about Subhadrā devī, this is a pastime, I know. Hare Kṛṣṇa!