S peaker: HH Bhakti Charu Swami.
Hare Krishna!, So Nityananda prabhu is Balaram.
“brajendra-nandana yei, Saci-suta hoilo sei,
balarama hoilo nitai “
Brajendra Nandana Krishna became Sacinandana Gaura Hari, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Balaram appeared as Nityananda prabhu. One interesting thing to note in this respect is, although Gaura Mandala Bhumi, the land of Bengal is Glolok navadvip, it is the spiritual sky. But Bengal or Guaramadala Bhumi was not recognised as holy place. Because Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu identity was hidden, and therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu dham is also hidden. In India, the land where Ganges doesn’t flow is considered to be as unholy place. Nityananda prabhu appeared in Radadesh, which means the land where Ganges doesn’t flow which means an unholy place.
But we must understand that just by appearing there, Nityananda prabhu exposed the glory of this land. It is the one of the most exalted spiritual place. Nityananda prabhu appeared in North Bengal as I mentioned, where Ganges doesn’t flow, in a village called Ekacakra. He appeared as the son of Hadai Pandit, a very exalted Brahmana and his wife Padmavathy. Nityananda prabhu was the eldest son and he was extremely dear to his father and mother. His father was so fond of him, that wherever he goes he will take Nityananda with him. He could not separate from him even for a moment. He was so fond of him.
Nityananda also was a special personality, even in his childhood while playing with his friends, he was enacting different pastimes of Krishna. Sometimes, he will perform Krishna’s pastimes in Vrindavan, sometimes he performs Ramachandra’s pastimes, sometimes he performs Baladev’s pastimes with his friends. People used to be surprised to see how this child know all these pastimes, nobody taught him & how could he enact the pastimes? Those pastimes which he used to play was so special & unusual, that he would become a part of it.
For e.g. one day, he performed the pastimes of Lakshmana hit by sakti weapon, so Lakshmana fainted. The condition was one boy would play the role of Hanuman and he will go and carry the Gandamardhan mountain and Bisalyakarani herb will be selected by the person who acted as doctor. He would make him smell, and as a result of it he would regain his consciousness. But it was so real that when Lakshman was hit by Sakti weapon, Nityananda was playing the role of Lakshman, he was hit by the Sakti weapon and he fainted and there was no sign of life in the body. Everyone became extremely worried and people were informed Nityananda lost his consciousness, as they saw there is no sign of life in his body. Everybody came running and saw Nityananda doesn’t have any consciousness no sign of life in his body. In this commotion, the boy who was supposed to play the role of Hanuman forgot his role, and he also got absorbed in the commotion and then one boy remembered and told, Look you are supposed to bring the Gandamardhan mountain and I am supposed to do Bisalyakarani.
So that boy played his role and when that was enacted, the Bisalyakarani was revealed to him then Nityananda came back to consciousness. So, this way Nityananda was playing the pastimes with his friends at the time, when children were playing with their toys. Nityananda was enacting the pastimes of Supreme Personality of Godhead, that is how was absorbed he was on the pastimes of the Lord.
In this way 12 years passed. One day, a wandering Brahmana mendicant came to house of Hadai pandit. It used to be the custom when they see a saintly person, the brahmanas, they invite him to his place. In India there is a custom when they see a saintly person travelling they invite them to their house. So Hadai pandit invited him to become his guest. So, he stayed in Hadai Pandit’s house and spent the whole night giving Krishna katha. In the morning, he told Hadai Pandit I liked to take something from you. So Hadai Pandit said please tell me whatever you like, I will offer it to you. Look, I travel to places of pilgrimage and I travel alone so I need a companion. So will you please give me your son, your eldest son. This was like Hadai Pandit was struck like thunderbolt. Nityananda, who he couldn’t even separate for a moment, and now this person is asking Nityananda to go with him that means he is going to lose him forever. But at the same time, the Brahmana asked him for his gift, as his alms, what he also already promised. It is a custom that if some somebody or a sanyasi asked no one will refuse him, that used to be the culture those days. So Hadai Pandit agreed and went inside told him wife that this is what the Brahmana wanted. Then his wife said no matter how dear he is we must fulfil our promise. Nityananda was given to the Brahmana. The brahmana left with Nityananda.
Hadai Pandit’s condition was like Dasarat after Lord Ramachandra left home for the forest. He just fainted and when he regained consciousness he became mad. Everybody thought Hadai Pandit became mad in separation of his son.
Along with that sanyasi, Nityanada prabhu travelled with for 20 years and then he went to Mathura, he went to Vrindavan and started spend his time there. There his activities were very much like that of a mad man. He used to float in Yamuna, he would play with the children, be would go along with cowherd boys and play with the cows. So this is how he was spending time in Vrindavan.
Then here interesting thing to note is Nityananda prabhu is 12 years older than Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So here you can see when Caitanya Mahaprabhu is born or appeared in Navadvip, Nityananda prabhu left home For 12 years he wandered around and waited for Caitanya Mahaprabhu to start his sankirtan movement. When Caitanya Mahaprabhu started sankirtan movement, he left Vrindavana and he came to Navadvip, he came to Mayapur. He went to the house of Nandan Acharya. Nandan acharya’s house is around 50 meters from here. So he came and stayed in Nandan acharya’s house. He was staying there and that morning Caitanya Mahaprabhu told his associates, that last night I had a wonderful dream, I saw someone divine looking personality riding on a chariot. A beautiful celestial chariot. When I asked him, who are you, and he told me don’t you recognise I’m your brother. So, it seems that some exalted personality had appeared in Navadvip.
So, he sent Haridas Thakur and Srivas Thakur to find out where that personality was. So, they travelled, they went to different places and couldn’t find and they came back, “we couldn’t find any such personality”. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, Ok, let’s go. So along with his associates, Caitanya Mahaprabhu went straight to Nandan acharya’s house, and there he saw Nityananda Prabhu. At that time, Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked Srivas Thakur to recite a verse from Srimad Bhagavatam. Upon being instructed by Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Srivas Thakur recited a verse that describes Krishna’s entering into Vrindavan along with the cowherd boys.
SB:10.21.05
“barhapidam nata-vara-vapuh karnayoh karnikaram
bibhrad vasah kanaka-kapisam vaijayantim ca malam”
So Krishna is decorated with Barhavatam, peacock feature on his head and “karnayoh karnikaram”, beautiful Karnika flowers on his ear. In this way, describing that how he was eternally surrounded by his associates, cowherd boys. Upon hearing that verse Nityananda fainted. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked Srivas Thakur to continue reciting and as he kept on reciting the verses he was re gaining the consciousness and he was in ecstasy he started to behave like a mad man. He started to cry, he started to roll in the grass, sometimes even jump up and he will fall in such a way that everybody started to worry, may be he will break is bones, he is going to hurt himself bad? So they prayed Krishna, Krishna please protect him. In this way Nityananda started to display ecstatic symptoms upon hearing Krishna’s pastimes. Then he went into the embrace of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and then he became completely quiet. Seeing that Gadadhara Pandit started to laugh, just see Ananta actually holds Krishna and now see Krishna is holding Ananta.
This is how Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda prabhu met. It was a very, very beautiful union. Both of them were so ecstatic upon seeing each other. Nityananda prabhu was instructed by Caitanya Mahaprabhu to preach and go from door to door and distribute Krishna prem along with Haridas Thakur. And Haridas Thakur and Nityananda prabhu used to go from morning till night they used to go to different houses in Navadvip and request everybody to chant the holy name. There the people had different reactions, some people those who were saintly they immediately accepted their instructions and being to chant. Those who were envious, because they were not allowed to enter into Caitanya Mahaprabhu sankritan activities at night in Srivas Thakura’s house, they started to see now they have come to our house, let us beat them, beat them. Some people thought they may be spies of the thieves they are coming to our house to find out what we have and they will come at night and steal our possession. But Nityananda prabhu and Haridas Thakur used to just laugh hearing that.
Then, one day they came across two personalities they looked terrible. People were so afraid that nobody went near them. They asked who are these people and they told them these are two terrible demons although they were born in Brahmin family, they belong to exalted brahmana family, buy they have become demons. There is no sinful activity they haven’t performed. They would plunder people burn people houses, with slight provocation, they would just burn their houses. They would loot their wealth and they would rape young girls. All the time they were drunk.
Nityananda prabhu told Haridas, “Haridas, if we can make these two devotee of Caitanya Mahaprabhu then the real glory of Caitanya Mahaprabhu will be manifest” . Caitanya Mahaprabhu has come to deliver the fallen souls and they aren’t anyone as wonderful candidate for Mahaprabhu’s mercy than these two. So Haridas hesitated, “Look , you have heard what kind of character they are, like if somebody just enrage them in the slightest way they just go to their house and burn their house”. So do you want to take that, he said Yes, Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to distribute Krishna prem and these are the most eligible candidates.
So Haridas said fine, and so Nityananda prabhu went and did what Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked them to do. “prabhura ajnay, bhai, magi ei bhiksha bolo krishna, bhajo krishna, koro krishna-siksha” go door to door and ask everybody to chant the holy name of the Lord, please become a devotee and serve the Lord. So, Nityananda prabhu went and told them, “My dear brother, Please chant the holyname of the Lord, please become devotee of the Lord” and they immediately became very furious, “You dare to instruct us what we should do?” And said, “kill them kill them catch them”, seeing that Nityananda prabhu and Haridas Thakur just ran. These two persons, Jagai and Madai their actual name was Jagannath and Madhav. Jagannath nick name became Jagai and Madhav’s nick name became Madai. They were running and running when they chased then and finally they went into potter’s shop where the clay pots were piled up and they hit behind the pots. This is how they escaped.
That evening they went and reported to Caitanya Mahaprabhu this is what happened. Nityananda prabhu said, Look, you have come to deliver the most fallen sous, we have selected that these two are the most fallen therefore we decide to deliver them. Actually, Haridas Thakur reported, Look, “I’m not going to go with him anymore, today almost we lost our lives and this person is crazy”. The Ganges in monsoon time will be full of crocodiles and this person, floats in the Ganges, and he approaches the crocodiles and then when he sees beautiful young unmarried girls, he approaches them and asks them, Will you marry me? So, their fathers come with stick in their hands, so, I am not going out with him anymore. Today look what he had done, this is the craziest thing one could ever do.
The other time Nityananda prabhu told Caitanya Mahaprabhu, that it will be the greatest glory we should be able to do that. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu responded saying, look, they have been delivered, just that you have decided that your merciful glance fallen upon them they are delivered.
Jagai and Madai sometimes would listen to Mahaprabhu’s sankirtan at night. In the drunken state they would dance with the kirtan. This is how they developed their good fortune. But one day when Nityananda prabhu and Haridas Thakur went near them, they asked who are you. Nityananda prabhu like a child, he said I am the “avaduth” that means I am the person who lost his consciousness in his spiritual ecstasy. Upon hearing the name, avaduth, they became so upset that Madai picked up his clay pot that he was drinking from and he hit Nityananda prabhu with that. Nityananda prabhu started to bleed.
When Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard that, immediately he was informed, so he came out. He was so furious that he immediately called sudarshan chakra and immediately tried to kill them with that. Jagai and Madai saw that sudarshan coming and then Jagai fell at Caitanya Mahaprabhu feet and Nityananda prabhu also seeing that situation he reminded, My Lord, in this age you are supposed to conquer everyone with your love, you are not going to use your weapon. So please be merciful upon them. Nityananda prabhu told Caitanya Mahaprabhu, that Madai was about to hit me again, but Jagai actually stopped him. Upon hearing that, Caitanya Mahaprabhu became very pleased. He said anyone who protects Nityananda prabhu, “I am sold out to him”. Caitanya Mahaprabhu decided to deliver Jagai and forgive Jagai. But he said because he, Madai hurt Nitananda, I am not going to deliver him, I am not going to give him mercy. So when Madai fell at his feet, Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that I am not going to forgive you, I’m not going to have any compassion or mercy, but if Nityananda forgives you, and immediately Nityananda forgives him. This was how Jagai and Madai was accepted by Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Who are these Jagai and Madai? Hiranyakasipu and Hiranyaksha, so in other three yugas the Lord killed them but in this age, the age of Kali the Lord accepted them. In this way Jagai and madi were delivered and that had a tremendous reaction in Navadvip. Everyone became surprised that Jagai and Madai, now became saints. Like Madai feels so guilty that he had hurt Nityanada prabhu that used to just sit on the bank of Ganges and when people would to come to take bath, then he used to serve them washing their feet, making arrangements for their bath. So Madai’s ghat is still there.
Two other thieves also Nityananda prabhu delivered there are also two terrible demons, that is after Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took sanyas, Nityananda prabhu one day came to Sachi mata’s house, Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s house. Saci mata requested Nityananda “You stay here, by seeing you I feel consoled to some extent”, so, you please stay here for sometime. So Nityananda prabhu being instructed by saci mata this way, decided to stay in Navadvip. But he decided to stay in the house little far away in an isolated place in the house of devotee called Hiranya Pandit.
Nityananda prabhu used to be dressed in a gorgeous way. He used to wear blue silk clothes, he used to wear very beautiful turbon decorated with flowers he used to wear ornaments. His whole body was decorated with ornaments, nice necklaces, bracelets whatever you call. Ankle bells etc. They all are make from most precious jewels and gold. So, some thieves thought that let us steal these ornaments from him. This person is well decorated, in one hand he is a sanyasi, but look how he is dressed he is wearing all those jewelleries and things. So, let us go and steal from his house and as the place where he is staying is isolated.
One night, we will go and steal from the house. So, they were waiting for the night fall and at night they were there, they saw that they were chanting and after taking Prasad, they were chanting and they were waiting until they fall asleep. But in the meantime, the yoga maya made all thieves fall asleep. All of them fell asleep, and in the morning when they woke up, they woke up with the cooing of the crows and birds. They wondered what happened we were supposed to steal from their house, and so the leader of that group who was also a Brahmana said, may as we did not worship Chandi the form of Kali.
The decoits usually worship because we didn’t worship Chandi became angry and made us fall asleep. So that night they worshipped Chandi very nicely and came to steal they came with various weapons, they were about to kill anybody who came in their way in this way they were prepared. But when they came they saw there were some powerful looking guards carrying all kinds of very very powerful weapons and they were guarding the place. So, they became worried, oh because they saw that one guard could take care of hundred and ten in no time. So, that night they became very worried and decided not to venture into that. They thought many rich man would have come to their house and may be they are his guards, because many rich people are following this person. So we will come some other day when guards not there.
When the third day when they came, it was a new moon night, it was complexly dark, but as soon as they came near the house they became completely blind they couldn’t see anything. It is already dark and now we became blind so they fell in all kinds of ditches and places and scorpions and insects started to bite them. Some fell on the heap of thorns and not only that, all of a sudden it started a hail storm. A big hail started to fall and beating them. Actually, Indra became so upset with them and he sent all the hail storm, and they were kind of completely devastated. And then, that leader he said, this must be very, very exhausted personality, so let’s not think anything bad about them, rather we go and surrender to them. This is how the thieves came and surrendered to Nityananda prabhu and they became his devotees.
After that Nityananda Prabhu on the occasion of Jagannath Chariot festival, went to Jagannath Puri and he stayed there with Caitanya Mahaprabhu. One day, Caitanya Mahaprabhu told him that he should come back to Bengal, you should go back to Bengal because you must preach and then he told him that you get married. Nityananda prabhu response was, “I’m just instrument in your hand, so whatever you want I will do it.” So, without any hesitation he accepted the instruction of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, although he wanted to stay with Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Jagannath Puri. But he came back to Bengal.
One day, he went to the house of Suriya das Sarkel, one Brahmana, who is in Ambika kalna. Ambika kalna is in the other side of Shantipur. Advaita Acharya used to live in this side of Ganges and on the other side of Ganges is Ambika kalna. There was this personality, Surya das Sarkel. So Nityananda Prabhu went there with one of his very intimate associate, Udharanta Thakur. Actually, Nityananda prabhu’s twelve cowherd boys were Nityananda prabhu’s most intimate associates. I mean Krishna and Balaram’s most intimate associates. So these twelve cowherd boys also came and they became Nityananda prabbu’s associates. One of them was Udharanta Thankur very exalted merchant in a place called Triveni.
Along with Udaranta Thankur, Nityananda Prabhu went to Suri das sarkel’s house. He went and told him. look I want to marry your daughter. Suri das sarkel’s immediate reaction was, it was described, after all it is a pastime happening in yoga maya’s arrangement, he said, look, I don’t know what your caste is. Even in Brahmin there was a caste consideration, high class Brahmin will not give their daughter to low class Brahmin. So he said we don’t know what your caste is and we don’t know your caste, line of heritage so I’m sorry I can’t offer you my daughter. So Nityananda prabhu said, fine and he left.
But something happened to his daughter whose name was Janava she fainted. The doctor was called in Vaidh and the doctor said that she won’t be able survive and she won’t recover, and they won’t be able to cure her. So, her condition was she was taken for granted that she is going to die. She was taken to the Ganges. And at that time, Suridas thankru’s brother Gauri das pandit came. He said, look, why did she all of a sudden faint like that? You must have committed a great offense to Nityananda avaduth. So, whatever he wanted, offer it to him. So Suridas said, well, she’s already dead, we will call him. So, Nityananda came. Amazingly, as the fragrance of Nityananda’s body entered into Janava’s nostrils, she regained the consciousness and she said sat up and said, where am I? I am feeling very embarrassed being in the situation where other people there and then she was lying there and she just ran inside the house. So then Suridas said, Look please accept my daughter as your wife. This is how with great pomp Nityananda prabhu was married to Janava devi.
Janava devi had a youngest sister also her name is Vasuda devi. So Vasuda, one day Vasuda was serving Nityananda prabhu and serving Prasad at that time her saree from her head fell off. Young unmarried girl always covers her head. So, feeling very embarrassed, like she was serving with two hands and her saree slipped off from her head, and then she manifested two other arms to put her saree in place.
Nityananda prabhu then told Suridas Thakur look as a dowry I want your younger daughter. So this is how Nityananda prabhu got married to 2 sisters Janava devi and Vasuda devi. Janava devi, as you know didn’t have any children. But Vasuda devi bore some children of Nityananda Prabhu and most prominent of them is Birachandra. Bir Chandra prabhu was very, very dear to Nityananda prabhu and he took up the mission of Nityananda prabhu and Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He did extensive preaching all over throughout Bengal those days. Of course, as you know, Janava mata became actually the leader of Vaishnava community at that time after Nityananda prabhu left, Janava mata became the head of the Vaishnava community.
This is how Nityananda prabhu performed his most wonderful pastimes. When we speak about Nityananda prabhu we have to remember that Ananta sesh with his unlimited mouth for unlimited time is describing the glory of Nityananda prabhu, how much can we speak about him with our limited ability in such a limited span of time? But, let us become absorbed in the thoughts of Nityananda prabhu, his most wonderful qualities, most wonderful activities.
One thing we must remember that, we cannot approach Caitanya Mahaprabhu without the mercy of Nityananda prabhu. The e.g. is Raghunath das Goswami. Raghunath das Goswami wanted to approach Caitanya Mahaprabhu many times. He was a son of a very rich man and he was running away from home to go to Caitanya Mahaprabhu. And each time, he was arrested and brought back to family. But when he met Nityananda prabhu, Nityananda prabhu addressed him as thief. And as you know the punishment was, he has to feed all the devotees with chipped rice and yogurt , chera dahi festival. Consideration is, why he was addressed as thief, why did Nityananda prabhu called him a thief. The reason is Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Nityananda prabhu’s property. So Ragunath was trying to get Caitanya Mahaprabhu without Nityananda prabhu’s permission.
Therefore we have to understand, “heno nitai bine bhai radha-krsna paite nai
drrha kori dharo nitair pay “, without the mercy of Nityananda prabhu, one cannot get Radha Krishna who is Radha Krishna? Radha Krishna is Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So, since we are followers of Caitanya Mahaprabhu we must remember that in order to approach Caitanya Mahaprabhu first we have to take permission and blessings of srimad Nityananda prabhu. Nityananda prabhu is the original spiritual master, Balaram is original spiritual master and in the pastimes of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Balaram came as Nitai, so he is our original Spiritual master. All the spiritual masters are actually Nityananda prabhu’s representatives. Whoever distributes Krishna prem and whoever wants to distribute Krishna consciousness he must do it as a representative or agent of Nityananda prabhu.
Srimad Nityananda prabhu ki jai!, Nityananda triodasi ki Jai, Sriman Mahaprabhu ki jai, Srila Prabhupada Ki Jai!. Jagadguru Srila prabhupada ki jai!, ISKCON founder Acharya His divine grace Srila prabhupada ki jai, Gaura premanande, Haribol
The class was supposed to end at 8:00 it seems and then there is supposed to be deity greeting. If we have some minutes may be if someone has any question or comments then can ask. Ok, is there any question or comment?
Question: One thing Maharaj, it is said that although we have forgotten there is exception wherever the pandavas stayed was considered sacred.
Maharaj: Yes but some part of Bengal is Padava varjita, even pandavas didn’t come here.
Devotee: Ekacakra was not the place because the pandavas stayed there.
Maharaj : Yes, sure .
Devotee: What is the proper prayer to make to Lord Nityananda?
Maharaj:Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare ! Thank you for reminding me! Maharja sings mahamantra.
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