The Glories and Mercy of Lord Nityānanda

Lord Nityānanda Prabhu is the eternal associate and first expansion of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. As the incarnation of Lord Balarāma, He serves as the source of all other expansions of Godhead, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that He assumes the mood of a devotee to assist Lord Caitanya in His saṅkīrtana movement. Known as the original spiritual master and the savior of the most fallen, His mercy is the essential prerequisite for approaching Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. This article explores His ontological truth, His role as the guru, and His transcendental pastimes that flooded the world with love of God.

Identity as the Supreme Personality of Godhead

Scripturally, Lord Nityānanda is non-different from Lord Balarāma. He is the source of Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa and the Mahā-Viṣṇu who lies in the Causal Ocean. While He appears in the assembly of the Pañca-tattva as the Lord's immediate expansion, Śrīla Prabhupāda confirms that He is fully viṣṇu-tattva, possessing all the opulences of the Supreme Lord.

• In the first eleven verses of the Caitanya-caritamrta, Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami thus discusses Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu as Sri Krsna Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Lord Nityananda as Balarama, the first expansion of Krsna.
• Lord Baladeva in Krsnaloka is Nityananda Prabhu. Therefore Nityananda Prabhu is the original Sankarsana, and Maha-sankarsana and His expansions as the purusas in the universes are plenary expansions of Nityananda Prabhu.
• As His (Caitanya's) associate Nityananda, He is the first expansion of God; as Advaita, He is an incarnation; as Gadadhara, He is the internal potency; and as Srivasa, He is the marginal living entity in the role of a devotee.
• These three - Caitanya, Nityananda and Advaita - belong to the category of Visnu-tattva, or the Supreme Absolute Truth.
• That Lord Visnu is but a part of a part of a plenary portion of Lord Nityananda, who is the source of all incarnations.

The Original Spiritual Master

Lord Nityānanda is the embodiment of the guru-tattva principle. Just as Balarāma assists Kṛṣṇa in all His pastimes, Nityānanda Prabhu facilitates the service of the devotees to Lord Caitanya. It is emphasized in the teachings of Śrīla Prabhupāda that without the mercy of Nityānanda Prabhu, one cannot attain the shelter of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and consequently, entering into the pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa is impossible.

• Nityananda is the principle of the Guru. So, the Gurudeva is the incarnation of Nityananda. Anyone strictly following the instruction of the Guru is following Nityananda.
• He (Narottama Das Thakura) says that - If you are anxious to go back to home, back to Godhead, and become associate with Radha and Krsna, then the best policy is to take shelter of Nityananda.
• Real pleasure is nityananda, eternal pleasure. So anyone who has no contact with Nityananda, it is to be understood that his life is spoiled.
• One must simply be a sincere and serious servant of Nityananda Prabhu and preach this cult (of Caitanya) door to door.

The Ocean of Mercy and Preaching

While Lord Caitanya is compared to the ocean of love of God, Lord Nityānanda is the one who cut a canal from this ocean to distribute the waters freely to everyone, house to house. His mood is described as one of extreme compassion, delivering even those who are socially ostracized or sinful, such as the mercantile community (suvarṇa-vaṇik) and the brothers Jagāi and Mādhāi.

• From the ocean of loving compassion, which had been completely dammed up, Lord Nityananda cut a canal of love of Godhead and flooded the entire world.
• My dear brother, just try to worship these two Lords, Caitanya and Nityananda, sudrdha visvasa kori', with faith and conviction.
• It is said in the Caitanya-bhagavata, yateka vanik-kula uddharana haite pavitra ha-ila dvidha nahika ihate: there is no doubt that all the community members of the suvarna-vanik society were again purified by Sri Nityananda Prabhu.
• One of the brothers, Jagai, was astonished to see this behavior of Nityananda Prabhu, and he at once fell down at His feet and asked Him to pardon his sinful brother.

Transcendental Behavior and Pastimes

Lord Nityānanda is known as an avadhūta, one who is beyond all social and Vedic regulations. His pastimes are filled with joy, humor, and apparent contradictions. He engaged in loving quarrels with Advaita Ācārya, throwing prasādam and exchanging words that seemed like insults but were actually glorifications. To the common man, such behavior might seem like madness, but Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that it is simply the ecstasy of divine love.

• Advaita Acarya jokingly said, "My dear Nityananda, I invited You, and indeed I have received the results. You have no fixed caste or dynasty. By nature You are a madman."
• Advaita Acarya said, "You are a reject paramahamsa, and You have accepted the renounced order of life just to fill up Your belly. I can understand that Your business is to give trouble to brahmanas."
• He (Nityananda Prabhu) threw the remnants of food on the ground, and some of these remnants touched the body of Advaita Acarya. Advaita Acarya accepted this happily because He presented Himself as a member of the community of smarta-brahmanas.
• To make Me (Advaita Acarya) a madman like Yourself, You have thrown the remnants of Your food at Me. You did not even fear the fact that I am a brahmana.

Interactions with Devotees

Lord Nityānanda’s dealings with His associates reveal His personal nature. He mercifully punished Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī by ordering him to feed all the devotees chipped rice and yogurt (the Pāṇihāṭi festival), and He kicked His servant Śivānanda Sena, which the devotee accepted as a great blessing. These interactions demonstrate that the Lord's chastisement is also His mercy.

• In Panihati, following the order of Nityananda Prabhu, Raghunatha dasa observed a festival - cida-dadhi-mahotsava - by distributing chipped rice mixed with yogurt.
• One of Sri Nityananda Prabhu's characteristics is His contradictory nature. When He becomes angry and kicks someone, it is actually for his benefit.
• When Sivananda Sena returned and Srila Nityananda Prabhu saw him, the Lord kicked him severely, complaining that He was very hungry, and asked why he had not arranged for His food. Such is the behavior of the Lord with His devotees.
• Make a festival and feed all My associates yogurt and chipped rice. Hearing this, Raghunatha dasa was greatly pleased.

Conclusion

Lord Nityānanda is the very life and soul of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava tradition. As the first expansion of God and the original spiritual master, He is, as Śrīla Prabhupāda affirmed, the gateway to spiritual life. His unrestricted mercy, His joyful pastimes, and His deep love for Lord Caitanya make Him the ultimate shelter for all conditioned souls seeking deliverance in the Age of Kali.

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