God Is Lord Nityānanda - The Original Spiritual Master
Lord Nityānanda is not an ordinary living entity, nor is He merely a sage or a prophet. Śrīla Prabhupāda establishes that Lord Nityānanda is God Himself—the Supreme Personality of Godhead facing the living entities as the original Guru. He is Lord Balarāma, the first expansion of Kṛṣṇa, appearing in the age of Kali to assist Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in His mission of saṅkīrtana. To understand God, one must first receive the mercy of Lord Nityānanda.
The Identity of Nityānanda Prabhu
Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies the ontological position of Lord Nityānanda as being identical to Lord Balarāma. Just as Balarāma is the source of all spiritual and material strength, Nityānanda Prabhu is the source of all incarnations, including the puruṣa-avatāras like Mahā-Viṣṇu and Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. He possesses full opulences and resides in Vaikuṇṭha, yet He descends to serve Lord Caitanya.
- Balarama is Nityananda. Vrajendra-nandana yei, saci-suta haila sei, balarama ha-ila nitai. This bala - Balarama - comes with Caitanya Mahaprabhu, & both of Them are so merciful that in this age of Kali one may very easily take shelter of Their lotus feet.
- I surrender unto the lotus feet of Sri Nityananda Rama, who is known as Sankarsana in the midst of the catur-vyuha. He possesses full opulences and resides in Vaikunthaloka, far beyond the material creation - CC Adi 1.8.
- Lord Narayana is a part of a plenary part of Lord Nityananda Balarama, who is the source of all incarnations.
- The Lord of Svetadvipa has immense potency for creation and destruction. Sri Nityananda Prabhu, being Baladeva Himself, the original form of Sankarsana, is the original form of the Lord of Svetadvipa.
The Ocean of Mercy
Lord Nityānanda is described by Śrīla Prabhupāda as the most munificent incarnation. While Lord Caitanya is merciful, Lord Nityānanda is even more so, because He approaches those who are rejected by society. Śrīla Prabhupāda often compares Him to Jesus Christ, noting that both took great risks to reclaim the fallen. The deliverance of the sinners Jagāi and Mādhāi stands as the testament to His unparalleled compassion.
- Sri Nityananda Prabhu, who is the incarnation of Godhead as divine master, delivered the typical naradhamas, the brothers Jagai and Madhai, and showed how the mercy of a real devotee is bestowed upon the lowest of mankind. BG 1972 purports.
- Caitanya Mahaprabhu is very kind. Parama karuna, pahu dui jana. Two Lords, Nitai-Gauracandra, Nityananda Prabhu and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, They are very kind.
- Just like Nityananda Prabhu took all risk, Lord Jesus Christ took all risk. Therefore a devotee is more kind than God. A devotee is more merciful than God Himself. We should always remember this.
- Krsna has appeared as the son of mother Saci, and Balarama has appeared as Nityananda, and Their business is to deliver all fallen souls, especially in this age, Kali-yuga.
The Necessity of His Grace
Can one approach Kṛṣṇa directly? Śrīla Prabhupāda answers with a resounding "No." One must go through Lord Nityānanda. Śrīla Prabhupāda frequently cites the prayers of Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura to emphasize that without the mercy of "Nitāi," one's spiritual life is impossible. Connection with Nityānanda Prabhu extinguishes the fire of material existence and opens the door to the pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.
- One cannot attain the goal of life without the mercy of Balarama. Sri Narottama dasa Thakura therefore says, when one receives the mercy of Balarama, Nityananda, one can attain the lotus feet of Radha and Krsna very easily.
- If one has no connection with Nitai, Balarama, then even though one is a very learned scholar or jnani or has taken birth in a very respectable family, these assets will not help him.
- Narottama dasa Thakura says that one who has actually received the causeless mercy of Nityananda, he has no more any material desire. That is the symptom. Samsara-vasana means desire for material enjoyment, when it will become very insignificant.
- By attachment to the DS of Lord Caitanya, one immediately comes to the ecstatic position. When he develops his love for Nityananda he is freed from all attachment to the material world, & he becomes eligible to understand the Lord's pastimes in Vrndavana.
The Mood of Servitude
Although He is the Supreme Lord, Nityānanda Prabhu always considers Himself the servant of Lord Caitanya. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that this is the nature of Balarāma—He serves Kṛṣṇa in all respects (as umbrella, bed, slippers, etc.). This mood of servitude is the exemplary behavior for all devotees. Even in His dealings with Advaita Ācārya, where they engaged in "mock fights," Nityānanda Prabhu's purpose was to glorify the path of service and refute the dry philosophy of monism.
- Although Nityananda Prabhu is none other than Balarama Himself, He nonetheless always thinks of Himself as the eternal servant of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
- Although Sri Advaita Prabhu is an incarnation of Visnu, throughout all His activities He showed Himself to be an eternal servitor. Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda also manifested the same principle, although They also belong to the category of Visnu.
- Discussion between Advaita Acarya and Nityananda was a mock fight to serve as a great instruction for all devotees. Sri Nityananda Prabhu wanted to point out that Advaita Acarya, a pure devotee, did not agree with the monistic conclusion.
- By advaya-jnana-darsana, Srila Advaita Acarya has glorified pure devotional service. Srila Nityananda Prabhu herein sarcastically condemns the philosophy of the impersonal monists and praises the correct nondual philosophy of Sri Advaita Prabhu.
Dealings with Raghunātha dāsa
One of the most instructive pastimes cited by Śrīla Prabhupāda is the interaction between Lord Nityānanda and Raghunātha dāsa at Pāṇihāṭi. Raghunātha, though wealthy, could not attain the shelter of Lord Caitanya. It was only when he approached Lord Nityānanda and fed His devotees (the ciḍā-dadhi festival) that the Lord blessed him. Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights this as the secret to success: satisfying the spiritual master and the Vaiṣṇavas to get the Lord's mercy.
- At this time, Raghunatha dasa approached Sri Nityananda Prabhu and, according to His order, prepared a feast and distributed prasadam composed of chipped rice and curd.
- Lord Nityananda was by nature very merciful and funny. Being merciful, He spoke to Raghunatha dasa as follows.
- Raghunatha dasa offered his obeisances by falling prostrate at a distant place, and the servant of Nityananda Prabhu pointed out, "There is Raghunatha dasa, offering You obeisances."
- Lord Nityananda replied, "Let Me eat all this food here during the day, and I shall eat at your home at night."
Warning Against Offenses
Śrīla Prabhupāda issues strong warnings regarding how we view Lord Nityānanda. He condemns the prakṛta-sahajiyās who consider the Lord's body to be material or who invent false stories about Him marrying to satisfy lusty desires. To consider Lord Nityānanda an ordinary human being is a pathway to hell. Furthermore, one must be careful not to offend His devotees, as seen in the story of Minaketana Rāmadāsa; disrespecting a follower of Nityānanda cuts one off from spiritual progress.
- They (mental speculators) think that Nityananda Prabhu’s body was material and that it was meant for sense gratification. Whoever thinks in this way is a candidate for the darkest regions of hell.
- There is a class of so-called devotees called prakrta-sahajiyas who think that Nityananda Prabhu is an ordinary human being. They have spread the news that Caitanya ordered Nityananda to return to Bengal from Orissa just to marry and beget children.
- This is certainly a great offense against Nityananda Prabhu. Such an offense is called pasanda-buddhi, or an atheistic remark.
- The behavior of Gunarnava Misra indicated that he had no great respect for Lord Nityananda, and this idea was not at all palatable to Minaketana Ramadasa. For this reason the mentality of Minaketana Ramadasa is never deprecated by devotees.
Conclusion
Lord Nityānanda is the original spiritual master, the embodiment of divine mercy, and the gateway to the Absolute Truth. As Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches, by taking shelter of His lotus feet, even the most fallen soul can be purified and elevated to the highest platform of love of God. We must surrender to Him with full faith, avoiding offenses, to attain the ultimate goal of life.
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