January 29, 1999   VNN2927  

Only By The Grace Of Nitai

BY SWAMI B.V. TRIPURARI

EDITORIAL, Jan 29 (VNN) — A talk given on Nityananda Tryaodasi, 1998 In the auspicious invocation, Mangalacarana, of the Caitanya Caritamrita, the ontological position of Nityananda prabhu is described. First in one verse, and then this verse is elaborated upon in four more verses. These five verses are then explained elaborately in the fifth chapter of the first section of the book known as Adi lila. This section is very important, for without understanding it we will misunderstand the lilas of Nityananda prabhu, whose actions were often very unorthodox. It is only after explaining these verses in detail that Krsndasa Kaviraja Goswami speaks of his own personal experience of Nityananda prabhu, by whose grace he was able to leave home, reside in Vrindvana, and be chosen to write Caitanya Caritamrita.

Nitai was so absorbed in transcendental ecstasy that he was neglectful in regard to external circumstances. Sometimes he would appear naked in a crowd of cultured and devout persons. He used to swim in the Ganges, and ride on the backs of crocodiles. Like a calf, he used to drink milk directly from the nipples of cows, and even as an adult he was treated by Malini devi like a young boy. He was in the mood of a cowherd boyfriend of Krishna. So his pastimes are sometimes a little difficult to understand, and even devotees may misconstrue them.

Owing to his unorthodox behavior, his importance in the lila of Sri Caitanya was not always so clear. It was Sri Caitanya Himself who personally pointed it out to the devotees so that they would not make any offense. He demonstrated to them that Nityananda was his very own other self, nondifferent from Krishna's brother, Balarama.

Nityananda prabhu's father was Hadai Pandit. One day a sannyasi came to his house. As he was leaving, Hadai Pandit asked him, "Please, you are a sannyasi, you have come to my house, make a request and I will grant it." So the sannyasi said, "Give me your son, and I will take him and train him to be a sadhu."

It was customary that families would give one son to become a sadhu. It used to be the custom even in European culture that parents would give one son to the priesthood. In his way, they thought they have covered all their bases. So, also, it was customary in India that a son was given to a sannyasi to be trained as a sadhu. But on this occasion, hearing the sannyasi request his son, Hadai Pandit fainted. But for Hadai Pandit to lose heart and do everything he could to refuse the sannyasi, revealing his attachment to his son, is appropriate, because his son was Nityananda, God himself. Attachment to an ordinary son gets in the way of one's spiritual life and is not recommended. But Hadai Pandit's attachment to Nityananda was different. Who could object had he refused?

However, having given his word and offered the sannyasi, "Just ask anything and I will give it to you," he remained true to his word and gave his son. Although we often speak of how prema dharma is above ordinary dharma, this is an example of how dharma nonetheless underlies bhakti. Great devotees are very morally upright and observant of the principles of religion. Only in extreme cases are they forced to apparently cross over dharma, as were the gopis forced by their attachment to Krishna to leave in the middle of the night and violate the socioreligious standards of the time.

Hadai Pandit gave his son, Nityananda, and he left the world shortly thereafter out of separation from him. These are what the movements of the devotees revolve around, as are the movements of God - love in union and separation. The so-called death of Hadai Pandit was not an ordinary affair.

It was caused by separation from his son, Nityananda prabhu.

Nityananda went with the sannyasi and they traveled to different places of pilgrimage. At one point, while in Vrindvana, Nityananda looked at the deities, and he found that they were hollow. Curious as this was, Nityananda then concluded the cause had to be that svayam bhagavan - the very source of all avataras (of which the deities are a particular type, 'arcavatara') - had appeared on earth. Thus all the deities had, for the moment, entered back into svayam bhagavan, Nityananda's own source. Thus all of Nityananda's attention went to Navadwipa dhama where Sri Caitanya was about to begin his lila of sankirtana, at which time the deities would again manifest themselves in the temples and receive worship from him in his lila of accepting the role of his own devotee.

Nityananda prabhu went straight to Nadia from Vrindavan. Sri Caitanya could understand that Nityananda had arrived and he told the devotees, "A great personality has arrived today in Nadia, and we should go and search him out." Haridasa Thakura and another devotee were dispatched to search the town, but they could not find any extraordinary personality. Had such a person arrived, others would surely know about it, for when great persons come they come with some entourage and their arrival is heralded. But they could not find such a person. So they returned, saying: "You said a great personality had arrived, but we could not find him."

Sri Caitnaya replied that he had had a dream the night before in which this great person had come to his house and banged on the door insisting that he "Come out! Come out! Come out! We two are bothers and I have come to get you!" He then told the devotees "Come with me and I will take you to him"

They went to the house of Nandanacrya and there was a stranger sitting on the porch. Externally he did not appear to be any great person of importance, rather more like a crazy person. The devotees were bewildered.

To their surprise, Sri Caitnaya said, "Yes, here he is." Detecting their doubt due to the external appearance of Nitai, Sri Caitnaya immediately took steps to protect them from that type of thinking. Thinking ill of Nityananda or thinking less of him, in the name of thinking more of Sri Caitanya, is considered to be an offense. So to teach us, he quickly instructed them and a guru puja was performed. And in the course of the puja, the devotees had a vision where the face of Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared as the face of Nityananda Prabhu, and Nityananda's face appeared as the face of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Mahaprabhu was showing them, "He and I are one and the same, while appearing in two forms."

A great lesson was taught by Mahprabhu himself and thus Nityananda was properly respected. So important is the position of Nityananda, that there is no question of understanding Sri Caitanya without the mercy of Nityananda.

This is brought out in the narration of Krsnadasa Kavirava Goswami at the end of the fifth chapter of his great treatise, Caitanya Caritamrita.

Kaviraja Goswami tell us that to disclose his personal experience is not proper, for it should be kept as confidential as the Vedas. Yet he shares it so that the extent of the mercy of Nitayananda might be known to all.

One should not speak openly about one's inner spiritual experiences, for common people will not understand them. Better to speak so that people in general can become qualified to have such experiences themselves. The confidential knowledge of the Vedas is also not given out to anyone and everyone because it may be abused and distorted. It is not a bigoted policy to keep such teachings from the masses, rather an injunction about who should teach the Vedas. They should be learned from qualified persons of spiritual pedigree in accordance with one's level of eligibility.

As the Vedas are confidential and not to be given to everyone, even more so are the intimate dealings in love of God to be kept confidential. If they are shown everywhere, they will be misunderstood. The devotee wants to tell everyone, but is disappointed that he can't when he realizes that people won't understand.

Even amongst the sadhakas, these things are not to be shared or spoken of openly because they may also take them cheaply. Srimati Radharani explains this through the pen of Visvanatha Cakravati Thakura in Prema Samput.

There, Radharani speaks about the secret nature of prema and how it should be kept secret.

Krsnadas says, "veda ghuya katha." As the Vedas are secret, ghuya, hidden, and their message should remain such, so his personal experience should also remain hidden. Yet he expresses his dilemma, "If I keep it hidden, then a greater problem looms. If I do not tell it, then the glory of Nityananda will not be known - how he made it possible for an insect to catch the moon! So I must tell it, this glory of Nitai, and let the consequences fall on my head."

The devotee is sometimes forced by his love to take risks and speak about things that are so high and confidential, that they may be abused and misunderstood by the people. Surely some people may understand, and that will be very helpful for them. Thinking of such people, he goes on to narrate this incident, begging Nitai to forgive him for any offence.

Nityananda prabhu had a servant named Minniketana Ramdasa, who was a reservoir of love. At the house of Krsnadasa, there was sankirtana day and night and Ramdasa visited there. Absorbed in emotional love, he sat in the courtyard and all the Vaisnavas bowed to him. In ecstatic love he sometimes climbed on the shoulders of someone who was offering obeisances, and sometimes he struck others with his flute or mildly slapped them. Krsnadasa says that when someone saw the eyes of Ramadasa wet with tears, tears would automatically flow from that person's eyes. Sometimes there were eruptions of ecstasy like the blossoming of flowers on his body, and sometimes one limb would be stunned, another trembling. Whenever he shouted loudly the name "Nityananda!", people were filled with great wonder.

However, one respectable brahmana who was serving the deity, did not offer him respect. Seeing this, Ramadasa became angry. It is to be understood that the worship of the deity is secondary to the service of a great devotee, a mahabhagavata. After all, it is only through the medium of such devotees that we know about the importance of serving the deity. One may ask, "Where is God?" In the deity no doubt. But even more so, in the heart of a Vaisnava. Here Ramadasa was not shown regard, and he became angry. Now we may wonder why he became angry when not respected. What kind of a Vaisnava is that, who when he is not respected becomes angry? But Ramadasa was so pure and so much representative of Nityananda himself, that he could understand that this person's reluctance to show regard to him was indicative of his reluctance to show regard to Nityananda prabhu. It was on account on this that Ramdasa became angry.

Ramdasa then remarked, "Here I find a second Romaharsana Suta, who did not stand to show honor to Balaram." This, of course, is a famous incident related in the Bhagavata Purana, where Balaram, who is nondifferent from Nitai, was offended.

As Ramdasa left, he had a discussion with Krsndasa's brother, whereupon it was revealed that his brother had firm faith in Sri Caitanya, but very little faith in Nitai. This saddened the heart of Ramdasa, and Krsnadasa then rebuked his brother, telling him that the two brothers, Nitai and Mahaprabhu, are like one body. "If you do not believe in Lord Nityananda, you will fall down. If you have faith in one, but disrespect the other, your logic is faulty. It is like the man who thinks by cutting off the head of his chicken he will make more money, since the mouth is a liability in the form of feed, while the other end is an asset in the form of eggs."

He told his brother it would be better to be an atheist by slighting both brothers, than a hypocrite by believing in one and slighting the other. We should take note of this and understand this most important point, that glorifying one pure soul while vilifying another, is not glorification of anyone.

Krsndasa goes on to say that Ramdasa broke his flute and at that time his brother fell down. Having described the power of the servants of Nityananda, he goes on to describe his mercy. After leaving home that night, because he had chastised his brother, Nityananda appeared to him in a dream. He got the blessings of Nityananda for telling his brother, who was providing for him, "I won't stay here, I will have nothing to do with this." We should be concerned with this alone, pleasing Caitanya and Nityananda, and their representatives. Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami spoke up.

He told his brother "You are a pseudo devotee, a hypocrite, I want nothing to do with you, even though you are my brother and I am living in your house. I am abandoning this house. I want nothing to do with it, because you have no respect for Nityananda."

Then and there Krsnadasa left home. Although he did not know where he would stay or how he would live, he left. He put himself out on a limb with regard to his maintenance, and Nityananda prabhu personally came to hold him up. He took a risk. He was living in his brother's house, but he did not hesitate to speak up. Where he would stay the next day he did not know.

Nityananda came to him and he said, "You can stay with me. I will provide for you." He smiled and spoke to Krsnadasa, "Oh my dear Krsnadasa, do not be afraid! Go to Vrindavan! There you will attain all things." After saying this, Nityananda directed him towards Vrindavana by waving his hand. Then he disappeared, and Krsnadasa fainted and fell to the ground.

Regaining consciousness as the morning arrived, Krsnadasa thought about what he had seen and heard and concluded that Nityananda had ordered him to proceed to Vrindavana at once. That very second, he started for Vrindavana, and by Nitai's mercy, he reached there in ecstasy.

Here, Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami has shown us that we can only enter Vrindavan by the mercy of Nityananda. This is also taught by Narottam Dasa Thakur, 'ara kabe nitai-cander karuna hoibe, samsara vasana mora kabe tuccha ha'be'. He prays for the 'karuna', the mercy of Nityananda prabhu, by which one can become qualified to enter Vrindavan, having left samsara.

We want to go to Vrindavan, but we are not willing to leave samsara. This is our foolishness. We think that samsara is holding us very tightly. But it is we who are holding on. Let go, 'visaya cadiya', and the door to Vrindavan will open by the mercy of Nitai.

Although it is true that Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami is in madhurya rasa, and manjari svarupa in the service of Sri Radha - in which there is little concern for Balarama - still he is teaching us that none of his participation there would have been possible without Nityananda Rama's mercy.

Without Balaram or Nityananda prabhu's mercy, we can never attain any position in Vrindavana. So that is why we have such regard for Nityananda prabhu in our Gaudiya Sampradaya. We should take instruction from Krsnadas Kaviraja Goswami about how valuable, how important to us is the mercy of Nityananda. By his mercy we can get actual entrance into Vrindavan, as Krsnadas Kaviraja got. Our hope is an impossible one. Can an insect, attracted to a light in the night, land on the moon? Our hope to attain Vrindavan in gopa/gopi bhava is like that of an insect hoping to touch the moon. This is impossible. But by the grace of Nitai, it can be attained nonetheless.

Krsnadasa went to Vrindavan through the mercy of Nityananda, on his order, "You are very qualified. Go there!" This is really going to Vrindavana.

That Krsnadasa rejected his family means he rejected material life. This is what it symbolizes - material desires, concern for hearth and home. He gave up material concerns altogether. After separating himself from material desires, Nityananda told him, "You are qualified to live in Vrindavan." He actually lived there. He did not just go there and stand on the surface, for he was fully accepted there by all the associates of Sri Caitnaya, Rupa, Sanatana Goswamis, Sri Jiva, Raghunataha dasa and others.

When he came to the Madan Mohan temple, all the devotees embraced him. They could recognize who he was. And then a garland from the deity of Madan Mohan fell on his head. At that time, all the devotees asked him to write the biography of Sri Caitanya. And it came in the form of Caitanya Caritamrta. All this by the mercy of Nityananda. This book, Caitanya Caritamrta, is coming from the mercy of Nityananda. Krsnadasa is saying this. Where would the devotees of Sri Caitanya be without this book? How many would there be? Caitanya Bhagavata is also Nitai's doing through the hand of Vrindavandasa Thakura.

So do not neglect Nitai. Sometimes we hear, "Why should we worship Balarama, Nityananda? We have no concern for that! We are interested in manjari svarupa." But here we have heard a manjari speaking! He is a real manjari, Krsnadas Kaviraja Goswami, Kasturi Manjari. And she is showing such regard for Nityananda. "My whole success is dependent upon his mercy."


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