Lord Nityananda Prabhu was born in a village called Ekachakra, in Bengal, on the thirteenth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Magha (February-March). I bow down to the most sacred object of my worship Lord Nitaicand who is the bestower of the Holy Name, He the crest jewel of all paramahamsa mendicants and awards the topmost bliss Of the original catur-vyuhas (expansions) of Lord Krishna: Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna and Anirudha, Lord Sankarshana represents the plenary expansion of Sri Balarama. Mahaprabhu cannot be approached or understood without the mercy of Lord Nitai, Who is the primary and original Guru of all the universes and serves as an intermediary between Mahaprabhu and His devotees. He is the very second Self of the Lord, manifesting as Balarama to Sri Krishna, Lakshmana to Sri Ram and Nityananda Prabhu to Lord Chaitanya. In Gaura lila the name Nimai (Sri Gaurasundar) is rarely taken without that of Nitai Who is senior to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu by more than ten years. All other forms and expansions of the Lord emanate from this second body. Lord Nitai is thus the source of Sankarshana, all the Vishnus, and Ananta Sesa. He is statuesque, like His Master, with the fair complexion of Lord Balarama. Dressed in blue, His radiance surpasses the effulgence of the rising moon at sunset. He has a deep melodious voice, constantly singing the glories of Sri Krishna and carries a red stick for the protection of the devotees. He has the carefree unorthodox mood of a liberated sadhu, so absorbed in his devotion to Lord Krsna, and no one can penetrate his way of enacting wonderous pastimes. As a child, Nitai loved to enact the lila of Sri Krsna or Sri Rama with his friends. He did this so authoritatively particularly the role of Lakshmana, that the entire village wondered how such a young boy could render the intricacies of the character so well. In his thirteenth year, a travelling sannyasi, Lakshmipati Tirtha, on his itinerant ramblings came to Ekachakra and enjoyed the hospitality of Nitais parents at his home. Charmed by Nitais devotion and service, the saint requested Nitai from his parents, as a travelling companion. His parents, bound by Vedic culture, could not refuse the request of the saint and reluctantly parted with Nitai. However, devastated by the separation from his beloved son, Hadai Pandit, his father, soon gave up his life. Young Nitaicand travelled with Lakshmipati Tirtha (who became his beloved Gurudev) for about twenty years, during which He visited all the same holy pilgrimage places he had visited as Lord Balaram in Dwapara Yuga. Travelling south he arrived in Pandharpur. There Lord Nityananda Prabhu saw the deity of Lord Vitthal. He also associated with another of Lakshmipati Tirthas famous disciple, Sri Madhavendra Puripda who is famous for establishing the sweet truth of Madhurya-rasa which is an integral part of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Among the other disciples of Madhavendra Puripada is Advaita Acarya, and Ishwar Puri (the Guru of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu). Sri Nitaicand met Lord Mahaprabhu in 1506, when He was thirty-two years old and the Lord twenty years. It is said that when Nityananda Prabhu reached the land of Nadia, knowing his Lord was there, he hid in the house of Nandan Acarya, to heighten the ecstasy of his union with His beloved Lord after a separation. Gaurasundar aware of the arrival of His eternal associate in Navadvipa, dispatched Haridas Thakur and Srivas Pandit to search out Nitai, but they couldnt find Him. Finally, knowing that Nityananda wanted to be found by Him only, Sriman Mahaprabhu Himself went directly to Nityananda Prabhu. The fortunate devotees who witnessed their ecstatic meeting as a sublime transcendental experience were overwhelmed by an unlimited joy. A temple called Sri Gaura-Nityananda commemorates this meeting place in Nadia. After that, Nityananda Prabhu was constantly by Lord Gauranga’s side. One day Nityananda Prabhu, totally absorbed in a spiritual trance, went naked to Mahaprabhus house. The devotees in Mahaprabhu’s house were shocked to see Nityananda Prabhu in that state, but Mahaprabhu glorified Him and gave the assembled devotees the pieces of his kaupin (loin cloth) as prasad. For this as well as many other splendid characteristic of hid divine nature and qualities Sri Ntaicand is called Avadhuta, he do not care about any external condition for the sake of serving with his heart and soul Lord Gaurahari. Lord Nitaicand would jump in the Ganges and play with the crocodiles. In the road where the big bulls walked, he would jump on their backs and ride them. He was very powerful and strong physically, like Baladeva. Sri Nityananda Prabhu is the main pillar of the preaching mission of Sriman Mahaprabhu. Before Sriman Mahaprabhu took sannyas once at a function, He gave permission to Sri Nityananda Prabhu to hold a Vyasa-puja ceremony. Nityananda Prabhu performed the puja, but He offered the final garland to Mahaprabhu, thereby showing Chaitanyas position as Supreme Lord. To be delivered to the Lotus feet of Sriman Mahaprabhu and Sri Radha Krsna, one must pray with great eager and faith to Lord Nityananda as the Adi-Guru (original spiritual master). Lord Nityananda bestowed His mercy to even hardened criminals like Jagai and Madhai, delivering them from their sinful lives and protecting them from the wrath of even Sri Gauranga. After Siman Mahaprabhu took sannyas and went to Puri, Lord Nityananda followed Him there. Sri Nitai wanted to always serve Gaurasundar, but because he had been initiated by Sri Laksmipati-tirtha, and he was also older than Him in years, Mahaprabhu honoured Him as a guru. The presence of Lord Nitai is always felt in the presence of ones own guru, for the guru is considered to be the living manifestation of Lord Nityananda´s love and mercy. He empowers the sincere disciple to perform devotional service and grants him infinite spiritual happiness. The Guru is therefore regarded as the expansion of Prabhu Nityananda. Sri Guru is an eternal maidservant of Sri Sri Radha Krsna. The original guru-principle is Nityananda-tattva, Sri Nityananda Prabhu. When this Nityananda-tattva descend on earth, became then manifest to us in the person of Sri Gurudev. Nitaicand rappresents thus both the diksa-guru and siksa-guru. After some years with him in Puri, Lord Gaurasundar took him aside and it is said, confidentially asked him to return to Bengal, get married to his eternal consorts who had appeared there and were waiting for him, and preach His mission there in that land. When Lord Nitaicand returned to Bengal, following Sriman Mahaprabhus instructions, He abandoned His avadhuta status and become a householder. He married Jahnava devi and Vasudha, the two daughters of Suryadasa Sarakhel, who was the brother of Gauridasa Pandit (an intimate associate of Sriman Mahaprabhu and the spiritual master of Shyamananda Pandit). Nityananda Prabhu had a son (Virchandara) and a daughter (Gangadevi) from Vasudha. Soon after Vasudha passed away and Jahnava devi looked after his pupils. Soon after Lord Gaurahari´s disappearance, Sri Nityananda Prabhu also wound up His earthly pastimes, by merging into the deity of Krishna, known as Bankim Raya, near Ekacakra village. There is an interesting story about Bankim Raya, who was the younger brother of Nityananda Prabhu. Banka as he was called, used to take care of cultivating the familys farm land in Ekachakra. One day Hadai Pandit, the boys father, engaged many labourers to clear all the weeds and wild bushes from a large patch of land. It was midday and the labours had not yet finished their work. Banka Raya addressed them,It is noon and you must all be hungry. Please return to your homes, take your meal and then come back in the afternoon to finish the job. After they left, Banka Raya himself laboured to clear the patch of land of all weeds and bushes. He collected the weeds and piled them up in a big mound by the time the labourers returned. When they saw what the small boy had done all by himself, they went to Hadai Pandit and said, Your son Banka Raya has alone cleared that huge plot of land. See the big mound of weeds and bushes he has made. Hadai Pandit and many other villagers came to see the miracle. When young Banka Raya saw them coming, he hid himself behind the mound of weeds and disappeared.When they couldnt find him anywhere, Hadai Pandit and his wife Padmavati, were greatly aggrieved and cried aloud. Then they heard an incorporeal voice saying You will not see me again in the same form. On the coming Ekadasi day you will find me floating in the river Yamuna in the form of a wooden deity. (The small river in Ekachakra is named Yamuna).On that Ekadasi day people went there and at the proper time they saw a wooden image floating in the water. Lord Nityananda Himself picked up the deity and installed him. That deity is known as Bankim Raya or Bankim dev and is still there in the village to this day. It is said that Lord Nitaicand merged into this same deity when he disappeared from this world. After Sri Nityananda Prabhus disappearance, Srimati Jahnava Thakurani became the siksa guru to the second generation of goswamis, i.e., Sripada Shyamananda Pandit, Sripada Srinivasa Pandit and Srila Narottama dasa Thakur. Particularly relevant is that Srimati Jahnava Devi became the head initiating guru of the next descendance of Lord Nitai. She initiated Sriman Virchandra and many others distinguished vaisnavas and vaisnavis trough whom our unequal and glorious succession carried on respectively with a vamsa parampara line and a diksa parampara line, till today, spreading the moon´s rays of their mercy to the suffering souls of this world. At present time Prabhupada Sri Nityagopal and Prabhupada Sri Premgopal are the 14 descendants of Lord Nitai, they are living examples of unflinching devotion to Sri Nitaicand, a huge storehouse of divine knowledge and a waterfall of sweet compassion toward all the living beings. For the divine Grace of their holy association the transcendental lilas of Lord Krsna become manifest to our eyes and our life turns in a prema samudra, an ocean of purest love for Sri Radhashyamasundar… All glories all glories to the descendants of Lord Nitai who carries his divine mission and with the plug of Harinam Sankirtan and their graceful glance upon all has delivered the most fallen, drowning them in the highest service to the infinite charming couple Vrajesvari Radhika and Rasaraja kanu..
Posted on: Sun, 21 Sep 2014 16:13:30 +0000
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