Nityananda Trayodasi
Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaj
Bali, Indonesia, February 6, 2001, pm
[Tapana Misra Prabhu sings the following song glorifying Nitai on guitar. Afterwards Srila Gurudeva gives an explanation of the song.]
Dalaler Gita-"The Song of the Broker"
Boro Sukher Khabor Gai)
(from Vaisnava-Siddhanta-Mala by Bhaktivinoda Thakura)
boro sukher khabor gai
surabhi-kunjete namer hat khule'che / khoda nitaiboro mojar katha tay
sraddha-mulye suddha-nama sei hatete bikayjata bhakta-brnda basi'
adhikari dekhe' nama becche daro kasi'jadi nama kinbe, bhai
amar sange calo, mahajaner kache jaitumi kinbe krsna-nama
dasturi loibo ami, purna ha'be kamaboro doyal nityananda
sraddha-matra lo'ye den parama-anandaek-bar dekhle cakse jal
'gaura' bole' nitai den sakala sambalden suddha krsna-siksa
jati, dhana, vidya, bala na kore apeksaamani chade maya-jal
grhe thako, bane thako, na thake janjalar naiko kalir bhoy
acandale den nama nitai doyamoybhaktivinoda daki' koy
nitai-carana bina ar nahi asroy
["I am singing news of the greatest happiness! At the place known as Surabhi Kunja in Sri Navadvipa, the Marketplace of the Holy Name has now been opened-and Lord Nityananda Himself is the Proprietor.
"Such wonderful things are going on in that blissful marketplace! Sri Nityananda Prabhu is selling the pure Holy Name wholesale, merely for the price of one's faith.
"Seeing the assembly of devotees eagerly waiting to purchase the Name, Lord Nityananda first examines each of them to test their qualification; then He sells them the Name by bargaining for His price accordingly.
"O my dear friends! If you really want to buy this pure Holy Name, then just come along with me, for I am now going to meet with this Nityananda Mahajana.
"Thus, you will finally be able to acquire the pure Holy Name. I will also take my due commission, and in this way all three of us will fulfill our desires.
"Sri Nityananda Prabhu is so extraordinarily merciful-accepting only one's faith in the Holy Name, He bestows the topmost divine bliss.
"When Nitai sees a tear welling in someone's eye upon chanting the name of "Gaura!" He instantly gives His support to that person; indeed, He bestows all divine opulences.
"He gives that person genuine realization of the pure teachings of Sri Krishna as found in the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. While displaying all this inconceivable mercy, He pays no attention to one's caste, material wealth, mundane knowledge, or physical ability.
"Now, dear friends, please reject all of maya's entangling snares. If you are a householder, then just remain at your home; if you are renounced, then just live in the forest. Either way, nothing more will trouble you.
"We no longer need to fear the terrible Age of Quarrel, for the most merciful Lord Nityananda gives the Holy Name to anyone and everyone-even to the lowest among men.
"Bhaktivinoda loudly calls out and proclaims to all, "Other than the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda, there is no shelter!"
Srila Gurudeva: I'm telling you a very funny. Funny? [Hindi discussion]
Pundarika Prabhu: Good news.
Srila Gurudeva: I'm telling a happy news. What is that? Gaura Nityananda Prabhu have descended from that Goloka Vrindavana, and a very precious thing They have bought. What They have brought? Oh, jewels and jewels and jewels. What is that jewel? Oh, that jewel is Krishna name-Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.
Though it is very valuable jewels and jewels [They are] bringing from Goloka Vrindavana, but He is giving them without any price. Only sraddha. But if any will give only sraddha. Sraddha means?
Brajanatha Prabhu: Little faith.
Dhrstadyumna Prabhu: Faith.
Srila Gurudeva: Faith, and they will pay to Gaura Nityananda, oh, easily They can give for lives and for lives. And after life you will be happy by these jewels. To distribute these names He's going to each village, each lane, each house, everywhere and calling, "Oh, who will take this jewel from Goloka Vrindavana?" In whole life you will be happy. You can conquer old age and death, sorrow, suffering, everything. And you can go to Goloka Vrindavana, serving Krishna there, and eternally be happy. This is the purport. Now.
Prema-prayjona dasa: Bhaktivinoda Thakura is saying 'dasturi loibo ami, I'm taking some commission.'
Srila Gurudeva: You should tell.
Prema-prayjona dasa: But what is his commission?
Srila Gurudeva: Commission. Oh, that is commission, sraddha. Commission is I will also be happy like you. Commission. I will take commission what? Oh, the service of Krishna.
Today we are observing the birthday of Sri Sri Nityananda Prabhu. The whole mercy of Krishna, and the whole mercy of Radhika, have come in Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So He is more merciful than Radha and Krishna also. Those who are siddha, only they can enter in Radha-Krishna [lila]. But those who are offensive, having so many lust, unwanted things in their heart, they cannot realize Radha and Krishna's mercy, never. But even if offensive like Jagai-Madhai, so many, having so much lust, oh, they are sinking in the ocean of sense gratification, even they will come to Navadvipa dharma, and they will chant 'Gaura Nitai! Gaura Nityananda Prabhu!' very easily. All kinds of five elements, offense, ignorance, suffering, sorrows, all will go very quickly.
Though Krishna is same like Caitanya Mahaprabhu Sacinandana Gaurahari, but here He has taken the beauty and intrinsic mood and mercy of Radhika. So He's more merciful than Krishna and Radhika. In Krishna lila pastime, we see that He killed so many demons. In their, that life they could not realize the mercy of Krishna. After death they realized something, when they were killed and their soul was liberated, then they realized but not in this [while they were alive].
[Prema-prayjona dasa repeats to devotee translating.]
Srila Gurudeva: Very hard.
[Then he addresses Anupama dasi.]
Srila Gurudeva: Can you [translate]? You can try.
[She refuses. Prema-prayjona dasa keeps explaining to translator. After devotee finishes Srila Gurudeva asks Anupama dasi]
Srila Gurudeva: Oh, he's telling ok?
[Anupama dasi nods].
Srila Gurudeva: But Mahaprabhu, by His mercy He liberated Jagai, Madhai and so many. In that very life they realized the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Krishna never gave anyone Braja prema, killing or anyhow To general person He never gave Braja prema, kanta-prema, sakha-prema, vatsalya-prema to them. Only He gave some position and some thing. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu, especially Mahaprabhu, what He did? A miracle. He was going to forest on the way to Vrindavana and the animals, birds, trees, creepers, to whom Caitanya Mahaprabhu looked from a very big distance, from far away, even they received that love and affection and they began to dance and they began rolling down on the earth 'Krishna! Krishna!'
Because really with the mood that 'We will go to this world and give prema', the motive was, mood was like so. That is why They are giving. Krishna and Radha and Baladeva at that time no mood [to give prema]. What [mood]? Only to taste Braja-prema. So He could not give Braja prema to others, those who were sadhaka. But in this Mahaprabhu Caitanya pastimes we see that to whom He looked, He wanted to give highest love and affection. So He gave so many, so many, not only to one or two. Because He has come only for this mood, to give, His object was to give love and affection.
Those who come to Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Has he told?
Prema-prayjona dasa: He didn't finish.
Srila Gurudeva: You know some?
[Translator repeats what he understood, how Mahaprabhu came in the mood to distribute love and affection.]
Srila Gurudeva: Yes.
There is more speciality about Gaura Nityananda. What? In Krishna's pastimes only those who were qualified came to Krishna. Only He can give [to those who were qualified] like to lata. He gave even to lata.
Madhava Maharaja: Creepers.
Srila Gurudeva: Creepers also. What? They began to think that 'we are priyasi of Krishna'. Like taking flowers and they used to become ashamed. So He gave only qualified persons Krishna prema, not to unqualified, not to anyone He gave. But Mahaprabhu, "Oh, you should anyone come. I will give you also a pot and also love and affection. I have an endless ocean of love and affection. So if you will bring. You cannot bring pot." Pot means qualification. "Even I will give you qualification, that pot also, and nectar also." Understand?
[After devotee translates in Balinese, Srila Gurudeva asks one of the western devotees what he had explained.]
Krishna Bhajan Prabhu: You explained the distinction between Sri Krishna's avatara and Mahaprabhu's, Nityananda's avatara. They came for different reasons, different causes. Sri Krishna came to exhibit Vraja lila and also to taste and to experience Braja-lila, whereas Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to distribute freely without qualification to anyone. He also gave the qualification. If they had no qualification, He gave the qualification.
Srila Gurudeva: Yes. This. Krishna did not give like Mahaprabhu. Mahaprabhu gave to all those who came in the eyes of, in front of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He gave them qualification also and that nectar also, both things He gave.
That is why Krishna may be told like 'Prabhu', like Baladeva Prabhu, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu is what? Maha - Prabhu.
Don't think that all these things have been told for Caitanya Mahaprabhu only, but for Nityananda Prabhu also. Jagai and Madhai, they were the associates of Narayana. But what Nityananda Prabhu did? A miracle He did. He gave them supreme. So now they are realizing "Oh, Krishna is so much more than Narayana. Now I have realized this." So they wanted from Narayana, they begged that, "Oh Prabhu, please give me another form also. In Jaya Vijaya we will be with you, Narayana, but we want to be there also to serve Krishna." So they received any other form and they went there.
He gave dasya, but the dasya rasa of Krishna is more superior, mixed with sakhya, so more superior than Jaya-Vijaya. Not Braja gopi-prema
Prema-prayjona dasa: Did they go to Goloka Vrindavana or Braja?
Devotee: They would go to Vrindavana?
Another devotee: They will go to Svetadvipa?
Srila Gurudeva: Very mysterious. [devotees laugh] Very hard to explain Prabhu, very hard. Mahaprabhu is so merciful. We can understand the mercy of Krishna, but it is very hard to understand the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Don't think that only Caitanya Mahaprabhu can give gopi prema. Also Nityananda Prabhu can give. He is guru. He is serving Krishna in vatsalya rasa, sakhya rasa, dasya-rasa, all rasa, especially in His Ananga manjari form, being the younger sister of Radhika, oh, He's serving Krishna and Radha both. That is why He can give, in Ananga-manjari form, even gopi prema. I'm telling for you, all cannot understand, only for you. Something? Little bit you understand? What I told? Go on? What I told that Nityananda Prabhu also can give?
Ratikala dasi: Gopi prema.
Srila Gurudeva: How?
Ratikala dasi: As Ananga manjari.
Srila Gurudeva: Because He's experienced, He's so much?
Ratikala dasi: As Ananga manjari, He is the younger sister of Radhika
Srila Gurudeva: Ha. Sometimes Radhika gives Her seat to Ananga-manjari. She sits on the right side of Krishna, and She makes Ananga-manjari sit on the left side of Krishna.
Madhava Maharaja: Gopinatha.
Srila Gurudeva: Gopinatha meaning Himself Krishna in Vraja.
Madhava Maharaja: Controlled by gopis.
Srila Gurudeva: So He knows all, Nityananda Prabhu is so much expert in all these things. So you should not think that, "Oh, He cannot give." Oh, He might… What Mahaprabhu is not giving, He can give by His mercy. So many like Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, he went to Vrindavana, he took darsana of Vrindavana, he took darsana of Radha Govinda, Radha Gopinatha, Radha Madana. And by His mercy, what They inspired, Gopinatha, oh, he wrote. So we see that without Nityananda Prabhu's mercy we cannot do anything.
[Many guests had come to the program, new to Krishna consciousness. It was hard for them to understand such tattvas as they didn't even know the basics.]
Srila Gurudeva: I will speak all these things in morning class. Better. They will not understand. I'm telling all these very high subject matters.
Dhrstadyumna Prabhu: Better you speak Gurudeva, and then afterwards he can explain.
Srila Gurudeva: Tomorrow I will explain very high subject for you only.
Brajanatha Prabhu: But tomorrow morning you will not speak.
Srila Gurudeva: Yes. Yes. Anyone cannot understand. So better we should do easy subjects, what Nityananda Prabhu gave, and easily. There are so many. They cannot understand all these things. Very easy subject we should speak. What Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu brought and gave. You should stand up, you should speak about Nityananda Prabhu. Very easy language, so that it will be very effective to them. You should all think something. I may tell to all to speak. Especially to you [Anupama dd], in your language you might have to speak. Go on.
[Prema-prayjona dasa starts mangalacarana.]
Srila Gurudeva: For general people.
[Prema-prayjona dasa mentions how today is a special day in Vaisnava calendar, the birthday of Nityananda Prabhu. That Nityananda Prabhu is Supreme Personality of Godhead. He's the first manifestation, non-different from Supreme Lord but has a speciality. He thinks 'I am servant of Supreme Personality of Godhead'. Therefore name Nitya - Ananda, Nityananda. Nitya means eternal, ever lasting, never ending. And ananda means happiness, joyfulness. So in this world everyone is working very hard with one intention. Everyone is trying to find happiness by various means. No one likes to suffer in this world, be upset, or disturbed. Yet automatically without any endeavor sufferings attack us like waves in ocean. Etc. (He speaks for about half an hour.)]
Srila Gurudeva: You should tell Ramacandra Khan.
[Then he speaks Hindi to Madhava Maharaja.]
After that arati, kirtana, and some prasada. My heartily blessings to all.