Sri Nityananda Prabhu's Glory (2)

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 23 February 2021, part 10
Translated from Bengali

You know, Srila Narottam Das Thakur was a B.A. according to the standards of his time. He was determined to take initiation from Srila Lokanath Das Goswami, but Srila Lokanath Das Goswami said he would not give initiation to anyone. Still, Srila Narottam Das Thakur promised to himself, "I will not give up until I have got initiation from him. He will be my guru!" How did he get initiation?

Srila Lokanath Das Goswami was sitting in some place chanting the Holy Name, and he would go to some place in a forest (garden) every day to pass stool. Srila Narottam Das Thakur would go there and clean the place with a spade—he would come and put some fresh soil on top. He kept that part of the forest clean in this way. Eventually, Srila Lokanath Das Goswami noticed, "I have been passing stool here for many days, where does it all go? Who buries my stool?" Later, when he got to know that Srila Narottam Das Thakur had been doing it, he was touched and felt he was bound to give him initiation.

His name was "Narottam"—you must not just keep a name, you must become what that name embodies. Narottam means the highest (uttama) among men (nara).

This is how Srila Narottam Das Thakur received initiation from Srila Lokanath Das Goswami. Many do not know about it, that is why I am telling about it. His guru accepted a very small service from him—he cleaned his guru's stool. It is the lowest service, but everybody knows him now—his name is known to everyone. Moreover, if Srila Narottam Das Thakur had not preached, who would have known about Srila Lokanath Das Goswami? Because Srila Narottam Das Thakur took initiation from him, everyone now know about Srila Lokanath Das Goswami. We must understand these things.

So, I began speaking about how Sriman Nityananda Prabhu bestowed His mercy on Srila Raghunath Das Goswami. Srila Raghunath Das Goswami was married to a beautiful as an angel wife, but he was indifferent to her.

Mahaprabhu told him, "Go back to your home, do not become crazy. Do not show monkey renunciation to impress others. Live comfortably, but without attachment."

মর্কট-বৈরাগ্য না কর লোক দেখাঞা ।
যথাযোগ্য বিষয় ভুঞ্জ' অনাসক্ত হঞা ॥

markata-vairagya na kara loka dekhana
yatha-yogya visaya bhunja' anasakta hana

"Do not show your false renunciation to people. Serve accepting material things, but without attachment."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 16.238)

Srila Raghunath Das Goswami asked, "Prabhu, then how will I ever come to You?" Mahaprabhu replied, "If Krishna wants to give His mercy to you, then who can stop you?"

সে ছল সেকালে কৃষ্ণ স্ফুরাবে তোমারে ।
কৃষ্ণকৃপা যাঁরে, তাঁরে কে রাখিতে পারে ॥

se chhala se-kale krsna sphurabe tomare
krsna-krpa yanre, tanre ke rakhite pare

"Krishna will reveal to you how you can come. Who can stop the one who has got mercy of Krishna?"

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 16.241)

Nobody can stop you. Even if you have a beautiful as an angel wife, He can still keep you as a brahmachari!

One day, Srila Raghunath Das Goswami came to his father and asked, "Father, I hear Sri Nityananda Prabhu has come to Panihati, I want to go there." His father gave him permission, and Srila Raghunath Das Goswami took a horse and rode away to Panihati. In the meantime, Sri Nityananda Prabhu was resting under a tree. Seeing the Lord from afar, Srila Raghunath Das Goswami got off his horse and walked to the Lord. When he came closer, Nityananda Prabhu said, "Come, thief. Come to Me!"

Why did Nityananda Prabhu call him a thief? Because he was trying to foolishly bypass the right channel (goda dingiye ghas kayoya, ঘোড়া ডিঙিয়ে ঘাস খাওয়া; lit. jump over the goda [raised platform for cows to stand while eating grass] to eat grass). Lord Nityananda Prabhu said, "You went to get the mercy of Mahaprabhu bypassing Me! That is why you could not come to Him." It is impossible to get mercy without Nityananda Prabhu. That is why, Nityananda prabhu called Raghunath Das Goswami a thief—he had crossed Nityananda Prabhu. This is the same as worshipping Gauranga bypassing the Guru. "Guru bade Gauranga bhaje, sei papi raurave pade majhe (the sinner who worships Gauranga without the Guru will fall into a terrible hell)." Many worship Gauranga bypassing the Guru, but Nityananda Prabhu said that this was thievery. He, "Come here, thief! I will punish you today!" What punishment was it? He said, "Feed all the Vaishnavs who are here with flat rice and yoghurt!" It happened in May-June, which is a season of mangoes and jackfruits, so different fruit was also supplied for the festival. This festival arranged by Srila Raghunath Das Goswami became famous as a flat-rice festival, and in our language it is a 'danda-mahotsav'—Sri Nityananda Prabhu gave 'punishment' (danda) to Srila Raghunath Das Goswami Prabhu. Nityananda Prabhu gave him this service to arrange a 'punishment' festival.

Srila Raghunath Das Goswami Prabhu arranged the festival, and so many people came that day to take prasadam that some had to actually stand in the Ganges and take prasadam standing up to their neck in the water. There were so many people that day, and to this day this festival is attended by a large crowd of people, some people still take prasadam standing in the water. We go there every year, only last year we could not—I went there on that day, there was nobody there, only the police were guarding the place. I came there by car with one-two devotees because I had been coming there every year, but last year I could not come, so I only went there to offer my obeisance.

When the festival finished, Srila Raghunath Das Goswami paid a full obeisance to Sri Nityananda Prabhu asking the Lord for His mercy, and Sri Nityananda Prabhu put His feet on his head and said, "Now you can go! You have got your mercy." A few months later, it came to Durga Puja time, and there was a big festival at his house. I have just told you—if Krishna gives His mercy to somebody, nobody can bind them. So, when it came to Durga Puja time, the Lord created an illusion and Srila Raghunath Das Goswami got a chance to leave together with a family's friend.

Running away from home, Srila Raghunath Das Goswami Prabhu went to Puri and met with Mahaprabhu. You will be astonished to hear how he lived and practised spiritual life when in Puri. A landowner's son sleeping on a nice bed, but he walked for twelve days on foot to Puri. During these twelve days, he ate rice only three times. Where did he sleep? He slept in cowsheds. Leaving everything as stool and urine, he came to Mahaprabhu. Mahaprabhu welcomed him and said, "From today, you will serve Svarup Damodar, and your name will be Svarup's Raghu."

Some time later, Mahaprabhu disappeared, Svarup Damodar disappeared, and Srila Raghunath Das Goswami promised himself, "I will jump from Govardhan and commit suicide!" He went to Vrindavan to do it, but when he met Srila Rupa Goswami and Srila Sanatan Goswami, Srila Sanatan Goswami explained to him, "I also thought of committing suicide once, but Prabhu told me, 'Are you not ashamed of yourself? How can you destroy My body—your body is Mine!

দীক্ষাকালে ভক্ত করে আত্মসমর্পণ ।
সেইকালে কৃষ্ণ তারে করে আত্মসম ॥

diksa-kale bhakta kare atma-samarpana
sei-kale krsna tare kare atma-sama

"At the time of initiation, when a devotee fully surrenders unto the service of the Lord, Krishna accepts them as His very own."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 4.192)

"'When you took initiation, you surrendered to Me, you gave everything—your heart, your mind, etc.—to your Guru! So, this body is not yours, it is My body! I will use it, and it My matter how I will use it.'"

Have we got there yet? Do we have such surrender? We think, "This is my body," but this body is Gurudev's. Gurudev gave me initiation, so this body is now his—I will do whatever Gurudev wants me to do. But we are not like that. We have not got there yet; we do what our minds wants. Always remember this.

So, Srila Rupa Goswami and Srila Sanatan Goswami explained this to Srila Raghunath Das Goswami, and Srila Raghunath Das Goswami changed his mind. After that, Srila Raghunath Das Goswami stayed in Vrindavan and composed many books, etc. He was a recipient of Nityananda Prabhu's mercy...

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