(7/11) Who Is Nityananda Prabhu?

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, morning class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 7
Translated from Bengali

মূকং করোতি বাচালং পঙ্গুং লঙ্ঘয়তে গিরিম্ ।
যৎকৃপা তমহং বন্দে শ্রীগুরুং দীনতারণম্ ॥

mukam karoti vachalam pangum langhayate girim
yat krpa tam aham vande sri-gurum dina-taranam

‘The dumb can speak, the lame can climb a hill – all it takes is mercy from gurudev.’

(Bhavartha Dipika)

First of all, I am offering my full obeisance at the reddish holy lotus feet of Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, begging him for his causeless mercy. After that, I am offering my obeisance to all guru-varga, to all my God-brothers and sisters, to all the listeners, to all the motherly lady devotees, to all devotees. I am praying to you all for your mercy to this lowly soul.

I am going to read to you what Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur said on the day of Sri Nityananda-trayodasi. Listen carefully. [Clamour in the audience.] What is it? Are you hungry? What is the problem if you skip one meal? Fast for Nitai a little. It is not even one day – it is only a few hours.

Srila Prabhupad spoke this one evening in Yogapith.

আমার প্রভুর প্রভু শ্রীগৌরসুন্দর ।
এ বড় ভরসা চিত্তে ধরি নিরন্তর ॥

amara prabhura prabhu sri-gaurasundara
e bada bharasa chitte dhari nirantara

‘My Master’s Master is Sri Gaurasundar. I always keep this great hope in my heart.’

(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, 1.17.153)

We live in this world surrounded by all sorts of problems, and we cannot place our trust anywhere here. The only hope for us is that Mahaprabhu is Nityananda Prabhu’s Master. Nityananda Prabhu called Mahaprabhu ‘prabhu’ (master), and we have got this Nityananda Prabhu as our Master. Sri Nityananda Prabhu belongs to svayam-prakasa-tattva (the original form of the Lord manifest in the world). The personalities who come as gurus are non-different from the Lord. We sing every morning:

সাক্ষাদ্ধরিত্বেন সমস্ত-শাস্ত্রৈ-
রুক্তস্তথা ভাব্যত এব সদ্ভিঃ ।
কিন্তু প্রভোর্যঃ প্রিয় এব তস্য
বন্দে গুরোঃ শ্রীচরণারবিন্দম্ ॥

saksadd-haritvena samasta-sastrair
uktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih
kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya
vande guroh sri-charanaravindam

‘I offer my obeisance unto the lotus feet of Sri Guru, who is said by all scriptures to be no doubt the Supreme Lord Himself, and considered to be such by pious souls, but who is also no doubt the Lord’s dear associate.’

(Sri Sri Gurvastakam, Srila Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur)

Srila Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur writes, ‘Sri Guru is the Lord Himself.’ The Lord personally comes to this world in the form of a guru or He sends His own associate. We always sing:

এমন দুর্ম্মতি, সংসার-ভিতরে,
পড়িয়া আছিনু আমি ।
তব নিজ-জন, কোন মহাজনে,
পাঠাইয়া দিলে তুমি ॥

emana durmati, samsara bhitare,
padiya achhinu ami
tava nija-jana, kona mahajane,
pathaiya dile tumi

‘I have fallen into this vile material world, but You have sent a great soul, Your associate, to me.’

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

‘O Lord, You have sent Your associate to this world in the form of a guru.’ It is said in the scriptures also,

আচার্য্যং মাং বিজানীয়ান্নাবমন্যেত কর্হিচিৎ ।
ন মর্ত্ত্যবুদ্ধ্যাসূয়েত সর্ব্বদেবময়ো গুরুঃ ॥

acharyam mam vijaniyan, navamanyeta karhichit
na martya buddhyasuyeta, sarva deva-mayo guruh

Sri Krishna said to Uddhav, ‘You should know the bona fide spiritual master as My very Self. Gurudev is the embodiment of all gods. Never dishonour him or find fault in him by ascribing any mundane conception of place, time or circumstances to him.’

(Srimad Bhagavatam, 11.17.27)

‘Know that the acharya (guru) is I myself.’

So, Srila Prabhupad says that Sri Nityananda Prabhu belongs to svayam-prakasa-tattva (He is a manifestation of the original personality of the Lord). Sri Nityananda Prabhu is non-different from Sri Vrajendra-nandan, He is transcendental. As the original form of the Lord, Nityananda Prabhu is both four-armed and two-armed. He resides eternally in Goloka Vrindavan. Nityananda is non-different from Baladev, a manifestation of the original Lord (Narayan and others).

We were singing yesterday in one of the kirtans, ‘Balarama haila Nitai. Vrajer Balai Nitai haila, Vrajer Kanai Gaura haila. In Kali-yuga, Balaram became Nitai: Balai from Vraja became Nitai, and Kanai from Vraja became Gaura.’ So, Balaram is non-different from Nityananda Prabhu.

এক ‘মহাপ্রভু’ আর ‘প্রভু’—দুইজন ।
দুই প্রভু সেবে মহাপ্রভুর চরণ ॥

eka ‘mahaprabhu’ ara ‘prabhu’—dui-jana
dui prabhu seve mahaprabhura charana

‘There is one Supreme Master (maha-prabhu, Sri Gaurasundar) and two Masters (prabhus, Nityananda Prabhu and Advaita Prabhu). Both Masters serve the holy feet of the Supreme Master.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 1.7.14)

Sriman Mahaprabhu is the one person, but it is said in the Vedas, ‘He is One, yet there is a Second.’ In other words, there is Gaurasundar, the original personality of Godhead, and there is also His personal expansion, Sri Nityananda Prabhu. So, Sri Nityananda Prabhu is both Sriman Mahaprabhu’s dearmost associate and the Lord Himself. Personal expansions of the Lord manifest Themselves in various persons and in various places and become known as an ‘acharya.’ That is why it is said that jiva souls can get benefit if they realise that Sri Gurupadpadma is a worshippable manifestation of the Supreme Lord. In other words, we must understand that the guru is non-different from the Lord. The Lord assumes a Deity form (vigraha), and there is also a manifest form (prakasa-vigraha). This manifest form of the Lord, which is easily accessible for all jiva souls, is Sri Gurudev, or Sri Nityananda Prabhu. One must never feel spiteful or envious towards the guru. Lust, anger, greed, madness and illusion are the five enemies that live all together within spite, or envy. Envy is created when the power of these enemies (lust and others) increases. Those who have much lust, who have a very strong hankering for power, are envious and feel pain to see others’ fortune or success…

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Length: 67 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Supremely Worshippable Day
2) Do Not Pass Your Life in Vain
3) Cleanliness Is Next to Godliness
4) Meaning of Discipleship
5) Ask Yourself, "Am I Practising?"
6) Become Pure
7) Who Is Nityananda Prabhu?
8) How and When?
9) Scattered Heart
10) Learn the Truth
11) What Do You Need?