SRI CAITANYA BHAGAVATA

          Madhya Lila Chapter 4


          All glories to Lord Gauracandra, the life and soul of all the living entities! May my memories constantly embrace His lotus feet.

          Within His heart Lord Nityananda was certain that this Lord Visvambhara who stood before Him was none other than His beloved Supreme Lord. Overwhelmed with bliss, Lord Nityananda Prabhu was unable to move, He stared unblinking at the beautiful face of the Lord.

          With His tongue He wanted to taste the Lord's beauty and drink it with His eyes. He wanted to embrace Him with His hands and smell His fragrance with His nose. To everyone's amazement, Lord Nityananda stood speechless, completely enchanted by the Lord's beauty.

          Lord Gauracandra is the Supersoul in everyone's heart, therefore He knew Lord Nityananda's heart. Thus, He was planning a means by which to reveal Himself to Lord Nityananda.

          The Lord indicated to Srivasa Pandita to recite a verse from the Srimad Bhagavatam. Srivasa understood, and immediately recited a sloka describing the beauty of Krsna, "At that time Krsna, dressed as a dancer, stepped into the forest of Vrndavana. A peacock feather was stuck in His crown, His ears were decorated with graceful drooping yellow earrings, His golden yellow dress glistened and He was wearing the Vijyanti jewel around His neck.

          "That land which carried the impression of His lotus feet, marked with the signs of the conchshell, disc, etc., is Vrndavana, His place of transcen- dental pastimes. He touched the flute to His lips and playing on it, filled it with His nectarean saliva. At the same moment His cowherd boyfriends were describing His beauty."

          As soon as Nityananda Prabhu heard this verse He fell down unconscious. While Lord Nityananda lay in ecstatic bliss, Lord Caitanya advised Srivasa Pandita, "Read on, read on."

          After sometime Lord Nityananda Prabhu regained His external consciousness and began crying tears of joy. The more He heard the verses the more it increased His mad love for Krsna. His ecstatic roaring filled the universe and pierced through the covering of this material world. Lord Nityananda jumped down, crashing to the ground, and everyone thought that the bones of His body were smashed.

          Seeing this, the Vaisnavas became very afraid and loudly uttered, "Krsna, please save Him! Krsna please save Him!"

          Lord Nityananda rolled on the ground, His body covered with tears of love. Long and frequent sighs escaped His mouth as He looked deep into Lord Visvambhara's face. Lord Nityananda felt great ecstasy, and often He laughed out loud. Sometimes He jumped and danced; sometimes He wrestled; and other times He hung His head quietly.

          Lord Gauracandra and all the devotees began to cry in joy, seeing such total absorption and madness in love of Krsna. It became impossible for the Vaisnavas to hold Nityananda Prabhu still. When the devotees failed, Lord Visvambhara held Nityananda Prabhu in an embrace. As soon as Lord Nityananda was embraced by Caitanya He immediately became still. The Lord to whom He was totally surrendered, now embraced Him! So Nityananda Prabhu allowed Himself to be held without endeavor.

          Lord Caitanya flooded Lord Nityananda with ecstatic tears of love. Lord Nityananda Prabhu was afflicted by the arrow of ecstatic love of God; and Lord Caitanya held Him just as Lord Ramacandra had held Laksmana when He lay unconscious, drained of all strength. Both Lord Nityananda and Lord Caitanya wept, overwhelmed with joy.

          The intensity of love between Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda Prabhu can be properly described only by the example of the loving relationship between Lord Ramacandra and Laksmana.

          When Lord Nityananda came out of His ecstatic trance, all the devotees began loudly chanting Lord Hari's name. Visvambhara was embracing Nityananda Prabhu, and Gadadhara Pandita smiled, thinking how Their Lordship's roles had changed. He thought, "Lord Nityananda Prabhu, as Ananta Sesa, renders service to Lord Visvambhara by becoming the bed on which Lord Narayana always rests. But today His pride as a servitor has been broken, and He lies in Lord Visvambhara's embrace."

          Gadadhara Pandita was well aware of Lord Nityananda's potencies; and the Supreme Lord Nityananda Prabhu knew the innermost thoughts of Gadadhara Pandita. All the devotees were jubilant on meeting Lord Nityananda, and their minds were steeped in thoughts of Him.

          The ecstasy that Lord Visvambhara and Lord Nityananda experienced in meeting each other was impossible to be expressed through words, but it found expression in the continuous tears of joy from Their eyes that drenched the earth. Lord Visvambhara said, "This is the most glorious day in My life. Today I have seen the embodiment of loving devotion to the Supreme Lord, which is the essence of all the four Vedas. Such intensity of ecstasy is only capable of being manifested by the Supreme Lord Himself.

          "Those fortunate souls who were able to see His loving devotional symptoms will never be rejected by Lord Krsna. Now, I understand that You, Lord Nityananda, are the full fledged manifestation of the Lord's energy. You are nondifferent from Him. The living entities can get loving devotional service at the lotus feet of Krsna simply by worshiping You.

          "You purify the entire cosmic manifestation and Your transcendental nature is inconceivable, incomprehensible, and esoteric. You are the personification of the highest ecstatic love of God. Even a moment's association with You can dissolve millions and millions of sins. I can understand that Lord Krsna intends to purify and redeem Me by giving Me Your association. It is my great fortune that I was able to see Your lotus feet. And I know that if I worship Your lotus feet, then I will surely receive love of Krsna."

          Unaware of the passing of time, Lord Gaurasundara was totally absorbed in glorifying Lord Nityananda Prabhu. Lord Nityananda and Lord Caitanya had endless exchanges, but they were very confidential, so They conversed in signs. The Lord then asked Nityananda Prabhu, "I am hesitant to ask You from which direction You came." Lord Nityananda was always absorbed, and He spoke like an innocent, restless child.

          He understood that Lord Caitanya had descended to this material world; thus when He replied, He did so with folded hands and great humility. He had felt very ashamed and shy when Lord Visvambhara was glorifying Him, and so through gestures, words and indications He explained everything in detail.

          Lord Nityananda Prabhu said, "I extensively toured all places of pilgrimage, but I could see only the place and not Krsna, the Supreme Lord. I asked some good people why their altars were standing empty. 'I do not see Him in His own place,' I said. 'Where is Krsna? Where did He go?' They all replied, 'Krsna has gone to Gaudadesa, Bengal. He was in Gaya recently, and not so long ago He returned back to Bengal.' When I came to Nadia I was greeted by jubilant chanting of the Lord's holy name, and someone told me that Lord Narayana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, had appeared here. I heard that in Nadia even the most wretched fallen souls can get liberation. Thus being such an abominable wretch, I have come here."

          Lord Visvambhara replied, "We are most fortunate that a devotee such as Yourself is amongst us now. And we are very grateful to the Lord that today we have seen Your ecstatic tears of love of God."

          Murari Gupta smiled and said, "The confidential discussions between Lord Nityananda and Lord Visvambhara are incomprehensible to us." Srivasa Pandita said, "How can we understand all this? Their intimate exchanges are like Lord Hari's with Lord Siva, as they worshiped each other and increased the amazement of everyone."

          Gadadhara Pandita said, "You are quite right, Pandita. They seem to be exactly like Lord Ramacandra and Laksmana." Another Vaisnava said, "They look as if They are two Cupids." Someone else said, "They are Lord Balarama and Lord Krsna." Someone else said, "I don't have much knowledge, but from what I have seen it appears that Lord Krsna has taken Lord Ananta Sesa in His arms." Someone else commented, "They are like two friends. Their loving affectionate exchange is just like the relationship between Krsna and Arjuna."

          Some others were saying, "They have such intimate association with each other that we cannot understand it; and they are talking only in signs." Thus, the devotees expressed their joy at having Lord Nityananda amongst them, giving their different opinions.

          Lord Nityananda Prabhu serves Lord Caitanya in every way - sometimes as a friend, sometimes as His umbrella, His bed, or as His carrier. All these services can be rendered by Lord Nityananda alone. He serves Lord Caitanya according to His own sweet desires. Others can also become eligible to serve the Lord, but only by the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu.

          Lord Nityananda Prabhu's glories are unlimited. No one can fully know Him. Even Lord Sesa who is a great yogi, a pure devotee, and Himself a controller in this material energy, cannot fully fathom the limits of Lord Nityananda's transcendental nature.

          If one criticizes or offends Lord Nityananda Prabhu without knowing about all of His wonderful attributes, then although He is constitutionally an eternal servant of Krsna, he becomes forever rejected from the path of devotional service.

          Lord Nityananda is the object of Lord Caitanya's complete love, and it is my heart's desire that that same Lord Nityananda reside in my heart as my most beloved Lord and Master. By His grace I have developed attachment and attraction for Lord Caitanya. It is by His order that I write these wonderful pastimes of Lord Caitanya.

          As there is no difference between Raghunatha, Lord Ramacandra, Yadunatha, and Lord Dwarakadisa; in the same way Lord Nityananda is nondifferent from Lord Krsna, or Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

          One who desires to cross over this ocean of nescience and drown in the nectarine waters of love of Godhead, must take shelter of the lotus feet of Nitaicandra.

          Whoever sings and glorifies this wonderful pastime will be blessed by Lord Visvambhara, along with his entire family. Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the most beloved object of everyone's love. The name of Lord Visvambhara is extremely rare and precious.

          Sri Krsna Caitanya and Sri Nityananda Prabhu are my life and soul.

          I, Vrndavana dasa, humbly offer this song at Their lotus feet.

          Next Chapter