Sri Nityananda Trayodashi (Sri Nityananda’s Appearance Day)

Lord Nityananda Prabhu’s Lecture on the Release Day
By A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Bhubaneswar, February 2, 1977

Prabhupada: So today, on the day of Nityananda Prabhu’s appearance… Nityananda Prabhu is Baladeva, Baladeva-tattva.

vrajendra-nandana yei, saci-suta haila sei, balarama haila nitai

“He who was once the son of Nanda Maharaja has appeared as the son of Sachidevi.” Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mother’s name was Sachidevi. So Krishna… Krishna is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and Balarama is Nityananda Prabhu.

vrajendra-nandana yei, saci-suta haila sei, balarama haila nitai

So Balarama… In the Vedic literature it is said, nayam atma bala-hinena labhyah; well bahuna srutena. So Bala means strength. Sometimes some villainous philosophers assume that bala means physical strength. They propagate this philosophy: “If you are not physically strong and vigorous, you cannot attain spiritual salvation. You must be very strong and vigorous, eat meat and fight, and then you will attain the next spiritual birth.” This is spiritual strength.
The difficulty of the current situation is that we move based on the spiritual power, but they have no information about the spiritual power. You think about material power. This is what is expressed here…….

ahankare matta hoiya, nitai-pada pasariya, asatyere satya kori mani

This is the merit of Ahankara. Ahankara-vimudhatma kartaham iti manyate. Those who are vimudha, especially villains… Mudha, crooks, and vi means visesha, viseshanam, especially. Ahankara-vimudhatma. The same thing that is said in Bhagavad Gita, Narottama dasa Thakura says in a simple Bengali language. Ahankare matta haiya, nitai-pada… By the magic of maya-ahankara-vimudhatma kartaham iti manyate- they think that “we are independent. We can do whatever we want.” This is called ahankara-vimudhatma. Under false pretenses, with false prestige, everyone thinks: “We are independent. We can find out the solution to life’s problems through material adaptation,” and so on and so forth. So this is our material illness. Ahankara vimudhatma. They are confused and do not understand that the true strength is spiritual strength. We see every day that a very strong man, a very powerful man, a very good brain, a very good scientist… So where does the strength lie? The strength is atma. Once the Atma, the soul, leaves this body, everything that is so intelligent and strong becomes nothing. That is the difference between a dead person and a living person. A living person is very powerful, has a very good position and everything.

Once he lies down dead, he’ll be on the ground, and if you kick him in the face he won’t protest. So where did the strength go? The power is gone. This is the spiritual power. The body moves on the basis of spiritual power. Suppose you have a very good car, a Mercedes or a Rolls Royce. But how is the car supposed to move if it doesn’t have gas? This is not possible. There is a ghost, a gasoline ghost. Similarly, true strength is spiritual strength. This spiritual strength is Balarama. Bala means strength. Therefore, we must take shelter from the lotus feet of Balarama, guru-tattva.

Balarama means guru-tattva. Balarama represents the guru. Yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah. If we want to understand Caitanya Mahaprabhu, that is, if we want to understand Krishna, then we have to take refuge in Balarama (Nityananda). Nayam atma bala-hinena labhyah. This bala-hinena labhyah, this Vedic instruction, means: “Without the grace of Balarama you cannot understand, you cannot realize your spiritual identity. So this Balarama comes as Nityananda Prabhu. Balarama haila nitai. Therefore we have to take refuge in Balarama . This is… This song was sung by Narottama dasa Thakura. Nitai-pada-kamala, koti-Chandra-susitala. When we take refuge in Nityananda Prabhu, then we get peace. Koti-Chandra-susitala. Just like we do during the day , especially in summer, are very upset (because it is too hot). But at night, in the evening, as soon as there is moonlight, we become very content. The toil and tiredness of the day is then immediately forgotten. This is how nitai-pada is -kamala, the shadow of Nityananda Prabhu’s lotus feet, koti-Chandra-susitala, as pleasant as a quintal of moonshine. The moonshine gives us so much joy. So if we really want peace of mind, if we really want to be free from this material fatigue, then we must accept the protection of Nityananda Prabhu.

Nityananda Prabhu is the power, the spiritual power. And without spiritual power you cannot approach Krishna. Nayam atma pravaca… Just by talking nonsense… Nayam atma pravacanena labhyah. Just because you’re a good speaker doesn’t mean you understand. Na medhaya: “Not even through a good brain.” Because you have a very good brain, you will understand Krishna – no. Nayam atma pravacanena labhyo na medhaya na bahuna srutena. If you think that you are a very good scholar, have a university degree, then you will understand – no. This is not possible.
So we must have spiritual strength. This source of spiritual strength is Balarama, Krishna’s next manifestation, prakasavigraha. Krishna manifests himself through Balarama. So we have to seek protection from Nityananda Prabhu.

nitai-pada-kamala, koti-Chandra-susitala, je chayay jagata juray

The whole world is suffering, but if you want peace then you take the protection of Nityananda Prabhu.

heno nitai bine bhai, radha-krishna paite nai dhridha kori’ dharo nitair pay

Our true goal in life – to go back home, back to God and connect with Radha Krishna. In another song the same author says,

manushya-janama paiya, radha-krishna na bhajiya, janiya suniya bisha khainu

Unless you come to Radha-Krishna (Deity), you cannot have real joy. If you want to dance and have fun, don’t dance independently. Dance with Krishna. Then you will be happy. The dancing is there, but dancing without the connection to Krishna… Just like we eat here in our temple, but we eat the leftover food (prasadam) that Krishna left behind. This is true pleasure. It’s not that we stop eating. We don’t stop eating. We are not dry philosophers. Krishna baro doyamoy, koribare jihwa jay, swa-prasad-anna dilo bhai. All over the world we eat Krishna prasadam and we have had good experiences. At least ten thousand men and women consume Krishna Prasadam, but we are not afraid. We’re not scared. A family consists of a few members. They are full of worries about how they can support the family. And we maintain a family of ten thousand men. We are not worried. Just look practically. We have no worries. We need thousands and thousands of euros to maintain Europe and America – a costly affair. But because we are under the protection of Nityananda Prabhu, Balarama, we have no worries. This means that material life means unrest. One cannot avoid fear when living a material life. Then you will be afraid.

This is the teaching of Prahlada Maharaja. He was asked by his father: “My dear son, what have you learned, what is the best thing you have learned from your teachers?” And he answered, “My dear father…” He never said, “My dear father”; he said: “My dear best of the Asuras.” Asura- varya. Tat sadhu manye ‘sura-varya dehinam. Tat sadhu manye ‘sura-varya dehinam sada samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat. The whole human society is suffering, at least it is suffering from one disease – fear. Ask anyone. Take a small ant and a big elephant, take the President of the United States or a street beggar. Ask him, “Are you free from fears?” Nobody will say: “No.” “I’m full of fear.” That’s a fact. So why are they afraid, full of fear? Prahlada Maharaja had replied: sada samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat. Because we have taken asad-vastu, that will not exist…

Everything you have… Ours, this body will not exist forever. And this is the main platform of our existence. In the material world, as long as the body is there, one exists. So Prahlada Maharaja said, “The real solution to the problems of life is to get out of this material condition. That, in my opinion, is the best solution.” Sada samadvigna-dhiyam asad… This is also a Vedic instruction. Asato ma sad gamaya: “Do not live in this asat, in this material state.” Sad gamaya: “Go to true existence.” This true existence means spiritual life. Na hanyate hanyamane saree. So if we really want to live, a blissful life, then we have to come out of this material existence. This is the instruction of Prahlada Maharaja. Samudvigna dhiyam. And if you remain in material existence, you have to suffer fears. There is no excuse.

So Prahlada Maharaja advises: hitvatma-ghatam griham andha-kupam vanam gato yad dharim asrayeta. If you… The real problem is fear. And this fear will continue as long as you materially exist. Therefore, real life is to come out of this matter… Hitvatma-ghatam. Atma ghatam. Atma-ghatam means killing the soul. This material civilization kills the soul. This… They have no information about the soul. They don’t know how to become peaceful, how to become blissful. They try to be peaceful, bahir-artha-maninah, through external material energy (material progress). They think that if they build big, big buildings, like in Bhubaneswar, and if they have good, very big roads and cars, then that is an advance of civilization. No, this is not civilizational progress… This only increases their fear. There is no solution to the fears. There is… It used to be… I said it… There was no university. The university was in the hut of Vyasadeva (the author of the Vedas). Vyasadeva wrote the Srimad-Bhagavatam and all the Puranas in a hut. The university was there. Who can produce such literature as Vyasadeva gave? From every point of view, from a literary point of view, from a philosophical point of view – everything, so perfect, every literature, Mahabharata, Puranas and Vedanta.

Veda-vyasa, he gave it. So there was no need for a university. A clear brain was required. This should be achieved through Brahminical qualification, samo damo titiksha arjava, jnanam-vijnanam astikyam brahma-karma svabhava… Where is this training? This training, technical training, how to hammer very beautifully, that will not solve the problem. So if we want a real solution to the problems, then it is our duty to first and foremost accept the protection of nitai-pada-kamala. Then we will be happy, and we will get moonlight, and all our weariness (from the extreme summer heat of materialism) will disappear.

Sambandha nahi jar, britha janma gelo tar. So if you have no connection to Nityananda Prabhu… Nityananda means always. Nitya means eternal, ananda means joy. This is another meaning you can draw. So if you don’t have any connection with Nityananda Prabhu… Se tar: “He’s just wasting time.” Britha means useless. Useless, he wastes time. Se pasu boro duracar. And Narottama dasa Thakura used a very strong word. “Anyone who has no connection with Nityananda Prabhu is a pasu.” Be pasu. He is a pasu, which means animal. So animal, how can an animal achieve happiness? This is not possible. The dog, from childhood he looks for food, looks for food. And he can’t get any food. If a dog does not have a master, it is a street dog and is always unhappy. So it is better to become a dog of Nityananda Prabhu. Then we will be happy. Instead of becoming the dog of so many other people… Everyone is a dog. Everyone seeks to serve a master. But none of them are satisfied because it is a false master. You take the real master, Nityananda Prabhu. Then you will be happy. Se pasu boro duracar. He doesn’t know where happiness is. Where should I become a dog? The…
Our Bhaktivinoda Thakura, he sang…

vaisnava thakur, tomara kukkur, boliya janaha more

“My dear Vaishnava Thakura, please accept me as your dog, as your dog. I am already a dog, but I am the dog of Maya. I am not the dog of a Vaishnava. So please accept me.” If you become a Vaishnava’s dog… Chadiya vaishnava seva, nistar paiche keba. Unless you become a dog of a Vaishnava and Nityananda Prabhu… Nityananda is guru. So unless you become a Nityananda Prabhu, Vaishnava or guru dog, there is no question of happiness. Se sambandha nahi yar, britha janma solved… se pasu boro duracar. Nitai na bolilo mukhe, majila samsara-sukhe. Whoever has no connection with Nityananda Prabhu and does not say: “Jaya Nitai! Jaya Gaura!” And majilo samsara-sukhe, he thinks that this society, family, and… “company, friendship and love, are divinely bestowed on man.” These materialistic people also say the same. This is called majilo samsara sukhe. There can be no sukha in samsara, but he is attracted to it. Majilo samsara sukhe. Vidya-kule ki koribe tar. What are we going to do with a university education or being born into a big family or… That won’t help. This is not possible. Vidya-kule ki karibe tar. Why do they assume this falsehood? Ahankare matta hoiya, nitai-pada pasariya, asatyere satya kori mani. Because we have been misled by false prestige and false egoism, asatyere satya kori mani, we accept this body which is asat, which will not exist. We accepted that as reality.

Ahankare matta hoiya, nitai pada pasariya. But if we take refuge/protection with Nityananda Prabhu, then you get enlightenment. Asatyere satya kori mani. Nitaiyer koruna habe, braje radha-krishna pabe, dharo nitai-carana du’khani.

Therefore, Narottama dasa Thakura advises that… Today is the day of Nityananda Prabhu’s avirbhava appearance. Today let us at least think of nitai-pada-kamala. That is desired. Nitai carana satya, tahara sevaka nitya. The reality is nitai-carana, and anyone who is servant of Nitai… So nitaiyer carana satya, tahara sevaka nitya. Whoever becomes the dog of Nityananda Prabhu gets his eternal life. We are eternal, but under the delusion of material identification that moves from one body to another. And that is not good, we are under the bondage of maya. Bhutva bhutva praliyate. Tatha dehantara… It’s very annoying but they don’t know. I guarantee which body. They have no science, no knowledge of understanding tatha dehantara, the very first instruction of Bhagavad-gita. They are such villains and they are proud of their education, their universities. This is how it continues.

Nitai carana satya, tahara sevaka…, nitai-pada sada koro asa. Therefore, we should always expect to be under the protection of nitai-pada-kamala. Narottama boro duhkhi. Narottama dasa Thakura, he is Acharya. He represents himself… This is Acharya. That is, he is not duhkhi, but he presents himself as duhkhi. This is Acharya. Acharyas are never duhkhi. But if you take the position of the common man, he says: narottama boro duhkhi. Or, in other words, Narottama… Narottama means the best of man. Here in this material world you may be the best person, in a very exalted position, but everyone is duhki, unhappy. Narottama boro duhki, nitai more koro sukhi: “Only Nityananda can make me happy. Otherwise it is not possible.” Rakho ranga-caranera pasa. So today is the appearance day of Nityananda Prabhu. We will always pray to Nityananda Prabhu: “Please keep me under your protection so that… I am very duhki; I am very unhappy. Under the protection of your lotus feet I will be happy.” And that is true happiness. Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Srila Prabhupada! (End)