Nitai-Pada-Kamala: The Source of Spiritual Strength!!

By: Nandagopal Jivan das

Nityananda Treyodashi is the divine appearance day of Lord Sri Nityananda Prabhu. Nityananda Prabhu is Baladeva, Baladeva- tattva. Srila Narottama Dasa Thakura has sung in one of his songs,

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

“He who formerly was the son of Nanda Maharaja has now appeared as the son of Saci Devi i.e. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Balarama is Nitai- Nityananda Prabhu” So on this most auspicious occasion, we’re trying to serve the lotus feet of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. Without Nitai’s Mercy, no one can get the mercy of Sriman Mahaprabhu.

Our Vedic literatures proclaim nayam atma bala-hinena labhyah: “One cannot understand the absolute truth without bala.” Bala means strength. Strength doesn’t only mean bodily strength. No! The strength- bala- required to understand the Absolute Truth is Spiritual Strength. The difficulty nowadays is that although we’re moving on account of spiritual strength, we’ve no information of spiritual strength. We are thinking of material strength.

That is expressed by Narottama Dasa Thakura’s song:

ahankäre matta hoiyä, nitäi-pada päsariyä,
asatyere satya kori mäni

This misconception is due to ahankära. Lord Krishna explains this in Bhagavad-Gita as: Ahankära-vimüdhätmä kartäham iti manyate [Bg. 3.27].

Under false pretext, false prestige, everyone is thinking that "We are independent. We can find out the solution of the problems of life by material adjustment". That is our material disease. For instance, if we happen to meet a very strong man, very powerful man, very good brain, very good scientist... So where is the strength? The strength is ätmä. As soon as the ätmä, or the soul, goes out of this body, body is nothing. That is the difference between dead man and the living man. As soon as he lies down, he is lying down on the floor, and if you kick him on his face, he'll not protest. So where is that strength? The strength is gone. That is spiritual strength. On the spiritual strength, the body moves.

That spiritual strength is Balaräma. Bala means strength. Therefore we have to take shelter of the lotus feet of Balaräma, guru-tattva.

Balaräma means guru-tattva. Balaräma represents guru. Yasya prasädäd bhagavat-prasädah. If we want to understand Caitanya Mahäprabhu, if we want to understand Krsna, then we must take shelter of Balaräma. Näyam ätmä bala-hinena labhyah. This Vedic injunction means "Without the mercy of Balaräma you cannot understand, you cannot realize your spiritual identification. So that Balaräma comes as Nityänanda Prabhu. Balaräma hailä nitäi. Therefore we must take shelter of Balaräma. We must take shelter of lotus feet of Lord Nityananda. And how They are like? That is sung by Narottama Dasa Thäkura. Nitäi-pada-kamala, koti-candra-sushitala. Below is the purport to the said song by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of ISKCON.

Please sing the following song while you read:

nitai-pada-kamala, koti-chandra-sushitala,
je chayay jagata juray
heno nitai bine bhai, radha-krsna paite nai,
drdha kori' dharo nitair pay

se sambandha nahi ja'r, brtha janma gelo ta'r,
sei pashu boro duracar
nitai na bolilo mukhe, majilo samsara-sukhe,
vidya-kule ki koribe tar

ahankare matta hoiya, nitai-pada pasariya,
asatyere satya kori mani
nitaiyer koruna habe, braje radha-krsna pabe,
dharo nitai-carana du'khani

nitaiyer carana satya, tahara sevaka nitya,
nitai-pada sada koro asa
narotamma boro dukhi, nitai more koro sukhi,
rakho ranga-caranera pasha

Nitai-pada-kamala, koti-candra-sushitala, je chayay jagata juray. Narottama Dasa Thäkura was a great äcärya of the Gaudiya-vaisnava-sampradäya. So here he is singing that "The whole world is suffering under the blazing fire of material existence. Therefore, if one takes the shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Nityänanda...,". So we should relish this instruction of Narottama Dasa Thakura that in order to get relief from the pangs of blazing fire of this material existence, one should take shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Nityänanda because it is as cooling as the moon rays combined together of millions of moons. That means one will immediately find peaceful atmosphere. Just like a man works whole day and if he comes under the moonshine he feels relief. Similarly, any materialistic man who comes under the shelter of Lord Nityänanda will immediately feel that relief.

Then he says,

nitai-pada-kamala, koti-chandra-sushitala,
je chayay jagata juray
heno nitai bine bhai, radha-krsna paite nai,
drdha kori' dharo nitair pay

He says that "If you are anxious to go back to home, back to Godhead, and become associate with Rädhä and Krsna, then the best policy is to take shelter of Nityänanda" Then he says, se sambandha nähi jä'r, brhä janma gelo tä'r: "One who has not been able to contact Nityänanda, then one should think of himself that he has simply spoiled his valuable life.”

Brthä janma gelo, brthä means for nothing, and janma means life. Gelo tä'r, spoiled. Because he has not made connection with Nityänanda. The Nityänanda, very name, suggests... Nitya means eternal. Änanda means pleasure. Material pleasure is not eternal. That is the distinction. Therefore those who are intelligent, they are not interested with this flickering pleasure of material world. Every one of us, as living entity, we are searching after pleasure. But the pleasure which we are seeking, that is flickering, temporary. That is not pleasure. Real pleasure is Nityänanda, eternal pleasure. So anyone who has no contact with Nityänanda, it is to be understood that his life is spoiled.

se sambandha nähi jä'r, brthä janma gelo tä'r,
sei pashu boro duräcär

Narottama Dasa Thäkura says that such human being is an animal, an uncontrollable animal. As there are some animals that cannot be tamed, so anyone who has not contacted Nityänanda, he should be considered as an untamed animal. Sei pashu boro duräcär. Why? Because nitäi nä bolilo mukhe: "He never uttered the holy name of Nityänanda.” And majilo samsära-sukhe, "and become merged into this material happiness,” Vidyä-kule ki koribe tär. "That nonsense does not know that what will his education and family and tradition and nationality will help him?” These things cannot help him. These are all temporary things. Simply, if we want eternal pleasure, we must contact Nityänanda.

Vidyä-kule ki koribe tär. Vidyä means education, and kula means family, nationality. So we may have a very nice family connection or we may have very nice national prestige, but after ending this body, these things will not help me. I'll carry my work with me, and according to that work, I shall have to accept by force another type of body. It may be something other than human body. So these things cannot protect us or give us the real pleasure. Then he says, ahankäre matta hoiyä. "Being maddened after false prestige and identification...” False identification with the body and prestige of bodily relationship, it is called ahankäre matta hoiyä. One is mad after this false prestige. Ahankäre matta hoiyä, nitäi-pada päsariyä. Due to this false prestige we are thinking, "Oh, what is Nityänanda? What can He do for me? I don't care.”

So these are the signs of false prestige. Ahankäre matta hoiyä, nitäi-pada päsariya..., asatyere satya kori mäni. The result is that I am accepting something which is false. For example, I am accepting this body. I am not this body. Therefore, with false identification I am becoming entangled more and more. So one who is puffed up with this false prestige, ahankäre matta hoiyä, nitäi-pada päsariya..., asatyere satya kori mäni, he accepts something wrong as right. Then he says, nitäiyer korunä habe, braje rädhä-krsna päbe. If you are actually serious about going back to home, back to Godhead, then please seek after the mercy of Nityänanda...

nitäiyer korunä habe, braja rädhä-krsna päbe,
dharo nitäi-carana du'khäni

"Please catch up the lotus feet of Nityänanda.” Then he says, nitäiyer carana satya. One may think that as we catch hold of so many shelter, but in this material world later on they prove false, similarly, suppose we catch hold of the lotus feet of Nityänanda; it may also prove false. But Narottama Dasa Thäkura assures that nitäiyer carana satya: "It is not false. Because Nityänanda is eternal, His lotus feet is also eternal.” Tähära sevaka nitya.

And anyone who takes to the service of Nityänanda, they also become eternal. Without being eternal, nobody can serve the eternal. That is the Vedic injunction. Without becoming Brahman, one cannot approach the Supreme Brahman. Just like without being fire, nobody can enter into the fire. Without being water, nobody can enter into the water. Similarly, without being fully spiritualized, nobody can enter into the spiritual kingdom. So, nitäiyer carana satya. If you catch nitäiyer, the lotus feet of Nityänanda, then you become immediately spiritualized. Just like if you touch electricity, immediately you become electrified. That is natural.

Similarly, Nityänanda is eternal happiness, if you touch Nityänanda some way or other, then you become also eternally happy. Tähära sevaka nitya. Therefore one who has in contact with Nityänanda, they have become eternal.

nitäiyer carana satya, tähära sevaka nitya,

Nitäi carana satya, tähära sevaka..., nitäi-pada sadä koro äsä. Therefore we should always expect to be under the shelter of nitäi-pada-kamala. Narottama boro dukhi. Narottama Dsa Thäkura, he is äcärya. He is presenting himself... That is äcärya. Means he is not dukhi, but he's presenting himself as dukhi. That is äcärya. Äcäryas, they are never dukhi. But taking the common man's position, he says, narottama boro dukhi. Or, in other words, Narottama means the best of the human being.

So here in this material world one may be the best of the human being, very exalted position, but everyone is dukhi, unhappy. Narottama boro dukhi, nitäi more koro sukhi: "Only Nityänanda can make me happy. Otherwise not possible.” Rakho ranga-caranera pasha. We shall always pray to Nityänanda Prabhu, "Kindly keep me under your shelter... I am very dukhi; I am very unhappy. Under the shelter of Your lotus feet I shall be happy.” And that is real happiness. Hare Krishna!