Faith in Lord Nityananda
(from Prarthana)
By Srila Narottama das Thakura
Click here to listen to Srila Prabhupada sing Sri Nityananda-Nistha (mp3).
Prabhupada: This is a song by Narottama das Thakura, a great acarya of this Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya. He has written many songs about the Vaisnava philosophy and they are approved as completely corresponding with Vedic instructions. So here Narottama das Thakura is singing that the whole world is suffering under the blazing fire of material existence. Therefore, one should take shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda, because it is as cooling as the moon rays combined together of millions of moons. That means one will immediately find a peaceful atmosphere, just like a man works the whole day, if he comes under the moonshine, he feels relief. Similarly, any materialistic man who comes under the shelter of Lord Nityananda will immediately feel that relief. Then he says: nitai pada kamala, koti candra susitala, ye chayay jagat judaya, hena nitai vine bai, radha-krsna paite nai. He says that if you are anxious to go back to home, back to Godhead, and become associated with Radha and Krishna, then the best policy is to take shelter of Nityananda. Then he says: se sambandha nahi yara, brtha janma gela tara. One who has not been able to contact Nityananda, then one should think of himself, that he has simply spoiled his valuable life. Brtha janma gela… brtha means for nothing and janma means life. Gela tara... spoiled. Because he has not made connection with Nityananda.
Nityananda, the very name suggests… nitya means eternal, ananda 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 the 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 Nityananda, eternal bliss. So anyone who has no contact with Nityananda, it is to be understood that his life is spoiled. Se sambandha nahi yara brtha janma gela tara, sei pasu bada duracara. Narottama das Thakura uses here a very harsh word. He says that such human being is an animal, and an uncontrollable animal, as there are some animals that cannot be tamed. So anyone who has not contacted Nityananda, he should be considered as an untamed animal... sei pasu bado duracara. Why? Because nitai na bolilo mukhe... he’s never uttered the holy name of Nityananda, and majilo somsara sukhe... and become merged into this material happiness. Vidya-kule ki koribe tara... 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 Nityayanda. Vidya kule ki koribe tara. Vidya 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. So Narottama das Thakura advises... vidya kule ki koribe tara. Then he says ahankara matta hoina... being maddened after false prestige and identification, false identification with the body and prestige of bodily relationships. This is called ahankara matta hoina. One is mad after this false prestige. Ahankara matta hoiya. Nitai pada pasariya... due to this false prestige we are thinking; "What is Nityananda? What can he do for me?" We don’t care. So pasariya-asatyere satya kori mani. The result is that I am accepting something which is false. For example, I am accepting this body. 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, ahankara matta hoina, nitai pada pasariya, asatyere satya kori mani, he accepts something wrong as right. Then he says, nitaira karuna habe, braje radha-krsna pabe... if you are actually serious about going back to home, back to Godhead, then please seek after the mercy of Nityananda. Nitaira karuna habe, braje radha-krsna pabe dharo nitai carana dukhani. Please catch up the lotus feet of Nityananda.
Then he says nitai carana satya. One may think that as we catch hold of so many shelters but in this material world, later on they prove false, similarly suppose we catch hold of the lotus feet of Nityananda, it may also prove false. But Narottama das Thakura assures that, nitai carana satya, it is not false. Because Nityananda is eternal. His lotus feet are also eternal, tahara sevaka nitya, and anyone who takes to the service of Nityananda, they also become eternal. Without being eternal, nobody can serve the eternal. That is the Vedic injunction, without becoming Brahma, 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 nitai carana satya, if you catch the lotus feet of Nityananda, then you become immediately spiritualized. Just like if you touch electricity, immediately you become electrified. This is natural. Similarly, Nityananda is eternal happiness. If you touch Nityananda some way or other, then you become also eternally happy. Tahara sevaka nitya. Therefore one who has contacted Nityananda, they have become eternal. Nitai carana satya tahara sevaka nitya, drdha kori, dhoro nitai pay. So just catch Him very tightly. Narottama bado dukhi nitai more koro sukhi. At the last, Narottama das Thakura, the composer of this song, is appealing to Lord Nityananda: "My dear Lord, I am very unhappy, so you please make me happy and you kindly keep me in the corner of your lotus feet." That is the sum and substance of this song.
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