Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 1.7

Nitāi: "May Śrī Nityānanda Rāma be the object of my constant remembrance. Saṅkarṣaṅa, Śeṣa Nāga and the Viṣṅus who lie on the Kāraṅa Ocean, the Garbha Ocean and ocean of milk are His plenary portions and the portions of His plenary portions."

Prabhupāda:

saṅkarṣaṅaḥ kāraṅa-toya-śāyī garbhoda-śāyī ca payobdhi-śāyī, śeṣaś ca yasyāṁśa-kalāḥ sa nityā- nandākhya-rāmaḥ śaraṅaṁ mamāstu [Cc Ādi 1.7]

So Kavirāja Gosvāmī, after offering his respectful obeisances to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and describing the purpose of His incarnation, he is now trying to describe Nityānanda. Śrī-kṛṣṅa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda. Pañca-tattva, one after another... First of all Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then Nityānanda Prabhu, then Advaita Prabhu, then Gadādhara, and then śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. He is summarizing the obeisances to the Pañca-tattva. Now, what is the identification of Nityānandākhya-Rāma? Rāma, Balarāma, and Baladeva, Saṅkarṣaṅa—there are so many names of Śrī Baladeva. In the Upaniṣad it is said, nāyam ātmā bala-hīnena labhyo [Muṅḍaka Upaniṣad 3.2.4]: "Self-realization is not possible without being strengthened by the mercy of Balarāma." Sometimes they take it foolishly, that "Without being very strong bodily, nobody can realize self." But that is not the fact. Nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhya na medhayā na bahunā śrutena [Muṅḍaka Upaniṣad 3.2.3].

[The Supreme Lord is not attained by expert explanations, by vast intelligence, nor even by much hearing. He is attained only by one who He Himself chooses. To such a person He manifests His own form.]

This is the Vedic injunction. That bala-hīnena means without being favored by Nityānanda Prabhu, Balarāma.

Balarāma is Nityānanda. That we know by following the footprints of mahājanas. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, vrajendra-nandana yei, śacī-suta hoila sei, balarāma hoila nitāi: "Balarāma has appeared now as Nityānanda." So bala means strength, spiritual strength, and rāma means enjoyer. Iti rāma padenāsau param brahma ity abhidhīyate. Rāma means Para-brahman. Satyānande cid-ātmani. Ramante yoginaḥ anante [Cc Madhya 9.29].

[The Supreme Absolute Truth is called Rāma because the transcendentalists take pleasure in the unlimited true pleasure of spiritual existence.]

Yogīs, they are also interested in enjoying life. There are different kinds of yogīs. Of all the yogīs, the bhakti-yogi, that is the best. That is said by Kṛṣṅa:

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntarātmanā śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ sa me yuktatamo mataḥ [Bg 6.47]

[And of all yogīs, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all.]

Yogīs, there are many yogīs, but the bhakti-yogi is the best because by bhakta-yoga only you can approach the Supreme Personality of... There is no other way. Jñāna, karma and haṭha-yoga, they can help little, but they are not competent to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṅa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti [Bg 18.55].

[One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.]

If you want to know Kṛṣṅa, then karma, yoga, jñāna, these, although they can elevate you to some extent, but you cannot approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead by karma, jñāna, yoga. If you want to know Kṛṣṅa as He is, then you have to accept the path of bhakti-yoga. Kṛṣṅa says personally, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ. And in order to attain this perfection of bhakti-yoga, you require strength from Balarāma, Saṅkarṣaṅa.

ramante yoginaḥ anante satyānande cid-ātmani iti rāma-padenāsau paraṁ brahmābhidhīyate [Cc Madhya 9.29]

Rāma means who enjoys. So this word rāma is explained in the śāstra that one who is expert in enjoying eternal happiness, he is perfect yogī. Not flickering happiness. Flickering happiness... The yogīs are not interested in flickering happiness or material happiness. Material happiness is always flickering, temporary. That is not happiness, but we take it. Real happiness is when we enjoy life with Kṛṣṅa, rāma. That is real happiness. Ramante yoginaḥ anante satyānande. That is ananta. Ananta means unlimited. So our... We are seeking after ānanda. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt [Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12].

[By nature, the Supreme Lord is blissful.]

By our nature we want to be very blissful, always happy. That is our nature. And we can possess, revive our nature of eternal happiness, provided we try to get it in this human form of life. There is no difficulty if we follow the path enunciated by great authorities, mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ [Cc Madhya 17.186].

[Dry arguments are inconclusive. A great personality whose opinion does not differ from others is not considered a great sage. Simply by studying the Vedas, which are variegated, one cannot come to the right path by which religious principles are understood. The solid truth of religious principles is hidden in the heart of an unadulterated self-realized person. Consequently, as the śāstras confirm, one should accept whatever progressive path the mahājanas advocate.]

So Nityānanda Prabhu, Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Their disciples, they are all mahājanas, great personalities. If we follow their principles, then it is very easy. There is no difficulty. But difficulty is that we do not follow.

So here it is describing that for the material creation the... There are three puruṣa-avatāra. Puruṣa means the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Puruṣaṁ śāśvataṁ divyam [Bg 10.12].

[Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person. You are the primal God, transcendental and original, and You are the unborn and all-pervading beauty. All the great sages such as Nārada, Asita, Devala, and Vyāsa proclaim this of You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me.]

In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that puruṣa-avatāras. First avatāra, puruṣa avatāra, is Mahā-Viṣṅu. Mahā-Viṣṅu. Mahā-Viṣṅu is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā,

yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṅḍa-nāthāḥ viṣṅur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs 5.48]

[Brahmā and other lords of the mundane worlds, appearing from the pores of hair of Mahā-Viṣṅu, remain alive as long as the duration of one exhalation of the latter [Mahā-Viṣṅu]. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda of whose subjective personality Mahā-Viṣṅu is the portion of portion.]

This Mahā-Viṣṅu, who is creating innumerable universes by breathing... Just like sometimes we breathe and there are some germs, small, we cannot see; in the same way, the universes in a small, minute form, they are coming out of the breathing of Mahā-Viṣṅu. That is kāraṅa-toya-śāyī, kāraṅa-udaka, Causal Ocean. That is beginning of creation. Then all the universes, they gradually develop into gigantic form. In the originally, it is coming out. We cannot understand. Sometimes we become surprised that "How such innumerable universes are being created by a person?" So the universe is not so big in the beginning. Just like our this body is not so big in the beginning of our body within the womb of our mother. It is not so big. It is very small, minute, and then it becomes just like a pea, and gradually the body develops. The same process is applicable to the universes. In the beginning, they are coming out of the breathing of Kāraṅatoyaśāyī Viṣṅu, and then gradually they are developing, bṛhannatvāt-jā, bṛhatvāt-jā. It increases gradually. That Kāraṅatoyaśāyī Viṣṅu is also Saṅkarṣaṅa.

And then Garbhodakaśāyī. The universes are created. Then, when they develop, then same Viṣṅu, Mahā-Viṣṅu, enters into each universe, and He creates an ocean. That is called Garbhodaka Ocean. And He lies down there on Śeṣa-Nāga, And then, from the navel, the lotus flower sprouts, and then Lord Brahmā is created. Then, after many years' tapasya, tapo, he understands how to create. In this way the whole creation of universes take place, Garbhodakaśāyī. And after creation of this universe, then same Viṣṅu, Garbhodakaśāyī, within this universe He creates His own Vaikuṅṭha where there is an ocean of milk. There are different kinds of ocean, we learn from śāstra. We have got experience of the salted ocean, but there are many other oceans, just like milk ocean, ghee ocean, oil ocean and yogurt ocean. There are. We get this information from the śāstra.

So the Mahā-Viṣṅu, first of all He enters in each universe as Garbhodakaśāyī. Then, within the universe, He creates His Vaikuṅṭha and lies down there—Kṣīrodakaśāyī. This Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṅu is approached by the demigods when there is need of maintenance or for subsiding the disturbance by the demons. Then Brahmā, Lord Śiva and others, they go on the beach of this milk ocean and submits their appeal. Then the answer is given to Brahmā, and he informs to other demigods. This is the process. You'll find this later on. So payobdhi-śāyī and śeṣaś ca, Śeṣa, that is also incarnation of Viṣṅu. He is sustaining the body of Viṣṅu in different oceans, and He is serving the Lord Viṣṅu in so many ways. Śayyā, āsana, sitting place, bed, and upavīta, and clothes, garments—so many ways He is serving.

Now, all these different incarnation of Viṣṅu is summarized here by Kavirāja Gosvāmī that "All of them are partial expansion of Nityānanda," to understand what is Nityānanda Prabhu. The prakāśa-vigraha... Kṛṣṅa first. Then His prakāśa-vigraha, manifested form, a little difference in bodily feature, but the same powerful, that is Balarāma. And then, from Balarāma, Saṅkarṣaṅa, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, in this way, quadruple expansion. Then Nārāyaṅa, then another quadruple expansion, then from that quadruple, second manifestation of Saṅkarṣaṅa, all these different Viṣṅus, Kāraṅatoyāśāyī, Garbhodakaśayī, Kṣīrobdhiśāyī—in this way, expanding. Dīpārcir eva hi daśāntaram abhyupetya [Bs 5.46]. Just like you take one candle, then you lit up another candle, another candle, another candle. All these candles are equally powerful, but still, the calculation is, Kṛṣṅa is the first candle, Balarāma is the second candle. In this way, viṣṅutayā vibhāti—the expansion of Viṣṅu, innumerable.

Advaita acyuta anādi ananta-rūpam. This Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṅu is the person who is situated in everyone's, every living being's, heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg 18.61].

[The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.]

That īśvara, antaryāmī, who is existing in everyone's heart, that is Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṅu. Not only within the heart of all living entities, but He is within the atom also. Aṅḍāntara-stha-paramāṅu-cayā... Paramāṅu. Paramāṅu means atom. In this way Viṣṅu expansions are there. It is inconceivable for us, but by the grace of Kṛṣṅa, we can partially understand from the description of the śāstras. Otherwise, we cannot imagine how these things can happen, but it happens. We have to accept. Śāstra-cakṣuṣaḥ. We have to see through the pages of śāstra. Otherwise it is not possible.

So if we want to know viṣṅu-tattva, if we want to know Kṛṣṅa, His exalted position, then here are the description of the śāstra. And if we take them as it is, without malinterpretation, without showing any extraordinary intelligence by us... It is not possible. We have to accept. Therefore the injunction is that you accept the statement of the śāstras. That is... Bhagavad-gītā also said, yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya vartate-kāma-kārataḥ [Bg 16.23]:

[But he who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme destination.]

"If you do not follow the description of the śāstra, and if you manufacture something," then na siddhiṁ sa avāpnoti, "then you'll never get perfection." We have to follow the śāstra; otherwise there is no other alternative to understand the exalted position of Kṛṣṅa, how He expands in different forms, as Viṣṅu, as Nārāyaṅa. Sometimes they argue that Kṛṣṅa is incarnation of Viṣṅu. That is also truth. You'll find in Caitanya... Truth in this way, that when any incarnation comes, He comes through the Kṣīrobdhiśāyī Viṣṅu. But Kṣīrobdhiśāyī is partial expansion of Kṛṣṅa. The subject matter is very intricate, but if we follow the śāstra and accept it, then some clear conception we can have.

So Nityānanda Rāma... So yasyāṁśa sa nityānanda-rāmaḥ. Nityānanda is Balarāma. Therefore He is said, nityānandākhya-rāmaḥ. Just like Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu... Kṛṣṅāya-kṛṣṅa-caitanya nāmne: "I offer my respectful obeisances to Kṛṣṅa now appeared as Kṛṣṅa Caitanya." He's Kṛṣṅa. Similarly, Nityānanda is Balarāma. So balarāma hoilo nitāi. Therefore it is said here, nityānandākhya-rāmaḥ: "He's Rāma, Balarāma, but at the present moment He has appeared by the name Nityānanda."

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya. [end]