NITYANANDA TRAYODASI 2014

CELEBRATING APPEARANCE DAY
OF SRI NITYANANDA PRABHU

www.harekrsna.com - Today, Feb. 12 is the celebration of Sri Nityananda Trayodasi. It is the appearance anniversary of Lord Nityananda and Hindus and Vaishnava devotees around the world are celebrating it. Nityananda Prabhu appeared as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's principal associate for spreading the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord. He appeared in 1474 in the village of Ekachakra, now in West Bengal. He especially spread the holy name of Krishna throughout Bengal. 
His beauty was so enchanting and He was so full of ecstatic love for Krishna that, wherever He moved, crowds of people would follow and become lovers of God. Lord Nityananda, whose name means "eternally blissful", is considered an incarnation of Krishna's principal expansion, Balarama. Nityananda Prabhu and Lord Caitanya are traditionally worshipped together, as are Krishna and Balarama.

Nityananda Trayodasi usually occurs in February. The devotees fast until noon, being immersed in the pastimes of Nityananda. After performing abhiseka for the Gaura Nitai Deities, a lively kirtan and sumptuous feast are offered in Nityananda's honor, for the Lord's pleasure. Thus, the Vaishnava devotees enjoy a sumptuous feast in honour of Lord Nityananda. 
Throughout the Caitanya-caritamrta, we read of Nityananda's ecstatic sankirtan pastimes throughout Bengal and Orissa, where he sometimes traveled alone as an avadhuta preacher, and sometimes as the companion of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His traveling party. Together, Lord Caitanya and Nityananda Prabhu enjoyed many ecstatic prasadam (food offered to God with devotion) pastimes, and Nityananda was renowned for enthusiastically consuming immense quantities of Krsna prasadam.

Today, February 12 marks Nityananda Trayodasi, the celebration of the appearance day of Lord Nityananda. Nityananda prabhu is the most intimate associate of Lord Caitanya. Nitai-Gaura are worshipped together much like Krsna and Balarama. While devotees fast till noon, the day is spent recounting the special glories of Lord Nityananda, or Nitai as He is sometimes known, and in vigorous kirtana. In Krishna temples there is a ritual bathing of Gaura Nitai deities. Lord Nityananda is an avadhuta: one who is not bound by social customs. He acts in pure devotion to Lord Caitanya in the mood of His servant and He is considered more merciful than Lord Caitanya because He is so eager to deliver the mercy of God. If anyone can please Nitai even in the smallest way, then that person will receive a spiritual grace that will transform his life. Our spiritual teachers have taught us that the Sankirtan movement was initiated by Sri Nityananda Prabhu and Haridas Thakur, and fully developed in the West by Srila Prabhupada. Sankirtan opens the doors of spiritual love, universal love, freeing ourselves from prejudices and differences; the spirit of sankirtan should motivate us to deliver the message of the Lord to all kinds of people, for all are our brothers and the love of God is the powerful torch that can burn the powerful attachments that exist in the hearts of all us. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Nityananda Prabhu, who is identical with Lord Balarama, the first expansion of Krishna, is considered to be the original guru for all of mankind. Thus, soon after their initial meeting, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu tried to honor Nityananda Prabhu with a Vyasa-puja worship ceremony befitting a great spiritual master. However, Nityananda Prabhu protested and grabbed all of the worship articles from Mahaprabhu and worshiped Him instead. … After Chaitanya Mahaprabhu took on the renounced order of life, sannyasa, to spread the sankirtana movement of the congregational chanting of Krishna's holy names, the two brothers moved to Jagannath Puri, on the east coast of India. There, Mahaprabhu left Nityananda and proceeded on a tour of South India that was to last for two years. ... In 1511, Mahaprabhu requested Nityananda, His most reliable sankirtana commander, to return to Bengal. When Nityananda Prabhu first returned to Bengal, He began His mission in Panihati, a village north of Calcutta. For several months He preached and gathered followers in this area, until thousands chanted and danced in ecstasy under His supervision.

Sripad Satyaraja Dasa (Steven J. Rosen)
“Lord Nityananda”
“Sri Pancha-tattva: The Five Features of God”
http://books.google.com.ar/books?id=ve-nAAAACAAJ&redir_esc=y
http://www.sjrosen.com/

Published by dasavatara das - “Vedic Views on World News”
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/