Nityananda, Sri Chaitanya's associate, Gaudiya Vaishnava saint

[Sirona]

Do we already have a thread about Nityananda? If not, then here is one.

Next Sunday the Hare Krishnas will celebrate Nityananda Trayodasi (is it pronounced –dasi or –dashi ?)


caitanya_nitai_gaura on Flickr

Lord Nityananda Prabhu appeared as Lord Chaitanya’s principal associate for spreading the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord. He especially spread the holy name of the Lord throughout Bengal. He is considered an incarnation of Lord Balarama.

Nityananda is mentioned in the Chaitanya Charitamrita, but there’s also a biography about him, the Nityananda Charitamrita. A short introduction of him and Chaitanya’s other important followers can be found in Sri Panca Tattva: The Five Features of God by Steven Rosen.

My favourite song about Nityananda is Akrodha Paramananda

but I also like Nadiya Godrume

and Khoda Nitai

Nitai-gaura haribol!

 

[Shantanu]

Do we already have a thread about Nityananda? If not, then here is one.

Next Sunday the Hare Krishnas will celebrate Nityananda Trayodasi (is it pronounced –dasi or –dashi ?)


caitanya_nitai_gaura on Flickr

Lord Nityananda Prabhu appeared as Lord Chaitanya’s principal associate for spreading the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord. He especially spread the holy name of the Lord throughout Bengal. He is considered an incarnation of Lord Balarama.

Nityananda is mentioned in the Chaitanya Charitamrita, but there’s also a biography about him, the Nityananda Charitamrita. A short introduction of him and Chaitanya’s other important followers can be found in Sri Panca Tattva: The Five Features of God by Steven Rosen.

My favourite song about Nityananda is Akrodha Paramananda

but I also like Nadiya Godrume

and Khoda Nitai

Nitai-gaura haribol!

Why are devotees of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu called Vaishnavas? What does the word Gaudiya mean?

 

[Sirona]

Why are devotees of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu called Vaishnavas? What does the word Gaudiya mean?

OK, I'm a newbie here, but

Vaishnava means follower of Vishnu or of his avatars, like Rama and Krishna

Gaudiya means from Bengal, as far as I know.

 

[Shantanu]

OK, I'm a newbie here, but

Vaishnava means follower of Vishnu or his avatars, like Rama and Krishna

Gaudiya means from Bengal, as far as I know.

But did not Chaitanya Mahaprabhu say that it was Sri Krishna who was the Supreme God that created Vishnu and also creates avatars?

 

[Acintya_Ash]

Why are devotees of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu called Vaishnavas?

Actually the followers of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu are devotees of Krishna, even Mahaprabhu considered himself as a Devotee of Krishna (but is believed to be Krishna himself who appeared as a Devotee to preach the Yuga Dharma of Harinama Sankirtan, based on scriptural injunctions)

He left us only eight verses, called Siksastakam, in which His mission and precepts are revealed.
Sri Siksastakam - Eight Instructions of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

 

[Stormcry]

Hare Ram Hare Krishna, sirona

 

[Shantanu]

Actually the followers of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu are devotees of Krishna, even Mahaprabhu considered himself as a Devotee of Krishna (but is believed to be Krishna himself who appeared as a Devotee to preach the Yuga Dharma of Harinama Sankirtan, based on scriptural injunctions)

He left us only eight verses, called Siksastakam, in which His mission and precepts are revealed.
Sri Siksastakam - Eight Instructions of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

The term Gaudiya Vaishava is applied to describe Sri Chaitanya and his devotees and followers. That is a matter for them. But Vishnu is an inferior rajasic god of the Trimurti created by Sri Krishna to run humanity by itself in normal situations. The Trimurti of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, is Sri Krishna's Vishwaroopa.

Sri Krishna only comes to His specific devotees who approach Him directly through bhakti in order to know Him. He does not come to people worshipping other gods and human beings even if they were His devotees like Sri Chaitanya.

 

[Acintya_Ash]

But Vishnu is an inferior rajasic god of the Trimurti

Vishnu represents the mode of Sattva. Brahma represents Rajas

 

[Shantanu]

Vishnu represents the mode of Sattva. Brahma represents Rajas

Where is that written?

 

[Acintya_Ash]

Where is that written?

I can't recollect. The Puranas relating to Vishnu were called Sattvic puranas, Brahama were called Rajasic Puranas and Shiva were called Tamasic Puranas. I think this classification is from Padma Purana

 

[Shantanu]

I can't recollect. The Puranas relating to Vishnu were called Sattvic puranas, Brahama were called Rajasic Puranas and Shiva were called Tamasic Puranas. I think this classification is from Padma Purana

You are right that it is contained in the Puranas, but from a reading of the following: Puranas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and Padma Purana - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia two things stand out for me:

''The Padma Purana, Uttara Khanda (236.18-21),[29] itself a Vaishnava Purana, compiled between the 4th and 15th century.,[2] more specific dates mentioned being c.750-1000 CE[3] or the 12th century CE,[4] but with an earlier core.[5] There are a number of later Jaina works also known as Padma-purana. The date of the production of the written texts does not define the date of origin of the Puranas.[6]''; and

''On one hand, they existed in some oral form before being written[6] while at the same time, they have been incrementally modified well into the 16th century.[6][7]''

So these appear to be recent smriti texts by traditional Vaishnavites. I do not agree with them because Sat (reality/truth) is knowledge obtained from purity of the mind without any attachments to wipe out delusions and impurities (so sattva guna), which cannot be mixed in the same person's actions designed to preserve or save which requires attachments that will compromise truth in order to survive (so rajasic guna), so that both of these attributes cannot be governed by the same deity. Since Vishnu is born for Preserving according to creation, Brahma must therefore be Sat.

Like the decision I arrived at independently the Puranas do mention that Shiva is tamasic.

 

[Chakra]

I can't recollect. The Puranas relating to Vishnu were called Sattvic puranas, Brahama were called Rajasic Puranas and Shiva were called Tamasic Puranas. I think this classification is from Padma Purana

It is also found in Bhagavata and Vishnu Puranas, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Stormcry]

It is also found in Bhagavata and Vishnu Puranas, if I'm not mistaken.

No, such classification is not found in Bhagavata Vishnu purana.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Next Sunday the Hare Krishnas will celebrate Nityananda Trayodasi (is it pronounced –dasi or –dashi ?)

Pronounced as 'Trayodashi', Dasharatha', 'Dasha Rajnya war' (The RigVedic battle of Ten Kings). 'श' and not 'स'.

 

[ratikala]

namaskaram Shantanu ji

The term Gaudiya Vaishava is applied to describe Sri Chaitanya and his devotees and followers. That is a matter for them.

Sirona ji is correct ....

Vaishnava means follower of Vishnu or of his avatars, like Rama and Krishna

Gaudiya means from Bengal, as far as I know.

QUOTE="Shantanu,
But Vishnu is an inferior rajasic god of the Trimurti created by Sri Krishna to run humanity by itself in normal situations. The Trimurti of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, is Sri Krishna's Vishwaroopa.

sri krsna himself is synonomous with the supreme Visnu , not the Visnu of the trimurti , ...please do not confuse .

Sri Krishna only comes to His specific devotees who approach Him directly through bhakti in order to know Him. He does not come to people worshipping other gods and human beings even if they were His devotees like Sri Chaitanya.

Sri Krsna Chaitanya was none other than Krsna himself , ...Sri Krsna came as Maha prabhu to grant the blessing of the holy names this we consider to be his divine mercy .and of course he is accompanied by Sri Balaram ji as Nitai

there is no qestion of rajasic and tamasic ,
I think you have become confused with Brahma-raksasas Bhutas and Ghosts ?

 

[तत्त्वप्रह्व]

But did not Chaitanya Mahaprabhu say that it was Sri Krishna who was the Supreme God that created Vishnu and also creates avatars?

Afaik, Śri Caitanya asked his followers not to speculate about such things and to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa Rāma.

I do not agree with them because Sat (reality/truth) is knowledge obtained from purity of the mind without any attachments to wipe out delusions and impurities (so sattva guna), which cannot be mixed in the same person's actions designed to preserve or save which requires attachments that will compromise truth in order to survive (so rajasic guna), so that both of these attributes cannot be governed by the same deity. Since Vishnu is born for Preserving according to creation, Brahma must therefore be Sat.

I think preservation wouldn't be the right word, because nothing is preserved. Sustenance may be the closest to 'sthiti'. Think about what exactly is sustenance -- you will know why Viṣṇu controls sattva. There is no evidence in the śāstras that say brahma is rājasic and rudra is tamasic, they only control those guṇas, not necessarily and fully under its influence. Guṇas being insentient, by themselves cannot influence anything. Action depends on rajoguṇa (creation) and destruction and inactivity on tamoguṇa (stillness after praḷaya). Sattva balances the two (sustenance - incessant yet balanced creation-destruction). There are no śrutis that present 'birth' of Viṣṇu but in the avataras. Kṛṣṇa is known as Vāsudeva not only because he was vasudeva's son but because he was an avatara of Viṣṇu - nārāyaṇāya vidmahe vāsudevāya dhīmahi | tanno viṣṇuḥ pracodayāt ||

श्रीकृष्णार्पणमस्तु ।

 

[ShivaFan]

Someone used the word "inferior" in saying, quote "But Vishnu is an inferior..."

This is actually outrageous to use such a term in relation to, not only Hindu Devata, but for that matter TO ANY DEVOTEE OF HINDUISM.

There is no greater offense than to consider a devotee inferior or to harm a devotee. There is no one more dear to the Lord(s) than a devotee. A devotee is in one sense therefore more precious to the Divine than is the Divine. And one Devata can and is often the Devotee of Another.

To call Vishnu inferior is to cause the greatest offence to a Devotee because Vishnu is a Devotee of Krishna, Shiva is a Devotee of Vishnu, Surya is a Devotee of Hanuman and so on and so forth.

And a devotee is a devotee of a devotee. A devotee is more humble than a blade of grass, no devotee thinks another devotee is ever inferior, they only think themself inferior, they think themself the Servant of the Servant.

When Vishnu says "I am inferior" that is ok because some yogi or savant is quoting the Lord Who may be talking to Lakshmi or simple devotee, the Lord is only showing the behavior of devotion. Devotion is Alive in itself. But Vishnu would never say "Surya is inferior". Shiva would never say "Vishnu is inferior" because Shiva is a devotee of Vishnu. Shiva would only say "I am inferior". Do you understand? And Vishnu would never say "Shiva is inferior" because Shiva is the Greatest Devotee, no one can be a devotee who calls another devotee inferior. A Devata may take another form, let us say Shiva becomes Hanuman, and then Hanuman says He is inferior to Ram. This is only Shiva showing the behavior of a Devotee, and is Shiva calling Himself inferior. But only Shiva is allowed to call Himself inferior. But Ram wpuld NEVER say "Shiva is inferior". This is the GREATEST OFFENCE even more than killing a Brahmin or killing a Cow.

A Devotee says "I am the servant of the servant of the Lord". The devotee relishes the association of another devotee.

There is no one more greater THAN A DEVOTEE.

 

[ratikala]

namaskaram Shiva fan ji

This is actually outrageous to use such a term in relation to, not only Hindu Devata, but for that matter TO ANY DEVOTEE OF HINDUISM.

thank you for this nost wonderfull post , .every word not just the above desreve more than just a 'like' .....pranamas Prabhu ji ...pranamas .


the problem with this superior and inferior way of thinking comes from missunderstanding that because we speak of there being a 'supreme ' then that must mean that under the supreme there are minors , and that minors must be inferior , ....where in truth all minors even those that are termed Demi Gods being expansions of the supreme canot be called inferior . they may not be the supreme in fullness , but nonetheless they are part and parcel of the supreme each bestowed with their own function , ...therefore having a particular function canot be in any way deemed to be inferior nor can one function be deemed superior to any other function .

 

[Shantanu]

namaskaram Shiva fan ji



thank you for this nost wonderfull post , .every word not just the above desreve more than just a 'like' .....pranamas Prabhu ji ...pranamas .


the problem with this superior and inferior way of thinking comes from missunderstanding that because we speak of there being a 'supreme ' then that must mean that under the supreme there are minors , and that minors must be inferior , ....where in truth all minors even those that are termed Demi Gods being expansions of the supreme canot be called inferior . they may not be the supreme in fullness , but nonetheless they are part and parcel of the supreme each bestowed with their own function , ...therefore having a particular function canot be in any way deemed to be inferior nor can one function be deemed superior to any other function .

Do you not think that some gods have less powers than other gods?

 

[ratikala]

namaskaram

Hare Ram Hare Krishna, sirona

Jia Jai , ..allso we should chant ....Gaura Nityananda Bol , ..hari bol hari bol , ...this will certainly please lord Nityanana