māyātīte vyāpi-vaikuṇṭha-loke
pūrṇaiśvarye śrī-caturvyūha-madhye |
rūpaṁ yasyodbhāti saṅkarṣaṇākhyaṁ
taṁ śrī-nityānanda-rāmaṁ prapadye ||
(Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī; cited in Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.1.8)
“I take shelter in him, Śrī Nityānanda Rāma, whose form known as Saṅkarṣaṇa is manifest beyond māyā in all-pervading Vaikuṇṭhaloka of full aiśvarya amid the Caturvyūha [i.e., Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha].”
saṅkarṣaṇaḥ kāraṇa-toyaśāyī
garbhodaśāyī ca payobdhiśāyī |
śeṣaś cha yasyāṁśa-kalāḥ sa nityā-
nandākhya-rāmaḥ śaraṇaṁ mamāstu ||
(Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī; cited in Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.1.7)
“May Rāma [i.e., Balarāma], who is known as Nityānanda, and whose parts (aṁśas) and sub-part (kalā) are Saṅkarṣaṇa, Kāraṇatoyaśāyī, Garbhodaśāyī, Payobdhiśāyī, and [Ananta] Śeṣa, be my shelter.”
hāḍāi-paṇḍita-tanuja kṛpā-samudra
padmāvatī-tanaya tīrtha-padāravinda |
tvaṁ prema-kalpa-tarur ārti-harāvatāra
māṁ pāhi pāmaram anātham ananya-bandhum ||
(Sādhanāmṛta-candrikā: 1.9)
“O Son of Hāḍāi Paṇḍita, O Ocean of grace, O Son of Padmāvatī, O you whose lotus feet are tīrthas! You are a desire-tree of prema. O you who have descended to remove distress, please protect me, who am wretched and helpless, and have no other friend.”
audāryeṇa sukāmadhenu-diviṣad-vṛkṣendu-cintāmaṇi-
vṛndaṁ brahma-sukhaṁ ca sundaratayā kandarpa-vṛndaṁ prabhum |
vātsalyena sumātṛ-dhenu-nicayaṁ vispardhinaṁ nandinaṁ
nityānandam ahaṁ namāmi madhura-premābdhi-saṁvardhinam ||
(Sādhanāmṛta-candrikā: 1.9)
“I offer obeisance unto Nityānanda Prabhu, the full expander of the ocean of madhura-prema, who surpasses and delights the finest mothers and cows with his affection, [surpasses and delights] Kandarpas [i.e., Cupids] with his beauty, and [surpasses and delights] the finest kāmadhenus [i.e., wish-fulfilling cows], celestial trees [i.e., wish-fulfilling trees], the moon, cintāmaṇis [i.e., wish-fulfilling jewels], and the bliss of Brahman with his magnanimity.”
nityānandam ahaṁ vande karṇe lambita-mauktikam |
caitanyāgraja-rūpeṇa pavitrī-kṛta-bhū-talam ||
(Gaura-govindārcana-smaraṇa-paddhati: 21)
“I offer obeisance to Nityānanda with a pearl dangling from his ear, who with his form as an elder brother of Caitanya purified the surface of the earth.”
kañjārendra-vinindi-sundara-gati-śrī-pādam indīvara-
śreṇī-śyāma-sad-ambaraṁ tanu-rucā sāndhyendu-saṁmardakam |
premṇodghūrṇa-sukañja-khañjana-madā-jin-netra-hāsyānanaṁ
nityānandam ahaṁ smarāmi satataṁ bhūṣojjvalāṅga-śriyam ||
(Gaura-govindārcana-smaraṇa-paddhati: 50; cited in Sādhanāmṛta-candrikā: 2.12)
“The beautiful gait of his divine feet defames the king of elephants;
His fine, dark blue cloth resembles a cluster of blue lotus flowers;
With the luster of his figure, he completely pulverizes the evening moon;
Amidst his smiling face,
His fine lotus eyes, rolling with prema, defeat the pride of the wagtail [i.e., the bird of Kāmadeva];
I meditate continuously on Nityānanda,
His body adorned with splendid ornaments.”
sarac-candra-bhrāntiṁ sphurad-amala-kāntiṁ gaja-gatiṁ
hari-premonmattaṁ dhṛta-parama-sattvaṁ smita-mukham |
sadā ghūrṇan-netraṁ kara-kalita-vetraṁ kali-bhidaṁ
bhaje nityānandaṁ bhajana-taru-kandaṁ niravadhi ||
(Vṛndāvana Dāsa Ṭhākura’s Nityānandāṣṭakam: 1)
“Revolving like the autumnal moon,
Shining with spotless luster,
His gait resembling an elephant,
Intoxicated with prema for Hari,
Bearing a form of the highest nature,
His face smiling,
His eyes continuously rolling,
Holding a staff in hand,
And cutting Kali asunder,
I forever worship Nityānanda,
The root of the tree of bhajana.”
sā ca bhaktiḥ śāstra-jñāna-pūrvikaivānuṣṭheyā tam eva dhīro vijñāya prajñāṁ kurvīta brāhmaṇaḥ iti śravaṇāt |
(Vedānta-syamantaka: 3.13)
“That bhakti [i.e., the bhakti learned from śrī-guru by which one attains the fulfillment of life (puruṣārtha)] is to be performed preceded by [i.e., after having properly acquired] knowledge of śāstra, since it is heard [in Bṛhadārayaṇka Upaniṣad: 4.4.21], ‘After verily understanding that [i.e., the Ātmā], a sagacious seeker of Brahman should engage in contemplation [of the Ātmā].”
prabhu bole—bhakta-vākya kṛṣṇera varṇana |
ihāte ye doṣa dekhe, se-i ’pāpī’ jana ||
ihāte ye doṣa dekhe, tāhāra se doṣa |
bhaktera varṇana-mātra kṛṣṇera santoṣa ||
(Chaitanya-bhāgavata: 1.11.105, 109)
“Prabhu said, ‘A bhakta’s statements are descriptions of Kṛṣṇa. One who finds fault in these is a sinful person. … The fault [in this case] is [actually] that of the one who finds fault in these [descriptions of Kṛṣṇa made by a bhakta]. Any description of [i.e., made by] a bhakta is satisfying to Kṛṣṇa [regardless of whether it has faults in it].”
kṛṣṇa-tad-bhakta-vidveṣa-vinindādy-asahiṣṇutā |
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.2.82)
“Non-tolerance of enmity, defamation, and so forth of Kṛṣṇa and his bhaktas [is one of the sixty-four limbs of bhakti].”
