saṁsārera pāra haiyā bhaktira sāgare
saṁsārera pāra haiyā bhaktira sāgare |
ye ḍubibe se bhajuka nitāicā̐dere ||
(Caitanya-bhāgavata: 1.1.77)
“Anyone who wishes to cross over saṁsāra and dive into the ocean of bhakti should worship Nitāicā̐da.”
Pārṣadas of Caitanya Mahāprabhu
preme matta nityānanda kṛpā-avatāra
preme matta nityānanda kṛpā-avatāra |
uttama, adhama, kichu nā kare vicāra ||
ye āge paḍaye, tāre karaye nistāra |
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.5.207–8)
“Maddened with prema, Nityānanda is the avatāra of grace. He does not discriminate at all between the high and the low. He delivers whoever falls before him.”
vande’nantādbhutaiśvaryaṁ
vande’nantādbhutaiśvaryaṁ śrī-nityānandam īśvaram |
yasyecchayā tat-svarūpam ajñenāpi nirūpyate ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.5.1)
“I offer obeisance unto Śrī Nityānanda, the Īśvara of infinite and astonishing aiśvarya by whose wish his nature is understood even by the ignorant.”
yasyāṁśāṁśāṁśaḥ parātmākhilānāṁ
yasyāṁśāṁśāṁśaḥ parātmākhilānāṁ
poṣṭā viṣṇur bhāti dugdhābdhiśāyī |
kṣauṇī-bhartā yat-kalā so ’py anantas
taṁ śrī-nityānanda-rāmaṁ prapadye ||
(Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī; cited in Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.1.11)
“I take shelter in him, Śrī Nityānanda Rāma, the part of the part of whose part is Kṣīrodaśāyī Viṣṇu, the Paramātma and maintainer of all, and whose sub-part is Ananta, the carrier of the Earth.”
yasyāṁśāṁśaḥ śrīla-garbhodaśāyī
yasyāṁśāṁśaḥ śrīla-garbhodaśāyī
yan-nābhy-abjaṁ loka-saṅghāta-nālam |
loka-sraṣṭuḥ sūtikā-dhāma dhātus
taṁ śrī-nityānanda-rāmaṁ prapadye ||
(Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī; cited in Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.1.10)
“I take shelter in him, Śrī Nityānanda Rāma, the part of whose part is Śrīla Garbhodaśāyī, the lotus of whose navel is the birthplace of Brahmā, the creator of the lokas, and the stalk of which constitutes these lokas.”
māyā-bhartājāṇḍa-saṅghāśrayāṅgaḥ
māyā-bhartājāṇḍa-saṅghāśrayāṅgaḥ
śete sākṣāt kāraṇāmbhodhi-madhye |
yasyaikāṁśaḥ śrī-pumān ādi-devas
taṁ śrī-nityānanda-rāmaṁ prapadye ||
(Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī; cited in Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.1.9)
“I take shelter in him, Śrī Nityānanda Rāma, one part of whom is the direct master of māyā who lies upon the Causal Ocean (Kāraṇa Samudra), the original Deva, the divine Puruṣa, whose body is the shelter of the universes.”
māyātīte vyāpi-vaikuṇṭha-loke
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
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.”
śrī-rādhā-kṛṣṇa-līlā-rasa-madhura-sudhāsvāda-śuddhaika-mūrtau
śrī-rādhā-kṛṣṇa-līlā-rasa-madhura-sudhāsvāda-śuddhaika-mūrtau
gaure śraddhāṁ dṛḍhāṁ bho prabhu-parikara-samrāṭ prayacchādhame’smin |
ullaṅghyāṅghriṁ hi yasyākhila-bhajana-kathā svapnavac caiva mithyā
śrī-nityānandacandraṁ patita-śaraṇadaṁ gauradaṁ taṁ bhaje’ham ||
(Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Deva-Gosvāmī’s Śrīman Nityānanda-dvādaśakam: 12)
“Bho! O sovereign among the associates of Prabhu, please bestow upon this lowly person firm śraddhā in Gaura, the pure and unparalleled embodiment of tasting the sweet nectar of the rasa of Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa’s līlā. I worship him, Śrī Nityānandacandra, the giver of Gaura and shelter to the fallen, by neglecting whose feet all talk of bhajana becomes completely false like a dream.”
hāḍāi-paṇḍita-tanuja kṛpā-samudra
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.”