SRI NITYANANDA PRABHU
vande shri-krishna-chaitanya-
nityanandau sahoditau
gaudodaye pushpavantau
chitra shandau tamo-nudau
"I offer my respectful obeisances unto Sri Krishna Caitanya and LordNityananda, who are like the sun and moon. They have arisensimultaneously on the horizon of Gauda to dissipate the darkness ofignorance and thus wonderfully bestow benediction upon all."(Cc.Adi.1.2.)
Like the sun and moon appearing in the horizon, Lord Caitanya andLord Nityananda appeared along with the pancha-tattva to dissipate theveil of ignorance that covered the hearts of the conditioned souls.Eternally known as brothers, Nimai and Nitai performed sankirtan in thestreets of Nadia and thus uplifted the hearts of many of it's residentsand thus krsna-prema or love of god was able to manifest in hearts thatwere once considered barren. Even those that evaded Mahaprabhu's gripswere unable to escape the merciful grips of Lord Nityananda for he wasrelentless. Though the Supreme Lord of all, Lord Nityananda humblybegged each door he went to chant the name of "Gauranga" and thusfulfil life's goal.
Lord Nityananda is very dear to Caitanya Mahaprabhu and thus thosewho want his favor must humbly take shelter of Lord Nityananda who isvery merciful even to the most fallen and destitute devoid of any goodqualities. By thus surrendering to Lord Nityananda with faith andhumility and imploring His mercy one can thus receive allauspiciousness, end the cycle of ignorance and firmly be situated inthe boat of krsna-prema.
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Gaura-Nitai: The Most Merciful
by Srila Bhakti Promode Puri Gosvami Maharaja"The Supreme Lord Krishna manifests Himself in the material world in four forms as the Vaishnava, tulasi, the Ganges, and Srimad-Bhagavatam . The Deity Form of the Lord becomes worshipable only after it has been consecrated ritually and the Lord's presence has been invoked. These four things, however, are innately sacred."
(Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya 21.81-82)
Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada comments on this verse in his Gaudiya-bhashya commentary: "The Lord appears in the material world in these four forms. Upon seeing them, it is not immediately evident to ordinary people that they are the Lord Himself. However, because of their intimate connection with Him, they are called His prakasa-vigraha, or visible manifestations.
"Generally people think that the Deity Form of the Lord is only worthy of worship after being formally installed (prana-pratishtha). These four prakasa-vigrahas, however, are considered to be naturally worshipable; there is no need for any kind of ritual in order to elevate them to that status. We should look upon them as in the position of the enjoyer, or bhokta, as the master or prabhu, and as bestowers of divine grace and knowledge.
"Mahaprabhu himself says, 'Those who worship Me directly but neglect My devotees are in illusion and cause Me pain. Their offerings feel like a shower of burning cinders on My body. Just because one is chanting is no guarantee of success. I destroy anyone who tries to hurt My devotees:
je amare dasera sakrt ninda kare
mora nama kalpa-taru samhare tahare
'If someone blasphemes My servant even once, then My Name will destroy him rather than fulfilling his desires."
(Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya 19.209)
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