Today we celebrate the Appearance day of Lord Sri Nityananda with a song composed by Narottama das Thakura entitled “Nitai-pada-kamala”, followed by a purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada given January 31, 1969.

“If you are anxious to go back to home, back to Godhead, and become associate with Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, then the best policy is to take shelter of Nityānanda.” (from purport to song)

Manaḥ-śikṣā (Nitāi-pada-kamala)
from Prārthanā by Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura

nitāi-pada-kamala, koṭi-candra-suśītala,
je chāyāy jagata jurāy
heno nitāi bine bhāi, rādhā-kṛṣṇa pāite nāi,
dṛḍha kori’ dharo nitāir pāy

“The lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda are a shelter where one will get the soothing moonlight not only of one, but of millions of moons. If the world wants to have real peace, it should take shelter of Lord Nityānanda. Unless one takes shelter under the shade of the lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda, it will be very difficult for him to approach Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. If one actually wants to enter into the dancing party of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, he must firmly catch hold of the lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda.”

se sambandha nāhi jā’r, bṛthā janma gelo tā’r,
sei paśu boro durācār
nitāi nā bolilo mukhe, majilo saṁsāra-sukhe,
vidyā-kule ki koribe tār

“Anyone who has not established his relationship with Nityānanda Prabhu is understood to have spoiled his valuable human birth. Such a human being is actually an uncontrollable animal. Because he never uttered the holy name of Nityānanda, he has become merged into so-called material happiness. What can his useless education and family tradition do to help him?”

ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā, nitāi-pada pāsariyā,
asatyere satya kori māni
nitāiyer koruṇā habe, braje rādhā-kṛṣṇa pābe,
dharo nitāi-caraṇa du’khāni

“Being maddened after false prestige and identification with the body, one is thinking, Oh, what is Nityānanda? What can He do for me? I don’t care. The result is that he is accepting something false to be truth. If you actually want to approach the association of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, you must first achieve the mercy of Lord Nityānanda. When He is merciful toward you, then you will be able to approach Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Therefore you should firmly grasp the lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda.”

nitāiyer caraṇa satya, tāṅhāra sevaka nitya,
nitāi-pada sadā koro āśā
narottama boro dukhī, nitāi more koro sukhī,
rākho rāṅgā-caraṇera pāśa

“The lotus feet of Nityānanda are not illusion; they are a fact. One who engages in the transcendental loving service of Nityānanda is also transcendental. Always try to catch the lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda. This Narottama dāsa is very unhappy, therefore I am praying to Lord Nityānanda to make me happy. My dear Lord, please keep me close to Your lotus feet.”

Lord Nityānanda Prabhu’s Appearance Day
Nitāi-Pada-Kamala Purport
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Los Angeles, January 31, 1969

Prabhupāda: (sings)

Nitāi-pada-kamala, koṭi-candra-suśītala, je chāyāy jagata jurāy.

This is a song by Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, a great ācārya of the Gauḍīya-vaiṣṇava-sampradāya. He has written many songs about the Vaiṣṇava philosophy, and they are approved as completely corresponding with Vedic instructions. So here Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura is singing that “The whole world is suffering under the blazing fire of material existence. Therefore, if one takes the shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda…,” whose birthday is today, 31st, January, 1969. So we should relish this instruction of Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura that in order to get relief from the pangs of blazing fire of this material existence, one should take shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda because it is as cooling as the moon rays combined together of millions of moons. That means one will immediately find peaceful atmosphere. Just like a man works whole day and if he comes under the moonshine he feels relief.

Similarly, any materialistic man who comes under the shelter of Lord Nityānanda will immediately feel that relief. Then he says,

nitāi-pada-kamala, koṭi-candra-suśītala,
je chāyāy jagata jurāy,
heno nitāi bine bhai, rādhā-kṛṣṇa pāite nāi,
dharo nitāi-caraṇa du’khani

He says that “If you are anxious to go back to home, back to Godhead, and become associate with Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, then the best policy is to take shelter of Nityānanda.” Then he says, se sambandha nāhi jā’r, bṛthā janma gelo tā’r: “One who has not been able to contact Nityānanda, then one should think of himself that he has simply spoiled his valuable life.” Bṛthā janma gelo, bṛthā means for nothing, and janma means life. Gelo tā’r, spoiled. Because he has not made connection with Nityānanda. The Nityānanda, very name, suggests… Nitya means eternal. Ānanda means pleasure. Material pleasure is not eternal. That is the distinction. Therefore those who are intelligent, they are not interested with this flickering pleasure of material world. Every one of us, as living entity, we are searching after pleasure. But the pleasure which we are seeking, that is flickering, temporary. That is not pleasure. Real pleasure is nityānanda, eternal pleasure. So anyone who has no contact with Nityānanda, it is to be understood that his life is spoiled.

se sambandha nāhi jā’r, bṛthā janma gelo tā’r,
sei paśu boro durācār

Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura uses here very harsh word. He says that such human being is an animal, an uncontrollable animal. As there are some animals that cannot be tamed, so anyone who has not contacted Nityānanda, he should be considered as an untamed animal. Sei paśu boro durācār. Why? Because nitāi nā bolilo mukhe: “He never uttered the holy name of Nityānanda.” And majilo saṁsāra-sukhe, “and become merged into this material happiness.” Vidyā-kule ki koribe tār. “That nonsense does not know that what will his education and family and tradition and nationality will help him?” These things cannot help him. These are all temporary things. Simply, if we want eternal pleasure, we must contact Nityānanda. Vidyā-kule ki koribe tār. Vidyā means education, and kula means family, nationality. So we may have a very nice family connection or we may have very nice national prestige, but after ending this body, these things will not help me. I’ll carry my work with me, and according to that work, I shall have to accept by force another type of body. It may be something other than human body. So these things cannot protect us or give us the real pleasure.

So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura advises that vidyā-kule ki koribe tār. Then he says, ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā. “Being maddened after false prestige and identification…” False identification with the body and prestige of bodily relationship, it is called ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā. One is mad after this false prestige. Ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā, nitāi-pada pāsariyā. Due to this false prestige we are thinking, “Oh, what is Nityānanda? What can He do for me? I don’t care.” So these are the signs of false prestige. Ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā, nitāi-pada pāsa…, asatyere satya kori māni. The result is that I am accepting something which is false. For example, I am accepting this body. This body, I am not this body. Therefore, with false identification I am becoming entangled more and more. So one who is puffed up with this false prestige, ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā, nitāi-pada pā…, asatyere satya kori māni, he accepts something wrong as right. Then he says, nitāiyer koruṇā habe, braje rādhā-kṛṣṇa pābe. If you are actually serious about going back to home, back to Godhead, then please seek after the mercy of Nityānanda. Ahaṅkāre…

nitāiyer koruṇā habe, braja rādhā-kṛṣṇa pābe,
dharo nitāi-caraṇa du’khāni

“Please catch up the lotus feet of Nityānanda.” Then he says, nitāiyer caraṇa satya. One may think that as we catch hold of so many shelter, but in this material world later on they prove false, similarly, suppose we catch hold of the lotus feet of Nityānanda; it may also prove false. But Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura assures that nitāiyer caraṇa satya: “It is not false. Because Nityānanda is eternal, His lotus feet is also eternal.” Tāṅhāra sevaka nitya. And anyone who takes to the service of Nityānanda, they also become eternal. Without being eternal, nobody can serve the eternal. That is the Vedic injunction. Without becoming Brahman, one cannot approach the Supreme Brahman. Just like without being fire, nobody can enter into the fire. Without being water, nobody can enter into the water. Similarly, without being fully spiritualized, nobody can enter into the spiritual kingdom. So nitāiyer caraṇa satya. If you catch nitāiyer, the lotus feet of Nityānanda, then you become immediately spiritualized. Just like if you touch electricity, immediately you become electrified. That is natural. Similarly, Nityānanda is eternal happiness, if you touch Nityānanda some way or other, then you become also eternally happy. Tāṅhāra sevaka nitya. Therefore one who has in contact with Nityānanda, they have become eternal.

nitāiyer caraṇa satya, tāṅhāra sevaka nitya,
dṛḍha kori’ dharo nitāir pāy

So just catch Him very tightly. Narottama boro duḥkhī, nitāi more koro sukhī. At the last Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, the composer of this song, he is appealing to Nityānanda, “My dear Lord, I am very unhappy. So You please make me happy. And You kindly keep me in corner of Your lotus feet.” That is the sum and substance of this song. (end)