Sri Nityananda’s Avirbhava
CC Ādi 1.35
mantra-guru āra yata śikṣā-guru-gaṇa
tāṅhāra caraṇa āge kariye vandana
Synonyms
mantra–guru — the initiating spiritual master; āra — and also; yata — as many (as there are); śikṣā–guru–gaṇa — all the instructing spiritual masters; tāṅhāra — of all of them; caraṇa — unto the lotus feet; āge — at first; kariye — I offer; vandana — respectful obeisances.
Translation
I first offer my respectful obeisances at the lotus feet of my initiating spiritual master and all my instructing spiritual masters.
In pursuance of the above formula—
I offer my humble obeisances to my initiating (nama and mantra) spiritual master His Divine Grace Thakura Bhaktivedanta Swami — a Shaktyavesa Avatar of Sri Nityananda Prabhu — who appeared in this world to dispel the darkness of ignorance, give relief to the sufferings of all jivas, enlighten and give spiritual joy to his devotees and help us realize the purport of this verse:
CC Ādi 1.2
vande śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-
nityānandau sahoditau
gauḍodaye puṣpavantau
citrau śan-dau tamo-nudau
Translation
I offer my respectful obeisances unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda, who are like the sun and moon. They have arisen simultaneously on the horizon of Gauḍa to dissipate the darkness of ignorance and thus wonderfully bestow benediction upon all.
I offer my humble obeisances to all my instructing gurus. They are many and include my vartma-pradasika-gurus (disciples of my initiating spiritual master and my most prominent instructing spiritual masters: Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara-deva Goswami Maharaja and Srila Bhakti Sundara Govinda-deva Goswami Maharaja) who inspired me to seek the shelter of and render service to my nama (initiating) and siksa-gurus (instructing-gurus).
Srila Sridhara Maharaja, was accepted by his Godbrothers as the foremost representative of Sri Rupa Goswami (following the disappearance of His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada) and is my sannyasa-guru. He was the first to identify Srila Prabhupada, Swami Maharaja, as a saktyavesha-avatara of Lord Nityananda. It is by his Divine Grace that others followed suit soon afterwards to acknowledge and rejoice in this fact. Years before that Srila Swami Maharaja revealed the fact that he accepted Srila Sridhara Maharaja as his siksya-guru:
”So if you are actually serious to take instructions from a siksa guru, I can refer you to one who is most highly competent of all my god-brothers. This is B.R. Sridhara Maharaja, whom I consider to be even my siksa guru, so what to speak of the benefit that you can have from his association.”
Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami
Letter to: Hrsikesa
Dated: Jan. 31, 1969
Those who accept these two facts will surely be blessed by Lord Nityananda and Lord Chaitanya to make progress in the line of Rupa-nuga bhakti.
Among Srila Sridhara Maharaja’s disciples one was foremost. His name is Bhakti Sundara Govinda. Srila Sridhara Maharaja instructed all those who had faith in him to repose that same faith in Srila Govinda Maharaja and follow his direction. Those who accept that are indeed fortunate. Those who do not are most unfortunate.
In pursuance of gaining the mercy of my initiating and instructing spiritual masters, their disciples, followers and peers, I urge one and all to take advantage of this holy day by glorifying the service of Lord Nityananda to his most beloved Lord, Sri Krishna Chaitanya as Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has done in this beautiful song of his ”Dalalera Gita”
It will also be very auspicious to chant the names ”Gaura Nitai.”
With respect,
Swami B.K. Giri