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Nityananda

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For other uses, see Nityananda (disambiguation).

Sri
Nityananda
Prabhu
Wooden idol of Nityananda, Nitai Bari, Nabadwip
Personal
Bornc. 1474
Ekachakra, Bengal Sultanate (present-day West Bengal, India)
Diedc. 1540
ReligionHinduism
SpouseJahnava and Vasudha
Parents
  • Hadai Pandit (father)
  • Padmavati Devi (mother)
Known forExpounded Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Bhakti yoga along with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
Organization
PhilosophyBhakti yoga, Achintya Bheda Abheda
Religious career
GuruMadhavendra Puri (mantra guru)
Disciples

Nityananda Avadhuta (Bengali: শ্রী নিত্যানন্দ অবধূত), (IAST: Nityānanda; c. 1474-c. 1540), also called Nityananda Prabhu and Nitai, was a primary religious figure within the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Bengal. Nityananda was Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's friend and disciple. Chaitanya and Nityananda are often mentioned together as Gaura-Nitai (Gaura, referring to Chaitanya) or Nimai-Nitai (Nimai being a name of Chaitanya).[1]

According to Gaudiya-Vaishnava tradition, Nityananda is an incarnation of Balarama (so is also called Nityananda Rama, where Rama refers to Balarama), with Chaitanya being his eternal brother and friend, Krishna.[2] Chaitanya is considered the "most merciful" incarnation of Krishna as Svayam bhagavan.[3]

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, the early 20th-century Gaudiya-Vaishnava reformer, writes about Nityananda's theological position as the embodiment of the mercy of the guru: "Nityananda is the Primary Manifestive Constituent of the Divinity.[clarification needed] Nityananda alone possesses the distinctive function of the guru. In Nityananda, the function is embodied. Nityananda is the servant-God."[4]

Life

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Chaitanya and Nityananda, is shown performing a 'kirtan' (devotional song) in the streets of Nabadwip, Bengal.

Nityananda was born to a religious Bengali Brahmin called Pandit Hadai, and his wife, Padmavati,[5] in Ekachakra[6] around 1474. His devotion and great talent for singing Vaishnava hymns (bhajan) were apparent from a very early age. In his youth, he generally played the part of Lakshman, the god Rama's younger brother, in dramatic re-enactments of Rama's pastimes, along with the other boys of Ekachakra.[citation needed]

At the age of thirteen, Nityananda left home with a travelling renunciate (sannyasi) known as Lakshmipati Tirtha. Nityananda's father, Hadai, offered Lakshmipati anything he wished as a gift, who replied that he was in need of someone to assist him in his travels to the holy places, and that Nityananda would be perfect for the job. As he had given his word, Hadai agreed, and Nityananda joined Lakshmipati in his travels. Apart from Lakshmipati, who at some point initiated him, Nityananda was also associated with Lakshmipati's other disciples: Madhavendra Puri, Advaita Acharya, and Ishvara Puri, the spiritual master of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.[citation needed]

He died sometime between the years 1540 and 1544.[7]

Marriage and descendants

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Prabhu Nityananda, Mata Vasudha (left), Mata Janhava (right) (Srivas Angan, Nabadwip, WB)

Nityananda married two daughters of Suryadasa Sarakhela: Vasudha and Jahnava Devi with the help of Uddharan Dutta Thakura of Saptogram. After marriage, he settled in Khardaha, 24 Parganas, West Bengal. He had a son, Virachandra Goswami or Virabhadra (who was later initiated to Vaishnava rites by his co-mother Jahnava Devi) and a daughter, Ganga, by his first wife, Vasudha.[8]

Legacy

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Chaitanya and Nityananda's deeds have deep religious and cultural implications in Bengal. They are credited with the revival of Hinduism in Eastern India. Much of Vaishnava literature, regarded as one of the finest literary heritages of medieval Bengal, came from them or their disciples. Chief among Nityananda's disciples were the Twelve Gopalas, who spread the faith throughout the region.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Dimock, E.C. (1958). "The Place of Gauracandrika in Bengali Vaisnava Lyrics". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 78 (3): 153–169. doi:10.2307/595285. JSTOR 595285.
  2. ^ Chaitanya Charitamrita Adi-lila, 5.6 Archived 3 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Rosen, S.J. (2004). "Who Is Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu>". The Hare Krishna Movement: The Postcharismatic Fate of a Religious Transplant. ISBN 978-0-231-12256-6. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
  4. ^ 'Associates of Sri Caitanya – Part Two, Sri Nityananda Prabhu'
  5. ^ Sen, Sukumar (1991, reprint 2007). Bangala Sahityer Itihas, Vol.I, (in Bengali), Kolkata: Ananda Publishers, ISBN 81-7066-966-9, p.293
  6. ^ Chaitanya Charitamrita Adi-lila,13.61, purport Archived 3 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Kolkata Durga Puja Festival added a new photo to the album 💟 শ্রী নিত্যানন্দ মহাপ্রভু 💟". Facebook (in Bengali). 23 September 2018. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  8. ^ Sen, Sukumar (1991, reprint 2007). Bangala Sahityer Itihas, Vol.I, (in Bengali), Kolkata: Ananda Publishers, ISBN 81-7066-966-9, pp.236, 321-2
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