Today Is The Appearance Day of Nityananda Prabhu. Nityananda Prabhu is Baladeva, Baladeva-tattva. Narottama Dasa Thakura has sung, vrajendra nandana yei, saci suta haila sei, balarama haila nitai: "He who was formerly the son of Nanda Maharaja has appeared as the son of Sacidevi." Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mother's name was Sacidevi. So Krsna is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and Balarama is Nityananda Prabhu.
In the Vedic literature it is said, nayam atma bala-hinena labhyah: "One cannot understand the Absolute Truth without bala." Bala means strength. Sometimes rascal philosophers say that bala means bodily strength. They propagate the philosophy that "Unless you are bodily stout and strong, you cannot achieve spiritual salvation. You must be very strong and stout and eat meat and fight, and then you'll get a spiritual birth in your next life."
No. The strength bala required to understand the Absolute Truth is different. This is spiritual strength. The difficulty of the present situation is that although we are moving on account of spiritual strength, people have no information of spiritual strength. They are thinking of material strength.
That is expressed by Narottama Dasa Thakura's song: ahankare matta hoiya, nitai-pada pasariya, asatyere satya kori mani. The misconception of thinking that bala means bodily strength is due to ahankara, false ego. By the spell of maya, people are thinking, "We are independent. We can do whatever we like." This is called ahankara-vimudhatma. Under false pretext, false prestige, everyone is thinking, "We are independent. We can find the solution of the problems of life by material adjustment."
So that is the material disease ahankara-vimudhatma. Bewildered, people do not understand that the real strength is spiritual strength. We see daily that a person may be very strong, very powerful, have a good brain, be a very good scientist but what is the person's real strength? The strength is atma. As soon as the atma, or the soul, goes out of the body, the intelligence, the strength so many things they are nothing.
That is the difference between a dead man and a living man. A living man may be very powerful and in a very good position, but as soon as he dies, he is lying down on the floor. And if you kick him on his face, he'll not protest. So where is the strength? The strength is gone. That is spiritual strength.
On spiritual strength, the body moves. Suppose you have a very good car Mercedes or Rolls Royce. When there is no petrol, how will the car move? It is not possible. There is a kind of spirit required "petrol spirit."
Similarly, real strength is spiritual strength. That spiritual strength is Balarama. Therefore we have to take shelter of the lotus feet of Balarama. Balarama means guru-tattva. Balarama represents guru. If we want to understand Caitanya Mahaprabhu, if we want to understand Krsna, then we must take shelter of Balarama.
Nayam atma bala-hinena labhyah. This Vedic injunction means, "Without the mercy of Balarama you cannot realize your spiritual identity." Balarama comes as Nityananda Prabhu. Therefore we must take shelter of Nityananda.
This song by Narottama Dasa Thakura begins nitai-pada-kamala, koti-candra-susitala: "The lotus feet of Nityananda are as cooling as millions of moons." If we take shelter of Nityananda Prabhu, we'll get peace. For example, in daytime, especially in the summer, we become exhausted by the heat. But in the evening, as soon as there is moonshine we become satisfied. All the day's labor and fatigue are immediately removed. One moon gives us so much pleasure. And the shade of Nityananda Prabhu's lotus feet is as pleasing as the moonshine of millions of moons.
If we actually want peace of mind, if we actually want to be free from material fatigue, we must take shelter of Nityananda Prabhu. Nityananda Prabhu is strength, spiritual strength. And without spiritual strength, you cannot approach Krsna.
Nayam atma pravacanena labhyah: "If you are a good speaker, that does not mean you'll understand Krsna." Na medhasa: "Neither by a good brain." Because you have a very good brain you'll understand Krsna? No. Na bahuna srutena. You think that because you are a very good scholar, a university degree holder, you can understand Krsna? No. That is not possible.
We must have spiritual strength. The source of spiritual strength is Balarama, Krsna's first manifestation, prakasa-vigraha. Krsna is manifesting Himself through Balarama. So we have to take shelter of Nityananda Prabhu.
Je chayay jagata juray. The whole world is suffering, but if you want peace, take shelter of Nityananda Prabhu.
Heno nitai bine bhai, radha-krsna paite nai, drdha kori' dharo nitai pay. Our real aim of life is how to go back home, back to Godhead, and associate with Radha-Krsna. In another song the same author says, manusya-janama paiya, radha-krsna na bhajiya, janiya suniya bisa khainu. Unless you come to Radha-Krsna, you cannot get real pleasure. If you want to dance and get pleasure, don't dance independently. Dance with Krsna.
Just like here, in our temple, we are also eating, but we are eating the remnants of food left by Krsna. That is real pleasure. It is not that we stop eating. We are not dry philosophers. All over the world we are eating Krsna prasadam. At least ten thousand men and women are taking Krsna prasadam, but we have no anxiety. We have no anxiety. A family consists of a few members. They are full of anxiety about how to maintain the family. We are maintaining a family of ten thousand, and we have no anxiety. Just see practically. We have no anxiety. We require thousands and thousands of rupees for maintaining in Europe, America a costly affair. But because we are under the shelter of Nityananda Prabhu, Balarama, we have no anxiety.
Material life means anxiety. You cannot avoid anxiety if you lead a material life. That is Prahlada Maharaja's instruction. He was asked by his father, "My dear son, what is the best thing you have learned from your teachers?"
He replied, "My dear best of the asuras, the whole human society is suffering, at least suffering from one disease anxiety."
Ask anybody. Take a small ant and take a big elephant. Take the President of the United States or take a street beggar. Ask them, "Are you free from anxiety?" Nobody will say, "Yes." They will say, "I am full of anxiety." That's a fact. Why are they full of anxiety? Prahlada Maharaja has replied, sada samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat: "They are unhappy because they have accepted asad-vastu that which will not exist."
Everything whatever we have will not exist. Our body will not exist. And this is the main platform of our present existence. In the material world, you exist only as long as the body is there. So Prahlada Maharaja said, "The real solution to the problems of life is to get out of this material condition. That is the best thing, in my opinion."
A Vedic injunction says, asato ma sad gamah: "Don't live in this asat, this material condition." Sad gamah: "Go to real existence." Real existence means spiritual life. If we actually want life, blissful life, we must get out of material existence. That is Prahlada Maharaja's instruction.
Samudvigna-dhiyam. And if you remain in material existence, you must suffer some anxiety. You will not be exempt. So Prahlada Maharaja advises, hitvatma-patam grham andha-kupam vanam gato yad dharim asrayeta. The real problem is anxiety. And anxiety will continue as long as you are in material existence. Therefore, real life is to get out of material existence.
Atma-patam means "killing the soul." Material civilization is killing the soul. People have no information of the soul. They do not know how to become peaceful, how to become blissful. They are trying to be peaceful through the external material energy. They are thinking that by constructing big, big buildings they will be peaceful.
Here in Bhubaneswar they are doing this. They are building big roads and traveling with motor cars. And they are thinking that this is advancement of civilization. No. It is not advancement of civilization. It is increasing their anxiety. There is no solution to the anxiety.
Formerly there was no university. The university was in the cottage. Vyasadeva was writing the Srimad-Bhagavatam and all the Puranas in a cottage. That was the university. Who can produce such literature as that which Vyasadeva has given? From any angle of vision from the literary point of view, from the philosophical point of view everything that he has written is perfect: the Mahabharata, the Puranas, the Vedanta-sutra…
There was no need of universities. His writing required a clear brain, and that was achieved through brahminical qualities: peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom, and religiousness. Where is the education today to teach these qualities? Technical education how you can very nicely hammer will not solve the problems of life.
If we want the real solution to the problems of life, our first duty is to take the shelter of Lord Nityananda's lotus feet. Then we'll be happy. We'll be soothed by the moon rays emanating from His lotus feet, and all our fatigue will subside.
Sei sambandha nahi ja'r, brtha janma gelo ta'r. If you have no connection with Nityananda Prabhu, you're simply wasting time.
Se pasu boro duracar. Here Narottama Dasa Thakura has used a very strong word. "Anyone who has no connection with Nityananda Prabhu is a pasu." Pasu means animal. How can an animal get happiness? That is not possible. From childhood the dog searches after food. The street dog cannot get food. Unless a dog has a master, he's always unhappy.
So it is better to become a dog of Nityananda Prabhu instead of becoming a dog of so many other people. Then we shall be happy. Everyone is a dog. Everyone is searching after a master to serve. But no one is satisfied because such a master is a false master. When you take the real master, Nityananda Prabhu, you'll be happy.
Bhaktivinoda Thakura has sung, vaisnava thakura, tomara kukkura, boliya janaha more: "My dear Vaisnava Thakura, kindly accept me as your dog. I am a dog already, but I am maya's dog. I'm not a Vaisnava's dog. So kindly accept me." If we do not become a dog of Nityananda Prabhu, a Vaisnava, or a guru, there is no question of happiness. Nitai na bolilo mukhe, majila samsara-sukhe. One who has no connection with Nityananda Prabhu and who does not say, "Jaya Nitai! Jaya Gaura!" becomes absorbed in material enjoyment. Majilo samsara-sukhe means to think, "Society, friendship, and love, divinely bestowed upon man." Materialist persons say like that. In samsara, material existence of repeated birth and death, there cannot besukha, happiness. But the materialist is attracted by material existence.
Vidya kule ki koribe tar. What help will a university education or birth in a big family be? These will not help. Why are we accepting these false solutions?
Ahankare matta hoiya, nitai-pada pasariya, asatyere satya kori mani. Misled by false prestige and false ego, we are accepting the body, which will not exist. We have taken the body as reality. But if we take shelter of Nityananda Prabhu, we'll get enlightenment.
Nitaiyer koruna habe, braje radha-krsna pabe, dharo nitai-carana du'khani. Therefore Narottama Dasa Thakura advises that if you want the association of Radha-Krsna, you must first achieve the mercy of Lord Nityananda. Today is Nityananda Prabhu's appearance day. Let us at least remember today the lotus feet of Nityananda Prabhu. That is wanted.
Nitaiyer carana satya, tahara sevaka nitya. The reality is nitai carana, the lotus feet of Nityananda Prabhu. And anyone who is a servant of Nityananda Prabhu is transcendental. One who becomes the dog of Nityananda Prabhu gets eternal life. We are eternal, but under the misconception of material identification we are under the subjugation of maya. It is very much a botheration, but people do not know this. We are going from one body to another, transmigrating. And there is no guarantee what our next body will be. But people have no science, no knowledge about this, the very first instruction of Bhagavad-gita. They are rascals, and they are proud of their education, their universities. This is going on.
Nitai-pada sada koro asa. Therefore we should always desire to be under the shelter of Nityananda's lotus feet.
Narottama boro duhkhi. Narottama Dasa Thakura is an acarya, a great spiritual master. But he is presenting himself as a common man. He is not duhkhi, unhappy, but he's presenting himself as duhkhi. Acaryas are never duhkhi. But taking the common man's position, he says, "Narottama is very unhappy." Narottama means "the best of the human beings." Here in the material world one may be the best of the human beings in a very exalted position but everyone is duhkhi, unhappy.
Nitai more koro sukhi: "Only Nityananda can make me happy. Otherwise, it is not possible to be happy."
Rakho ranga-caranera pasa. So we should always pray to Nityananda Prabhu, "Kindly keep me under Your shelter. I am very unhappy. Under the shelter of Your lotus feet I shall be happy." That is real happiness. Thank you very much.