May 24, 1996
Bath, U.K.
Srila Gurudeva: Without the mercy of Nityānanda Prabhu, we cannot go forward even an inch in the realm of bhakti. Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mercy will be achieved only by the mercy of Nityānanda Prabhu. Nityānanda Prabhu is Himself Baladeva Prabhu. Without the help of Nityānanda Prabhu or Baladeva Prabhu, we cannot achieve love for the Divine Couple and we can also not know who Caitanya Mahāprabhu is. So, having the blessings of Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu, we will be able to pray by this song.
[Śrīla Gurudeva and the devotees sing, “gaurāṅga bolite ha’be.”]
The author of the song, Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says while bitterly weeping, “I am helpless. All worldly desires are conquering me. There are so many worldly desires in my heart. I cannot remove them. I want to forget all these desires but I cannot. I want to chant, ‘Gaura Gaura. O Śacīnandana Gaurahari!’ But I cannot chant. Tears are not coming and my heart is not melting.”
Tears may come, but if the heart doesn’t melt, then it is like zero. When the heart melts and tears come, then the devotee will cry out, “O Gaurangadeva! O Gaurangadeva!” But this cannot come. So, how will this happen? Without the mercy of Nityānanda Prabhu, this cannot be made possible. So, Nitāi Prabhu’s mercy is indispensable. The devotee should cry and say, “O Nityānanda Prabhu, You should come in my heart. Bless me that You will come in my heart and sweep my heart of all kinds of anarthas like offenses and the tendency to criticize. I don’t want to taste worldly things anymore. So please come and have so much mercy upon me. I know that You have done magic on Jagāi and Mādhāi. But I am much more fallen than Jagāi and Mādhāi. When will You bestow Your mercy upon me, by which I can also become like Jagāi and Mādhāi, who became recipients of Your causeless mercy and became pure devotees? By Your mercy, they became such good devotees. I challenge Your mercy. And if I am not having Your mercy, then I will tell the entire world that “He cannot save me.” So, the whole world will know of this and they will give up harināma, chanting, and everything. So, You should think about this, whether You should bestow Your mercy upon this fallen jīva or not. I am only depending on You. I am helpless, but I only know You.”
Nitāi at once came and said, “Oh yes, I am giving My full mercy to you. But I am telling you to be under the shade of the lotus feet of Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmī; Rūpa and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. I have given My entire mercy to Rūpa and Raghunātha. I have given them the key of Vṛndāvana. If you will take the shelter of Rūpa Gosvāmī and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, then they will open the door and you will be able to enter Vṛndāvana. Then, you will be able to realize what Vṛndāvana is. You will know who Vrnda-devī is, and who the Divine Couple are. Without the mercy of Rūpa-Raghunātha, you will not be able to realize this.
rūpa-raghunātha pade hoibe ākūti
kabe hama bujhabo se yugala piriti
rūpa-raghunātha pade rahu mora asa
prārthanā koroye sadā narottama dāsa
[Gaurāṅga bolite ha’be written by Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura]
Hearing this prayer of Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, Rūpa Gosvāmī’s and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī’s heart melted and they thought, “How can our full mercy be given to Narottama?” Rūpa Gosvāmī was taught the essence of devotional conclusions by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Prayāga, which is the confluence of the Gaṅgā, Yamunā, and Sarasvatī, and at Jagannātha Purī. Rūpa Gosvāmī taught what he had heard from Mahāprabhu to Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī had before served Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī in Jagannātha Purī. Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī in the hands of Svarūpa Dāmodara. Svarūpa Dāmodara was the bosom friend of Mahāprabhu. And also, he was Śrī Lalitā-devī. In the Gambhīrā, there would be dialogues between Mahāprabhu and Svarūpa Dāmodara and Rāya Rāmānanda Prabhu for the entire duration of the night. Svarūpa Dāmodara would tell everything he had heard from Mahāprabhu to Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had also given many teachings to Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. So, he remembered everything and kept all those teachings in his heart.
When Caitanya Mahāprabhu went away from this world, then Gadādhara Paṇḍita, Svarūpa Dāmodara, and Rāya Rāmānanda also left this world and went with Caitanya Mahāprabhu to Goloka Vṛndāvana, Śvetadvīpa—Then, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī became restless. Day and night, he would weep. He thought that he should go to Vṛndāvana and give up his life by drowning in the Yamunā. With this purpose in mind, he at once came to Vṛndāvana on foot. He covered a distance of a thousand miles quickly.