Which Deities to Worship on the Altar - 25 Feb 1997 Bali Denpasar
Srila Gurudeva:
What are the characteristics, differences between Gaura-Nityananda, Gaura-Gadadhara, and Radha-Krsna? Can you explain?
Devotee:
Nityananda is Balarama and Mahaprabhu is Krsna. With Gaura Gadadhar, Gadadhara is Srimati Radharani and Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna. So where there is Radha and Krsna, Balaram will not be there.
Srila Gurudeva:
What is the speciality of Them? This is rasa tattva. Both are justified in devotion, no harm, you can do arcana of Gaur Nityananda Prabhu, you can do worship of Gaura Gadadhara. In Navadwipa, in Mayapur there is Gaura Nityananda Prabhu and Gaura Gadadhar Prabhu, but there is some specialty. Syamarani didi can explain something?
Syamarani didi:
Gadadhara Pandit is Srimati Radharani. So ultimately we want to worship Radha-Krsna Conjugal and whenever Radha-Krsna are there, Balaram can not be in the same place. This is Vedic culture that the…
Srila Gurudeva:
Vedic culture and also vraja-riti—the culture of Vraja. Vraja-riti means?
Syamarani didi:
The activities of Vraja. Balaram being the older brother of Krsna, He never is in the same place where Radha and Krsna are having Their pastimes.
Srila Gurudeva:
But Radha and Krsna both may still do pranams to Baladeva.
Syamarani didi:
From afar.
Srila Gurudeva:
Ahh good. Srimati Radharani will not go nearby Baladeva like with Her father-in-law or father, and He will give benediction from some distance. But He will not go where Radha-Krsna Conjugal are.
If anyone is in friendly terms with Krsna, thinking that Krsna is my sakha, then, following this, they can worship Gaura Nityananda, but if they are like Svarupa Damodar, Raya Ramanada, Rupa Gosvami, then they always serve Sri Sri Gaura Gadadhar. Others like Abhirama Gosvami and those that were sakhas of Nityananda Prabhu, they worship Gaura Nityananda.
Gaura Gadadhar are for those worshipping in the madhurya mood. The devotees of Gaura Gadadhara are rare, only those that have deeply gone in to the mood of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, they can worship, like Svarupa Damodar.
The brother of Gadadhara Pandit, his name was Vaninath. He always worshiped Gaura Gadadhar in Campaka-hatta, Navadvipa.
For it depends on the mood and quality of the devotee. If we want to serve Nityananda Prabhu and also Gaur Gadadhara and Radha-Krsna then Nityananda Prabhu will be worshipped as Ananga Manjari.