Vrindavan, 2018.01.30 (VT, with input from Anjana Aggarwal) Yesterday was one of the biggest festivals in the Vaishnava calendar – Lord Nityananda’s Appearance Day. Temples all over Vrindavan celebrated with great joy, as Shri Nityanand prabhu gave us the perfect example of joyful service, absorption in ecstatic kirtan and determination to never leave the Lord’s side.
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Yesterday, the Gaur Nitai deities at Sringar Vata were honoured with special sringar (decorations). Sringar Vata is also called Nityananda Vata because, when Lord Nityananda came to Vrindavan, he spent several days there, in the mood of Balaram, playing as a child and going to Yamuna to splash water and play around like Balaram does with Krishna and the gopas.
Sringar Vata lies a little towards east from Imli Tala (in the direction of Keshi Ghat) on the banks of the Yamuna. It is the place where Sri Krishna decorated Radha Rani and is also the place where Krishna and his fellow gopas would rest with their cows. Sitting in the shade of the vata (Banyan tree) the gopas would decorate Sri Krishna with garlands that they made with leaves and flowers.
Lord Nityananda takes many forms in order to stay with Lord Vishnu in all his incarnations, always serving Him. He expands himself as the Dhama to provide a beautiful place for the Lord to have His pastimes. He manifests as the Lord’s shoes, the Lord’s bed, the Lord’s ornaments, the Lord’s clothing… He serves the Lord in these ways in santa rasa; dasya rasa; as a gopa in sakya rasa – the Lord’s friend, His servant, His decorations, His elder brother or His younger brother. Sometimes, he goes into vatsalya rasa and sometimes he expands himself as Ananga Manjari, Srimati Radharani’s younger sister in madhurya rasa.
At times Lord Nityananda cried, shouted and roared Harinam. He rolled and rubbed the Holy dust of Braja Dham all over his body. He cried in the pain of separation from Lord Krishna. With overwhelming intensity, he cried out and asked Shri Yamuna, the trees of Shri Dham, Sri Tulsi Maharani, ” Where is my Krishna? Where is my Bansidhari? As these words emanated from his divine lips, tears of love start pouring uncontrollably from his eyes. One day, there was a voice from far away that said,” Your Krishna has taken an avatar in Sri Navdeep as Sachinandan Gaur Hari. After that, Shri Nityanand prabhu proceeded towards Navadvip Dham in search of his beloved Gaurahari.
I bow down to the lotus feet of Shri Nityanand prabhu and pray before him to give us Gaur prem…… !!
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