Śrī Nityānānda Rama Prabhu, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, famous as a primary religious figure within the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Bengal, being an expansion of Balarama. Nitai was Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's friend and disciple. They are often mentioned together as Gaura-Nitai or Nimai-Nitai. Followers often refer to Nitai as 'Sri Nityananda', 'Prabhu Nityananda' or 'Nityananda Rama'. According to Gaudiya-Vaishnava tradition Śrī Nityānānda Rama is an incarnation of Balarama, with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu being his eternal brother and friend, Krishna. He is considered the 'most merciful' incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead . Śrīla Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Ṭhākura Prabhupāda writes: “Nityananda is the Primary Manifestive Constituent of the Divinity. Nityananda alone possesses the distinctive function of the guru. In Nityananda the function is embodied. Nityananda is the servant-God.”
Life
Nityananda Rama Prabhu appeared to a religious Bengali Brahmin, known as Pandit Hadai and Padmavati in Ekachakra around the year 1474. His devotion and great talent for singing Vaishnava hymns were apparent from a very early age. In his youth, he would generally play the part of Lakshman, Rama's younger brother, in dramatic re-enactments of Lord Rama's pastimes, along with the other boys of Ekachakra. At the age of thirteen, Nitai left home with a travelling renunciate known as Lakshmipati Tirtha. Nitai's father, Hadai Pandit, had offered the travelling sannyasi anything he wished as a gift. To this, Lakshmipati Tirtha replied that he was in need of someone to assist him in his travels to the holy places and that Nitai would be perfect for the job. As he had given his word, Hadai Pandit reluctantly agreed and Nitai joined him in his travels. This started Nitai's long physical and spiritual journey through India, which would get him in contact with important Gurus of the Vaishnava tradition. Apart from Lakshmipati Tirtha, who at some point initiated him, he was also associated with Lakshmipati Tirtha's famous other disciples: Madhavendra Puri, Advaita Acharya, and Ishvara Puri, the spiritual master of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Jagai-Madhai episode
The episode of Jagai-Madhai relates to Chaitanya and Nitai. There are a few versions of the story, but the basics outline of the traditional tale is as follows:
Marriage and descendants
Nitai married two daughters of Suryadasa Sarakhela, Vasudha and Jahnava. After marriage, he settled in Khardaha in 24 Parganas district in West Bengal. He had a son, Virachandra Goswami or Virabhadra, and a daughter, Ganga, by his first wife, Vasudha. Virabhadra was later initiated to Vaishnava rites by his stepmother Jahnava.
Legacy
The exploits of Chaitanya and Nitai have had deep religious and cultural implications in Bengal. They are credited with the revival of Hinduism in Eastern India, plagued mainly by the caste system, which they denounced. Much of Vaishnava literature, regarded as one the finest literary heritage of medieval Bengal, came from them or their disciples. Even in secular literature, their brotherly love towards each other has been celebrated. As Bhakti Ananda Goswami expresses the Gaudiya Vaishnava view of Nitai, “Nityananda-Balarama has broken-open and plundered the Store House of the Holy Name! He has distributed the Contents without any regard for those who are qualified or unworthy to receive The Great Treasure of The Holy Name of HARI !”
