Introduction to chapter 7

This chapter describes Śrī Nityānanda’ s return journey to Nīlācala from Navadvīpa, Śrī Gaurasundara’s description of Nityānanda’ s ornaments as the nine types of devotional service, Śrī Nityānanda’s pastime of seeing Lord Jagannātha, and the ecstatic pastime of Śrī Gaurasundara and Nityānanda’s eating at the Ṭoṭā-gopīnātha temple.

After taking leave of mother Śacī in Śrīdhāma Māyāpur-Navadvīpa, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu along with His associates went to Nīlācala, where He stayed in one flower garden. When Śrī Gaurasundara came alone to that garden to meet Śrī Nityānanda, the Lord offered prayers to Nityānanda by reciting the śloka beginning gṛnhīyād yavanī pānin and then circumambulated Him. Śrī Nityānanda also manifested ecstatic love upon seeing the moonlike face of Śrī Gaura. A current of great ecstasy swelled in the loving conversation between Śrī Caitanya and Nityānanda. While glorifying Śrī Nityānanda, Śrīman Mahāprabhu said that the gold, silver, pearls, rudrākṣa, etc., that are found on Śrī Nityānanda’s body are the nine types of devotional service. Śrī Nityānanda has awarded to even fallen souls the most rare loving devotional service that is desired by even great sages and mystic yogis, and Nityānanda is capable of giving away even Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is supremely independent. Nityānanda is the personification of the mellows of devotional service to Kṛṣṇa, and the body of Nityānanda is the abode of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. Śrī Nityānanda also revealed His own subordinate nature to Śrī Gaurasundara.

Mahāprabhu said that the nine types of devotional service certainly adorn the transcendental limbs of Śrī Nityānanda as His ornaments. As ordinary people who do not understand why Lord Śiva decorates his head with a snake imagine or think differently about him, similarly, on seeing the ornaments on Śrī Nityānanda’s transcendental body, people proud of their material knowledge become offenders at His lotus feet. Lord Śiva is the servant of Śrī Saṅkarṣaṇa, or Śrī Ananta, so out of love for his worshipable Lord, Śiva always keeps Śrī Ananta on his head. Similarly, for the pleasure of Śrī Gaurasundara, Śrī Nityānanda also decorates His transcendental body with the ornaments of the nine types of devotional service. Fortunate persons can understand these confidential topics, and thus they become happy and attain service at the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Sinful people, however, become destroyed by being deceived by their material knowledge. Śrī Nityānanda and His associates are Śrī Baladeva and Baladeva’s associates of Vraja. The devotional sentiments enjoyed by the associates of Nanda Mahārāja are present on the transcendental body of Śrī Nityānanda as His ornaments.

Śrī Caitanya and Śrī Nityānanda sat in that solitary flower garden and discussed confidential topics and the rare transcendental sentiments of Gokula desired by personalities like Śrī Uddhava. In this regard the author glorifies the supreme position of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and warns about the grave consequences a person faces if, without understanding the confidential loving quarrels between Śrī Nityānanda and Śrī Gauracandra, he takes the side of one Lord and blasphemes the other Lord.

After taking leave from Nityānanda, Śrī Gaurasundara returned to His own residence. Śrī Nityānanda went to see Lord Jagannātha, where He manifested pastimes of mahābhāva, and from there He went to the house of Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita in one garden. The Deity of Gopīnātha was situated in the house of Gadādhara. This Deity is so attractive that even the hearts of atheists become melted on seeing Him. Śrī Caitanyadeva personally embraced this Deity. When Śrī Gadādhara heard the news of Śrī Nityānanda’s arrival at his house, he left his recitation of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and came to greet Him. During their meeting, they both became overwhelmed with love while glorifying each other. Neither of them would ever converse with the other’s enemy. Gadādhara resolved that he would never see the face of a person who blasphemes Nityānanda. Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita invited Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu to have lunch at his house, and Śrī Nityānanda gave Gadādhara Paṇḍita some fine rice fit for offering the Lord that He had personally brought from Bengal for offering to Gopīnātha. He also presented a beautiful colored cloth to Gopīnātha. Gadādhara put that colored cloth on the transcendental body of Śrī Gopīnātha. He then cooked the rice that Nityānanda had brought from Bengal and offered it to Gopīnātha along with vegetables and a preparation of spinach picked from the courtyard of the Ṭoṭā-gopīnātha temple.

At that time Śrī Gaurasundara also arrived at Gadādhara’s house and told Gadādhara that He was certainly entitled to a portion of Nityānanda’s goods, Gadādhara’s cooking, and Gopīnātha’s remnants. On hearing Śrī Mahāprabhu’s merciful words, Gadādhara became extremely happy, and he placed a plate of Gopīnātha’s prasāda before Mahāprabhu. While honoring the rice given by Nityānanda and while praising the cooking of Gadādhara, Mahāprabhu manifested the pastime of honoring Gopīnātha’s prasāda. Śrī Gaurasundara, Nityānanda, and Gadādhara finished their pastime of honoring prasāda in the midst of laughing and teasing each other. Then the devotees gathered there plundered the remnants of the three Prabhus.

Ṭhākura Vṛndāvana concludes this chapter by declaring that one who hears or reads about Śrī Gaura-Nityānanda’s pastime of eating at the house of Gadādhara will attain devotional service and by describing topics of Gaura, Gadādhara, and Nityānanda’s living together in Nīlācala.