Nityananda Converting Jagai and Madhai # 22

22

Joy and hope take hold of the inhabitants of the cities during Nimai’s passing. He becomes the liberator of a religion entangled in the nets of obsolete traditions, distorted by speculators full of their own knowledge. For even at that time, it was difficult to distinguish mentors worthy of respect from detractors, or even criminals who never ceased to impose their opinions, dictate the law, and sometimes even resort to violence. This is what unfolds in the following episode, with Nityananda as the hero.

A short digression before beginning. Nimai must be introduced by the name he has recently become known by: Mahaprabhu, the "Master of Masters." This designation is reserved for a realized and exceptional personality or an Avatar. An honorary title, it is now attributed to Nimai, for everywhere people speak of him, of Mahaprabhu. Charismatic and full of spirit, he preaches in every marketplace and provides the instructions of Krishna to Arjuna contained in the Bhagavad-gita. He knocks on every door and organizes meetings where the inhabitants sing until late into the night. He intends to travel throughout India to make his divine message known. His own name, he prophesies, will be known in every town and village across the world: "sarvatra pracare hoibe more name." And, given the rapid and spontaneous manner in which the people convert to Vaishnavism, and the power of enchantment and persuasion emanating from his person, no one doubts his prediction.* Every day, he divides his companions into groups of two and exhorts them to convince and implore everyone they meet to serve Krishna, their Master and Benefactor, and to chant His holy Name.

The men he sends to preach are no ordinary men. Let us recall: Srivas Thakur, Advaita Acharya, Haridas Thakur, Murari Gupta, and others were the precursors of the sankirtana movement. According to the verdict of esteemed masters, their exemplary lives are worthy of sparking interest worldwide. When Chaitanya embraced Vaishnavism, Rupa and Sanatana Goswami, Raghunath Goswami, and Jahnava Devi, Nityananda's wife—to name but a few of this new generation—joined him. Later, they instilled their attachment to Chaitanya into other no less brilliant personalities, such as Srinivas Acharya, Jiva Goswami, Narottama Das Thakur, Shyamananda Pandit, and so on.

Among all the saints of this era, one has been voluntarily omitted due to his exalted nature and singular character: Sri Nityananda. His personality being too complex, he can hardly be understood without dwelling on the details of his life. Therefore, we will limit ourselves to presenting him briefly here.

Nityananda possessed an eccentric character that earned him the title of avadhuta. The term refers to a holy man who pays no heed to the contingencies and customs of this world. At first glance, an avadhuta looks like a madman. Individuals of this caliber can only be distinguished from the demented by seasoned spiritualists. He was born in 1474 in the village of Echakra, located one hundred kilometers south of Nadia. His childhood was marked by stories of Krishna's pastimes. He spent his time putting on plays that captivated the audience. "But where did you learn all this?" people would ask him, which only made him smile. Since he knew, by divine inspiration, that Chaitanya had not yet revealed his true identity and preferred to play the role of a scholar, so to speak, he decided to travel. He left his family home at the age of twelve. When the time came—that is, when Chaitanya returned from Gaya—he went to Nadia, incognito.

Chaitanya sensed his presence and sent Haridas Thakur and Srivas Pandit to search for him. He told them: "A great personality has arrived among us today; find him and bring him here." They searched the city thoroughly but returned empty-handed. Then Chaitanya, understanding Nityananda's spirit, went to find him accompanied by his friends. The meeting was memorable.

Nityananda was sitting in meditation. When he heard them, he raised his head and looked at the newcomers. What was he thinking? What did that inquisitive gaze mean? That silence? To break the awkwardness, Chaitanya asked Srivas to recite a verse from the Srimad-Bhagavatam. He intoned in a warm voice: "Very early this morning, Krishna rose and blew his cowherd's horn to wake the community of shepherds. He desired to go for a picnic on the banks of the Yamuna. Their breakfast under their arms, all together, with the calves leading the way, they left Vrindavan in a cloud of dust and ventured into the forest." It took no more than this to move Nityananda. He rose and, in a passionate outburst, cried out: "Mahaprabhu!" and embraced Chaitanya. Locked in an embrace, they wept for joy like two brothers meeting after a long absence.**

Chaitanya's devotees would declare that Nityananda is none other than Balarama, the brother of Krishna, who appeared in Vrindavan five thousand years ago.

One of Chaitanya's most important lieutenants is therefore Nityananda. He engages in preaching with such enthusiasm that he sometimes forgets himself and does not respect the customs that the people fervently protect. This strange being, blinded by happiness, might easily, for example, approach a young girl in the street and, against all common sense, speak and act toward her with familiarity, which earns him many reprimands and leads to unfortunate situations.

One day, accompanied by his friend Haridas Thakur, he meets two ill-reputed drunkards. They are unscrupulous criminals, wealthy and ungrateful, belonging to those caste brahmanas who, despite their extreme decadence and cruelty, demand to be treated with all the honors due to that privileged class. As they pass, everyone steps aside. It is better to vanish from their sight and not be confronted by their arrogance. But Nityananda, an intrepid preacher, pays no heed to the fundamental rules that govern simple reason. He approaches them. Jagai and his brother Madhai, dulled by alcohol, are staggering. Their need to drink is no longer driven by a mere desire for amusement; they are inveterate alcoholics.

In short, it is certainly not the time to sermonize them, but Nityananda overlooks these considerations and approaches them with innocence: "Dear brothers, why do you waste your precious time in vain distractions? Why do noble people like you not chant the Holy Names? Please, let us glorify the Lord together, and I promise you that you will soon taste the delights of bliss."

Our fellows, as one might expect, have no sense of civility. They feel insulted and ask no questions about this unusual encounter. They decide, however, to warn this newcomer of the danger he faces. Madhai eyes him up and down and, in a hoarse voice, thunders: "You, the missionary, and your gang, vanish from our sight before we lose our tempers! Do you not know who we are to dare disturb us like this? If you have nothing better to do, go to your temples and annoy the statues with your ridiculous prayers, but do not try to convert the incorrigible materialists that we are, otherwise you will get what's coming to you. Come on, move, get out of our way and that's that!"

He spoke these last words while waving his hand in the air, as if he wanted to drive from his sight the two preachers whom their apostleship had made insensitive to insults and who seemed to ignore his anger.

Haridas senses trouble. He deems it wiser to stay away, but Nityananda does not see it the same way; these two rascals also have a right to the love of God. Their hearts simply need to be purified of material desires. For him, there are no double standards, no exceptions to his recruitment work; everyone must immerse themselves in the ecstatic ocean of chanting the Holy Names. He therefore replies to Jagai and Madhai: "No, no, you have not understood! I am not trying to take your property, nor to deceive you; I simply wish for you to benefit from the most precious treasure there is. I promise you that all your fantasies and distractions will seem fleeting in comparison to this gift I want to offer you."

Though cautious and perplexed as to what result his partner's plea would produce, Haridas cannot prevent what follows. The reaction of the two rogues is as prompt as it is violent. He barely has time to catch the inert body of his friend as he collapses like a tree struck by lightning: one of these brutes has smashed a wine bottle over his forehead. The flesh is torn, and blood bathes his face.

A moment later, Nityananda opens his eyes. Although he lost consciousness, he nevertheless remembers the facts. Despite Haridas's insistence on keeping him still, he stands up, holding his hand like a visor over his eyebrow to prevent the blood from blinding him. To everyone's surprise, he pushes through the crowd with his broad shoulders, searching for the criminals. When he spots them, he rushes toward them. Taken aback, they stand on the defensive, anticipating nothing good. As soon as Nityananda reaches them, he overwhelms them with these words: "You are poor unbelievers without any awareness of the value of a servant of God. Your erroneous judgment prevents you from understanding the spiritual dimension; it is based only on your vile and ridiculous experiences of this world plagued by jealousy and lust. You have no moral conscience. You know nothing of love, mercy, forgiveness, and magnanimity. Do you think then that by striking me you would convince me to abandon my preaching? Oh, how you lack common sense! On the contrary, you only stimulate my desire to pull you out of the ignorance that covers your existence and prevents you from tasting spiritual delights."

These fervent words intrigue these hard-hearted men. They cannot understand that after being struck so savagely, Nityananda would return to the charge with such determination and selflessness. "Perhaps we have offended a true saint?" they ask themselves. Then, as if by magic, they realize that the sermons of these two missionaries are appropriate in every respect, and a strange feeling is born within them: they are ashamed. For the first time, they are ashamed. It must be said that the transformation taking place is miraculous, their lives of debauchery having been proof against all scruples until then.

This pathetic scene is interrupted by the hurried arrival of Nimai. A faithful person in the crowd, having noticed that Haridas could not keep Nityananda away from the thugs and fearing the worst, ran to warn him. Without even waiting for the end of the story, Nimai rushed to the scene, red with anger. An impetuous passion emanates from him to such an extent that everyone is unsettled.

When Jagai and Madhai see him, they suddenly grasp the gravity of the drama. Something unusual happened today with the meeting of these religious men. Never before had they experienced such a complexity of new feelings. But above all, no one had inspired as much fear in them as this being who, in their eyes, embodies... death.

Nimai needs no explanation of the situation. Immediately, he spots the two scoundrels and, raising his arm, his index finger pointed toward the sky, he invokes his divine, powerful, supreme weapon—the one Vishnu uses to sever the heads of demons. It appears instantly as a golden disc, spinning around his finger.

Jagai and Madhai, sobered by all these unusual and strange events, sense imminent danger. They fall at Nimai's feet and beg him to forgive them. But he will hear nothing of it. The blood flowing from Nityananda's forehead forbids any mercy; he prepares to destroy this vermin, whose brutal death would be but a generous punishment. At that moment, Nityananda desperately grabs him by the arm and cries out: "No, no, Mahaprabhu, what are you doing!?"

Holding him back in his momentum, he gives him a look full of mercy and says: "It was I who provoked them. Their ignorance prevents them from understanding our desires and their lust from appreciating true values. I implore you, be indulgent toward them. By executing them, what meaning do you give to your mission in this world? You appeared among us to liberate the most fallen, did you not? They are clearly the most fallen, and it is they who must be saved first!"

Nimai is touched by such goodness, warmth, and magnanimity. These arguments and the purity of the motives cause soft and pleasant waves of bliss to well up in his chest. He holds back a smile, as well as the urge to embrace Nityananda, for the moment is not appropriate.

On the other hand, Jagai and Madhai are going through painful moments. The transformation taking place within them tears them from their disturbed state to plunge them into another sort of agitation where fear, stupor, amazement, veneration, regret, and, above all, the disgust of a wasted and criminal life are mingled. In their gaze, which now invokes grace, one can read terror. Like a cannon blast, it pulverizes all their arrogant pride.

Nimai, softened by Nityananda's words, addresses them in a commanding tone: "You owe your lives to this magnanimous devotee whom you struck. If it were up to me, you would already be in hell. I consider it useless to pardon you, however, if you do not repent. I demand that you become perfect devotees and that you chant the Holy Names."

In saying this, he bequeaths to them, through subtle and spiritual laws, the most precious of gifts: the love of God. Henceforth, Jagai and Madhai will be celebrated for their devotion, and the centuries to come will bear witness to the prestige they enjoyed among the people since their conversion. Even today, people gather at their tombs, which have become places of pilgrimage.
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* The prophecy has come true; today, people speak of Chaitanya across the entire globe.
** At this spot, a small commemorative temple named Gaura-Nityananda has been erected.

Next chapter : The purpose of Chaitanya's mission in this world # 23
Preceding chapter : An Extraordinary Revelation # 21