Nitaibhakts Are The Topmost Relishers of Gaur Rasa! - Nitai-Bhakti

Nitai bhakti does not mean to reject Gaur, it means to accept the greatest Gaur bhakt in the past, present and future as our Master. Can there be anyone in this entire creation who can love Gauranga Mahaprabhu more than His beloved Nitai?

Gauraashraya, this beautiful name illuminates one of Nitai’s most prime qualities. It has two confidential meanings, both of which are so potent and so glorious, that if any devotee understands them even one drop, they will attain Gauranga without a doubt.

[Gaur is present within Nitai’s mind, His words, His bhavas, His interactions, and every pore of His divine body. Due to this, He is also the supreme residence of all of Gaur’s divine qualities.
As emphasized by Sri Advaita Acharya, “Murtimanta Tumi Chaitanyera Gunadham”.]

Can anyone be more intoxicated in the ocean of love for Krishna?

Even before speaking of intoxication, can anyone else relish Gauranga Krishna more than Nitai?

Lord Nityananda is the pinnacle of all blissful relishers of pure love of Gaur Krishna, Premananda Rasanandi! He is the crown and summit of all enjoyers of Krishna rasa, Rasa Bhoktaa Rasa Ashraya. Indeed the nectar of Gaur prema rests within and emanates from Him only! Rasa ashraya indicates that Sri Nitaichandra is not only the topmost relisher of rasa, He Himself is the abode and ultimate source of rasa. Thus as His own name indicates, He is always ever-blissful in Gaur Krishna consciousness - Nitya-ananda!

This is evident in the following excerpts of Chaitanya Bhagavat where Nitai is drinking the elixir of His Lord’s beauty in every way possible:

“Overwhelmed with bliss, Lord Nityananda Prabhu was unable to move, He stared unblinking at the beautiful face of the Lord. With His tongue He wanted to taste the Lord’s beauty and drink it with His eyes; He wanted to embrace Him with His hands and smell His fragrance with His nose. To everyone’s amazement, Lord Nityananda stood speechless, completely enchanted by the Lord’s beauty.”

(Chaitanya Bhagavat, Madhya, 4)

Nitai IS Gaur Bhakti personified.

Now if that same Lord invades our heart, is that not the same as Gaur Bhakti invading our heart? Gauranga immediately means Radha Krishna because They are nondifferent, so then is that not the same as Radha Krishna entering into our hearts?

And the best part is that Nitai never leaves even for a moment after somehow just entering once - on one pretext or another. So can’t it be concluded that just by allowing Nitai once into our hearts, we are trapping Gaur Radha Krishna in there for eternity.

If Nitai comes into our hearts, there is no question of one not giving enough respect to Gaur Radha Krishna, because Nitai Himself will never allow that. That is like saying we will lock the sun in a room but there will be no light. When the source of the light is present, there must be light. Nitai is the ultimate source from which all the highest mellows of devotional service to Krishna are emanating from.

In fact capturing Nitai means to capture the topmost of the topmost superexcellent bhavas for Gaur Krishna, because as established earlier, no one can relish prema rasa like Nitai, therefore no one can bestow it like Nitai. All the scriptures proclaim that the only qualification to perform Ragamarg bhajan comes not from sadhana, but from the association of a rasika…
Now is this not intelligent then to take shelter of the greatest rasika, our Rasika Shiromani. Actually the confidential meaning of the name Avadhuta is: one who’s madness under the influence of Krishna prema has reached the ultimate peak, which is only possible for the crest jewel of all rasikas (relishers of devotional mellows).

83) rasaashrayah
(from the 108 Names of Nityananda, by Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya)

80) rasa-jno: Lord Nityananda is consummately cognizant and adapt in the science of loving mellows (rasa).

81) rasa-daataa ca: He is the causeless bestower of pure loving mellows of love of God to anyone who chants his holy name.

82) rasa-bhoktaa: Lord Nityananda is the crown and summit of all enjoyers of pure loving mellows of the holy name of Lord Gauranga.

83) rasaashrayah: He is the supreme and exclusive sanctuary, shelter, refuge and haven for all the necterian mellows of pure love (rasas).

Nitai will forcibly give us love for Their Lordships. When we associate with someone for a long time, we begin to imbibe their mood, it is contagious. Similarly by associating solely with Nitai, we will inevitably become the greatest Gaur Krishna vadi, because Nitai Himself knows no one other than Them and has dedicated His whole existence to bringing lost souls back to Their Lordships.

Narottam das Thakur sings,

“Anyone who takes pleasure sporting within the waves of the ocean of Lord Caitanya’s distribution of love of God immediately becomes a confidential devotee of Sri Sri Radha-Madhava.”

By diving deep into Gaur prema rasa, we become the intimate associates of Radha Madhava. Who is the distributor of this prema rasa? Nitaaaii!

Nitai consciousness is not the premise of leaving everyone and taking only Nitai, it is the firm resolve of attaining everyone in Their highest and unattainable form by taking shelter of Nitai.
It is placing our full hope in the indestructible and undeniable fact that taking exclusive shelter of Nitaichand is our only hope of ever attaining the unimaginable love for Gaur Radhe Shyam (which remains hidden even to most siddhas!).

Sri Nityananda Chandram Bhaja Bhaja Satatam
Gaur Krishna Pradam Tam!

“I worship You, that great personality Nityanandacandra, who openly bestows shelter to the most fallen souls, freely granting the association of Sri Gaurangadeva.”