Murari Gupta's realization

Dear devotees,

    Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krishna! My humble pranams and obeisances!

    Chaitanya Bhagavata is the real treasure trove of devotion and contains the key to awakening Gaura bhakti in the hearts of all living entities. It is such pleasure to read and listen to these pastimes again and again. I would like to share with you one insight I got on Madhya Khanda Chapter 20.

     When Murari Gupta approached Lord Chaitanya and Lord Nityananda, he offered obeisances to Lord Gauranga first. Lord Gauranga then corrected him in a dream saying that Lord Nityananda is older. But why did it appear like a 'violation' of etiquette? Murari Gupta is one of the greatest authorities of nyaya shastra in his own right and Lord Chaitanya regularly argued logic with him in his scholarly pastimes. He knows very well all the codes of etiquette.

     One layer of understanding is that Murari Gupta knew Lord Gauranga was the original source of all sources and Lord Nityananda is his expansion, so he offered obeisances to Lord Gauranga first. But this understanding was more of a logical sequence to me rather than a realization.

     But by the Lord's mercy another insight came which was so wonderful. Murari Gupta knows very well that Lord Nitaai is older to Lord Gaura by 12 years, why did he offer obeisances to Lord Gauranga first? The answer is that Murari Gupta is actually none other than Hanuman, the dearest servant of Lord Rama. He is totally devoted to Lord Ramachandra and according to his devotion Lord Gaurachandra reveals himself as Lord Rama to Murari.

     When Murari came to see the two Lords, he saw them as Lord Rama (Gauranga) and Lakshmana (Nityananda). Lakshmana is the younger brother in Rama lila so Murari offered obeisances to Lord Rama first, then he offered obeisances to Lakshmana. When asked about it, he said that he only followed the internal mood of Hanuman in his heart.

      Lord Gaurachandra was very pleased internally to see the devotion of Murari Gupta, but he also desired to reveal the speciality of this incarnation to him. In his dream Lord Gauranga appeared as Krishna and Lord Nitaai as Balarama to show Murari Gupta some truth about their forms of Krishna and Balarama. He wanted to show Murari Gupta that Krishna being the original source of all expansions, when he descends, all his incarnations including Lord Rama, Lord Vishnu, Lord Narasimha and all other expansions enter into him. Therefore in this incarnation, Lord Nityananda is Balarama with Lakshmana having entered into him and he is Krishna with Lord Rama's forms entered into him. At the time when Lord Gauranga appears, he takes precedence over all his expansions which bow before him and surrender all their opulences to him. Therefore, actually it is Lord Nityananda who is elder and Lord Gauranga who is younger being Balarama and Krishna respectively.

       Lord Gaura also revealed something about the mood of Krishna lila to Murari who is from Rama lila, telling him that Lord Ramachandra has entered into him and therefore the mood of Gaura Nitaai has taken over that of Lord Ramachandra-Lakshmana. The mood of Lord Rama and Lakshmana has now been superseded by that Lord Krishna Balarama as they are the original source of Lord Rama and Lakshmana and it is this relationship that is predominant in the pastimes of Gaura lila. It's very inconceivable to logic, but in the spiritual pastimes, the mood is what matters over the tattva. Now the Lord's original mood manifests over that of his expansions and therefore that is the mood that has to be given predominance.

       Realising the glories of Lord Nitaai, Murari Gupta got up and chanted "Nityananda! Nityananda!" over and over again as he saw that in this incarnation, Lord Nitaai is the older brother and so next time he offered obeisances to Lord Nityananda first then to Lord Gauranga. Now he said, "My Lord I only follow." Previously he followed his internal mood, now he followed the same mood that the Lord was openly manifesting as he revealed it to him showing that a devotee has no other desire accept to follow the Lord as He desires.

       Yet another realization from this is that seeing the Lord externally in person is indeed superior to seeing him internally in meditation. Murari Gupta always keeps Rama and Lakshmana in his heart literally so. In Ayodhya (Ramayana Uttara Khanda) he tore his heart open only to reveal that. But now Lord Gaura and Nitaai went into his heart and then when Murari Gupta left for home, Lord Nitaai Gaura stayed in his heart, as they do eternally always. Really these pastimes are all eternal!

       In Rama Lila Lakshmana always kept himself as a humble servant trying to hide behind Lord Rama. So in Gaura lila Lord Gauranga has kept it reverse so that the glories of Lord Nityananda can be revealed to all of existence and to all living entities.  It only goes to re-iterate the earlier realization I had that Lord Nityananda can be revealed only by Lord Gauranga's mercy. It is Lord Chaitanya who again and again reveals Lord Nityananda's glories everywhere. To understand the truth about Lord Nitaai, one has to get Lord Gauranga's mercy.

        The verse which says that only Hanuman received such mercy from Lord Ramachandra was the verse that revealed all this to me.

       How many truths of spiritual mellows are hidden in Chaitanya Bhagavata! It reveals the mood of every incarnation of Godhead and how all the devotees of all different mellows are united in one mellow in Gaura lila. This also shows the mercy of Lord Gauranga -- he reveals his topmost orignal form to devotees of all different moods and abodes and pastimes. Which is why they all experienced even more bliss than in their own unique lila. It is a fact that the bliss of all the Lord's expansions can be realized in the single form of Lord Gaurachandra himself. Everything is included in Him.

        How merciful is the Lord to reveal to this most useless wretch a glimpse of the heart of Murari Gupta, who is the first servant of Lord Gauranga-Ramachandra. It was so beautiful to get a glimpse of all these truths in one moment. I am not able to properly express my amazement at how many oceans of realization lie with a 2 line sloka of the Chaitanya Bhagavata. Lord Nityananda dictated the Chaitanya Bhagavata and his words have unlimited potency. Hidden under the mask of extreme simplicity is an unlimited ocean.

        I only share these realizations to you devotees because it is my desire to give you back atleast one drop of what you have given me with my incompetent ability. I only want to please you and give you a lot of bliss through this.

        All this is only due to the mercy of Hadai Nityananda Dasa prabhu and Swamiji who have so mercifully brought me to spiritual life. I am unable to express my gratitude to them -- for all that they have helped. Jaya Murari Gupta! Jaya Gurudeva!

Daaso'smi,
Srinath

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