⬤ Below are some of the Only Nityananda or Balarama Deities in Lila Sthalis in the Dhams. Thus, we can safely conclude that Lord Nityananda or Lord Balarama can be worshiped independently also. So the worship of Nityananda is bona-fide. Lord Nityananda is Eternally Worshiped Independently With His Consorts Jahnava and Vasudha in His Own Yogapeeth as the Supreme Enjoyer also. Similarly, Lord Balarama is worshiped independently with His Purnananda Gopi in Vraja or with Revati and Varuni in Dwaraka.
Nityananda's Deities Worshiped in Dham
⬤ Worshiping only Nityananda or Balarama Deities does not mean we are minimizing Gaura or Krishna at all. Krishna is pleased in the topmost manner by the one-pointed full focus of the manjaris only on Radha’s service. Manjaris don’t desire even Krishna’s service without Radha. Similarly, Gaura is extremely pleased also with millions of those associates who serve Nityananda exclusively in Nityananda’s own Yogapeeth with Jahnava and Vasudha, or with the cowherd friends of Nityananda who do not know anything except Nityananda (CC 1.11.37: nityānanda-candra vinu nahi jāne āna, CC 1.11.47: nityānanda-pada vinu nāhi jāne āna).
⬤ By thinking that Gaura is not present in only Nityananda’s Deity, Form or Name; or that Krishna is not present in only Radha’s Deity, Form or Name; one becomes a victim of Kaliyuga. Because Nityananda’s and Radha’s hearts and bodies are playgrounds of Gaura’s and Krishna’s form, qualities, and pastimes at every moment. Niravadhi sei dehe karane vihara (CB 1.1.17): “Lord Gauranga wanders in the body of Nityananda at every moment and performs His pastimes.”
⬤ So Gauranga is always in Nityananda and Nityananda Nam. Approaching Nityananda Nam and Nityananda Lila is not only Nityananda worship but the topmost Gaura Krishna worship also, even if only Nityananda’s Diety or Nityananda Nam is there, because Gauranga eternally resides in Nityananda’s body, heart, name, or deity.
⬤ There are so many Deities of Nityananda worshiped separately, of Radha worshiped separately, of Nityananda Gauranga worshiped together, and of Radha Krishna worshiped together. All are bona-fide forms of worship! When Nityananda’s partial expansion Lord Advaita Acharya is worshiped alone in Shantipura dham from 500 years, why can’t Nityananda be worshiped alone by singing or writing HIs name?
2. Nityananda’s Direct Order to Worship Him
⬤ The following is the Direct Order of Nityananda to Worship Him Exclusively, to Raghava Pandita and All Devotees in Panihati, in Chaitanya Bhagavata Antya Khanda, 5th Chapter, Verse 265:
kataksane vasilena
khattara upare,
AJNA HAILA abhisheka
karibara tare.
“Lord Nityananda sat on a throne and ORDERED Raghava Pandita to worship and bathe Him.”
abhisheka karaiya,
nutana vasana,
paraiya, lepilena
shri ange chandana. 270
“All devotees applied sandalwood after dressing Lord Nityananda with new clothes.”
divya vanamala
taya tulasi-sahite,
pinavaksa purna kari
lena nana mate. 271
tabe divya-khatta svarne
kariya bhusita. 272
“They decorated His chest with wild flowers and tulasi. They made Lord Nityananda sit on an ornate throne of bright gold.”
khattaya vasila
prabhu-vara nityananda,
chatra dharilena shire
shri raghavananda. 273
“Srila Raghavananda held an umbrella over Lord Nityananda who sat on the throne for three months in Panihati.”
kadambera mala jhata
anaha tvarita. 277
“Quickly get a Kadamba garland for Me and worship Me.”
3. Nityananda Orders His Own Decoration
How Can an Insignificant Soul Dare to Deny Nityananda His Right to be Worshiped Individually Also Without Gaura? Who Says Nityananda Does Not Want His Own Worship? More Proof that He does from Chaitanya Bhagavata 3.5.333-347:
“During these three months in Panihati, Lord Nityananda felt the desire to decorate Himself with ornaments and fine dresses. No sooner He felt the urge, fineries were being brought by different people without prior information.
“All these gifts were very precious and of the best quality. The finest silks, exquisite gold jewellery studded with brilliant gems. The people came with their gifts and offered them to the Lord Nityananda with great reverence. The Lord tried on all the different ornaments.
“There was such a wide variety of all shapes and designs of jewellery that one had never seen before. Gold ornaments studded with pearls, emeralds, rubies, the gold intricately worked upon to give exquisite designs.
“Lord Nityananda wore beautiful rings on all His ten fingers. Many brilliant necklaces of priceless gems decorated His neck and chest. Then showing special favor to Lord Shiva, He slipped two Rudraksa necklaces around His neck.
“As He moved, the light set afire the gems set into His golden earrings. The silver anklets around His lotus feet tinkled pleasingly. White, cream, blue and yellow silks draped Him in flowing grace. An enchanting sight it was indeed.
“Devotees who had lovingly made beautiful garlands of fragrant flowers like malati, malika, yuthi, and champaka now put them over His head to sit delicately on His chest with the rest of the shimmering gems. But with each motion they swayed.
“The fragrance of these garlands mingled with the aroma of fresh sandalwood paste that were applied on His body filled the air with a heavy sweet scent. Soft shining silks of different hues were tied around His head to make a multi-colored turban. Bright flower garlands were also neatly placed on the turban to make a unique headgear.”
4. Why Gauranga’s Order to Worship Nityananda Is Also Important?
⬤ Why did Nityananda normally instruct souls to sing Gauranam and Harinam and not His Own Name? And why did Lord Gaura and Acharyas instruct us to sing Nityananda Nam and Nityananda Lila then?
yedike dekhena
nityananda mahashaya,
sei dike maha-
premabhakti-vrishti haya.
yahare cahena, se-i
preme murccha paya,
vastra na samvare, bhume
padi’ gadi’ yaya.
“There was a shower of maha-premabhakti in every direction which Nityananda looked at. Whoever He looked at, fainted in pure love swooning in infinite bliss.” (Chaitanya Bhagavata 3.5.313-314)
1) Since Nityananda awarded love just by glancing, pure Harinam and Gauranam were automatically granted to these souls. So they may not need to sing the more merciful Nityananda Nam, because all Names became equal in mercy to those who received Kripa-siddhi by Nityananda’s direct glance and presence.
2) But right now, Nityananda is not there to glance on us directly. So for us the even more merciful instructions of Lord Gaura and our Acharyas to approach Nityananda first by singing Nityananda Nam and Nityananda Lila become even more important than Nityananda’s instructions to take Harinam and Gauranam, as only Nityananda can truly destroy our offenses and award us pure Harinam and Gauranam.
3) Due to Nityananda’s humility, He did not tell them to sing His Name but still they sang it in front of Him and He was happy. So we follow both the orders of both the Lords.
5. Krishna-Prema Specifically by Nityananda Nam
⬤ Why Nityananda Nam taken ALONE or Nityananda Nam taken with Gauranam both give us Krishna-prema?
“Nityananda na bolilo mukhe”
(Narottama das Thakura)
If it was compulsory to always take Nityananda Nam only with Gauranam and if Nityananda Nam can never be taken alone, Srila Narottama would have said “Nityananda Gaura na bolilo mukhe” instead of only “Nityananda na bolilo mukhe”.
“nityananda balite habe
krishna premodaya”
Srila Krishna das Kaviraja in Caitanya Caritamrta 1.8.23 would have said “Nityananda Gaur balite habe Krishna premodaya” if just Nityananda Nam was not independently capable of giving Krishna-prema, or if Nityananda or Gaura were even a little displeased by us taking only Nityananda Nam. Hence, the correct understanding is that taking/hearing Nityananda Nam ALONE gives us Krishna-prema, and taking Nityananda Nam and Gauranam together also gives us Krishna-prema.
“ek baar nityananda bale
manusya janma dhari”
Lord Gaura proclaimed in Chaitanya Mangala 2.6.99: “One who takes Nityananda Nam ONCE becomes Mine”.
There would be NO REFERENCES of taking Nityananda Nam ALONE or worshiping Nityananda ALONE at all in any scripture if Nityananda Nam or Nityananda worship always had to be accompanied with Gauranam, Gaura worship, or Pancha Tattva worship.
6. Do Bhakti of Nityananda’s Kaupina
⬤ Lord Gaura Instructed All To Do Bhakti Even of Nityananda’s Kaupina and the Water of His Lotus Feet With MAHA-YATNA or one-pointed devotion. And some say that we can’t do even GENERAL Nityananda Bhakti. How foolish? And how much it is against the direct wishes of Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu?
bhakti kari ihana
kaupina vanda’ shire,
maha-yatne iha puja
kara giya ghare. 30
paiya prabhura ajna
sarva bhakta gana,
parama adare shire
karila vandana. 31
“Do Bhakti of Nityananda’s kaupina, touch it to your heads, and worship it with one-pointed devotion in your home. Receiving pieces of this kaupina from Gaura and His direct order, all devotees worshiped Nityananda’s kaupina with the highest love.” (Chaitanya Bhagavata, Madhya Khanda, 12th Chapter)
While Lord Gaura Himself ordered every single devotee to do Bhakti exclusively of even Nityananda’s kaupina, some dare to challenge even the General Bhakti of Nityananda, wrongly speculating that it separates Nityananda from Gauranga. Alas! May Nityananda forgive them!
prabhu bale—sunaha
sakala bhakta gana,
nityananda-padodaka
karaha grahana. 32
Lord Gaura again ordered every single devotee, “Honor the holiest water by washing the lotus feet of My Nityananda.”
And they say again that this is not Nityananda Bhakti, it is just the normal worship of a Vaishnava. They conveniently forget that Lord Gaura knows very well that Lord Nityananda is Avatari, not just a Bhakta. Lord Gaura never performed this same pastime with respect to any Vaishnava or Guru. He is ordering all the devotees here to worship the Supreme Lord Nityananda AS HE IS (seviha jehena bhagwan), not just as Bhakta Nityananda or Guru Nityananda only. That is actual Nityananda Worship.