Is Lord Nityananda the incarnation of Sri Balarama?
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Sorry, could you tell who Lord Nithyananda is.– BharatJul 25, 2014 at 5:23
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2 Answers
According to Chaitanya Charitamrta and Gaudiya Vaishnava view, yes he is:
sei kṛṣṇa navadvīpe śrī-caitanya-candra
sei balarāma saṅge śrī-nityānanda [CC - 1.5.6]Meaning
That original Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared in Navadvīpa as Lord Caitanya, and Balarāma appeared with Him as Lord Nityānanda.sarva-rūpe āsvādaye kṛṣṇa-sevānanda
sei balarāma — gaura-saṅge nityānanda [CC - 1.5.11]Meaning
In all the forms He tastes the transcendental bliss of serving Kṛṣṇa. That same Balarāma is Lord Nityānanda, the companion of Lord Gaurasundara.
The 5th chapter of Adi Lila in Chaitanya Charitamrita describes in detail about Lord Nityananda Balarama.
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You should mention that these claims in the Chaitanya Charitamrita are controversial, since lots of people don't even accept that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is an incarnation of Vishnu. Jul 25, 2014 at 3:26
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6For some reason people who accept Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as an incarnation of Vishnu or Krishna are more than who do not accept. So added the "Gaudiya Vaishnava view" clause to the answer.– Be HappyJul 25, 2014 at 4:26
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Why do you say "According to Chaitanya Charitamrta and Gaudiya Vaishnava view"? That makes it sound as if the Chaitanya Charitamrita is not a Gaudiya Vaishnava document. Jul 26, 2014 at 21:49
In addition to the above answer, there are also a few scriptural injunctions that the Goswamis quote to support that Lord Nityananda is Balaram Himself
Vayu Purana states:
balaramo mamaivamsah, so 'pi mat-prstham esyati; nityananda iti khyato nyasi-cudamanih ksitau
"In the Vayu Purana, the Lord tells Brahma: "Lord Balarama, who is My first expansion and non-different from Me will also appear by My side as Lord Shri Nityananda. He will become the crest jewel of all renunciants on the earth.""
krtvavadhuta-vesam sa, dharman bhagavatan bahun; grahayitva janan ittham grhinam asramam tatah.
"Assuming the dress of an avadhuta, He will freely distribute bhagavata dharma i.e. love of God. He will distribute this pure love through various means and deliver all the living entities. He will do so first as a brahmacari and later as a householder."
Ananta Samhita states:
nityanando maha-kayo, bhutva mat-kirtane ratah; vimudhan bhakti-rahitan, mama bhaktan karisyasi.
"When I appear in Navadvipa in Kali-yuga, You will become Nityananda. You will have a very tall, beautiful and large body, and You will be constantly absorbed in chanting My name and glories. In this way, by Your causeless mercy You will convert many bewildered fools who are devoid of devotion into My pure unalloyed devotees."
Note however, this verses are generally not accepted by any school other then Gaudiyas. If you believe that Lord Nityanada is Balaram Himself, then you are in essence a Gaudiya also. Jaya Nitai!
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3The Goswamis quote the verse tin heir commentaries without giving numbers (they just say in Vayu Purana....). I am guessing the verse in not found in current editions of Vayu Purana hence why its generally only accepted by Gaudiyas. However on the basis of the Goswami's saintly character, I am willing to vouch for the authenticity of the verse. Nov 29, 2016 at 9:15
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These are not quoted by goswamis. They believed Sri Chaitanya and Nityananda as incarnations. Whatever quotations they have given are about chaitanya mahaprabhu and that too are indirect predictions. Who quoted the verses in the above answer is a question mark.. Atleast till the time of baladeva vidyabhusana, they are not quoted.. of course once you accept chaitanya as incarnation, all other things are automatically accepted.. Mar 29, 2019 at 12:49