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Sri Nityananda Prabhu | |
---|---|
Personal | |
Born | c. 1474 |
Died | c. 1540 |
Religion | Hinduism |
Spouse | Jahnava and Vasudha |
Parents |
|
Known for | Expounded Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Bhakti yoga along with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu |
Organization | |
Philosophy | Bhakti yoga, Achintya Bheda Abheda |
Religious career | |
Guru | Madhavendra Puri (mantra guru) |
Disciples |
Nityananda Avadhuta (Bengali: শ্রী নিত্যানন্দ অবধূত), (IAST: Nityānanda; c. 1474-c. 1540), also called Nityananda Prabhu and Nitai, was a primary religious figure within the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Bengal. Nityananda was Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's friend and disciple. Chaitanya and Nityananda are often mentioned together as Gaura-Nitai (Gaura, referring to Chaitanya) or Nimai-Nitai (Nimai being a name of Chaitanya).[1]
According to Gaudiya-Vaishnava tradition, Nityananda is an incarnation of Balarama (so is also called Nityananda Rama, where Rama refers to Balarama), with Chaitanya being his eternal brother and friend, Krishna.[2] Chaitanya is considered the "most merciful" incarnation of Krishna as Svayam bhagavan.[3]
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, the early 20th-century Gaudiya-Vaishnava reformer, writes about Nityananda's theological position as the embodiment of the mercy of the guru: "Nityananda is the Primary Manifestive Constituent of the Divinity.[clarification needed] Nityananda alone possesses the distinctive function of the guru. In Nityananda, the function is embodied. Nityananda is the servant-God."[4]