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Abhiram Thakur Tests the Sons of Lord Nityananda

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The following story adapted from the book "Abhiram Lilamrta" appeared in

issue number 4 of Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu, the free fortnightly email

magazine from ISKCON Gopal Jiu Publications.

 

Abhiram Thakur is perhaps the most prominent follower of Lord Nityananda

Prabhu. According to Srila Kavi Karnapur, Abhiram Thakur is the incarnation

of Sridama Sakha, the chief cowherd boy in krsna-lila. His pastimes were

described in simple Bengali verse by his disciple Sri Tilak Ram Das in a

book called Sri Abhirama Lilamrta. In the fourth chapter the author reveals

how he was able to write:

 

utha utha ore sisya sunaha vacane

amara yateka lila karaha varnana

eta bali mora sathe carana dharila

carana parase lila svarana haila

 

[My guru Abhiram Thakur came to me while I was resting and said] "Wake up!

Wake up! O disciple, hear my words! I want you to write about my pastimes."

I touched my head to my guru's lotus feet and at that time all of his

pastimes appeared to me. [Texts 5-6, 13]

 

The following story, adapted from chapter 15, verses 141-246, describes how

Abhiram Thakur tested the newborn sons of Lord Nityananda.

 

UNCOMMON POWERS

 

Abhiram Thakur was a very powerful personality. It is said that he would

sometimes test the authenticity of a salagrama-sila or a deity by offering

obeisances. If they were not genuine, they would break. He had other

uncommon powers as well.

 

On one occasion Abhiram Thakur met Nityananda Prabhu on the bank of the

Ganga, near to the home of Nityananda Prabhu. Nitai offered Abhiram a seat.

They embraced, and both sat down.

 

Nitai said, "O brother Abhiram, what is your desire? Why have you come to My

home?"

 

"I want to see Your son."

 

Hearing this, Nityananda became happy. However, when Nityananda Prabhu

showed him His son, Abhiram offered obeisances to the child and immediately

the child died. When Nityananda Prabhu's wives Vasudha and Jahnava heard the

news, they both fainted. Nityananda then placed the body of the child in the

Ganga and they all took bath.

 

Sometime later, another child was born, and again Abhiram Thakur came. As

before, when Abhiram offered his obeisances, the child died. Everyone was

astonished, thinking, "What is Abhiram's purpose?" In this way, every time a

child was born, Abhiram would come, offer obeisances, and the child would

die.

 

NO INVITATION

 

Although Nityananda Prabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord

Balaram, still, while acting out His human-like pastimes, He externally

became very unhappy seeing all of His sons die. Therefore, when the next

child was born, Nitai thought to Himself, "If Abhiram does not come My child

will live."

 

Nityananda Prabhu invited many quests for the festive occasion, but He did

not invite Abhiram Thakur. Seeing that Abhiram was not there, Adwaita

Acharya inquired from Nityananda, "Why have You not invited Abhiram?"

 

Nityananda Prabhu replied, "Abhiram has made Me bereft of sons. So I will

not invite him. I've told all of the boatmen not to bring him across the

Ganga in their boats."

 

During the time of the festival for the birth of Nityananda Prabhu's latest

son, Abhiram and his wife Malini were staying at Krishnagar. Vakreswar

Pandit came to see them. Malini offered him a seat, and Vakreswar inquired

from Abhiram, "Nitai is performing a festival on the occasion of the birth

of his son. You are the pradhana-gopal, the leader of the cowherd boys. Is

He inviting you or not?"

 

Abhiram laughed and said, "No. He is not inviting me."

 

Vakreswar humbly told Abhiram, "Without your presence this ceremony cannot

be performed properly. Although He is not inviting you, still you should

go."

 

"How can I go without an invitation?"

 

Malini then said, "Abhiram is a rakhal, a cowherd boy. Such cowherders have

no abhiman, false ego. He is not finding fault with Nityananda Prabhu for

not inviting him."

 

Abhiram Thakur then told Vakreswar, "O brother, I'll go there later." After

Vakreswar left, Abhiram conceived a plan. He bade Malini goodbye and started

off, saying, "Gaura Hari ki jaya!" He went to the bank of the Ganga and said

to a boatman, "Take me across!"

 

The boatman looked at Abhiram Thakur and inquired, "Who are you sir? Give me

your name and then I will start the journey. If I take the wrong person

across then Nityananda Prabhu will be very angry with me."

 

Abhiram replied, "Why does He want to restrict this person from crossing?"

 

The boatman said, "Nityananda Prabhu is miserable and lamenting for His lost

children. He told me, 'There is one person named Abhiram Thakur. He is very

powerful. If he offers obeisances to My son then the child will die.' Saying

this, Nityananda Prabhu told me not to bring that person across. I think

that you are that same Abhiram Thakur."

 

Out of fear of Nityananda Prabhu, the boatman then put water in his boat and

made it sink. Hearing that Abhiram Thakur had come, all of the other boatmen

also filled their boats with water and sank them.

 

Abhiram Thakur then took some cloth and threw it in the river. The cloth

floated, and, sitting on it, Abhiram crossed the river.

 

Seeing this, the people became astonished and ran to tell Nityananda Prabhu.

Although Nitai became worried, He took all of the mahants who were present

at the festival and went to meet Abhiram Thakur. Abhiram saw them all

performing ecstatic kirtana and coming toward the bank of the Ganga to meet

him. Abhiram then began playing his flute, and he lost external

consciousness. Tilak Ram Das says, "Who can understand Abhiram Thakur?"

 

PRASAD AT NITAI'S HOME

 

When they came together, Abhiram embraced all of them with ecstatic love

while his hairs stood on end. Nitai brought Abhiram into His home. Abhiram

told Him, "I am very hungry. Please give me some prasad." Nitai gave him a

seat in a room and Vasudha and Jahnava happily brought him nice prasad

consisting of sweet rice, fancy rice and many opulent dishes. As much prasad

as they brought, Abhiram ate it until he had finished everything in the

house.

 

Seeing that he had eaten everything, Nitai said, "Dandavats to your

pastimes! Who can understand You? In vraja-lila you are Sridama. Have you

forgotten our loving relationship? In Vraja we all shared prasad together.

But now, forgetting all of that, you are taking all of the prasad alone. In

Vraja we would always share whatever fruits we got. What sort of behavior is

this that you are taking all of the prasad alone?"

 

Abhiram listened and said, "My nature is that of a cowherd boy. First I

take, then I give to others. My behaviour is that of Vraja. Knowing my

nature and activities in Vraja, how can You say I took all of the prasad? Go

and see Your pots." Then Abhiram performed acaman.

 

Nityananda Prabhu went to see the pots and found that double the original

amount of prasad was there. Nitai then happily embraced Abhiram.

 

Abhiram said, "O brother, you should feed all of the mahants."

 

The mahants then happily took prasad and shouted, "Hari! Hari!" Finishing,

they all performed acamana. Then Nitai gave them tambula and a place to take

rest.

 

"SPARE OUR CHILD!"

 

Abhiram Thakur said, "Nitai, You have celebrated a festival for the birth of

Your son. What sort of son do You have? Please bring him and I will offer my

obeisances to him."

 

Hearing this, everyone became worried. Nityananda Prabhu's wives Vasudha and

Jahnava approached Abhiram and humbly said, "This time please give

protection to our child. Don't let us be criticized for not having a son. If

you offer obeisances to our son then he will die. Every time this is what

has happened. If you do this again, then we will also die."

 

Abhiram said, "Why are you fearing? You don't understand. I am offering my

obeisances to test the child. If he is svayam-svarupa, the Lord's personal

manifestation, then he will survive my obeisances."

 

Hearing Abhiram's words, Nityananda Prabhu became happy and brought His son

before Abhiram. Abhiram Thakur offered his obeisances, and the child

laughed. Abhiram become very happy and offered his obeisances a second and a

third time, just to test the child. He saw that this child was jagat-priya,

dear to the entire universe. Abhiram took the child on his lap and began to

dance. He then told all of the mahants there:

 

ye na dekhecha gora dekha ara bar

punarbar sei gora vira avatar

 

"So that those who did not see Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu could again have the

opportunity to see Him, the Lord has reappeared in the form of Virabhadra

Prabhu."

 

THE IDENTITY OF VIRABHADRA PRABHU

 

Lord Balaram has appeared as Lord Nityananda Prabhu. As the Supreme Lord, He

is sarvajna, all- knowing. Hence He certainly understood and, in fact,

inspired the behavior of Abhiram Thakur. The nature of the Lord is that He

likes to see His devotees glorified more than Himself. Therefore, to glorify

His devotee Abhiram Thakur, and also His son Virabhadra Prabhu, Lord

Nityananda inspired Abhiram Thakur to act in such an unusual way.

 

Virabhadra Prabhu is the incarnation of Kshirodakasayi Vishnu. Srila Kavi

Karnapura has written (Sri Gaura-ganodesa-dipika text 67):

 

sankarsanasya yo vyuhah payo-visayi-namakah

sa eva viracandro 'bhuc caitanyabhinna-vigrahah

 

The expansion of Lord Sankarshan known as Kshirodakasayi Vishnu appeared in

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's pastimes as Virachandra Prabhu. Lord Virachandra

was non-different from Lord Chaitanya Himself.

 

As Kshirodakasayi Vishnu, Virabhadra Prabhu is the svayam svarupa, the

plenary expansion of Lord Nityananda Prabhu. Srila Krishnadas Kaviraj has

described:

 

sankarsanah karana-toya-sayi

garbhoda-sayi ca payobdhi-sayi

sesas ca yasyamsa-kalah sa nitya-

nandakhya-ramah saranam mamastu

 

May Sri Nityananda Rama be the object of my constant remembrance.

Sankarshana, Sesa Naga and the Vishnus who lie on the Karana Ocean

(Karanodakasayi Visnu), Garbha Ocean (Garbhodakasayi Visnu) and ocean of

milk (Ksirodakasayi Visnu) are His plenary portions and the portions of His

plenary portions. [Cc. adi 1.7]

 

(Bibliography appears at the end of this text)

 

==========

 

Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu is published every ekadasi in PDF format, and

is designed for those who want to go deep into the pastimes, philosophy,

literature and history of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Bindu regularly features

articles from previous acaryas such as Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Prabhupada, Srila Thakur Bhaktivinode, Viswanath Chakravarti, Rupa Goswami

etc., as well as new translations, research findings and contemporary

articles. Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu is being produced in pursuance of the

instructions of Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami, whose articles are also a

common feature.

 

Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu contains no politics, mundane solicitations or

institution promotion or bashing -- only pure Krishna-katha. It is produced

by ISKCON Gopal Jiu Publications, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India.

 

To obtain their free email subscription to Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu

PAMHO users need only join the conference:

 

(Krishna Kathamrita) Bindu (Email Mini-magazine)

 

Persons who are using other email services can by writing to us

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Out of respect to our rs our address list is kept strictly

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===================

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

Haridas Das. Sri Gaudiya-vaisnava-abhidhana. Haribol Kutir. Nabadwip. 501

Gaurabda. (Bengali)

Kavi Karnapur. Sri Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika. Translated into English by

Kusakratha Das. The Krishna Library. Culver City, CA. 1987.

Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami. Sri Caitanya-caritamrta. English translation and

commentary by Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Bhaktivedanta Book

Trust. Los Angeles. 1975.

Tilak Ram Das. Sri Abhirama Lilamrta. Published by Kishora Das Babaji.

Halisahar, West Bengal. 506 Gaurabda. (Bengali)

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