Nitāi Guṇa Mani Āmāra
By Locana dāsa Ṭhākura
(1)
nitāi guṇa-maṇi āmār nitāi guṇa-maṇi
āniyā premer vanyā bhāsāilo avanī
My Lord Nityānanda, the jewel of all virtues, my Lord Nityānanda, the jewel of all virtues, has brought the flood of ecstatic love of God that has drowned the entire world.
(2)
premer vanyā loiyā nitāi āilā gauḍa-deśe
ḍubilo bhakata-gaṇa dīna hīna bhāse
Bringing this overwhelming deluge of prema when He returned to Bengal from Jagannātha Purī on Lord Caitanya's order, Nitāi has inundated the assembly of devotees. The fallen nondevotees did not drown, however, but remained floating on that ecstatic ocean.
(3)
dīna hīna patita pāmara nāhi bāche
brahmār durlabha prema sabākāre jāce
Lord Nityānanda freely offered this exalted prema, which is difficult for Lord Brahmā to attain, even to the fallen and wretched souls who did not desire it.
(4)
ābaddha karuṇā-sindhu niṭāi kāṭiyā mohān
ghare ghare bule prema-amiyār bān
The ocean of mercy had formerly been sealed tight, but Nitāi cut a channel in its boundary to allow the great flooding waves of nectarean prema to splash from house to house.
(5)
locan bole mor nitāi jebā nā bhajilo
jāniyā śuniyā sei ātma-ghātī hoilo
Locana dāsa says, "Whoever has not worshiped my Nitāi or taken advantage of this excellent opportunity offered by Him knowingly commits suicide."
Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda
This is a song sung by Locana Dāsa Ṭhākura, almost a contemporary of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He has got many books on the life and precepts of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So he is saying that Lord Nityānanda is full of good qualities, guṇa-maṇi. Guṇa-maṇi means the jewel of all qualities. So nitāi guṇa-maṇi āmār nitāi guṇa-maṇi. He is repeatedly uttering that Lord Nityānanda is the reservoir of all good qualities. Āniyā premera vanyā bhāsāilo avanī. And on account of His spiritual qualities, He inundated the whole world by the flood of love of God. It is by His kindness people can feel what is love of God. Premer vanyā loiyā nitāi āilā gauḍa-deśe. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu left home and took sannyasa, He made His headquarter at Jagannātha Purī. So after His accepting the sannyasa order, when He left His home and country Lord Nityānanda Prabhu also accompanied Him up to Jagannātha Purī. So after a few days, Lord Caitanya requested Him that "If both of us remain here, then who will preach in Bengal?" Bengal is known as gauḍa-deśe. So under the order of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He brought from Him the flood of love of Godhead and He distributed in the whole of Bengal, gauḍa-deśe. And in that flood of love of God, all devotees became drowned. Only those who were not devotees, they could not drown but they were floating, dīna hīna bāche. But so far Nityānanda Prabhu is concerned, He does not make any discrimination between devotees and nondevotees. Dīna hīna patita pāmara nāhi bāche. Poor or rich or enlightened or foolish, everyone could take the instruction of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and become drowned in the ocean of love of Godhead. Such love of Godhead is brahmār durlabha. Even Lord Brahmā, who is the supreme teacher within this universe, he also cannot relish. But by the grace of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Mahāprabhu, this love of Godhead was distributed to everyone without any discrimination. So ābaddha karuṇā-sindhu, it was just like a big ocean blocked all sides. Ocean of love of Godhead is a big ocean, but it was not inundated. So Nityānanda Prabhu cut a canal from the ocean, and He brought the canal in every door. Ghare ghare bule prema-amiyāra bān. The flood of the nectar of love of Godhead was thus distributed in each and every home in Bengal. Actually still Bengal is overwhelmed when there is talk of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu. Locan bole, now the author is speaking on his behalf that anyone who does not take the advantage given by Lord Nityānanda Prabhu, so in his opinion he thinks that such a person knowingly is committing suicide.
