Wednesday, 05 November 2025 [Mayapura, West Bengal, India Time]
Sri Nimbarkacharya Appearance Day
Sri Krishna Rasayatra
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Sri Nimbarkacharya Appearance Day
In the ‘Nabadwip Dham Mahatmya’ it has been stated that the village of Bilvapaksha (in Nabadwip), also known as Belpukuriya, is non-different to the forest of Bilvavana in Vrindavana. Here some brahmanas had worshipped Lord Shiva, offering him his beloved Bael (or Bilva) leaves. Becoming satisfied Lord Shiva, who was five headed, bestowed upon these brahmanas the supreme science of Krishna consciousness. Sri Nimbaditya (Nimbārka Ācārya) was one of them, who was very attentive in his worship. Lord Shiva blessed him and directed him to a sacred Bilva forest at the edge of the village. Lord Shiva revealed that the four kumaras (Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana, and Sanat) were sitting there in meditation. He instructed Nimbaditya (Nimbārka Ācārya) to surrender himself unto them, accept them as his spiritual masters and learn the supreme science of devotion from them. Sri Nimbaditya (Nimbārka Ācārya) surrendered himself unto the lotus feet of the Kumaras, who were meditating in that forest unseen by others. They happily accepted Nimbaditya (Nimbārka Ācārya) as their disciple and instructed him from their book Sanat-Kumara samhita, which enunciated the path of pure devotional service unto Lord Krishna. Nimbaditya (Nimbārka- Ācārya) thus learned to worship Sri Radha and Krishna filled with sentiments of ecstatic love. Later Nimbārka obtained the darsana of Lord Gauranga in Bilvapaksha and was astounded beholding the wonderful form of the Lord. Nimbārka Ācārya went on to become the founding Vaishnava acharya of one of the four bonafide Vaishnava sampradayas – Kumara sampradaya.
“The personalist school, philosophers, they are divided into four: Rāmānuja-sampradāya—that means followers of Ācārya Rāmānuja; Madhvācārya-sampradāya, or the followers of Madhvācārya; Nimbārka-sampradāya, followers of Nimbārka Ācārya; and Viṣṇu Svāmī-sampradāya. They, their conclusion is the same.”
(Śrīla Prabhupāda Lecture on Bhagavad-gītā 2.12 — New York, March 7, 1966)
Read More–
Nimbarka acarya avirbhava tithi (appearance day) Tulasi dana vivaha – Hare Krishna Society
How Nimbarka Acarya got his name – Hare Krishna Society
Sri Krishna Rasayatra
“The purnima or full moon of Damodara month is the second full moon of the autumn season, and rasa lila is again celebrated. This second rasa yatra is celebrated more in Bengal, whereas the first one is celebrated more in Vrndavana.
On this day one should perform full worship of Radha and Krishna with many flowers, and place them in a rasa mandapa surrounded by the gopis.”
Srila Prabhupada’s instructions on how to properly undersatnd Krishna’s rasa-lila
“Devotee: You said… If these pastimes of rasa-lila are only for liberated souls, and yet in Krishna book, in Nectar of Devotion, there are some descriptions of pastimes of Radha and Krishna…
Prabhupada: That is very cautiously mentioned. Yes. It had to be given because it is part of Krishna’s pastimes. We cannot avoid it. Therefore it has to be heard from right person. He will be cautious to present the things. Anusrnuyat. The injunction is one should hear from a person bona fide, anusrnuyat, not directly. Not directly.”
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Surat, January 3, 1971)
“So this discussion of rasa-lila is the summit of Krishna consciousness. It is not ordinary thing. They’re purely spiritual. There is nothing material. But because we are not completely free from material concept of life, we may think that Krishna’s lila is something like this material. So that is offense. But that is the ultimate goal, to understand Krishna’s rasa-lila. But you have to wait for relishing that Krishna’s rasa-lila, to become more perfect in Krishna consciousness. Anarthapagamam. Anartha means when one is freed from all anarthas. But it is so nice, even those who are with anartha, misgivings, if they are devotee, if they have got full surrender unto Krishna, so they also will derive benefit.”
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Los Angeles, November 15, 1968)
“Radha-Krishna lila is not so cheap. Therefore they are called sahajiya. They have made it cheap. If they want to read Bhagavatam — immediately rasa-lila. If they want to hear something about Krishna — immediately rasa-lila. Because it appears similar, just like young boy, young girls. But it is not that. It is ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabhis tabhir ya eva nija-rupataya kalabhih (Bs. 5.37). Radharani’s expansion of Krishna’s energy, and the gopis are expansion of Radharani’s body. They are not ordinary things.”
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Calcutta, January 30, 1973)
“You have come to Vrindavana. Don’t think that Krishna had rasa dance with ordinary girls or Krishna was ordinary man. As Krishna was not man, He’s God, similarly, the gopis and Srimati Radharani, they’re internal potency of God, or Krishna. This is… This should be understood. Avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam (BG 9.11). Krishna says, ‘Mudhas, rascals, they think that I am a human being, ordinary human being.’ And therefore they imitate. Sometimes the rascals imitate rasa dance. ‘Krishna had rasa dance; then we can have also rasa…’ But they do not understand that Krishna’s rasa dance is not ordinary ball dance like that. No. It is an imitation, perverted imitation. Because the tendency’s there in Krishna, therefore we have also got the tendency. But we do not know how to enjoy that dancing spirit. That is our illusion. We think this ordinary dance and Krishna’s dance is the same thing. No. That dancing, to take part in that dancing, it requires many, many millions of years’ tapasya. It is not ordinary thing. Ittham brahma-bhuta… There is a verse that krta-punya-punjah. Sakam vijahruh krta-punya-punjah (SB 10.12.11). To join with the rasa dance of Krishna, or to play with Krishna as cowherd boy, it requires krta-punya-punjah, many, many millions of births’ pious activities.
So Krishna’s pastimes in Vrindavana with the cowherds boy and with the gopis, they are all spiritual. They are not material. But Krishna manifests, exhibits the lila, coming here personally so that you may hear about Krishna and you may be attracted: ‘So how I can go and play with Krishna? How I can go and dance with Krishna?’ Or ‘How I can become a… in paternal affection with Krishna? How I can become a tree, a grass, in Vrndavana, so that Krishna may trample over me?’ This is called Krishna-prema. So Krishna practically demonstrates, for the facility of the conditioned soul.”
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Vrindavana, March 15, 1974)
