Chapter Summary - Chaitanya-bhagavata - Adi-khanda Ch. 9
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Brief Summary:  Chapter 9 is the longest encountered so far, mostly covering the life of Lord Nityananda from his birth (1473 A.D.12^th Feb.) till called by Lord Chaitanya to finally join Him;  Lord Nityananda appeared in the village of Ekacakra. His father was a brahmana named Hadai Pandita (aka: Mukunda Bandyopadhyay ) and his mother was Srimati Padmavati devi; Nityananda was born with a serene disposition and He was highly intelligent; young nitai absorbed Himself playing with His friends, enacting all the famous stories from the ancient history of India, thus hiding His supreme identity from all; Nobody could fathom where in the world such a young child could have learned the stories He and His friends played out with such precise detail;  Not even 13 years old, Nimai leaves home to travel until His 32nd year - all over India visiting the sacred places of pilgrimage.  The author of this book gives a brief, yet detailed description of the many places the Lord traveled to, culminating with his meeting Sri Madhavendra Puri, along with the famous devotees, Isvara Puri & Brahmananada Puri; Sri Madhavendra Puri said, "Nowhere have I found the exhibition of such supramundane love par excellence as in Lord Nityananda. Wherever that love is found becomes the best of all the holy pilgrimages"; the author warns that whoever harbors even a tinge of apathy for Lord Nityananda is forever cast aside by Lord Krishna; Nitai Chandra is devoted exclusively to Lord Caitanya so no one can attain His shelter without His blessings.

Quiz: (see answers below)

1.  As a child, Lord Nityananda concealed His true identity by: 

A - Reading the Holy Scripture all the time   
B - Going to school   
C - Playing with the children of His village   
D - Memorizing the Bhagavada-gita

2.  What was the main question that those living in Ekacakra had about Lord Nityananda 

A - How could such a young boy play for so many long hours    
B - Why did Nitai always fight with the other boys?  
C - Was Nitai an incarnation of Lord Krsna?   
D - How does a mere child know so many transcendental pastimes of Lord Krishna?

3.  Enacting the pastimes of Lord Krishna, at times Nitai would... 

A - Beat the ground with a stick  
B - He would cry so intensely that tears flowed like a gushing river    
C - He would jump incessantly for hours on end  
D - He would stay outside all night and not come home.

4.  In one of His plays, Lord Nityananda and his friends enacted the pastime of Lord Ramachandra's monkey army throwing rocks into the ocean to build a bridge.  What did the Nitai and His friends use to make his pretend bridge?  

A - Used cushions that floated like rocks  
B - Threw boulders into the water that they found at a rock quarry  
C - Felled some castor oil trees and threw them on the water  
D- Used palm branches that naturally float and were plentiful all throughout the forest

5.  During the children's games of enacting the pastime of killing Indrajit, what was thrown at Nitai that made him go unconscious? 

A- a rock that accidentally hit Him on the head   
B- a lotus flower    
C- a coconut   
D- A hollow basket

6.  Where did the medicine come from that revived little Nimai? 

A- His family's doctor 
B- From nearby watercress growing in a stream 
C- Gandharva hill  
D- coconut juice

7.  At what age did Nimai leave His beloved home? 
A- 22   
B- 21 
C- 14 
D- 12

8.  What is Lord Nityananda famous for? 

A- He once walked on water 
B- Going into a trance for three entire days  
C- Inundating the universe with love of God     
D-  as Lord Caitanya's spiritual master

9.  Who is the original or first devotee of Lord Caitanya?   

A- Brahma   
B- Mother Saci 
C- Lord Nityananda  
D-Madhavendra Puri 

10.  What does the author of the Caitanya-bhagavata wish to do in the company of his spiritual master, Lord Nityananda? 

A- He desires to study Srimad Bhagavatam in Lord Nityananda's presence  
B- He desires to go swimming in the Ganges River with Lord Nityananda  
C- He desires to sing with Lord Nityananda  
D- He desires to re-trace with the Lord the same pilgrimage that Nityananda made for 20 years

Devotee Mentioned:    Isvara Puri; Brahmananada Puri; Sri Madhavendra Puri (Lord Chaitanya often remarked that Sri Madhavendra Puri was the main trunk of the tree of nectarine devotional mellows); [the author, Vrndavana dasa Thakura gives a second warning in the chapter when he mentions that "those who misinterpret the remarks of Advaita Acarya Prabhu or Lord Nityananda as criticism of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu should realize that those remarks were in fact shaded glorifications of my Lord. All the Vaishnava associates of Lord Chaitanya are externally liberated and enlightened souls. What is wrongly understood to be disturbing arguments or abusive language used between them is actually one way they express their deep love for each other. An ordinary person is therefore discouraged from taking sides in such a mock fight, for if he criticizes anyone then he places himself in a precarious position."]

Lord Nityananda aka:   Nitai Chandra

Blessings:  Those faithful souls who hear this narration of the wonderful meeting between Sri Madhavendra and Lord Nityananda will surely attain the highest perfection, love of Krishna; One can obtain full devotion at Lord Chaitanya's lotus feet simply by worshipping Lord Nityananda;  All obstacles and misfortunes in life are extirpated as soon as the knowledge of the truth about Lord Nityananda dawns upon one; Whoever hears these narrations with devotion is crowned with the most precious gem of success - love of Godhead. 

Misc. Facts:  Hanuman, who is also known as Mahavira; Sri Advaita Acarya Prabhu is foremost amongst Sri Madhavendra Puri's disciples, Isvara Puri, Brahmananada Puri; Nimai's father's name was also Mukunda Bandyopadhyay 

Words:
percipience:  perception

 Quiz Answers: 1-C;   2-D;   3-B;   4-D;   5-B;    6-C;   7-D;    8-C;   9-C;   10-A