Ādya Vaiṣṇavācārya Bhagavān Nimbārka

Seeing that irreligion and ignorance were increasing among the human community on Earth, by the command of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Chakrarāja Sudarśana descended to this world as the son of Sage Aruṇa and Mother Jayantī in order to establish the Vaiṣṇava path of devotion. By establishing the Vaiṣṇava devotional path centered on surrender (śaraṇāgati) along with the five sacred initiatory rites (pañca-saṁskāra), he opened the path for countless human souls to become free from the bondage of worldly existence. That sacred lineage continues unchanged even today.

Chakrarāja Sudarśana

Chakrarāja Sudarśana manifested from the divine will of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In the transcendental realm of Goloka, within the divine spiritual domain known as Tripād-vibhūti, he eternally serves Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa as the intimate companion Śrī Raṅgadevī. During the course of creation, demons were also born upon the Earth, and their disturbances began to increase. They started obstructing the austerities of sages and saints. At that time the sages led by Śaunaka approached the Lord and prayed: “O Lord, where might there be a place where we can perform our austerities without obstacles?”

In response to their prayer, the Lord immediately commanded Chakrarāja Śrī Sudarśana—who represents knowledge and wisdom and who removes obstacles—to descend upon the Earth. Chakrarāja made the region of Naimiṣāraṇya sacred and free from disturbances. He manifested Pātāla Gaṅgā and also arranged food, fruits, and other provisions for the sages. He personally took responsibility for protecting the entire region. Entering the hearts of the sages in the form of knowledge and wisdom, he caused the stream of eternal bliss to flow within them. Wherever Chakrarāja resides, knowledge, wisdom, and bliss naturally manifest.

Therefore, in order to easily distribute knowledge, wisdom, and divine joy to the people of this age, Chakrarāja descended upon the Earth in the form of Niyamānanda.

From Tripād-vibhūti down to the three worlds, all sources of light—such as the sun, moon, fire, lightning, and others—are manifestations, portions, and expansions of Chakrarāja Sudarśana. These lights may remove external darkness, but they cannot destroy the inner darkness within the human heart caused by ignorance and karmic impurities. Therefore Chakrarāja himself, after the Dvāpara age, appeared as the powerful ācārya Niyamānanda (Nimbārka) and liberated countless human souls from the suffering of worldly existence through the path of devotion. He established the royal highway of devotion for future teachers of the bhakti tradition.

The name Nimbārka is derived from the expression “Nimbe Arkaḥ” meaning “the sun upon the neem tree.” According to grammatical rules this becomes the word “Nimbārka.” It is said that the ascetic Niyamānanda, an incarnation of Sudarśana, once showed the vision of the sun above a neem tree to a visiting saint even after sunset. Pleased by this miracle, the saint gave him the sacred name “Nimbārka.” For this reason, he is still revered throughout the world by the sacred name “Ādya Vaiṣṇavācārya Jagadguru Nimbārkācārya.”

The scriptures also explain the meaning of the word “nimba” symbolically as the world itself. Just as the neem tree is bitter, the bitterness of suffering in worldly life is even greater. Yet just as neem properly used can cure diseases, similarly those who obtain human life in this world filled with suffering can overcome the disease of worldly existence if they use their life properly. From the derivation “Nimbāya Saṁsārāya Arkaḥ” meaning “the sun for the world,” it signifies one who brings the light of happiness to the sorrowful world. In other words, the Supreme Being who illuminates the world covered in the darkness of ignorance with the light of knowledge and devotion—the radiant Chakrarāja—is Nimbārka.

From another derivation “Nimbe Saṁsāre Arkaḥ,” it means the sun that illuminates the world. This indicates the supreme source of illumination within the world. The compassionate glance of the Supreme Being always remains upon the world, and in this age that very Supreme Being—Chakrarāja Sudarśana—descended as the first great ācārya to spread the light of knowledge and devotion among humanity across the world.

According to the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, “Prāṇo vā Arkaḥ”—prāṇa itself is arka. When the word arka, meaning life-force, is combined with nimba, it gives the meaning “Nimbasya Saṁsārasya Arkaḥ Prāṇaḥ”—the life-force of the world. Just as prāṇa is the essential basis of the body and the body cannot survive without it, in the same way the sustaining life-force of the world is the divine principle of dharma. This divine protector in the form of dharma is called “Nimbārka.”

Dharma is the protector of the world. “Dharmo dhārayate dharā,” “Dharmo dhārayate prajā”—dharma sustains the Earth and all living beings. To protect this dharma, which is the life-force of all, the Lord Himself descended in the form of an ācārya. “Dharma saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge.” Thus the divine form of Chakrarāja Sudarśana appeared after the Dvāpara age as a powerful spiritual teacher and universally protected dharma, the life-force of all beings. Therefore he is known as “Nimbārka.”

आद्य वैष्णवाचार्य भगवान निम्बार्क

पृथ्वीमा मानव समुदाय वीच अधर्म र अज्ञानको अभिवृद्धि हुन लागेको देखेर भगवान श्रीकृष्णको आज्ञाले चक्रराज सुदर्शन वैष्णव भक्तिमार्ग स्थापना गर्न ऋषि अरुण र माता जयन्तीको पुत्र बनेर यस धर्तीमा अवतरित हुनु भयो । पञ्चसंस्कार युत्तm शरणागति वैष्णव भक्तिमार्गको स्थापना गरी असंख्या मानवात्माहरूलाई भव बन्धनबाट मुक्त हुने मार्ग प्रसस्त गरिदिनु भयो । त्यो परम्परा आज पनि यथावत् छ ।

चक्रराज सुदर्शन

चक्रराज सुदर्शन, भगवान श्रीकृष्णको इच्छाशक्तिबाट प्रकट भई त्रिपाद्विभूति गोलोक धाममा सर्वेश्वर श्रीराधाकृष्णको अन्तरङ्ग सखी “श्री रङ्गदेवी” को रुपमा रहेर नित्य सेवा गर्नु हुन्छ । सृष्टिका क्रममा धर्तीमा दानवहरू पनि पैदा भए । दानवीय उपद्रव बढ्न थाल्यो। ऋषि मुनिको तपस्यामा बाधा पार्न लागे । त्यसै समयमा शौनकादि ऋषिहरू भगवानका शरणमा पुगेर प्रभु † निर्बाध तपस्या गर्ने कुन् त्यस्तो ठाँउ होला ? भन्दै भगवानसंग प्रार्थना गरे । भगवानले तत्काल ज्ञान र विद्याको प्रतिनिधि एवं विघ्नबाधाका विनाशक चक्रराज श्रीसुदर्शनलाई पृथ्वीमा अवतरित हुन आज्ञा दिनु भयो । चक्रराजले नैमिषारण्य क्षेत्रलाई पावन र निर्बाध क्षेत्र बनाएर पातालगङ्गा प्रकट गरी ऋषि भोज्य अन्न फलादिको पनि व्यवस्था गरिदिनु भयो । समस्त क्षेत्रको रक्षागर्ने भार पनि आफैंले सम्हाल्नु भयो । ज्ञान र विद्याको रुपमा ऋषि ह्दयमा प्रवेश गरी नित्यानन्दको धारा प्रवाहित गरिदिनु भयो । जहाँ चक्रराज त्यहाँ ज्ञान, विद्या र आनन्द स्वत: प्रस्फुटित हुन्छ । त्यसैले यस युगका मानवहरूलाई सजिलै ज्ञान, विद्या र आनन्द वितरण गर्नका लागि चक्रराजले नियामानन्दको रुपमा धर्तीमा अवतार लिनु भएको हो ।

त्रिपाद्विभूतिदेखि त्रिलोकीसम्म जति पनि प्रकाशका प्रतीकहरू विद्यामान छन् , जस्तै सूर्य,चन्द्र,अग्नि,विद्युत आदि। ती सबै चक्रराज सुदर्शनका अंश, अंशांश र कलाहरू हुन् । यी सबैले बाहिरी अन्धकारलाई नाश त गरिदिन्छन् तर मानिसका भित्री अन्त:स्करणमा रहेका कर्मजन्य दोष,अज्ञान जस्ता अन्धकारको नाशगर्न चक्रराज स्वयं द्वापरान्तमा प्रभावशाली आचार्य नियमानन्द (निम्बार्क)को रुपमा अवतरित भई असंख्या मानवात्माहरूलाई भक्तिमार्गको माध्यमले संसारको दु:खबाट मुक्त गरिदिनु भयो । भावी भक्तिमार्गका आचार्यहरूलाई भक्तिमार्गको राजमार्ग बनाई दिनु भयो। निम्बार्क निम्बे अर्क: (निमको वृक्षामा सूर्य) यस व्युत्पत्तिमा व्याकरणको नियम अनुसार निम्बार्क शब्द बनिन्छ । सुदर्शनावतार तपस्वी नियामानन्दले सूर्यस्त पछि पनि अतिथि सन्तलाई निम्बवृक्ष माथि सूर्यको दर्शन गराई दिनु भयो । प्रसन्न भएका सन्तले वहाँलाई पावन “निम्बार्क”नाम दिएर विदा हुनु भयो । त्यसैले आज पनि वहाँ “आद्य वैष्णवाचार्य जगद्गुरू निम्बार्काचार्य” यस पावन नामले जगतमा वन्दनीय हुनु हुन्छ ।

शास्त्रहरूले लक्षणा अर्थमा निम्ब भनेको संसार हो भनेका छन् । निम्ब (नीम) जति तितो हुन्छ , त्यो भन्दा पनि संसारमा रहेका दु:खको तितो सय गुणा बढी हुन्छ । तर नीमको उचित सेवन गरे रोग नाश हुन्छ,त्यस्तै दु:खै दु:खले भरिएको संसारमा पनि मानवीय जीवन पाउनेहरूले जीवनको सदुपयोग गरे भव रोग अवश्य नाश हुन्छ । निम्बाय संसाराय अर्क: (संसारका लागि सूर्य) यस व्युत्पत्तिमा दु:खमय संसारलाई सुखमय प्रकाश दिने यस्तो अर्थ हुन्छ । अर्थात् अज्ञानको अन्धकारले ढाकिएको संसारलाई ज्ञान र भक्तिको प्रकाशले आलोकित गराउने अर्क (तेजस्वरुप चक्रराज) परमात्मा हुनुहुन्छ , वहाँ नै “निम्बार्क” हुनुहुन्छ।

निम्बे संसारे अर्क: (संसारमा प्रकाशक सूर्य) यस व्युत्पत्तिमा संसारमा प्रकाशको मूल आधार भन्ने अर्थ हुन्छ । जुन परमात्माको कृपादृष्टि संसारमा नित्य रहन्छ, अर्थात् जुन परमात्माले ( चक्रराज सुदर्शनले) यस युगमा अवतरित भएर प्रथम प्रभावशाली आचार्यको रुपमा रहेर विश्वभरिका मानव समूहमा ज्ञान भत्तिmको प्रकाश दिने कृपा गर्नु भयो । शतपथ ब्राह्मणका अनुसार “प्राणो वा अर्क:”प्राण नै अर्क हो । प्राणवाचक अर्क शब्दलाई निम्बका साथ व्यत्पत्ति गर्दा निम्बस्य संसारस्य अर्क: प्राण:(संसारको प्राण हो ) यस्तो अर्थ सम्पन्न हुन्छ । शरीरको मुख्य आधार प्राण हो । प्राणविना शरीर टिक्न सक्तैन । संसाररुप शरीरलाई धारण गर्ने प्राण धर्मरुप ईश्वर हो । धर्मरुप ईश्वरलाई “निम्बार्क”भनियो । धर्म संसारको रक्षक हो । “धर्मो धारयते धरा”, “धर्मो धारयते प्रजा” धर्म धरा र प्रजाको पनि प्राण हो । सबैको प्राणस्वरुप धर्मको रक्षा गर्न भगवानले स्वयं आचार्यको रुपमा अवतार लिनु भयो ।“धर्म संस्थापनार्थाय संभवामि युगे युगे”भगवत स्वरुप चक्रराज सुदर्शन द्वापरान्तमा प्रभावशाली आचार्यको रुपमा अवतरित भएर सार्वभौमिक तवरमा सबैको प्राण स्वरुप धर्मको रक्षा गर्नु भयो । त्यसैले वहाँ “निम्बार्क” हुनुहुन्छ ।