From Leelā to Learning: The Living Wisdom of Bhagavan Nityananda

The Living Wisdom of Bhagavan Nityananda

From Leelā to Learning

Leelā and Learning from Leelā

Years ago, I came in contact with Shri Nagesh Karambelkar, a noted writer on Shree Swami Samartha, and the author of books such as Param Arthache 365 Diwas (परम अर्थाचे ३६५ दिवस) and Samudra Bharla Aahe (समुद्र भरला आहे). In Param Arthache 365 Diwas, he beautifully narrated many Leelās of Swami Samartha, always accompanied by the inner learning and spiritual insight drawn from each Leelā.

When I had the opportunity to speak with the late Shri Karambelkar and shared my intention to document the Leelās of Bhagavan Nityananda, he offered a remark that left a deep impression on me. He said:

“Unless you grasp the wisdom behind it, a Leelā remains only a story.”

That simple statement profoundly clarified the true purpose of documenting divine Leelās—not merely to recount events, but to uncover and transmit the transformative wisdom embedded within them.

Ordinary stories are usually narrated for entertainment, information, or emotional engagement. They may be inspiring or interesting, but they are often consumed casually and forgotten with time. In contrast, the actions of Gods, Goddesses, and Saints are referred to as Leelās, not stories, because they arise from a higher plane of consciousness and are never purposeless.

A Leelā is not merely an event; it is a conscious divine play. Every word spoken, every silence observed, and every action performed by a realised being carries an inner intent—often hidden, symbolic, and transformative. What may appear outwardly as a simple incident is inwardly a teaching, a correction, a blessing, or a revelation meant to guide the seeker.

No act of a Saint is accidental or casual. Saints operate from a state beyond personal desire and ego; therefore, their actions are always aligned with a deeper spiritual purpose—either for the upliftment of an individual devotee or for the welfare of seekers at large. When such acts are viewed superficially, they may appear as ordinary stories. But when they are approached with shraddhā (reverence) and viveka (discrimination), their inner wisdom begins to unfold.

A story becomes a Leelā only when the listener approaches it with the intent to learn, assimilate, and transform. While listening to divine narratives, the devotee must reflect on the underlying message:
What is this incident teaching me? What inner change is being indicated? How does this apply to my own life and sādhana?

When the listener seeks such takeaways—values that purify the mind, deepen devotion, strengthen surrender, or refine discrimination—the narrative ceases to be a mere story. It then becomes Leelā, a living spiritual instruction that continues to guide long after the narration has ended.

Thus, Leelā is not defined by the event itself, but by the depth of understanding it awakens in the seeker. To the casual listener, it remains a story. To the devoted and reflective mind, it becomes a doorway to wisdom, grace, and inner transformation.

Bhagavan’s Leelā, a Play of Consciousness

Tulas Amma, in her Hymns in Praise of the Self, describes the cosmic form of her Sadguru, Bhagavan Nityananda, as follows

मंगल आह्वान

(Invocation)

नित्यानंदरूपं । गुरुस्वरूपं । आत्मस्वरूपं ॥
अखंडरूपं । आधाररूपं । आनंदरूपं ॥
शरणं प्रपद्ये ॥

Nityānanda-rūpaṁ | Guru-svarūpaṁ | Ātma-svarūpaṁ ||
Akhaṇḍa-rūpaṁ | Ādhāra-rūpaṁ | Ānanda-rūpaṁ ||
Śaraṇaṁ prapadye ||

१

नित्यानंदरूपं । नित्यस्वरूपं ।
निजानंदरूपं । निजस्वरूपं ॥
निराकाररूपं । निर्गुणस्वरूपं ।
नित्यानंदरूपं ॥
शरणं प्रपद्ये ॥१॥

Nityānanda-rūpaṁ | Nitya-svarūpaṁ |
Nijānanda-rūpaṁ | Nija-svarūpaṁ ||
Nirākāra-rūpaṁ | Nirguṇa-svarūpaṁ |
Nityānanda-rūpaṁ ||
Śaraṇaṁ prapadye ||1||

२

अवधूतरूपं । अखंडानंदरूपं ।
अव्ययस्वरूपं । अनंतंत-रूपं ॥
आद्यस्वरूपं । अनाद्यादिरूपं ।
अचिंत्यादिरूपं ॥
शरणं प्रपद्ये ॥२॥

Avadhūta-rūpaṁ | Akhaṇḍānanda-rūpaṁ |
Avyaya-svarūpaṁ | Anantanta-rūpaṁ ||
Ādya-svarūpaṁ | Anādyādi-rūpaṁ |
Achintya-ādi-rūpaṁ ||
Śaraṇaṁ prapadye ||2||

३

आत्मानंदरूपं । आत्मस्वरूपं ।
ज्ञानानंदरूपं । ज्ञानस्वरूपं ॥
शांताकाररूपं । शांतस्वरूपं ।
आनंदरूपं ॥
शरणं प्रपद्ये ॥३॥

Ātmānanda-rūpaṁ | Ātma-svarūpaṁ |
Jñānānanda-rūpaṁ | Jñāna-svarūpaṁ ||
Śāntākāra-rūpaṁ | Śānta-svarūpaṁ |
Ānanda-rūpaṁ ||
Śaraṇaṁ prapadye ||3||

४

परमानंदरूपं । परमस्वरूपं ।
प्रणवानंदरूपं । प्रणवस्वरूपं ॥
प्रकाशानंदस्वरूपं । प्रकाशस्वरूपं ।
प्रभावानंदस्वरूपं ॥
शरणं प्रपद्ये ॥४॥

Paramānanda-rūpaṁ | Parama-svarūpaṁ |
Praṇavānanda-rūpaṁ | Praṇava-svarūpaṁ ||
Prakāśānanda-svarūpaṁ | Prakāśa-svarūpaṁ |
Prabhāvānanda-svarūpaṁ ||
Śaraṇaṁ prapadye ||4||

५

चिदाकाशरूपं । चित्स्वरूपं ।
चिदंबरस्वरूपं । चिदानंदरूपं ॥
चिन्मयस्वरूपं । चित्प्रभानंदरूपं ॥
शरणं प्रपद्ये ॥५॥

Cid-ākāśa-rūpaṁ | Cit-svarūpaṁ |
Cid-ambara-svarūpaṁ | Cid-ānanda-rūpaṁ ||
Cinmaya-svarūpaṁ | Cit-prabhānanda-rūpaṁ ||
Śaraṇaṁ prapadye ||5||

६

विश्वानंदरूपं । विश्वस्वरूपं ।
विश्वाधाररूपं । विश्वंभररूपं ॥
विश्वाकाररूपं । विश्वव्यापारूपं ।
विश्वव्यापक-रूपं ॥
शरणं प्रपद्ये ॥६॥

Viśvānanda-rūpaṁ | Viśva-svarūpaṁ |
Viśvādhāra-rūpaṁ | Viśvambhara-rūpaṁ ||
Viśvākāra-rūpaṁ | Viśva-vyāpā-rūpaṁ |
Viśva-vyāpaka-rūpaṁ ||
Śaraṇaṁ prapadye ||6||

७

ओंकाररूपं । व्योमस्वरूपं ।
बोधानंदरूपं । बोधस्वरूपं ॥
सोज्वलानंदरूपं । सोज्वलस्वरूपं ।
बोधाकाररूपं ॥
शरणं प्रपद्ये ॥७॥

Oṁkāra-rūpaṁ | Vyoma-svarūpaṁ |
Bodhānanda-rūpaṁ | Bodha-svarūpaṁ ||
Sojvalānanda-rūpaṁ | Sojvala-svarūpaṁ |
Bodhākāra-rūpaṁ ||
Śaraṇaṁ prapadye ||7||

८

सहजानंदरूपं । सहजस्वरूपं ।
सदानंदरूपं । सत्यस्वरूपं ॥
सर्वानंदरूपं । सर्वस्वरूपं ।
सर्वाधाररूपं ॥
शरणं प्रपद्ये ॥८॥

Sahajānanda-rūpaṁ | Sahaja-svarūpaṁ |
Sadānanda-rūpaṁ | Satya-svarūpaṁ ||
Sarvānanda-rūpaṁ | Sarva-svarūpaṁ |
Sarvādhāra-rūpaṁ ||
Śaraṇaṁ prapadye ||8||

To understand Bhagavan Nityananda’s Leelās, one must first understand His State. Without grasping who Bhagavan is, His actions risk being misunderstood as mere stories, contradictions, or inexplicable behaviour. The hymns describing Bhagavan do not merely praise Him; they define the plane from which His Leelā arises.

Bhagavan is invoked as
Nityānanda-rūpam, Guru-svarūpam, Ātma-svarūpam—
the embodiment of Eternal Bliss, the very form of the Guru, and the Self itself. Being Akhaṇḍa-rūpa (indivisible) and Ādhāra-rūpa (the substratum of all), His actions do not arise from personal intent, emotion, or circumstance, but from the completeness of Consciousness itself. Hence, every act is play, not effort; Leelā, not reaction.

The hymns repeatedly affirm Bhagavan as Nitya-svarūpa, Nija-svarūpa, Nirākāra, Nirguṇa—eternal, self-established, formless, and beyond attributes. From such a state, there is no preference for miracle over medicine, no attachment to displaying power, and no urge to conform to devotees’ expectations. What appears to devotees as a contradiction is, in truth, perfect alignment with dharma and cosmic order.

As Avadhūta-rūpa and Akhaṇḍānanda-rūpa, Bhagavan stands beyond social, religious, and psychological frameworks. His Leelās, therefore, do not follow predictable patterns. At times, He cures instantly, pulling devotees back from the jaws of death; at other times, He directs them firmly towards worldly means, as seen in His guidance to Gulabi Amma. Both arise from the same source—Akṣaya, Avyaya, Ananta Consciousness.

Declared as Ātma-svarūpa and Jñāna-svarūpa, Bhagavan’s compassion expresses itself not as indulgence, but as illumination. His silence, severity, tenderness, or detachment are all movements of Śānta, Prakāśa, and Chidānanda—never personal, always purposeful.

When the hymns proclaim Him as Viśva-svarūpa, Viśvambhara, Viśva-vyāpaka, they reveal why His Leelās carry universal relevance. They are not meant merely to comfort or astonish, but to reshape perception, dissolve dependency, and guide the devotee towards inner maturity and surrender.

Ultimately, Bhagavan is hailed as Sahajānanda, Satya-svarūpa, Sarva-dhāra—the natural, effortless state of Truth that upholds all. From such Sahajatā, Leelā flows spontaneously. The learning, however, depends on the preparedness of the devotee. When approached with discrimination and receptivity, these Leelās cease to be stories and become living teachings.

Thus, Bhagavan’s Leelās are not events to be judged by outcome, but expressions of Nija-svarūpa—the Self playing with the Self, for the awakening of the Self.

With the grace of Bhagavan Nityananda and the blessings of my elders and peers, I share these Leelās and the learnings drawn from them, presenting each Leelā as a separate post.