Lord Nityananda
The childhood pastimes of Nitai were extraordinary. He and His cowherd friends as their childhood play only performed lilas about Krishna and His incarnations. He instructed His cowherd friends how to perfectly play each of their different roles according to the various descriptions given in the Shrimad-Bhagavatam, Tenth Canto, and in the Ramayana. None of the boys were old enough to read books and no one had explained the stories to them in such great detail. Thus from His early childhood His only desire was to re-enact the trancendental pastimes of Lord Krishna. Nitai at times gathered all His friends and closed all the doors and shutters of a house. The house would thus become dark. He would then enact the birth of Lord Krishna, who appeared at midnight. Another time He had a friend dress up as Vasudeva, and the friend, under Nitai's instruction, took a baby doll of Krishna and crossed the little river known as Maundersvara. He and His cowherd friends would sometimes go out and graze the calves. As the cows grazed, they would play their horns and flutes just as they had previously done in Vraja. While out with the cows, Nitai would enact other pastimes as well.
He would dress His friends as Aghasura, Bakasura, Aristasura, Kesi, and re-enact Krishna's pastimes of killing these demons.
Sometimes, unseen by anyone, He would enter a house where milk products were kept and steal butter with His cowherd friends. His cowherd friends never wished to leave His association for a moment. Their parents loved Nitai as well. They never complained or chastised their sons when they came late for their bath or for prasad. Rather the parents themselves used their children's tardiness as an excuse to come and see the glittering moonlike face of Nitaicandra.Sometimes Nitai re-enacted Krishna's pastimes of lifting Govardhan Hill. He would yell to His cowherd friends, "Aniyor! Aniyor!" "Bring more! Bring more!" and His friends would then open up their lunch tiffins and offer everything they had to Nitai. Sometimes He would take all His cowherd friends to a nearby tal forest and vigorously shake the tal trees. He and all His cowherd friends would then enjoy eating the tal fruits. He would thus re-enact Balarama's pastime of killing the ass demon Dhenukasura.
One day He made many hooded snakes from the branches of a bakula tree. He then took His friends to nearby Padmavati Kunda and placed the leaves in the water. He began to elegantly dance upon the leaves, much to the merriment of His friends. When His cowherd friends entered the water as well, they became unconscious. Nitai then revived them as Krishna had revived His cowherd boyfriends after He had subdued Kaliya.Once, completely absorbed in His role, Nitai performed the pastime of fighting in Lanka as Laksmanji. During the pastime, He received a pushpa arrow in His chest and fell down unconscious. He did not awaken for so long that all His friends began crying. They called their parents who, upon seeing Nitai unconscious, also began to cry. At that time one boy remembered that Nitai had previously instructed him to take the role of Hanuman and bring medicinal herbs from Gandharva Hill if He became unconscious while playing this lila. Then this boy, acting like Hanumanji, arrived and held some herbs under Nitai's nose. Everyone watched in amazement as Nitaicandra regained consciousness.
Another time Nitaicandra had a cowherd friend play the role of Akrura as he came to Vraja to take Krishna and Balaram to Mathura. At that time Nitai exhibited the mood of the gopis of Vraja and wept so bitterly, with so much anguish and such intense feelings of separation, that tears gushed in torrents from His eyes. His cowherd friends, feeling the same emotions, also began to cry piteously, wailing, "Krishna! Balaram! Do not leave us. Do not go. Fie on Akrura! Fie on him! Stay with us here and continue herding the cows. We will miss You! Stay with us! Do not go.By this time, the word had spread throughout Ekachakra that something very unusual was transpiring. All the parents of the boys were amazed that Nitai perfectly knew so many transcendental pastimes of Lord Krishna. Some of the more serious minded people suggested that Nityananda Prabhu must be empowered by the I^ord. But in the excitement of their affection for Nitai, they would forget to seriously consider who Nitai was. By the power of His deluding illusory potency, no one fathomed the truth about Shri Nityananda. The people of Ekachakra loved Him more than they loved their own sons, but no one was able to recognize Him as the Lord.
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