Adyacharya Bhagavan Sri Nimbarkacharya was the incarnation of Sri Sudarshan Chakra the most potent of all the weapons possessed by the Lord Vishnu. Acharyas Charita, Naimisha Khanda, Varmana Purana and Bhavishya Purana document the fact that Sri Nimbarkacharya was originally the “Sudarshan Chakra” who later assumed the garb of Sri Nimbarkacharya and descended on the mortal world. According to the chronicled narrative, Sri Narad Bhagavan was deeply moved by the woes of the mortals living in Kaliyuga. Such was his consternation that he, in cohorts with other Gods, implored the Supreme Lord Krishna to assuage the misery of the human beings. The Lord, with this end in view, summoned his cherished devotee “Sudarshan Chakra” and asked him to alight on the mortal world and dispel the darkness afflicting its mortals by inspiring their avowed devotion towards Vishnu and by inspiring them to tread on the path delineated by Vaishnavism.

“Sudarshana! Mahabaho! Koti Surya Samaprabha Agnana Timirandhanam Vishnor Margam Pradarshaya”

The scriptures also unfold the fact that as a devotee of Lord Krishna, Surdashan Chakra had once submitted a prayer before Lord Krishna. He expressed his desire to assume mortal shape and serve his Lord with every aspect of his entity (mind, words and actions). He implored the Lord to bless him with a human life so that in his mortal disposition he could venerate the “Archa Vigraha” of the Lord so that he could savor the pain of separation from his Lord, and so that in his earthly embodiment he could revel in the divine pastimes of his Lord. He pleaded with the Lord to grant him a carnal form which he would dedicate in propagating the worship of the divine couple (Lord Krishna and Srimati Radharani) amongst one and all. This impassioned plea was answered by the Lord who then proclaimed the arrival of Sudarshana Chakra in the land of Vraja, the consecrated realm of the Lord’s earthly pastimes, as a Vaishnava Acharya towards the advent of the Kali Yuga.

Thus, Sudarshana Chakra embraced the form of Sri Nimbarkacharya and arrived at the Sudarshana Ashrama on the banks of river Godavari (near the city of Vaidurya Patta) as the son of Sadhvi Jayanti Devi and Aruna Rishi. He was named Niyamananda at birth. Once, a traveling monk arrived at Niyamananda’s doorstep while his parents were immersed in meditation. Since there was no food at home Niyamanda exercised his divine powers and arranged for food which he then offered food to the monk. However, since the Sun was on the verge of disappearing below the horizon, the monk refused to accept the food (the monk followed a stringent spiritual routine which disallowed him to consume edibles after sunset). At this juncture, Niyamanada once again wielded his divine powers and beckoned the Sudarshana Chakra. He placed the Sudarshana Chakra behind a Neem tree in his courtyard. Since the Chakra was as resplendent as the Sun, the monk thought that dusk had not yet set in, and he accepted the food from Niyamananda. Later, when the monk realized that it was Niyamanda’s supernatural powers that had brought about this extra-ordinary event, he was overcome with a sense of profound respect for Niyamananda and adorned him with the title Nimbarka or Nimbaditya.

Acharya Nimbarka had assumed different incarnations at different points in time to render intimate service to the Lord. Sri Nimbarka had appeared in this temporal world in eight different forms namely:

• Shri Sudarshan Chakra
• Shri Sakhi Ranga Devi
• Shri Toka Sakha
• A cow named Ghusara

• A stick for herding cows
• The luster of the limbs of Shri Ji (Shrimati Radharani)
• The nose ring of Shri Ji and
• Sri Nimbarkacharya.