Srila Haridas Thakura

[Guest guest]

Hare Krishna,

 

PAMHO, AGTSP

 

Even if I go through millions of births the glories of Srila Haridas Thakura

cannot be descrided as they are limitless.

Please bestow your mercy on this unqualified rascal.

 

Your servant in mission of Srila Prabhupada!!

 

Nanda Gopal Das

 

Discourse by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj

September 27, 2004, Soquel, California

 

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Today is a very auspicious devotional sacrifice for the disappearance of Srila

Haridas Thakura. Mahaprabhu's brother, Visvarupa, also took sannyas, and went

out from his house. He left his divine appearance in this material world in

South India, Kurma kestra. Mahaprabhu met with Rangapuri, and Rangapuri gave

him that news.

 

So Haridas Thakur, as you know, was a super-preacher, protector and giver of

Harinam sankirtan in this material world. Before Mahaprabhu, he appeared. He

was an aged man when Mahaprabhu was a child. When Mahaprabhu was born, Haridas

Thakur danced and he understood something had happened that day. This was

written in the Chaitanya Charitamrita. Advaita Acharya was dancing a very

ecstatic and joyful dance and Haridas Thakur was also dancing. Haridas Thakur

said to Advaita Acarya, "Something must have happened already. The Lord may

have appeared."

 

Mahaprabhu started Harinam sankirtan when he was young. But Haridas Thakur,

from his childhood, preached sankirtan and undertook so many obstacles and

punishment for that. But he still did not stop Harinam sankirtan. People were

very unhappy with him. They complained to the Kazi that Haridas Thakur was a

Muslim man and he was chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra and had taken the

Hindu religion. Give punishment to him. Mainly Muslim men complained, maybe

some Hindus with them. They complained, "Take him back to our society." But

Haridas Thakur went to the Kazi. The Kazi was very happy to see his appearance,

but said, "Why you are not following a great religion like Islam? Why you are

chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra? That is not good. You leave that and take

Allah and our religion will take you again."

 

But what happened? Haridas Thakur did not accept. Not only that, when too much

was requested by the Kazi (Kazi means Muslim ruler and judge), he was getting

100% support from the government. Finally Haridas Thakur said, "If you cut

piece by piece my body, still I shall not leave Harinam." Then the Kazi finally

punished him and said, "Take him to twenty-two marketplaces, and there you

beat, whip him." At that time, after one or two market whippings the offender

left his body. But Haridas Thakur, after taking twenty-two market whippings, he

did not leave his sankirtan, did not leave his body.

 

Then the Muslim police said, "If you don't die, we will be killed by the Kazi."

Then Haridas Thakur said, "If so, then I am dying." He showed that he was

dying. They saw that he was dead, tested him, and took him to the Kazi. "He is

dead. What shall I do?" Someone said, "Give him a grave." But another Kazi was

there, an assistant Kazi. He said, "No, no if you give a grave to him he will

go to a much higher place after death. Throw his body into Ganges because he

chanted the Hindu's mantram. That's his punishment." They threw his body into

the Ganges. Haridas floated in the Ganges and went to Shantipur, for a full

year in one place. There, in one village, he made a cave and chanted Harinam

there.

 

People were very kind to him, giving him food etcetera, etcetera. He went to

Shantipur, to Advaita Acarya's home. But in the cave where he was living,

Mayadevi came to test him and took Harinam from him. Mayadevi tested him for

three nights and wanted to make an illusion, but Haridas Thakur could not be

polluted by illusion. Then Mayadevi took shelter and said, "Lord Siva gave me

Rama Nama. Please, you give me Krishna Nama."

 

Also, one landlord, Ramachandra Khan, sent some prostitute to him, but the

prostitute also became a Vaisnava. Then Haridas Thakur left that cave. The

prostitute who was sent by Ramachandra Khan also tried for three days, and

Haridas Thakur said, "I promised to take three lakhs of Harinam every day. When

I finish, then I shall give you nourishment." Then the prostitute understood

that he was a mahapurush, and she cannot convince him. After three days she

fell down to the lotus feet of Haridas Thakur and Haridas said, "I know what

you come for. You leave everything, even your wealth, your home, everything,

and stay with me in this cave. You stay here. I am giving you Harinam. You do

Harinam and prasadam for you will come."

 

This way, Haridas Thakur initiated that prostitute and big practitioners of

Krishna Consciousness came for her darshan. They were feeling so fortunate that

they got the darshan of a Vaisnavi. The situation was like that. Then Haridas

Thakur went to Advaita Acarya's house. There was his preaching field. Then

Mahaprabhu was born.

 

Haridas Thakur gave so many people Harinam. Before Mahaprabhu he started and

spread through his preaching the Mahamantra. Everyone respected him so much.

Ragunath Das's father and uncle were such rich men. They also invited Haridas

Thakur to their assembly. There he showed a miracle in his life-so many

stories.

 

When Mahaprabhu appeared, Haridas understood that now Bhagavan Krishna has

appeared. After that, when Mahaprabhu started sankirtan and Advaita Acarya also

joined with Mahaprabhu's sankirtan, Haridas Thakur joined with Mahaprabhu's

sankirtan, Nityananda Prabhu came and joined with Mahaprabhu. Then Mahaprabhu

started his preaching program. Nityananda Prabhu and Haridas Thakur were a

preaching party. Mahaprabhu said, "First preaching." This way, Mahaprabhu, with

some mood of Krishna, of God, showed some power.

 

At that time Haridas and Nityananda were preaching generals. Then everywhere

they were preaching. One day they saw in the road a police inspector of that

zone, Jagai and Madai. Their names were Jagadananda and Madavananda, but people

were calling them Jagai-Madai. They were always drunk and there wasn't one

wrong thing they had not done in their lives. Then Nityananda Prabhu said,

"Haridas, we will go to them and give Harinam." Haridas Thakur said, "You are

mad! They are very inauspicious and drunk. They'll hear your advice? They'll

beat you. Don't go there. I shall not go there."

 

But Nityananda said, "This is our main target. Mahaprabhu is patita-pavana and

they're too much patita. Then I must rescue them." Nityananda Prabhu went

forcefully. Then what would Haridas do? He followed Nityananda Prabhu. Haridas

was an aged man at that time. Nityananda was young. Then Nityananda said to

Jagai-Madai, "Oh Jagai-Madai, what have you done with your lives? Everything

will be excused from you if you chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra."

 

Then chanted the Hare Krishna Mahamantra that Jagai-Madai? No. They said, "We

shall kill you if you come to us again." They took a big bamboo [stick] and

wanted to beat Nityananda Prabhu and Haridas Thakur. Haridas Thakur ran away

and Nityananda Prabhu also. Mahaprabhu said, "Yes you have done right. You try

to give them; again you try." Then Nityananda Prabhu got more enthusiasm and

went the next day. He saw they were drinking at that time, drinking wine.

Seeing Nityananda, they said, "Oh today again came!?" There was a clay pot

there and they took that. They finished the wine inside and took it to throw to

Nityananda. It hit Nityananda's head and he fell down.

 

But Nityananda said, "Okay, whatever you have done, I forgive. Now you chant

Hare Krishna." Then Jagai again went to beat him and Madai took his hand and

said, "What are you doing? He is a sannyasi, a beggar. They have nothing. Why

you are beating them?" Then Jagai took his hand away, and this news went to

Mahaprabhu. Mahaprabhu was very angry and came to punish Jagai-Madai. Many

things happened; I cannot talk too much. This morning you heard from Sripad

Bhakti Pavana Janardan Maharaja about the glories of Haridas Thakur. He chanted

from the books.

 

Anyhow, when Jagai saw Mahaprabhu's chakra in hand he was very fearful and fell

down to Mahaprabhu's lotus feet. Madai also, but Mahaprabhu didn't give any

excuse to them. Then Nityananda Prabhu said, " Prabhu, Madai was beating me but

Jagai took his hand, so not to beat again. He saved my life." Then Mahaprabhu

forgave Jagai, and Jagai become a devotee and chanted Hare Krishna. Seeing

that, Madai told to Mahaprabhu, "We have done so many wrong things at the same

time, so many sinful things. You gave your mercy to Jagai but not to me?"

Nityananda Prabhu also was appealing to Mahaprabhu, and Mahaprabhu said, "Take

the lotus feet of Nityananda Prabhu. You have made offense to Him." He did that

and Mahaprabhu embraced Jagai-Madai.

 

Not to kill- all sins I am removing from you. From this day you are devotees.

Chant Hare Krishna Mahamantra and leave all the wrongs. Jagai-Madai accepted

happily, chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. They left their service to the

government, become like devotees, and every day cleaned the road by the Ganges,

the bathing place of Mahaprabhu and others. That place near the Ganges became

known as the Jagai-Madai-Ghat. This way, Haridas Thakur lived with Mahaprabhu,

Nityananda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu, Gadadhara, Srivasa Pandit. Always he lived

with Mahaprabhu, and Mahaprabhu gave him so much mercy, affection, and love,

everything.

 

Then his preaching program started and every night he sang the Hare Krishna

Mahamantra while dancing. Haridas was always there. There were many things in

Haridas Thakur's life, such a long life. Finally, we can say Orissa was Hindu

ruling country. Prataparudra Raja was Hindu, and there is no place for Muslims,

especially in Puri. But Mahaprabhu took sannyasa. He wanted to go to Puri by

the order of Sachi Mata and other devotees. At that time, Haridas Thakur said,

"What will be for me?"

 

Mahaprabhu told him, " I shall pray to Jagannath. You will go to Puri, and I

shall keep you with me." Then Mahaprabhu came to Puri Dham and made his shelter

with Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya. Everyone was very attracted to Mahaprabhu's

glories. They all took the religion of Mahaprabhu. That is acintya bheda-bheda

tattva. One time Haridas Thakur went with a party with Advaita Acarya and

others. Everyone bowed down. Haridas Thakur also bowed down from afar. Then

Mahaprabhu said to Kashi Misra, "You have the garden. I need one room there for

me." Then Kashi Misra said, "Everything is yours. You can take it all."

 

Mahaprabhu gave that thatched room to Haridas Thakur inside of the garden.

Every day he went to meet with Haridas Thakur. Gadadhara also met with him.

Every day Mahaprabhu sent prasadam for Haridas Thakur. Haridas Thakur stayed

there chanting three lakhs of Harinam every day. In the Chaitanya Charitamrita

there are so many glories of Haridas Thakur. I cannot talk so much but it is

for my purification. I am trying to glorify Srila Haridas Thakura. If he will

be merciful then pure Harinam will come in our mouth, pure Harinam will dance

on our tongue.

 

Transcribed by Amiya Kanti Devi Dasi