All
glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga
The Disappearance Day of Srila Haridas Thakur
A basic, partial transcript to help listeners who may be unfamiliar with Srila Govinda Maharaj's Bengali intonation. Click here to listen to the full lecture.
Discourse by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj
September 27, 2004, Soquel, California
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.
A basic, partial transcript to help listeners who may be unfamiliar with Srila Govinda Maharaj's Bengali intonation. Click here to listen to the full lecture.
Transcribed by Amiya Kanti Devi Dasi
