Disappearance of Srila Haridas Thakur

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
24 September 2009

One day Mahaprabhu asked Haridas Thakur, "Prabhu what disease do you have? What has happened to you today?" Every day Haridas Thakur would chant 3 lakhs, 300 000 Names, and so he replied, "Prabhu, my only disease is that I could not finish my chanting of the Holy Name... That is my disease. অসুস্থ নয় মোর শরীর, অসুস্থ হয় মোর মন, Asustha nay mora sarira, asustha hoya mora mana: my body is not sick, only my mind is sick."

Without having finished his chanting, he did not eat, did not take prasadam. Do you know that?

There was like a rule that every day prasadam would come from the Jagannath temple, and when Mahaprabhu finished His prasadam, He would send the remnants to Haridas Thakur. Govinda (Mahaprabhu's servant) would take that prasadam to Haridas Thakur.

Every day Haridas Thakur would chant loudly (for all jiva souls—for those who cannot talk, cannot hear, trees, birds, etc.), but one day when Govinda came to Haridas Thakur, he was lying down on his bed. He was chanting, but the sound was not coming. Govinda asked, "Prabhu, please take this prasadam." Haridas Thakur replied, "আজি লঙ্ঘন, aji langhan: today I have to break the rule. Every day after I finish chanting, you bring prasadam, and I take it, but today my chanting is not finished, then how am I to take prasadam? But Mahaprabhu sent His prasadam, so how shall I reject it? What can I do? I have to honour this prasadam, and so I have to break the rule today."

Then he took a bit from the prasadam and said, "Govinda, now go."

Govinda told everything to Mahaprabhu. Next day Mahaprabhu came to Haridas Thakur and asked him,

"Haridas, what has happened to you?"

"Prabhu, শরীর অসুস্থ নয়, অসুস্থ হয় মোর মন, sarir asustha nay, asustha mora mana. My health is not a problem, only my mind is a problem, my mind is sick—I could not finish my chanting on the beads..."

"You are a siddha mahapurush, you are already a liberated soul. You are Namacharya Haridas Thakur, a great Vaishnav—it is not necessary for you to chant so many rounds, you can do a little less."

"Prabhu, in all my life I have not asked You for anything, and now I want to ask You for something..."

Mahaprabhu agreed, and Haridas Thakur said,

"Prabhu, You have given me Your mercy and I could see Your Pastimes from Your birth day up until now. I have seen everything, all Your Pastimes, but I think You are going to finish Your Lila soon... Prabhu, I do not want to see that kind of Lila. I want to go before You—I want to leave my body before You."

"Yes, no problem, but..." Then immediately Haridas Thakur fell down at His lotus feet—he did not want to hear anything further from Mahaprabhu, "Prabhu, do not give me maya. I know You love me so much, and that is why I do not want to hear You further. Please give me some mercy—I want to go before You."

"You will go, no problem, but I always do My every lila with you, and if you go, how can My lila finish?"

"Prabhu, I am only an ant. If just one ant dies, what is the loss for You? Many devotees come to You... Please, Prabhu, fulfil my desire. I want You to come to me, I want to see Your face, and place Your feet on my heart."

"When a pure, permanent devotee asks Krishna for something, Krishna always fulfils his desire..."

So, next day Mahaprabhu came and asked, "What has happened?" Haridas Thakur replied, "যে ইচ্ছা তোমার, ye ichchha tomara: as You wish, Prabhu." Haridas Thakur was lying down, and Mahaprabhu told everybody to circumambulate his body. Mahaprabhu sat down by the side of Haridas Thakur's bed, and Haridas Thakur pulled His leg and put it on his chest. He was looking at Mahaprabhu and kept saying, "Sri Krishna Chaitanya." And that jiva soul left... This is how Haridas Thakur left his body.

Mahaprabhu Himself took Haridas Thakur's body to the samudra, the sea. All devotees bathed him and Mahaprabhu said, "Today this samudra is a maha tirtha, has become even holier." Everybody drank some water from the sea, put tilak, and took Haridas Thakur's body to the shore. Mahaprabhu Himself dug the ground, seated Haridas Thakur, and put the sand and some salt.

And also Mahaprabhu Himself went begging to the Jagannath temple's market. Everybody gave so much, and the devotees made a Vaishnav festival, where Mahaprabhu Himself distributed prasadam. This is how He made the festival for Haridas Thakur.

One day Mahaprabhu asked Haridas Thakur, "How will the souls in this Kali-yuga be rescued?" Haridas Thakur replied, "নামাভাসে মুক্তি পাইবে, Namabhase mukti paibe." It means that through Namabhas [imperfect chanting, or chanting the shadow of the Holy Name] everyone will be rescued. For example, all Muslim people say, "Haram!" It means "bad, not to do," but it can also mean, "Ha Ram: O Ram, O Ram!" So, if they say "haram," they will also be rescued from this world.

Mahaprabhu also said,

প্রভু কহে,—"কহিলাঙ এই মহামন্ত্র ।
ইহা জপ' গিয়া সবে করিয়া নির্ব্বন্ধ" ॥

prabhu kahe—kahilan ei maha-mantra
iha japa' giya sabe kariya nirbandha

Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, Madhya-khanda, 23.77

"Always chant the Holy Name—there is no obstruction, no binding, you can chant this Holy Name at any time."

কি শয়নে, কি ভোজনে, কিবা জাগরণে ।
অহর্নিশ চিন্ত কৃষ্ণ, বলহ বদনে ॥

ki sayane, ki bhojane, kiba jagarane
aharnisa chinta krsna, balaha vadane

Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, Madhya-khanda, 28.28

"Even when you sleep, when you eat, sit (or sit in a car), that time also you can chant. You can chant at any time!"

ইহা হৈতে সর্ব্ব-সিদ্ধি হইবে সবার ।
সর্ব্বক্ষণ বল' ইথে বিধি নাহি আর ॥

iha haite sarva-siddhi haibe sabara
sarva-ksana bala'ithe vidhi nahi ara

Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, Madhya-khanda, 23.78

"Everybody will be rescued from this environment through the Holy Name."

And also,

যদি আমা'-প্রতি স্নেহ থাকে সবাকার ।
তবে কৃষ্ণ-ব্যতিরিক্ত না গাইবে আর ॥

yadi ama'-prati sneha thake sabakara
tabe krsna-vyatirikta na gaibe ara

Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, Madhya-khanda, 28.27

"If you have some love and affection to Me, if you love Me, please only chant Hare Krishna, nothing else. If you do not love Me, then do not chant."

Mahaprabhu told these kinds of things very strongly...

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