Remembering Haridas Thakur's Departure

His Divine Grace
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj,
Sri Nabadwip Dham, 31 March 2010, part 2

In Mahaprabhu's pastimes, Mahaprabhu could not tolerate the separation from Srila Haridas Thakur...

Govinda would come to Siddha Bakul every day, bringing prasadam for Haridas Thakur: after Mahaprabhu had taken prasadam, he would bring the same plate for Haridas Thakur. One day, when Govinda came, he saw that Haridas Thakur was not chanting loudly—he was chanting very softly. When Govinda gave prasadam to Haridas Thakur, Haridas Thakur said, "Aji langhimu. Today, I will break my rule. Every day I finish chanting my rounds (I finish chanting 300,000 Holy Names) and then take prasadam, but today I have not finished chanting my rounds. Yet how can I reject this prasadam? Mahaprabhu has sent it, so I have to take it." Then, Haridas Thakur took a pinch of prasadam and told Govinda to leave. Govinda went back and told the news to Mahaprabhu: "Prabhu, Haridas Thakur was not chanting loudly today, and he hardly took any prasadam." Mahaprabhu immediately came to see Haridas Thakur.

"What has happened, Haridas?" asked Mahaprabhu. "What is your disease?

"Prabhu, my disease is that I could not finish chanting my rounds of the Holy name."

"Now you are old now," answered Mahaprabhu. "You are a siddha maha-purush (a liberated perfected soul)—why are you chanting so much? It is not necessary to chant so much now. Why is it necessary to be so austere? Why is it necessary to worship so much now, in your old age? It is not necessary to be so strict now."

Haridas Thakur listened to it and said with folded palms,

"Prabhu, can I ask You for something?"

"Yes, what is it?" asked Mahaprabhu.

"Prabhu, You have done so much for me. You have come here for me—I am a mlechha, but You are giving me prasadam that is fit for brahmans. I am a mlechha, living in hell, but You have pulled me to heaven. Not only that: You have shown so many pastimes to me (Your birth pastimes, etc.). Yet there is one pastimes that I will not be able to tolerate seeing and that I do not want to see with my eyes. I know that You will leave soon, but I do not want to see such things with my eyes. I want to leave before You. Please grant me this wish, I am requesting you to fulfil my wish."

Mahaprabhu was quiet for some time and then answered after a while,

"All right. When devotees ask for anything, Krishna always fulfils their desire. But—"

As soon as Haridas Thakur heard "but," he understood that Mahaprabhu would tell something to dissuade him, so Haridas Thakur immediately fell at Mahaprabhu's lotus feet and begged, "Prabhu, please stop. I do not want to hear anything more from You more. Please. Please, I am requesting You. Give me Your word."

Then Mahaprabhu left Siddha Bakul and went to Gambhira. The next day, He came to Haridas Thakur again, together with devotees. Mahaprabhu asked,

"What is the news?" Mahaprabhu asked Haridas Thakur.

"As You wish," answered Haridas Thakur.

Then, Mahaprabhu ordered all the devotees to start chanting and circumabulating Haridas Thakur. Before that, Haridas Thakur had told Mahaprabhu also, "Prabhu, this is my wish—when I leave my body, I want to see Your face with my eyes, I want to keep Your lotus feet on my chest, and I want to chant Your name. I want to leave in this way." So, when Mahaprabhu sat down, Haridas Thakur took Mahaprabhu's with his hands and pulled them closer, keeping them on his chest. He looked into Mahaprabhu's face and smiled. Then, he said, "Sri Krishna Chaitanya, Sri Krishna Chaitanya." Before, Haridas Thakur always chanted the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, but this time he chanted, "Sri Krishna Chaitanya, Sri Krishna Chaitanya" and left his body...

After that, Maharprabhu took Haridas Thakur's body on His shoulder and brought it to the sea to bathe it. Since then, the sea became a holy place of pilgrimage (it was holy before too but now it was even holier). Because Haridas Thakur's body was bathed in it, everybody took some water from the sea and honoured it. Then, Mahaprabhu Himself dug a hole and placed Haridas Thakur's body, making his samadhi in this way. (You know that Haridas Thakur's samadhi is in Puri.)

Then, the same day, Mahaprabhu Himself went to Ananda Bazar in Puri, where prasadam was sold and He collected prasadam. If He has asked, some devotee could have easily donated everything, but Mahaprabhu he did not do that. He Himself went shop to shop, begging for his Haridas's ceremony, Vaishnav seva. After that, Mahaprabhu Himself distributed that prasadam...

This is how Haridas Thakur's disappearance (niryan) happened...

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