Srila Haridas Thakur's Niryan

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Speaking to the devotees in London
3 October 2015

Srila Haridas Thakur's disappearance day was recently (his niryan day). If you read about it in Chaitanya-charitamrita (Antya-lila, chapter 11), you can see how fortunate Srila Haridas Thakur was...

You know that Haridas Thakur lived in Puri, in a place called Siddha Bakul. "Siddha bakul" actually means a toothbrush of Lord Jagannath—when Lord Jagannath's toothbrush was put there in the soil, there appeared a bakul tree. Srila Haridas Thakur sat under that bakul tree, doing his worship. Sriman Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would come to see him every day; and every day when He took prasadam of Lord Jagannath, He would send His remnants to Haridas Thakur with His servitor Govinda. You know also that Haridas Thakur always chanted very loudly, and without finishing his three lakhs (300,000) of Holy Names, he could not take prasadam.

Once it happened so that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu could not come to see him for a few days, but Mahaprabhu still told Govinda, "Go and give prasadam to Haridas." One day, when Govinda came, he saw Haridas Thakur lying in his bed, chanting the Holy Name very slowly, in a very low voice. Govinda said, "Prabhu, please take prasad," and the answer came from Haridas Thakur, "Aji langhimu." It means, "Today I will break the rule... I could not finish the number of the Holy Name but you have brought prasadam, how can I reject it? It is a problem for me. What am I to do?" Then, he took a little bit of prasadam with his fingers and said to Govinda, "Now you go..." Govinda gave this news to Mahaprabhu, he said that Haridas Thakur's health was not good.

The next day Mahaprabhu came to Haridas Thakur and asked him,

"Haridas, what happened to you? What is your disease?"

"Prabhu, asustha nay mora sarira, asustha hoya mora mana (অসুস্থ নয় মোর শরীর, অসুস্থ হয় মোর মন). My health is good, but my mind is bad..." Haridas Thakur replied.

"You are now very old, it not necessary for you to chant so many rounds of the Holy Name. Now you can do less."

"Prabhu, I have never asked You for anything, but today I want to ask You for something... You have shown me so many of Your pastimes—Your birth, Your childhood, Your householder life, Your sannyas life, Your life in Puri—You have shown me everything, but I am thinking that Your pastimes will not continue much longer and You will leave soon... I do not want to see it with my eyes. Please, I want to go before You."

"Krishna is merciful, and Krishna always fulfils his devotees' desire. Krishna will fulfil your desire," answered Mahaprabhu, "But I have done all pastimes always with you—if you leave Me, how shall will I stay alone? How will I continue My practising life?"

"Prabhu, I am only an ant. If just one ant dies, what is the problem for this world? There is no loss. Only one ant will die, will leave... Prabhu, I have these three wishes..."

Everybody must remember these three wishes of Srila Haridas Thakur. He said to Mahaprabhu,

"I want to keep Your lotus feet in my heart, I want to see Your lotus face with my eyes, and with my mouth, with my tongue, I want to chant Your name, 'Sri Krishna Chaitanya, Sri Krishna Chaitanya, Sri Krishna Chaitanya!' This is my only hope and my only prayer... Please, fulfil my desire."

"Yes," answered Mahaprabhu, "if you ask the Lord for anything, Krishna will always fulfil your desire..."

The next day, Mahaprabhu came with all the devotees. He asked them to chant the Holy Name, and then He spoke in glorification of Haridas Thakur, telling the devotees what Haridas Thakur had done. Then, Haridas Thakur pulled His hand and sat Mahaprabhu down beside himself. He took His legs and put them on his heart, his chest, and, looking at Mahaprabhu's face, he chanted, "Sri Krishna Chaitanya! Sri Krishna Chaitanya! Sri Krishna Chaitanya!" And that jiva soul left his body...

Mahaprabhu Himself took Haridas Thakur's body on His shoulder and went to the sea. He bathed the body in the sea and said, "This sea is a holy place, but today it has become so much holier." Everybody took some water from the sea into their mouths. Then, Mahaprabhu went to the shore of the sea, dug a hole in the soil. He Himself placed Haridas Thakur's body there and covered it with the soil, sand, etc. After that, He went to the Jagannath temple, Ananda Bazaar market, and begged from the shopkeepers like this, "I am making a festival for Haridas Thakur today, please give some prasadam." So much prasadam came and with that prasadam He made the festival...

This is Haridas Thakur's niryan. Mahaprabhu Himself, the Lord Himself, celebrated it.

— : • : —

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