Namacharya Srila Haridas Thakur (1)

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Disappearance day of Srila Haridas Thakur
12 September 2019, Kolkata, part 1

Today is a very auspicious day—Srila Haridas Thakur's niryan (নির্য্যাণ, withdrawal) and tirobav-tithi-bara maha-mahotsav, grand festival in honour of Srila Haridas Thakur's disappearance day. Actually, we all know about Srila Haridas Thakur, I have told about him many times also. Every time we go to Sri Jagannath Dham, we always go to Haridas Thakur's samadhi and siddha-bakul where we talk about Srila Haridas Thakur.

How great his glory is! His name is 'Namacharya' Haridas Thakur. 'Namacharya' means he is an acharya of the Holy Name. In Kali-yuga, Krishna Himself appears in the form of the Holy Name, and Mahaprabhu preaches about that Holy Name, the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Haridas Thakur was Mahaprabhu's companion in the preaching of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. When we go to his niryan place (His disappearance place), we speak about it.

Yesterday was Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur's appearance day and we did not finish his glorification. Actually, it is impossible for us to finish it, but I told you something about his glories yesterday and I still want to say more today, but first I want to speak about Haridas Thakur's niryan tithi.

When Sriman Chaitanya Mahaprabhu finally took sannyas, He came to Sri Advaita Prabhu's house. Mahaprabhu said to His mother, Sachi Mata, "Now that I have taken sannyas, I cannot stay with My relatives any more, so I have to stay in some faraway place—perhaps, Vrindavan or Puri." Sachi Mata thought, "Vrindavan is quite far from Nabadwip and everybody does not go to Vrindavan all the time. However, some people always go to Puri and they can give us all the news about Mahaprabhu. So, if He stays in Puri, at least we will get some news every year." That is why Sachi Mata said to Mahaprabhu, "You can stay in Puri, that is my desire," and Mahaprabhu accepted it.

After that, Mahaprabhu first went to Puri and then spent six years travelling to South India, Vrindavan and many other places. You know that He visited all the places around India. When He first came to Puri, Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya told Him he would arrange a place in Kashi Misra's house where Mahaprabhu could stay when He returned, and at that time Mahaprabhu also asked Kashi Misra to keep one more room for Him—He did not mention at that time who He wanted to keep it for. Actually, before taking sannyas, Mahaprabhu told Haridas Thakur, "When I stay in Puri after sannyas, you can stay with Me." That is why Mahaprabhu kept some place for Haridas Thakur—that place is siddha-bakul. We all know that place, we have been there; it is the place of Srila Haridas Thakur's bhajan kutir—he stayed there when he was in Puri Dham. One day, Mahaprabhu brought a dantankathi (দাঁতনকাঠি, a twig offered to Lord Jagannath for brushing His teeth) and stuck it into the ground and that twig grew into a big bakul tree—Srila Haridas Thakur would sit and worship the Lord under that tree.

Finally, during the six years of His last pastimes (antya-lila), Mahaprabhu felt deep separation (vipralambha-lila). During His last days, He would become unconscious and His mood, and behaviour also, were astonishing. I think about it a lot. Mahaprabhu was not conscious of Himself—sometimes He would hit His head against the floor, sometimes He would rub His face against the wall or some pillar and so much blood would come from His face. There was too much fire of separation (viraha) burning in His heart.

Sri Advaita Acharya also sent Mahaprabhu a message one day saying,

বাইলকে কহিহ,—লোক হইল বাউল ।
বাইলকে কহিহ,—হাটে না বিকায় চাউল ॥
বাইলকে কহিহ,—কাজে নাহিক আউল ।
বাইলকে কহিহ,—ইহা কহিয়াছে বাউল ॥

"baulake kahiha,—loka ha-ila baula
baulake kahiha,—hane na vikaya chaula
baulake kahiha,—kaye nahika aula
baulake kahiha,—iha kahiyachhe baula"

"Tell our Prabhu, who acts as madmen do, that everyone has lost their sanity, and rice once high in price has no value. In love of God, half-crazed humanity neglects this world and all they once held dear; tell Him a madman brings this to His ear."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 19.20-21)

Indirectly, Sri Advaita Prabhu told, "We called You when it was necessary, but now there is no more need." It is avahan (আবাহন, calling) and then visaryan (বিসর্জন, rejecting). Like here in Kali-yuga, sometimes, when, for example, Durga-puja comes and people worship Durga Devi, they first call Durga Devi saying, "O Devi, please come," but after the puja is finished (after all the 'dhanam dehi, vidyam dehi, rupam dehi', etc. finish), they throw that deity of Durga into the Ganges. So, in the same way, Sriman Advaita Prabhu called Mahaprabhu, "It is a very serious time, please come!" and Krishna Himself had to come as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, a combined form of Radha-Krishna, but then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu did what He had to do and His lila had to finish. So, indirectly, Advaita Prabhu told in that message, "Now You can go." This is what is mentioned in Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita in that message of Advaita Prabhu.

Srila Haridas Thakur was much older than Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, so he has seen all of His pastimes—His baby pastimes, childhood pastimes, youth pastimes, His marriage and householder pastimes, His sannyas and all of His Puri Dham pastimes. Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami describes them in his Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita and Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur wrote about them in his Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata. Srila Haridas Thakur has seen it all. Lastly, when Srila Haridas Thakur saw the symptoms in Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and understood that He would not stay much longer, he thought, "Prabhu has shown me so many of His pastimes, but I see that He will not stay longer now, He will leave soon, and I cannot tolerate to see this kind of pastime. I do not want to see His last pastime and see Him leave us. I cannot tolerate it. I should go before Mahaprabhu."

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