Glories of Srila Haridas Thakur (4)

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Disappearance day of Srila Haridas Thakur
Sri Nrisingha Palli, 1 September 2020, part 5
Translated from Bengali

What was Haridas Thakur's desire? He told Mahaprabhu, "Prabhu, I will keep Your lotus feet on my chest. I will behold Your holy form with these eyes. And I will chant Your Name with this mouth." These were the three things Srila Haridas Thakur wanted. Mahaprabhu said, "Krishna will fulfil your desire."

The next day, Mahaprabhu came to Srila Haridas Thakur in the morning. He asked, "What is the news, Haridas?" Srila Haridas Thakur said, "As You wish, Prabhu." Then, Mahaprabhu ordered all the devotees to circumambulate Srila Haridas Thakur with kirtan. Srila Haridas Thakur made Mahaprabhu sit down, pulled Mahaprabhu's leg and kept it on his chest. Gazing at Mahaprabhu's face, he then said, "Sri Krishna Chaitanya, Sri Krishna Chaitanya, Sri Krishna Chaitanya." In this way, he left his body...

What did Mahaprabhu do after that? He Himself made a bamboo stretcher and carried Srila Haridas Thakur to the ocean. There, He washed Srila Haridas Thakur's body in the ocean, put tilaks, etc. After that, He dug a deep hole, placed Srila Haridas Thakur's body there and made his samadhi in this way. After Srila Haridas Thakur's body had been bathed in the ocean, everybody took a drop of ocean water into their mouths and Mahaprabhu said, "This ocean is a place of pilgrimage (tirtha), but from today, because the transcendental body of Srila Haridas Thakur has been bathed in it, it has become a great place of pilgrimage (maha-tirtha)." On his own, Srila Haridas Thakur never bathed in the ocean, but when he left his body, his body was bathed in it.

When we go to Puri, we tell everybody that you must first offer obeisance to the ocean, take some water on your head, then only you can enter the water. When people go there only to swim and play, they get their hands, legs, etc. broken. If you go there to do nonsense, you will get your arm broken, you will get your leg broken, etc. When you go to the ocean, you must offer your obeisance, you must take the ocean's water on your head.

So, Mahaprabhu bathed the body of Srila Haridas Thakur, applied tilaks and with His own hand made his samadhi. After that, Mahaprabhu personally went to Ananda Bazaar and, stretching out His uttariya, He went begging shop to shop, "There will be Vaishnav-seva in honour of Srila Haridas Thakur! Please give something." Everyone gave so much—they did not give money, they gave prasad. Those who sold Jagannath prasad, brought so much prasad and gave it to Mahaprabhu. Then, Mahaprabhu Himself seated all Vaishnavs and distributed prasadam to them with His own hand. All the Vaishnavs said, "Prabhu, nobody will take prasad unless You sit down Yourself." Mahaprabhu said, "Yes, yes, I am giving everyone first, then I will sit down Myself." So, He first distributed prasad to everyone, then He sat down and only when He started taking prasadam Himself, did everyone start taking too. In this way, Mahaprabhu made a grand festival in honour of Srila Haridas Thakur. He did a Vaishnav-seva on this day.

Jay Srila Haridas Thakur ki jay
Haridas Thakur niryan tithi-bara maha-mahotsav ki jay

[A mobile phone rings.]

Who is calling you?

Devotee: ** Didi.

Tell her Gurudev is giving class, that the class has finished. And why does a girl call you? Can she not read my books? Have you not heard the story of Chhota Haridas?

প্রভু কহে,—"বৈরাগী করে প্রকৃতি সম্ভাষণ ।
দেখিতে না পারোঁ আমি তাহার বদন ॥

prabhu kahe,—"vairagi kare prakrti sambhasana
dekhite na paron ami tahara vadana"

The Lord said, "If someone mixes with women, I do not want to see their face!"

What is there for you to talk with a girl about? You should not speak like this to ladies. Speak very little. Tell her instead, "Read Gurudev's books." Today is Haridas Thakur's disappearance, and I have written about it very nicely in Sri Puri Dham Mahatmya Mukta-mala. If she reads it, she can find it there. Everything I have said today is written there very nicely. When I write, I take my time, I think and then write. What for does she call you? If she wants to hear the class, she can read the books. It is not good to talk to ladies. I have written in the fourth volume of Guidance a chapter called "Association With Women Is to Be Absolutely Rejected." Do you understand? Association with women must be completely rejected. We must see women as our mothers. Nityananda Prabhu drank milk from Srivas Pandit's wife's breast—she was an old lady, but when she saw Nityananda Prabhu, milk would flow from her breasts. Association with women means talking to a woman in confidence, privately, to discuss something with a woman. What did Chhota Haridas do? Did he do anything so big? He did a small thing—he went to an old lady, Madhavi Devi, and took some rice from her for Mahaprabhu's service, but because of that, Mahaprabhu said, "I do not want to see his face!" Chhota Haridas committed suicide after that.

প্রভু কহে,—"বৈরাগী করে প্রকৃতি সম্ভাষণ ।
দেখিতে না পারোঁ আমি তাহার বদন ॥

prabhu kahe,—"vairagi kare prakrti sambhasana
dekhite na paron ami tahara vadana"

The Lord said, "If someone mixes with women, I do not want to see their face!"

One time, Srila Prabhupad took away sannyas from one person—first he gave sannyas to the man, but then took it away and the person wore white cloth after that. What is there to talk about with ladies? Only one-two words, not more than that.

প্রভু কহে,—"বৈরাগী করে প্রকৃতি সম্ভাষণ ।
দেখিতে না পারোঁ আমি তাহার বদন ॥

prabhu kahe,—"vairagi kare prakrti sambhasana
dekhite na paron ami tahara vadana"

The Lord said, "If someone mixes with women, I do not want to see their face!"

Have you read my book? Have you read that chapter "Association With Women Is to Be Absolutely Rejected"? It is there in the fourth volume of Guidance. There are all words of our Guru-varga...

[His Divine Grace then chants 'Hari Haraye Nama Krishna' and finishes the class.]

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