(7/9) Remembering Haridas Thakur

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Vaishnav Seva Programme, Kolkata,
29 January 2021, part 7

We have assembled today to commemorate a disappearance day, so on this occasion, I want to tell something from Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita about the disappearance of Srila Haridas Thakur. I will tell it to you briefly. You all know that Haridas Thakur’s disappearance is on the day of ananda-chaturdasi.

You also know that Mahaprabhu was staying in Gambhira (‘a room, or a chamber, within a room’) at the house of Kashi Misra. Do you know who Kashi Misra was before? A woman called Kubja. She wanted Krishna to stay at her house, and Krishna promised her to fulfil her desire in Kali-yuga. So, Mahaprabhu stayed and performed His intimate, internal pastimes (antaranga-lila) at Kashi Misra’s house during many years. At the same time, Mahaprabhu told Haridas Thakur, ‘When I come to stay in Nilachal (Sri Puri Dham), you must come with Me.’ When Mahaprabhu came to Puri, He told Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya to arrange for a room, and when Srila Haridas Thakur came to Puri, he stayed in that room, at a place that later became known as Siddha Bakul, and worshipped the Lord from there. He would always loudly chant the Holy Name. What prasad did he take? When Jagannath prasad came and Mahaprabhu took it, the remnants of Mahaprabhu’s prasad was sent to Haridas Thakur (Govinda, Mahaprabhu’s servant, would bring it to him every day). Haridas Thakur himself never entered Jagannath Temple.

Haridas Thakur chanted three lakh Holy Names (300,000 Holy Names) every day, and when he rescued Laksmihira, he was chanting even more than that – he had vowed to chant ten million Holy Names that month (that is why when she came to him, he told her, ‘You will have to wait, I have not finished chanting the Holy Name’).

Anyhow, one day, Haridas Thakur showed the pastime of illness. He was lying down, and when Govinda brought prasad for him, he said, ‘Aji langhimu – today I will break the rule…’ We break the rules so often, but he said, ‘Today, I will break the rule…’ Why did he say it? Because he had not finished chanting the Holy Names. He said, ‘How can I send prasad back and how can I take it without completing my chanting of the Holy Names?’ Then, he finally said, ‘All right, Prabhu has sent prasad, I cannot ignore it. I have to take it.’ He took a little from that prasad and told Govinda to go.

Govinda came back to Mahaprabhu and told Him the news. He said, ‘Haridas is not well. He is chanting the Holy Name softly.’ Mahaprabhu immediately came to Haridas.

‘Haridas, what has happened to you? What is wrong with your health? What disease do you have?’ He asked.

‘Prabhu, my body is not sick – my mind is sick,’ Haridas Thakur answered.

How beautiful this is. Our minds are sick! If we think, ‘I will lie down today,’ we lie down; if we think, ‘I will sit up,’ we sit up; if our minds tell us, ‘I will go to hear kirtan today,’ we go and listen to kirtan. We are servants of our minds. But satisfying the whims of your mind is not Krishna consciousness! Many say, ‘Eat whatever pleases your soul.’ The soul’s duty is to serve Paramatma. The soul lives on the internal plane, and the mind lives on the external plane. This is the difference between the mind and the soul. The tongue and other senses will want to do whatever the mind tells them to do, that is why we end up thinking, ‘I want to eat nice things’, ‘I want to wear nice things’, and so on. These are all desires of our naughty minds. Therefore, Haridas Thakur said, ‘My body is not sick – my mind is sick.’

‘You have become old now, Haridas,’ Mahaprabhu said affectionately. ‘You are Namacharya (“the teacher of the Holy Name”)! You do not have to chant so many Holy Names now.’

‘Prabhu, please take a seat,’ Haridas Thakur said softly. ‘You know, You have shown me many pastimes: You have shown me Your birth pastime, You have shown me Your childhood and adolescent pastimes, You have shown me Your householder pastimes, and You have also shown me Your sannyas pastime. I know that You will not stay in this world much longer now, so it is my desire that You do not show this last pastime to me. I will not be able to tolerate it. I want to ask You for something, Prabhu…’

‘What is it?’ Mahaprabhu asked.

‘Let me leave this body before You.’

In this world, people want to live as long as possible, but Gurudev said: even if you live only for ten years, it is enough provided you chant the Holy Name during this time, but if you live for one hundred years and do not chant the Holy Name, then there is no use carrying this body around for one hundred years. People are proud, ‘My father lived 120 years!’ but there is no use – it is better if you live just ten years but chant the Holy Name.

‘What are you saying, Prabhu?’ Mahaprabhu replied. ‘I have done everything together with you. What will I do without you?’

‘Prabhu, please do not worry about it. I wish to see Your lotus face with my eyes, I want to hold Your holy feet on my chest, and I want to chant Your Name with this mouth…’

‘All right…’ Mahaprabhu replied finally. ‘The Lord fulfils His devotees’ desires, so He will certainly fulfil your desire.’

The next day, Mahaprabhu came to Haridas Thakur together with all the devotees.

‘Haridas, what is the news?’ He asked, coming into Haridas Thakur’s room.

‘As you wish, my Lord,’ Haridas Thakur replied.

Then, Mahaprabhu told the devotees to start chanting and circumambulating Haridas Thakur. Haridas Thakur caught Mahaprabhu’s hand and made Him sit beside him. He held Mahaprabhu’s feet on his chest, and, looking at the holy lotus face of Mahaprabhu, he chanted, ‘Sri Krishna Chaitanya, Sri Krishna Chaitanya, Sri Krishna Chaitanya.’ As he chanted it, his soul left the body.

This is, briefly, how Srila Haridas Thakur left his body.

— : • : —

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READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Vaishnav Rites
2) Disciple's Life
3) Sincere Spiritual Life
4) Eternal Servants
5) The Answer Is One
6) "Give Me These Alms"
7) Remembering Haridas Thakur
8) Poverty of Mind
9) "Come, Dear Mind, Come"