Pure Chanting – Haridas Thakur
[Antya 3 & 11]
When Sri Caitanya earnestly inquired how the non-devotees would be delivered, Haridas Thakur reassured Him not to worry. He had implicit faith that the holy name would permeate the universal ethers and transform everyone. Once, while Haridas was chanting at Benapole, the envious Ramachandra Khan schemed to defame him by sending an alluring prostitute. Although she tempted Haridas with sweet words and amorous poses, he remained undisturbed, promising to fulfil her desires after he had finished his prescribed quota of chanting. As she heard the transcendental sound vibration from the mouth of Haridas, however, she became cleansed of material desires and realised the folly of her acts. Haridas formally initiated her into the chanting of the holy name, and she later became well-known for her deep devotion and surrender.
Haridas then travelled to Chandapura where he stayed at the house of Balaram Acharya. Here, He would extol the glories of the holy name, explaining the unparalleled bliss generated from reciting the divine syllables. He confidently posited that even a glimpse of sincere chanting (namabhasa) is sufficient to qualify oneself for liberation, which is an insignificant side benefit of spiritual perfection. When Gopal Chakravarti heard these glorifications, he abruptly spoke out and criticised Sri Caitanya by calling Him an “emotional devotee”. Due to his faithless mentality and harsh words, he was later attacked by leprosy and underwent acute suffering.
Haridas then moved to Shantipur where Advaita Acharya honoured him as the most exalted Vaishnava. Whilst chanting in his cave, Haridas was again tested by a provocative woman, but remained focused in his devotional practices. After three days of trying she finally revealed herself as Mayadevi personified, who had specifically come to test his spiritual resolve.
When Haridas Thakur eventually moved to Jagannatha Puri, Govinda would regularly deliver Sri Caitanya’s prasadam remnants to him. Once, Govinda witnessed Haridas’s ailing health situation and urged him to rest, but Haridas flatly refused, determined to finish his prescribed quota of chanting. When Sri Caitanya learned of his poorly condition He also requested him to relax his spiritual vows, but Haridas humbly responded by claiming his real disease to be a lack of determination in chanting Krishna’s names. He then requested a special favour. Fearing separation from Sri Caitanya, Haridas requested he be allowed to leave the world in the presence of his worshipable Lord. The next day,Sri Caitanya came to see Haridas and began chanting the holy names. Fully absorbed in that transcendental vibration, with tears falling from his eyes, Haridas gazed intently at the Lord and peacefully passed away.
Sri Caitanya danced with the body of Haridas in His arms, bathed it in the sea, smeared Jagannatha’s sandalwood paste on it, entombed it, placed sand over it and then erected a platform over the site. The Lord then circumambulated the tomb and personally went to beg alms for a festival in honour of Haridas’s passing away. Sri Caitanya personally directed everything, deeply lamenting that the “crest jewel” of Vaishnavas was no longer present.
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