THE PRABHUPADA CONNECTION
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The Glories of Haridasa Thakura
(Namacarya Srila Haridasa Thakura chanting japa.)
“Although Thakura Haridasa happened to take his birth in a Muslim family, he was elevated to the post of namacarya by Lord Caitanya due to his rigidly attended principle of chanting three hundred thousand holy names of the Lord daily: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. And because he chanted the holy name of the Lord constantly, it is understood that in his previous life he must have passed through all the ritualistic methods of the Vedas, known as sabda-brahma. Unless, therefore, one is purified, one cannot take to the principles of Krishna consciousness or become engaged in chanting the holy name of the Lord, Hare Krishna.”
(Bhagavad-gita As It Is 6.44, Purport)
“Haridasa Thakura is known as namacarya because it is he who preached the
glories of chanting hari-nama, the holy name of God. By using the words tomara avatara (“your incarnation”), Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu confirms that Haridasa Thakura is the incarnation of Lord Brahma. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that advanced devotees help the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His mission and that such devotees or personal associates incarnate by the will of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord incarnates by His own will, and, by His will, competent devotees also incarnate to help Him in His mission. Haridasa Thakura is thus the incarnation of Lord Brahma, and other devotees are likewise incarnations who help in the prosecution of the Lord’s mission.”
(Caitanya-caritamrta Antya 11.25, Purport)
“There are many examples in history of devotees of the Lord who risked their lives for the spreading of God consciousness. The favorite example is Lord Jesus Christ. He was crucified by the nondevotees, but he sacrificed his life for spreading God consciousness. Of course, it would be superficial to understand that he was killed. Similarly, in India also there are many examples, such as Thakura Haridasa and Prahlada Mahajaja. Why such risk? Because they wanted to spread Krishna consciousness, and it is difficult. A Krishna conscious person knows that if a man is suffering it is due to his forgetfulness of his eternal relationship with Krishna. Therefore, the highest benefit one can render to human society is relieving one’s neighbor from all material problems. In such a way, a pure devotee is engaged in the service of the Lord. Now, we can imagine how merciful Krishna is to those engaged in His service, risking everything for Him. Therefore it is certain that such persons must reach the supreme planet after leaving the body.”
(Bhagavad-gita As It Is 11.55, Purport)
“Sri Ramananda Raya was a self-realized soul, although outwardly he belonged to a caste lower than the brahmana in social status. He was not in the renounced order of life, and besides that he was a high government servant in the state. Still, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted him as a liberated soul on the strength of the high order of his realization of transcendental knowledge. Similarly, the Lord accepted Srila Haridasa Thakura, a veteran devotee of the Lord coming from a Mohammedan family. And there are many other great devotees of the Lord who came from different communities, sects and castes. The Lord’s only criterion was the standard of devotional service of the particular person. He was not concerned with the outward dress of a man; He was concerned only with the inner soul and its activities.”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam Introduction)
“The holy name has to be chanted to please the Supreme Lord, and not for any sense gratification or professional purpose. If this pure mentality is there, then even though a person is born of a low family, such as a dog-eater’s, he is so glorious that not only has he purified himself, but he is quite competent to deliver others. He is competent to speak on the importance of the transcendental name, just as Thakura Haridasa did. He was apparently born in a family of Muhammadans, but because he was chanting the holy name of the Supreme Lord offenselessly, Lord Caitanya empowered him to become the authority, or acarya, of spreading the name. It did not matter that he was born in a family which was not following the Vedic rules and regulations. Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Advaita Prabhu accepted him as an authority because he was offenselessly chanting the name of the Lord. Authorities like Advaita Prabhu and Lord Caitanya immediately accepted that he had already performed all kinds of austerities, studied the Vedas and performed all sacrifices. That is automatically understood. There is a hereditary class of brahmanas called the smarta-brahmanas, however, who are of the opinion that even if such persons who are chanting the holy name of the Lord are accepted as purified, they still have to perform the Vedic rites or await their next birth in a family of brahmanas so that they can perform the Vedic rituals. But actually that is not the case. Such a man does not need to wait for the next birth to become purified. He is at once purified. It is understood that he has already performed all sorts of rites. It is the so-calledbrahmanas who actually have to undergo different kinds of austerities before reaching that point of purification. There are many other Vedic performances which are not described here. All such Vedic rituals have been already performed by the chanters of the holy name.”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.33.7, Purport)
“In His Siksataka (3) Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has taught the characteristics of a Vaisnava:
trnad api su-nicena taror iva sahisnuna
amanina mana-dena kirtaniyah sada harih
(CC Adi 17.31)
A Vaisnava strictly follows this principle of being humbler than the grass and more tolerant than a tree, expecting no honor from others but offering honor to everyone. In this way, a Vaisnava is simply interested in chanting about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and glorifying Him. Haridasa Thakura epitomized this foremost order of Vaisnavism.”
(Caitanya-caritamrta Antya 3.213, Purport)
“The Lord may dictate to tigers and other jungle animals not to disturb His devotee. Haridasa Thakura, a great devotee of Lord Sri Caitanya, used to live in such a cave, and by chance a great venomous snake was a co-partner of the cave. Some admirer of Thakura Haridasa who had to visit the Thakura every day feared the snake and suggested that the Thakura leave that place. Because his devotees were afraid of the snake and they were regularly visiting the cave, Thakura Haridasa agreed to the proposal on their account. But as soon as this was settled, the snake actually crawled out of its hole in the cave and left the cave for good before everyone present. By the dictation of the Lord, who lived also within the heart of the snake, the snake gave preference to Haridasa and decided to leave the place and not disturb him. So this is a tangible example of how the Lord gives protection to a bona fide devotee like Thakura Haridasa.”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.2.5, Purport)
“There are millions of names of God in different parts of the world, but Krishna is the supreme name according to Vedic knowledge. So therefore Lord Caitanya has recommended — and His recommendation is accepted by the authorities even at the present moment:
kiba vipra, kiba nyasi, sudra kene naya
yei krsna-tattva-vetta sei ‘guru’ haya
(CC Madhya 8.128)
And you’ll be surprised that Lord Caitanya’s principal disciples were all so-called fallen in the society. He appointed one Haridasa Thakura, Namacarya Haridasa Thakura. This Haridasa Ṭhakura was a Muhammadan. He happened to take his birth in a Muhammadan family, but he became a follower of Caitanya, and Caitanya Mahaprabhu, after training him, He gave him the highest post of His spiritual mission. Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared to introduce this system of Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare, chanting of the holy name of God, and He appointed this Haridasa Thakura, who happened to be a Muhammadan. But he became so much enlightened that Caitanya Mahaprabhu appointed him the supreme minister of administering this Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna. He was, he was made the authority, namacarya. Acarya means the prime minister, the authority.”
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, New York, August 17, 1966)
“One who is not Krishna conscious is subjected to material desires while contemplating the objects of the senses. The senses require real engagements, and if they are not engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, they will certainly seek engagement in the service of materialism. In the material world everyone, including Lord Siva and Lord Brahma — to say nothing of other demigods in the heavenly planets — is subjected to the influence of sense objects, and the only method to get out of this puzzle of material existence is to become Krishna conscious. Lord Siva was deep in meditation, but when Parvati agitated him for sense pleasure, he agreed to the proposal, and as a result Kartikeya was born. When Haridasa Thakura was a young devotee of the Lord, he was similarly allured by the incarnation of Maya-devi, but Haridasa easily passed the test because of his unalloyed devotion to Lord Krishna. As illustrated in the above-mentioned verse of Sri Yamunacarya, a sincere devotee of the Lord shuns all material sense enjoyment due to his higher taste for spiritual enjoyment in the association of the Lord. That is the secret of success. One who is not, therefore, in Krishna consciousness, however powerful he may be in controlling the senses by artificial repression, is sure ultimately to fail, for the slightest thought of sense pleasure will agitate him to gratify his desires.”
(Bhagavad-gita As It Is 2.62, Purport)
“The Lord is so merciful that even if there is some impediment for the devotee, He Himself manages matters in such a way that the devotee is not bereft of having audience at His lotus feet. There is a very good example in the life of Haridasa Thakura. When Caitanya Mahaprabhu was residing at Jagannatha Puri, Haridasa Thakura, who happened to be Muhammadan by birth, was with Him. In Hindu temples, especially in those days, no one but a Hindu was allowed to enter. Although Haridasa Thakura was the greatest of all Hindus in his behavior, he considered himself a Muhammadan and did not enter the temple. Lord Caitanya could understand his humility, and since he did not go to see the temple, Lord Caitanya Himself, who is nondifferent from Jagannatha, used to come and sit with Haridasa Thakura daily.”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.16.2, Purport)
“Not only is the chanter of the maha-mantra purified, but the heart of anyone who happens to hear the transcendental vibration of Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is also cleansed. Even the souls embodied in lower animals, insects, trees and other species of life also become purified and prepared to become fully Krishna conscious simply by hearing the transcendental vibration. This was explained by Thakura Haridasa when Caitanya Mahaprabhu inquired from him how living entities lower than human beings can be delivered from material bondage. Haridasa Thakura said that the chanting of the holy names is so powerful that even if one chants in the remotest parts of the jungle, the trees and animals will advance in Krishna consciousness simply by hearing the vibration. This was actually proved by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself when He passed through the forest of Jharikhanda. At that time the tigers, snakes, deer and all other animals abandoned their natural animosity and began chanting and dancing in sankirtana. Of course, we cannot imitate the activities of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, but we should follow in His footsteps. We are not powerful enough to enchant the lower animals such as tigers, snakes, cats and dogs or entice them to dance, but by chanting the holy names of the Lord we can actually convert many people throughout the world to Krishna consciousness.”
(Nectar of Instruction, Verse 4, Purport)
“I am confident of this. I may cite herewith one incidence which happened yesterday evening. I have prepared some Tape record of my personal Kirtana. When one of this Tape record was played the audience became practically charmed by that although not a single word of my language was understandable by them. So I am confident of the statement of Srila Haridasa Thakur that the transcendental sound of Lord Caitanya’s Harinama can do good even to the birds and the beasts.”
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, February 4, 1966)
“Haridas Thakur chanted 3 lakhs of names each day, that means 16 names in the mantra, 108×16 or 1,728 names in each round of mala, dividing 300,000 by 1,728 comes to roundabout 175 rounds on beads daily. And for us it is even difficult to chant 16 rounds! That is why Haridas Thakur is “namacharya.” We find in Chaitanya Charitamrta information that both Lord Chaitanya and Haridas Thakur were constantly absorbed in chanting the Hare Krishna mantra: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.”
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, January 2, 1972)
“When something is arranged by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one should not be disturbed by it, even if it appears to be a reverse according to one’s calculations. For example, sometimes we see that a powerful preacher is killed, or sometimes he is put into difficulty, just as Haridasa Thakura was. He was a great devotee who came into this material world to execute the will of the Lord by preaching the Lord’s glories. But Haridasa was punished at the hands of the Kazi by being beaten in twenty-two marketplaces. Similarly, Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, and Prahlada Maharaja was put through so many tribulations. The Pandavas, who were direct friends of Krishna, lost their kingdom, their wife was insulted, and they had to undergo many severe tribulations. Seeing all these reverses affect devotees, one should not be disturbed; one should simply understand that in these matters there must be some plan of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. TheBhagavatam’s conclusion is that a devotee is never disturbed by such reverses. He accepts even reverse conditions as the grace of the Lord.”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.16.37, Purport)
“Sometimes devotees are personally attacked with violence. Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, Haridasa Thakura was caned in twenty-two marketplaces, and Lord Caitanya’s principal assistant, Nityananda, was violently attacked by Jagai and Madhai. But still they were tolerant because their mission was to deliver the fallen souls. One of the qualifications of a sadhu is that he is very tolerant and is merciful to all fallen souls. He is merciful because he is the well-wisher of all living entities. He is not only a well-wisher of human society, but a well-wisher of animal society as well. It is said here, sarva-dehinam, which indicates all living entities who have accepted material bodies. Not only does the human being have a material body, but other living entities, such as cats and dogs, also have material bodies. The devotee of the Lord is merciful to everyone — the cats, dogs, trees, etc. He treats all living entities in such a way that they can ultimately get salvation from this material entanglement. Sivananda Sena, one of the disciples of Lord Caitanya, gave liberation to a dog by treating the dog transcendentally. There are many instances where a dog got salvation by association with a sadhu, because a sadhu engages in the highest philanthropic activities for the benediction of all living entities. Yet although a sadhu is not inimical towards anyone, the world is so ungrateful that even a sadhu has many enemies.”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.21, Purport)
“You try to trace out the history of the world, you’ll find always persons who are for Krishna or God, they have been persecuted. Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, Haridasa Thakura was caned in twenty-two market places, Prahlada Maharaja was tortured by his father. So there may be such things. Of course, Krishna will protect us. So don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid if somebody tortures us, somebody teases us. We must go on with Krishna consciousness without any hesitation, and Krishna will give us protect. If you are more tortured, then Krishna will appear as Nrsimhadeva and give you all protection. You are all Prahlada, representative of Prahlada. You keep your confidence in Krishna, and He will give you protection, and go on chanting Hare Krishna.”
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Seattle, October 21, 1968)
“After the passing away of Haridasa Ṭhakura, the Lord Himself took his body on His lap and danced with it in great ecstasy.”
(Caitanya-caritamrta Adi 10.46)
“The transcendental qualities of Haridasa Ṭhakura are innumerable and unfathomable. One may describe a portion of them, but to count them all is impossible.”
(Caitanya-caritamrta Antya 3.95)
“Haridasa Thakura was the crown jewel on the head of this world; without him, this world is now bereft of its valuable jewel.”
(Caitanya-caritamrta Antya 11.97)