20200705 The Passing of Haridāsa Ṭhākura

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 5^th July 2020 in Śrīdhāma Māyāpur, India

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram
hariḥ oṁ tat sat

Introduction: Since at present we are in deep separation mood from our dear God brother and friend, Bhakti Cāru Swami, so we are reading from the Caitanya-caritāmṛta of the “Passing of Haridāsa Ṭhākura” and this pastime is given only in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, which is translated by Śrīla Prabhupāda and has some purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda. This may give us some instruction how the Lord dealt with this sensitive issue of passing away of His dear associate.

Chapter Eleven - The Passing of Haridāsa Ṭhākura

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 11.1

aṅke haridāsa-dehagrahaṇapūrvaka nṛtyakārī gaurera praṇāma :—

namāmi haridāsaṁ taṁ caitanyaṁ taṁ ca tat-prabhum
saṁsthitām api yan-mūrtiṁ svāṅke kṛtvā nanarta yaḥ

Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Haridāsa Ṭhākura and his master, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who danced with the body of Haridāsa Ṭhākura on His lap.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya is also known as Bhakta-vatsala, one for whom the devotees are very dear to Him. So, when Haridāsa Ṭhākura left the world, Lord Caitanya danced with Him.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 11.2

jaya jaya śrī-caitanya jaya dayāmaya
jayādvaita-priya nityānanda-priya jaya

All glories to Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is very merciful and who is very dear to Advaita Ācārya and Lord Nityānanda!

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 11.3

jaya śrīnivāseśvara haridāsa-nātha
jaya gadādhara-priya svarūpa-prāṇa-nātha

All glories to the master of Śrīnivāsa Ṭhākura! All glories to the master of Haridāsa Ṭhākura! All glories to the dear master of Gadādhara Paṇḍita! All glories to the master of the life of Svarūpa Dāmodara!

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya is always with His devotees and His devotees are very dear to Him and He is very dear to His devotees.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 11.4

jaya kāśī-priya jagadānanda-prāṇeśvara
jaya rūpa-sanātana-raghunātheśvara

All glories to Lord Śrī Caitanya, who is very dear to Kāśī Miśra! He is the Lord of the life of Jagadānanda and the Lord of Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 11.5

jaya gaura-deha kṛṣṇa svayaṁ bhagavān
kṛpā kari’ deha’ prabhu, nija-pada-dāna

All glories to the transcendental form of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is Kṛṣṇa Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead! My dear Lord, kindly give me shelter at Your lotus feet by Your causeless mercy.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this is the real purpose of human life, to get the shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and Lord Caitanya would give this shelter very easily, and His Divine Grace Abhaya Caraṇāravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda distributed this mercy of Lord Caitanya, all over the world.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 11.6

jaya nityānanda-candra jaya caitanyera prāṇa
tomāra caraṇāravinde bhakti deha’ dāna

All glories to Lord Nityānanda, who is the life and soul of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu! My dear Lord, kindly give me engagement in devotional service at Your lotus feet.

Jayapatākā Swami: Previously it was said how Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is very dear to Nityānanda Prabhu. And here it is saying that how Lord Nityānanda prabhu is the life and soul of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja is begging for the mercy of devotional service at the lotus feet of the Lord.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 11.7

jaya jayādvaita-candra caitanyera ārya

sva-caraṇe bhakti deha’ jayādvaitācārya

All glories to Advaita Ācārya, who is treated by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as superior due to His age and respectability! Please give me engagement in devotional service at Your lotus feet.

Jayapatākā Swami: Advaita Ācārya was also the disciple of Mādhavendra Purī, and therefore He was the spiritual uncle of Lord Caitanya, who had taken initiation from Śrī Īśvara Purī Mahārāja, who was the disciple of Mādhavendra Purī, therefore, he was offering his respects to Advaita Ācārya. But Advaita Ācārya knew that He was an expansion of Lord Caitanya. So, he wanted to be treated as an inferior by Lord Caitanya, this is a unique aspect of their relationship.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 11.8

jaya gaura-bhakta-gaṇa, — gaura yāṅra prāṇa
saba bhakta mili’ more bhakti deha’ dāna

All glories to all the devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, for the Lord is their life and soul! All of you, kindly bestow devotional service upon me.

Jayapatākā Swami: All the devotees of whom Śrīvāsa, is the leader, since they have accepted Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as their life and soul, so Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja is asking for their blessings. That they may bestow devotional service on him.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 11.9

jaya rūpa, sanātana, jīva, raghunātha
raghunātha, gopāla, — chaya mora nātha

All glories to Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, Jīva Gosvāmī, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī and Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, the six Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana! They are all my masters.

Jayapatākā Swami: Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja is explaining how we should be respectful and subservient to all the associates of the Lord, and the six Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana are very special devotees. So, he is accepting all of them as his master.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 11.10

granthakārera dainyokti, ātmaśodhanārtha caitanyaguṇalīlā varṇana: —

e-saba prasāde likhi caitanya-līlā-guṇa
yaiche taiche likhi, kari āpana pāvana

I am writing this narration of the pastimes and attributes of the Lord by the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His associates. I do not know how to write properly, but I am purifying myself by writing this description.

Jayapatākā Swami: It is a transcendental service to write the descriptions and attributes of the Lord, and His eternal associates. Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja is expressing his inability and that he is doing only by the mercy of the Lord, and thus he is being purified. We also hope that by the mercy of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, we will be able to write down these pastimes, and attributes of the Lord and His devotees.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 11.11

bhaktagaṇasaha prabhura nīlācale kīrtanavilāsa :—

ei-mata mahāprabhura nīlācale vāsa
saṅge bhakta-gaṇa lañā kīrtana-vilāsa

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu thus resided at Jagannātha Purī with His personal devotees and enjoyed the congregational chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare with His associates, in Nīlācala. So after leaving Bengal, He went to Jagannātha Purī as a sannyāsī, then for six years He travelled around India, and then for 18 years He stayed in Jagannātha Purī.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 11.12

divase nāmasaṅkīrtana o jagannāthadarśana, rātrite svarūpa-rāmānanda-saha śrīrādhāra kṛṣṇaprema rasāsvādana:—

dine nṛtya-kīrtana, īśvara-daraśana
rātrye rāya-svarūpa-sane rasa-āsvādana

In the daytime Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu engaged in dancing and chanting and in seeing the temple of Lord Jagannātha. At night, in the company of His most confidential devotees, such as Rāmānanda Rāya and Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, He tasted the nectar of the transcendental mellows of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu spent His day times chanting, dancing and having darśana of Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrā, and then at night He would taste the special mellows of the pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, in the association with very confidential devotees.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 11.13

kṛṣṇavirahe prabhudehe sāttvikabhāvodaya :—

ei-mata mahāprabhura sukhe kāla yāya
kṛṣṇera viraha-vikāra aṅge nānā haya

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu very happily passed His days in this way at Nīlācala, Jagannātha Purī. Feeling separation from Kṛṣṇa, He exhibited many transcendental symptoms all over His body.

Jayapatākā Swami: The body manifested aṣṭa-sāttvika bhava, eight transcendental symptoms, such as crying, laughing, voice choking, hairs standing on end, and others. So, these symptoms would be manifested all over His body, feeling separation from Lord Kṛṣṇa, in the mood of Rādhārāṇī.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 11.14

dine dine bāḍe vikāra, rātrye atiśaya
cintā, udvega, pralāpādi yata śāstre kaya

Translation: Day after day the symptoms increased, and at night they increased even more. All these symptoms, such as transcendental anxiety, agitation and talking like a madman, were present, just as they are described in the śāstras.

Jayapatākā Swami: There are eight different levels of prema or pure love, Rādhārāṇī is on the eight level, which is called māha-bhāva. Lord Caitanya was experiencing this māha-bhāva which was transcendental anxiety, agitation and talking like a madman etc. So, in this way, Lord Caitanya was passing His nights in extreme ecstasy of pure love of Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 11.15

aprākṛta vipralambha-līlāya nityasaṅgidvaya :—

svarūpa gosāñi, āra rāmānanda-rāya
rātri-dine kare doṅhe prabhura sahāya

Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī and Rāmānanda Rāya, the chief assistants in Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s pastimes, remained with Him both day and night.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 11.16

haridāsera vṛttānta-varṇana; haridāsake govindera prasāda dite gamana :—

eka-dina govinda mahā-prasāda lañā
haridāse dite gelā ānandita hañā

One day Govinda, the personal servant of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, went in great jubilation to deliver the remnants of Lord Jagannātha’s food to Haridāsa Ṭhākura.

Jayapatākā Swami: Since Haridāsa Ṭhākura, he was actually Lord Brahmā, who came in the form of Haridāsa Ṭhākura, although he is the founder of the Jagannātha Purī temple, since he appeared as Haridāsa Ṭhākura in a non-Hindu family, so he didn’t enter the temple, and at that time, people didn’t know who Lord Caitanya was and who Haridāsa Ṭhākura was. Every day Lord Jagannath would send His prasāda remnants to Haridāsa Ṭhākura, and that is brought by Govinda, the personal servant of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 11.17

haridāsa ṭhākurera aprakaṭa-kālera avasthā :—

dekhe,—haridāsa ṭhākura kariyāche śayana
manda manda kariteche saṅkhyā-saṅkīrtana

When Govinda came to Haridāsa, he saw that Haridāsa Ṭhākura was lying on his back and chanting his rounds very slowly.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 11.18

govindakartṛka prasāda-grahaṇe anurodha, haridāsera laṅghanecchā :—

govinda kahe,—‘uṭha āsi’ karaha bhojana’
haridāsa kahe,—āji karimu laṅghana

“Please rise and take your mahā-prasāda,” Govinda said.
Haridāsa Ṭhākura replied, “Today I shall observe fasting.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 11.19

haridāsa kartṛka nāmāśrita sādhakera prasāda-sammāna-viṣaye ādarśa vyavahāra-pradarśana

saṅkhyā-kīrtana pūre nāhi, ke-mate khāiba?
mahā-prasāda āniyācha, ke-mate upekṣiba?

“I have not finished chanting my regular number of rounds. How, then, can I eat? But you have brought mahā-prasāda, and how can I neglect it?

Jayapatākā Swami: Haridāsa Ṭhākura was so regulated that he would not eat if he did not finish his rounds. But at the same time, Lord Jagannātha mahā-prasāda has to be taken immediately and should not be neglected. So, he was trying to adjust his two contradictions.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 11.20

eta bali’ mahā-prasāda karilā vandana
eka rañca lañā tāra karilā bhakṣaṇa

Saying this, he offered prayers to the mahā-prasāda, took a little portion, and ate it.

Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda: Mahā-prasāda is nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, instead of eating mahā-prasāda, one should honor it. It is said here, karilā vandana, “he offered prayers.” When taking mahā-prasāda, one should not consider the food ordinary preparations. Prasāda means favor. One should consider mahā-prasāda a favor of Kṛṣṇa. As stated by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, kṛṣṇa baḍa dayāmaya karibāre jihvā jaya svaprasāda-anna dilā bhāi. Kṛṣṇa is very kind. In this material world we are all very much attached to tasting various types of food. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa eats many nice varieties of food and offers the food back to the devotees, so that not only are one’s demands for various tastes satisfied, but by eating prasāda one makes advancement in spiritual life. Therefore, we should never consider ordinary food on an equal level with mahā-prasāda.

Jayapatākā Swami: That’s why we eat ordinary food but we honor mahā-prasāda. We don’t say we eat it, we say, we honor it, and we show respect by consuming it. So, without eating something we cannot maintain our physical life. But Kṛṣṇa is very kind, He gives us Hs prasāda. And by that we can control our senses and we can survive. So, the prasāda is a very special blessing. Actually, prasāda means mercy or blessing. So Haridāsa Ṭhākura, since prasāda came, he had to respect it. At the same time, since he didn’t finish his rounds, he could not eat fully. He took a small portion and ate it.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 11.21

ekadina prabhura haridāsa-samīpe āgamana o kuśala jijñāsā :—

āra dina mahāprabhu tāṅra ṭhāñi āilā
sustha hao, haridāsa — bali’ tāṅre puchilā

The next day, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to Haridāsa’s place and inquired from him, “Haridāsa, are you well?”

Jayapatākā Swami: How Lord Caitanya is taking care of His devotees.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 11.22

haridāsera dainyokti :—

namaskāra kari’ teṅho kailā nivedana
śarīra sustha haya mora, asustha buddhi-mana

Haridāsa offered his obeisances to the Lord and replied, “My body is all right, but my mind and intelligence are not well.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 11.23

prabhupraśnottare saṅkhyānāma-kīrtanābhāvajanita svīya duḥkhajñāpana :—

prabhu kahe,—‘kon vyādhi, kaha ta’ nirṇaya?’
teṅho kahe,—‘saṅkhyā-kīrtana nā pūraya’

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu further inquired from Haridāsa, “Can you ascertain what your disease is?”

Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda: Haridāsa Ṭhākura replied, “My disease is that I cannot complete my rounds.” If one cannot complete the fixed number of rounds he is assigned, he should be considered to be in a diseased condition of spiritual life. Śrīla Haridāsa Ṭhākura is called nāmācārya. Of course, we cannot imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura, but everyone must chant a prescribed number of rounds. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we have fixed sixteen rounds as the minimum so that the Westerners will not feel burdened. These sixteen rounds must be chanted, and chanted loudly, so that one can hear himself and others.

Jayapatākā Swami: Haridāsa Ṭhākura would chant 300,000 names a day, and 16 rounds is just 25,000. So, Śrīla Prabhupāda has reduced it considerably for his followers. But we should chant a fixed number of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantras, and to be initiated in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, one is supposed to chant minimum 16 rounds or 25,000 names, and in this way, if one does not do that, he is considered to be diseased.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 11.24

prabhukartṛka aprākṛta siddhadeha haridāsake sādhanābhinaya hrāsa karite ādeśa :—

prabhu kahe,—“vṛddha ha-ilā ‘saṅkhyā’ alpa kara
siddha-deha tumi, sādhane āgraha kene kara?

“Now that you have become old,” the Lord said, “you may reduce the number of rounds you chant daily. You are already liberated, and therefore you need not follow the regulative principles very strictly.

Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda: Unless one has come to the platform of spontaneous love of God, he must follow the regulative principles. Ṭhākura Haridāsa was the living example of how to follow the regulative principles. Similarly, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was also such a living example. In the Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka it is stated, saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ kālāvasānī-kṛtau. The Gosvāmīs, especially Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, strictly followed all the regulative principles. The first regulative principle is that one must chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra loudly enough so that he can hear himself, and one must vow to chant a fixed number of rounds. Not only was Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī chanting a fixed number of rounds, but he had also taken a vow to bow down many times and offer obeisances to the Lord.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, since Haridāsa Ṭhākura had already achieved spontaneous love for Kṛṣṇa, since his body was liberated, Lord Caitanya instructed him that he can reduce the number of rounds he chants daily. So, he was still trying to chant 300,000 names a day, but in his old age that was not possible. But he was saying that his body was not diseased, but his mind and intelligence were diseased because I am not finishing my rounds.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 11.25

svayaṃ prabhura vākya—
“nāmera ācārya o pracārakarūpe haridāsa avatīrṇa” :—

loka nistārite ei tomāra ‘avatāra’
nāmera mahimā loke karilā pracāra

“Your role in this incarnation is to deliver the people in general. You have sufficiently preached the glories of the holy name in this world.”

Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda: Haridāsa Ṭhākura is known as nāmācārya because it is he who preached the glories of chanting hari-nāma, the holy name of God. By using the words tomāra avatāra (“your incarnation”), Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu confirms that Haridāsa Ṭhākura is the incarnation of Lord Brahmā. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura 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. Haridāsa Ṭhākura is thus the incarnation of Lord Brahmā, and other devotees are likewise incarnations who help in the prosecution of the Lord’s mission.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya predicted that He would send a senāpati-bhakta to distribute Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the rest of the world, and that he would be personally preaching in India. So, His Divine Grace Abhaya Caraṇāravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda came and distributed Kṛṣṇa consciousness throughout the world, on the order of his spiritual master, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda. He was assisted by various devotees. And now we are experiencing separation from one of those devotees, His Holiness Bhakti Cāru Swami, who was helping Śrīla Prabhupāda to distribute Kṛṣṇa consciousness throughout the world, and now it seems that Śrīla Prabhupāda has taken him back, to assist him in some other preaching, or to go back to the spiritual world.

So, we will end our class today. Hare Kṛṣṇa!