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One day Sri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu met Haridasa Thakura as usual, and in the course
of discussion He inquired as follows. 'My dear Thakura Haridasa, in
this age of Kali most people are bereft of Vedic culture, and therefore
they are called yavanas. They are concerned only with killing
cows and brahminical culture. In this way they all engage in sinful
acts. How will these yavanas be delivered? To My great
unhappiness, I do not see any way.
From this
statement by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu we can clearly understand that the
word yavana does not refer only to a particular class of men.
Anyone who is against the behavior of the Vedic principles is called a yavana.
Such a yavana may be in India or outside of India. As described
here, the symptom of yavanas is that they are violent killers
of cows and brahminical culture. We offer our prayers to the Lord by
saying, namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana-hitaya ca. The
Lord is the maintainer of brahminical culture. His first concern is to
see to the benefit of cows and brahmanas. As soon as human
civilization turns against brahminical culture and allows unrestricted
killing of cows, we should understand that men are no longer under the
control of the Vedic culture but are all yavanas and mlecchas.
It is said that the Krishna consciousness movement will be prominent
within the next ten thousand years, but after that people will all
become mlecchas and yavanas. Thus at the end of the yuga,
Krishna will appear as the Kalki avatara and kill them without
consideration.
This verse reveals the significance of Lord Sri Chaitanya's appearance
as patita-pavana, the deliverer of all the fallen souls. Srila
Narottama dasa Thakura sings, patita-pavana-hetu tava avatara:
"O my Lord, You have appeared just to deliver all the fallen souls." Mo-sama
patita prabhu na paibe ara: "And among all the fallen souls, I
am the lowest." How Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was always
thinking about the deliverance of the fallen souls is shown by the
statement e duhkha apara ("It is My great unhappiness").
This statement indicates that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who is the
Supreme personality of Godhead Krishna Himself, is always very unhappy
to see the fallen souls in the material world. Therefore He Himself
comes as He is, or He comes as a devotee in the form of Sri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu, to deliver love of Krishna directly to the fallen souls. Namo
maha-vadanyaya krishna-prema-pradaya te. Sri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu is so merciful that He not only gives knowledge of Krishna
but by His practical activities teaches everyone how to love Krishna (krishna-prema-pradaya
te).
Those who are following in the footsteps of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
should take the Lord's mission most seriously. In this age of Kali,
people are gradually becoming less than animals. Nevertheless, although
they are eating the flesh of cows and are envious of brahminical
culture, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is considering how to deliver them
from this horrible condition of life. Thus He asks all Indians to take
up His mission.
bharata-bhumite
haila manusya-janma yara
janma sarthaka kari' kara para-upakara
"One who has
taken his birth as a human being in the land of India [Bharata-varsha]
should make his life successful and work for the benefit of all other
people." (Chaitanya-charitamrita Adi-lila 9.41)
It is
therefore the duty of every advanced and cultured Indian to take this
cause very seriously. All Indians should help the Krishna consciousness
movement in its progress, to the best of their ability. Then they will
be considered real followers of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Unfortunately,
even some so-called Vaishnavas enviously refuse to
cooperate with this movement but instead condemn it in so many ways. We
are very sorry to say that these people try to find fault with us,
being unnecessarily envious of our activities, although we are trying
to the best of our ability to introduce the Krishna consciousness
movement directly into the countries of the
yavanas and mlecchas. Such yavanas and mlecchas
are coming to us and becoming purified Vaishnavas who follow in the
footsteps of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. One who identifies himself as a
follower of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu should feel like Sri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu, who said, iha-sabara kon mate ha-ibe nistara:
"How will all these yavanas be delivered?" Sri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu was always anxious to deliver the fallen souls because their
fallen condition gave Him great unhappiness. That is the platform on
which one can propagate the mission of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Haridasa Thakura replied, "My dear Lord, do not be in anxiety.
Do not
be unhappy to see the condition of the yavanas in material
existence.
These words of Haridasa Thakura are just befitting a devotee who has
dedicated his life and soul to the service of the Lord. When the Lord
is unhappy because of the condition of the fallen souls, the devotee
consoles Him, saying, "My dear Lord, do not be in anxiety." This is
service. Everyone should adopt the cause of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to
try to relieve Him from the anxiety He feels. This is actually service
to the Lord. One who tries to relieve Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's
anxiety for the fallen souls is certainly a most dear and confidential
devotee of the Lord. To blaspheme such a devotee who is trying his best
to spread the cult of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the greatest offense.
One who does so is simply awaiting punishment for his envy.
"Because the yavanas are accustomed to saying, 'ha
rama,
ha rama' [O Lord Ramachandra], they will very easily be
delivered by this namabhasa.
"A devotee in advanced ecstatic love exclaims, 'O my Lord
Ramachandra!
O my Lord Ramachandra!' But the yavanas also chant, 'ha
rama, ha rama!' Just see their good fortune!"
If a child touches fire, the fire will burn him, and if an elderly man
touches fire, it will burn him also. Haridasa Thakura says that a great
devotee of the Lord exclaims, "ha rama, ha rama," but
although yavanas do not know the transcendental meaning of "ha
rama, ha rama," they say those words in the course of their
ordinary life. For the yavanas the words "ha rama"
mean "abominable," whereas the devotee exclaims the words "ha rama"
in ecstatic love. Nevertheless, because the words "ha rama"
are the spiritual summum bonum, the fact is the same, whether they are
uttered by yavanas or by great devotees, just as fire is the
same both for a child and for an elderly man. In other words, the holy
name of the Lord, "ha rama," always acts, even when the
holy names are chanted without reference to the Supreme Lord. Yavanas
utter the holy name in a different attitude than devotees, but the holy
name "ha rama" is so powerful spiritually that it acts
anywhere, whether one knows it or not. This is explained as follows.
Namacharya Haridasa Thakura, the authority on the chanting of
the holy
name, said, "The chanting of the Lord's holy name to indicate something
other than the Lord is an instance of namabhasa. Even when the
holy name is chanted in this way, its transcendental power is not
destroyed.
"Even a mleccha who is being killed by the tusk of a
boar and
who cries in distress again and again, "ha rama, ha
rama" attains liberation. What then to speak of those who chant
the holy name with veneration and faith?"
This refers to an instance in which a meat-eater being killed by a boar
uttered the words "ha rama, ha rama
" again and again at the time of his death. Since this is a quotation
from the Nrsimha Purana, this indicates that in the
Puranic age there must also have been mlecchas and yavanas
(meateaters), and the words "ha rama, meaning "condemned,"
were also uttered in those days. Thus Haridasa Thakura gives evidence
that even a meat-eater who condemns something by uttering the words "ha
rama" gets the benefit of chanting the holy name that the
devotee chants to mean "O my Lord Rama."
"Ajamila was a great sinner during his life, but at the time
of death
he accidentally called for his youngest son, whose name was Narayana,
and the attendants of Lord Vishnu came to relieve him from the bonds of
Yamaraja, the superintendent of death.
"The word 'rama' consists of the two syllables, 'ra'
and 'ma.'
These are unseparated and are decorated with the loving word 'ha,'
meaning 'O.'
"The letters of the holy name have so much spiritual potency
that they
act even when uttered improperly.
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura states that the word vyavahita
("improperly uttered") is not used here to refer to the mundane
vibration of the letters of the alphabet. Such negligent utterance for
the sense gratification of materialistic persons is not a vibration of
transcendental sound. Utterance of the holy name while one engages in
sense gratification is an impediment on the path toward achieving
ecstatic love for Krishna. On the other hand, if one who is eager for
devotional service utters the holy name even partially or improperly,
the holy name, who is identical with the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, exhibits its spiritual potency because of that person's
offenseless utterance. Thus one is relieved from all unwanted
practices, and one gradually awakens his dormant love for Krishna.
"'If a devotee once utters the holy name of the Lord, or if it
penetrates his mind or enters his ear, which is the channel of aural
reception, that holy name will certainly deliver him from material
bondage, whether vibrated properly or improperly, with correct or
incorrect grammar, and properly joined or vibrated in separate parts. O
brahmana, the potency of the holy name is therefore
certainly great. However, if one uses the vibration of the holy name
for the benefit of the material body, for material wealth and
followers, or under the influence of greed or atheism—in other words,
if one utters the name with offenses—such chanting will not produce the
desired result very soon. Therefore one should diligently avoid
offenses in chanting the holy name of the Lord.'"
This verse from the Padma Purana is included in the Hari-bhakti-vilasa
(11.527) by Sanatana Gosvami. Therein Srila Sanatana Gosvami gives the
following explanation:
vachi
gatam prasangad van-madhye pravrittam api, smarana-patha-gatam
kathanchin manah-spristam api, srotra-mulam gatam kinchit srutam api;
suddha-varnam va asuddha-varnam api va; 'vyavahitam' sabdantarena
yad-vyavadhanam vaksyamana-narayana-sabdasya kinchid uccharananantaram
prasangad apatitam sabdantaram tena rahitam sat.
This means that
if one somehow or other hears, utters or remembers the holy name, or if
it catches his mind while coming near his ears, that holy name, even if
vibrated in separate words, will act. An example of such separation is
given as follows:
yadva,
yadyapi 'halam riktam' ity ady-uktau hakara-rikarayor vrttya
hariti-namasty eva, tatha 'raja-mahisi' ity atra rama-namapi, evam
anyad apy uhyam, tathapi tat-tan-nama-madhye vyavadhayakam aksarantaram
astity etadrsa-vyavadhana-rahitam ity arthah; yadva, vyavahitam ca
tad-rahitam capi va; tatra 'vyavahitam'—namnah kinchid
uccharananantaram kathanchid apatitam sabdantaram samadhaya paschan
namavasistaksara-grahanam ity evam rupam, madhye sabdantarenantaritam
ity arthah, 'rahitam' pascad avasistaksara-grahana-varjitam, kenachid
amsena hinam ity arthah, tathapi tarayaty eva.
Suppose one is
using the two words "halam riktam." Now the syllable ha
in the word "halam" and the syllable ri in "riktam"
are separately pronounced, but nevertheless it will act because one
somehow or other utters the word "hari." Similarly, in the word "raja-mahisi,"
the syllables ra and ma appear in two separate words,
but because they somehow or other appear together, the holy name rama
will act, provided there are no offenses.
sarvebhyah
papebhyo 'paradhebhyas cha samsarad apy uddharayaty eveti satyam eva;
kintu nama-sevanasya mukhyam yat phalam, tan na sadyah sampadyate.
Tatha deha-bharanady-artham api nama-sevanena mukhyam phalam asu na
sidhyatity aha—tach ched iti.
The holy name
has so much spiritual potency that it can deliver one from all sinful
reactions and material entanglements, but utterance of the holy name
will not be very soon fruitful if done to facilitate sinning.
tan
nama ched yadi dehadi-madhye niksiptam—deha-bharanady-artham eva
vinyastam, tadapi phala-janakam na bhavati kim? api tu bhavaty eva,
kintu atra iha loke sighram na bhavati, kintu vilambenaiva bhavatity
arthah.
The holy name is
so powerful that it must act, but when one utters the holy name with
offenses, its action will be delayed, not immediate, although in
favorable circumstances the holy names of the Lord act very quickly.
Namacharya Haridasa Thakura continued, "If one offenselessly
utters the
holy name even imperfectly, one can be freed from all the results of
sinful life.
"'O reservoir of all good qualities, just worship Sri Krishna,
the
purifier of all purifiers, the most exalted of the personalities
worshiped by choice poetry. Worship Him with a faithful, unflinching
mind, without duplicity and in a highly elevated manner. Thus worship
the Lord, whose name is like the sun, for just as a slight appearance
of the sun dissipates the darkness of night, so a slight appearance of
the holy name of Krishna can drive away all the darkness of ignorance
that arises in the heart due to greatly sinful activities performed in
previous lives.'
This verse is found in Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu (2.1.103).
"Even a faint light from the holy name of the Lord can
eradicate all
the reactions of sinful life.
"'While dying, Ajamila chanted the holy name of the Lord,
intending to
call his son Narayana. Nevertheless, he attained the spiritual world.
What then to speak of those who chant the holy name with faith and
reverence?'
This is a verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.2.49).
"Because of even the faintest rays of the effulgence of the
Lord's holy
name, one can attain liberation. We can see this in all the revealed
scriptures. The evidence appears in the story of Ajamila in Srimad-Bhagavatam."
As Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu heard this from Haridasa Thakura, the
happiness within His heart increased, but as a matter of course, He
still inquired further.
"On this earth there are many living entities," the Lord said,
"some
moving and some not moving. What will happen to the trees, plants,
insects and other living entities? How will they be delivered from
material bondage?"
Haridasa Thakura replied, "My dear Lord, the deliverance of
all moving
and nonmoving living entities takes place only by Your mercy. You have
already granted this mercy and delivered them.
"You have loudly chanted the Hare Krishna mantra, and
everyone,
moving or not moving, has benefited by hearing it.
"My Lord, the moving entities who have heard Your loud sankirtana
have already been delivered from bondage to the material world, and
after the nonmoving living entities like trees hear it, there is an
echo.
"Actually, however, it is not an echo; it is the kirtana
of the
nonmoving living entities. All this, although inconceivable, is
possible by Your mercy.
"When loud chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra is
performed all
over the world by those who follow in Your footsteps, all living
entities, moving and nonmoving, dance in ecstatic devotional love.
"My dear Lord, all the incidents that took place while You
were going
to Vrindavana through the forest known as Jharikhanda have been related
to me by Your servant Balabhadra Bhattacarya.
"When Your devotee Vasudeva Datta submitted his plea at Your
lotus feet
for the deliverance of all living entities, You accepted that request.
"My dear Lord, You have accepted the form of a devotee just to
deliver
all the fallen souls of this world.
"You have preached the loud chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra
and in this way freed all moving and nonmoving living entities from
material bondage."
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu replied, "If all living entities were
liberated, the entire universe would be devoid of living beings."
Haridasa said, "My Lord, as long as You are situated within
the
material world, You will send to the spiritual sky all the developed
moving and nonmoving living entities in different species. Then again
You will awaken the living entities who are not yet developed and
engage them in activities.
"In this way all moving and nonmoving living entities will
come into
existence, and the entire universe will be filled as it was previously.
While we are preaching, opposing elements sometimes argue, "If all
living entities were delivered by the Krishna consciousness movement,
what would happen then? The universe would be devoid of living
entities." In answer to this, we may say that in a prison there are
many prisoners, but if one thinks that the prison would be empty if all
the prisoners adopted good behavior, he is incorrect. Even if all the
prisoners within a jail are freed, other criminals will fill it again.
A prison will never be vacant, for there are many prospective criminals
who will fill the prison cells, even if the present criminals are freed
by the government. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita, karanam
guna-sango 'sya sad-asad-
yoni-janmasu: "Because of the living entity's association with
material nature, he meets with good and evil among various species." (Bhagavad-gita
13.22) There are many unmanifested living entities covered by the mode
of ignorance who will gradually come to the mode of passion. Most of
them will become criminals because of their fruitive activities and
again fill the prisons.
"Previously, when Lord Ramachandra left this world, He took
with Him
all the living entities of Ayodhya. Then He filled Ayodhya again with
other living entities.
"My dear Lord, You have set a plan in motion by descending on
the
material world, but no one can understand how You are acting.
"Formerly, when Lord Krishna descended in Vrindavana, He freed
all
living entities in the universe from material existence in the same way.
"'Krishna, the unborn Supreme Personality of Godhead, master
of all of
the masters of mystic power, delivers all living entities, moving and
nonmoving. Nothing is astonishing in the activities of the Lord.'
This is a quotation from Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.29.16).
"'Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead may be seen,
glorified or
remembered with an attitude of envy, He nevertheless awards the most
confidential liberation, which is rarely achieved by the demigods and
demons. What, then, can be said of those who are already fully engaged
in devotional service to the Lord?'
This is a quotation from the Vishnu Purana (4.15.17).
"By descending as an incarnation at Navadvipa, You, just like
Krishna,
have already delivered all the living entities of the universe.
"One may say that he understands the glories of Sri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu. He may know whatever he may know, but as far as I am
concerned, this is my conclusion.
"My dear Lord, Your pastimes are just like an ocean of nectar.
It is
not possible for me to conceive how great that ocean is or even to
understand a drop of it."
Hearing all this, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was astonished.
"These are
actually My confidential pastimes," He thought. "How could Haridasa
have understood them?"
Greatly satisfied by the statements of Haridasa Thakura, Sri
Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu embraced him. Outwardly, however, He avoided further
discussions of these matters.
This is a characteristic of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead.
Although He wants to cover His opulence, He cannot do so before His
devotees. This is well-known everywhere.
"O my Lord, everything within material nature is limited by
time, space
and thought. Your characteristics, however, being unequaled and
unsurpassed, are always transcendental to such limitations. You
sometimes cover such characteristics by Your own energy, but
nevertheless Your unalloyed devotees are always able to see You under
all circumstances."
This is a verse from the Stotra-ratna of Yamunacarya.
Then Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu went to His personal devotees
and began
speaking about Haridasa Thakura's transcendental qualities as if He had
hundreds of mouths.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu derives great pleasure from
glorifying His
devotees, and among the devotees, Haridasa Thakura is the foremost.
The transcendental qualities of Haridasa Thakura are
innumerable and
unfathomable. One may describe a portion of them, but to count them all
is impossible.
In Chaitanya-mangala, Srila Vrindavana dasa
Thakura has
described the attributes of Haridasa Thakura to some extent.
No one can describe all the qualities of Haridasa Thakura. One
may say
something about them just to purify himself. O devotees of Sri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, please hear something about the qualities of
Haridasa Thakura that Vrindavana dasa Thakura has not described in
detail.
Haridasa Thakura went to Santipura, the home of Advaita Acarya. Upon
meeting Advaita Acharya, Haridasa Thakura offered Him respect and
obeisances. Advaita Acharya embraced him and showed respect to him in
return.
On the bank
of the Ganges, in a solitary place, Advaita Acharya made a
cavelike home for Haridasa Thakura and spoke to him about the real
meaning of Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita
in terms of devotional service.
Haridasa Thakura accepted food daily at the house of Advaita
Acharya.
Meeting together, the two of them would taste the nectar of discourses
on the subject matter of Krishna.
Haridasa Thakura said, "My dear Advaita Acharya, let me submit
something before Your Honor. Every day You give me alms of food to eat.
What is the necessity of this?
"Sir, You are living within a society of great, great brahmanas
and aristocrats, but without fear or shame You adore a lower-class man
like me.
"My dear sir, Your behavior is uncommon. Indeed, sometimes I
am afraid
to speak to You. But please favor me by protecting me from the behavior
of society."
While Haridasa Thakura was staying under the care of Advaita Acharya,
he was afraid of the behavior of society in Santipura, Navadvipa, which
was full of exceedingly aristocratic brahmanas, kshatriyas
and vaishyas. Haridasa Thakura was born in a Mohammedan family
and was later recognized as a great Vaishnava, but nevertheless the
brahmanas were very critical of him. Thus Haridasa Thakura was
afraid that Advaita Acharya would be put into some difficulty because
of His familiarity with Haridasa Thakura. Sri Advaita Acharya treated
Haridasa Thakura as a most elevated Vaisnava, but others, like
Ramachandra Khan, were envious of Haridasa Thakura. Of course, we have
to follow in the footsteps of Advaita Acharya, not caring for people
like Ramacandra Khan. At present, many Vaishnavas are coming to our
Krishna consciousness movement from among the Europeans and Americans,
and although a man like Ramachandra Khan is always envious of such
Vaishnavas, one should follow in the footsteps of Sri Advaita Acharya
by treating all of them as Vaishnavas. Although they are not as exalted
as Haridasa Thakura, such Americans and Europeans, having accepted the
principles of Vaishnava philosophy and behavior, should never be
excluded from Vaishnava society.
Advaita Acharya replied, "My dear Haridasa, do not be afraid.
I shall
behave strictly according to the principles of the revealed scriptures.
Srila Advaita Acharya was not afraid of the strict brahminical culture
and customs of society. As stated in the shastric injunctions, which
are the true medium of evidence or proof, anyone can go back to
Godhead, even if born of a low family. Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita:
mam
hi partha vyapasritya
ye 'pi syuh papa-yonayah
striyo vaisyas tatha sudras
te 'pi yanti param gatim
"O son of Prtha,
those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth--women, vaishyas
[merchants], as well as sudras [workers]--can approach the
supreme destination." (Bg. 9.32) Though having taken a low birth in
human society, one who accepts Krishna as the Supreme Personality of
Godhead is quite competent to go back home, back to Godhead; and one
who is a bona fide candidate for going back to Godhead should not be
considered lowborn, or chandala. That is also a shastric
injunction. As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.4.18):
kirata-hunandhra-pulinda-pulkasa
abhira-sumbha yavanah khasadayah
ye 'nye cha papa yad-apasrayasrayah
sudhyanti tasmai prabhavisnave namah
Not only the yavanas
and khasadayah but even those born in still lower families can
be purified (sudhyanti) by the grace of a devotee of Lord
Krishna, for Krishna empowers such devotees to perform this
purification. Advaita Acharya had confidence in the shastric evidence
and did not care about social customs. The Krishna consciousness
movement, therefore, is a cultural movement that does not care about
local social conventions. Following in the footsteps of Sri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu and Advaita Acharya, we can accept a devotee from any part
of the world and recognize him as a brahmana as soon as he is
qualified due to following the principles of Vaishnava behavior.
"Feeding you is equal to feeding ten million brahmanas,"
Advaita Acharya said. "Therefore, accept this shraddha-patra."
Thus Advaita Acharya made him eat.
Shraddha is prasada offered to the forefathers at
a
certain date of the year or month. The shraddha-patra, or plate
offered to the forefathers, is then offered to the best of the brahmanas
in society. instead of offering the shraddha-patra to any other
brahmana,
Advaita Acharya offered it to Haridasa Thakura, considering him greater
than any of the foremost brahmanas. This act by Sri Advaita
Acharya proves that Haridasa Thakura was always situated in a
transcendental position and was therefore always greater than even the
most exalted brahmana, for he was situated above the mode of
goodness of the material world. Referring to the Bhakti-sandarbha,
verse 177, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura quotes the following
statements from the Garuda Purana in this connection:
brahmananam
sahasrebhyah
satra-yaji visisyate
satra-yaji-sahasrebhyah
sarva-vedanta-paragah
sarva-vedanta-vit-kotya
vishnu-bhakto visisyate
vaishnavanam sahasrebhya
ekanty eko visisyate
"A brahmana qualified to offer sacrifices is better than an
ordinary brahmana and better than such a
brahmana is one who has studied all the Vedic scriptures. Among
many such brahmanas, one who is a devotee of Lord Vishnu is the
best; and among many such Vaishnavas, one who fully engages in the
service of the Lord is the best."
bhaktir asta-vidha hy esa
yasmin mlecche 'pi vartate
sa viprendro muni-sresthah
sa jnani sa cha panditah
tasmai deyam tato grahyam
sa cha pujyo yatha harih
"There are many different kinds of devotees, but even a Vaishnava
coming from a family of mlecchas or yavanas is
understood to be a learned scholar, complete in knowledge, if he knows
the Vaishnava philosophy. He should therefore be given charity, for
such a Vaishnava is as worshipable as the Supreme Personality of
Godhead."
na me 'bhaktas chatur-vedi
mad-bhaktah sva-pachah priyah
tasmai deyam tato grahyam
sa cha pujyo yatha hy aham
Lord Krishna
says, "Even if a nondevotee comes from a brahmana family and is
expert in studying the Vedas, he is not very dear to Me,
whereas even if a sincere devotee comes from a low family of
meat-eaters, he is very dear to Me. Such a sincere pure devotee should
be given charity, for he is as worshipable as I."
Advaita Acharya was always absorbed in thoughts of how to
deliver the
fallen souls of the entire world. "The entire world is full of
nondevotees," He thought. "How will they be delivered?"
Srila Advaita Acharya sets the standard for acharyas in the
Vaishnava sampradaya.
An acharya must always be eager to deliver the fallen souls. A
person who establishes a temple or matha to take advantage of
people's sentiments by using for his livelihood what people contribute
for the worship of the Deity cannot be called a gosvami or acharya.
One who knows the conclusion of the shastras, follows in the
footsteps of his predecessors and endeavors to preach the bhakti
cult all over the world is to be considered an acharya. The
role of an
acharya is not to earn his livelihood through the income of the
temple. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura used to say that if one
earns his livelihood by displaying the Deity in the temple, he is not
an acharya or gosvami. It would be better for him to
accept service even as a sweeper in the street, for that is a more
honorable means of earning one's living.
Determined to deliver all the fallen souls, Advaita Acharya
decided to
cause Krishna to descend. With this vow, he began to offer Ganges water
and Tulasi leaves to worship the Lord.
Similarly, Haridasa Thakura chanted in his cave on the bank of
the
Ganges with the intention to cause Krishna's descent.
Because of the devotional service of these two persons, Lord
Sri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu descended as an incarnation. Thus He preached the
holy name of the Lord and ecstatic love of Krishna to deliver the
entire world.
There is another incident concerning Haridasa Thakura's
uncommon
behavior. One will be astonished to hear about it.
Hear about such incidents without putting forth dry arguments,
for
these incidents are beyond our material reasoning. One must believe in
them with faith.
One day Haridasa Thakura was sitting in his cave, reciting
very loudly
the holy name of the Lord.
The night was full of moonlight, which made the waves of the
Ganges
look dazzling. All directions were clear and bright.
Thus everyone who saw the beauty of the cave, with the Tulasi
plant on
a clean altar, was astonished and satisfied at heart.
At that time, in that beautiful scene, a woman appeared in the
courtyard. The beauty of her body was so bright that it tinged the
entire place with a hue of yellow.
The scent of her body perfumed all directions, and the
tinkling of her
ornaments startled the ear.
After coming there, the woman offered obeisances to the Tulasi
plant,
and after circumambulating the Tulasi plant she came to the door of the
cave where Haridasa Thakura was sitting.
With folded hands she offered obeisances at the lotus feet of
Haridasa
Thakura. Sitting at the door, she then spoke in a very sweet voice.
"My dear friend," she said, "you are the friend of the entire
world.
You are so beautiful and qualified. I have come here only for union
with you.
"My dear sir, kindly accept me and be merciful toward me, for
it is a
characteristic of all saintly persons to be kind toward the poor and
fallen."
After saying this, she began to manifest various postures,
which even
the greatest philosopher would lose his patience upon seeing.
Haridasa Thakura was immovable, for he was deeply determined.
He began
to speak to her, being very merciful toward her.
"I have been initiated into a vow to perform a great sacrifice
by
chanting the holy name a certain number of times every day.
"As long as the vow to chant is unfulfilled, I do not desire
anything
else. When I finish my chanting, then I have an opportunity to do
anything.
"Sit down at the door and hear the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.
As soon as the chanting is finished, I shall satisfy you as you desire."
After saying this, Haridasa Thakura continued to chant the
holy name of
the Lord. Thus the woman sitting before him began to hear the chanting
of the holy name.
In this way, as he chanted and chanted, the morning
approached, and
when the woman saw that it was morning, she got up and left.
For three days she approached Haridasa Thakura in this way,
exhibiting
various feminine postures that would bewilder the mind of even Lord
Brahma.
Haridasa Thakura was always absorbed in thoughts of Krishna
and the
holy name of Krishna. Therefore the feminine poses the woman exhibited
were just like crying in the forest.
At the end of the night of the third day, the woman spoke to
Haridasa
Thakura as follows.
"My dear sir, for three days you have cheated me by giving me
false
assurances, for I see that throughout the entire day and night your
chanting of the holy name is never finished."
Haridasa Thakura said, "My dear friend, what can I do? I have
made a
vow. How, then, can I give it up?"
After offering obeisances to Haridasa Thakura, the woman said:
"I am
the illusory energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I came here
to test you.
In Bhagavad-gita (7.14) Lord Krishna says:
daivi
hy esa guna-mayi
mama maya duratyaya
mam eva ye prapadyante
mayam etam taranti te
"This divine
energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is
difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can
easily cross beyond it." This was actually proved by the behavior of
Haridasa Thakura. Maya enchants the entire world. Indeed, people have
forgotten the ultimate goal of life because of the dazzling attractions
of the material world. But this dazzling attraction, especially the
attractive beauty of a woman, is meant for persons who are not
surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord says, mam
eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te: "One who is
surrendered unto Me cannot be conquered by the illusory energy." The
illusory energy personally came to test Haridasa Thakura, but herein
she admits her defeat, for she was unable to captivate him. How is this
possible? It was because Haridasa Thakura, fully surrendered to the
lotus feet of Krishna, was always absorbed in thoughts of Krishna by
chanting the holy names of the Lord 300,000 times daily as a vow.
"I have previously captivated the mind of even Brahma, not to
speak of
others. Your mind alone have I failed to attract.
Beginning from Lord Brahma down to the insignificant ant, everyone,
without exception, is attracted by the illusory energy of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. The demigods, human beings, animals, birds,
beasts, trees and plants are all attracted by sexual desire. That is
the illusion of maya. Everyone, whether man or woman, thinks
that he is the enjoyer of the illusory energy. In this way, everyone is
captivated and engaged in material activities. However, because
Haridasa Thakura was always thinking of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead and was always busy satisfying the senses of the Lord, this
process alone saved him from the captivation of maya. This is
practical proof of the strength of devotional service. Because of his
full engagement in the service of the Lord, he could not be induced to
enjoy maya. The verdict of the shastras is that a pure
Vaishnava, or devotee of the Lord, never thinks of enjoying the
material world, which culminates in sex life. He never thinks himself
an enjoyer; instead, he always wants to be enjoyed by the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Therefore the conclusion is that the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is eternal, transcendental, beyond the
perception of sense gratification and beyond the material qualities.
Only if a living entity gives up the false conception that the body is
the self and always thinks himself an eternal servant of Krishna and
the Vaishnavas can he surpass the influence of maya (mam
eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te). A pure living entity
who thus attains the stage of anartha-nivritti, cessation of
everything unwanted, has nothing to enjoy in the material world. One
attains this stage only by properly performing the functions of
devotional service. Srila Rupa Gosvami has written:
adau
sraddha tatah sadhu-
sango 'tha bhajana-kriya
tato 'nartha-nivrttih syat
tato nistha ruchis tatah
"In the beginning one must have a preliminary desire for
self-realization. This will bring one to the stage of trying to
associate with persons who are spiritually elevated. In the next stage,
one becomes initiated by an elevated spiritual master, and under his
instruction the neophyte devotee begins the process of devotional
service. By execution of devotional service under the guidance of the
spiritual master, one becomes freed from all material attachments,
attains steadiness in self-realization and acquires a taste for hearing
about the Absolute Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna." (Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu
1.4.15)
If one is
actually executing devotional service, then anarthas, the
unwanted things associated with material enjoyment, will automatically
disappear.
"My dear sir, you are the foremost devotee. Simply seeing you
and
hearing you chant the holy name of Krishna has purified my
consciousness. Now I want to chant the holy name of the Lord. Please be
kind to me by instructing me about the ecstasy of chanting the Hare
Krishna maha-mantra.
"There is now a flood of the eternal nectar of love of Godhead
due to
the incarnation of Lord Chaitanya. All living entities are floating in
that flood. The entire world is now thankful to the Lord.
"Anyone who does not float in this inundation is most
condemned. Such a
person cannot be delivered for millions of kalpas.
The kalpa is explained in Bhagavad-gita. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam
ahar yad brahmano viduh. One day of Brahma is called a kalpa.
A yuga, or maha-yuga, consists of 4,320,000 years, and
one thousand such maha-yugas constitute one kalpa. The
author of Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta says that if one does
not take advantage of the Krishna consciousness movement of Sri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, he cannot be delivered for millions of such kalpas.
"Formerly I received the holy name of Lord Rama from Lord
Shiva, but
now, due to your association, I am greatly eager to chant the holy name
of Lord Krishna.
"The holy name of Lord Rama certainly gives liberation, but
the holy
name of Krishna transports one to the other side of the ocean of
nescience and at last gives one ecstatic love of Krishna.
In an indirect way, this verse explains the chanting of the Hare
Krishna maha-mantra. The Hare Krishna maha-mantra—Hare
Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare
Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare—includes both the holy name of Lord Krishna
and the name of Lord Rama. Lord Rama gives one the opportunity to be
liberated, but simply by liberation one does not get actual spiritual
benefit. Sometimes if one is liberated from the material world but has
no shelter at the lotus feet of Krishna, one falls down to the material
world again. Liberation is like a state of convalescence, in which one
is free from a fever but is still not healthy. Even in the stage of
convalescence, if one is not very careful, one may have a relapse.
Similarly, liberation does not offer as much security as the shelter of
the lotus feet of Krishna. It is stated in the shastra:
ye
'nye 'ravindaksha vimukta-maninas
tvayy asta-bhavad avisuddha-buddhayah
aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah
patanty adho 'nadrta-yusmad-anghrayah
"O Lord, the intelligence of those who think themselves liberated but
who have no devotion is impure. Even though they rise to the highest
point of liberation by dint of severe penances and austerities, they
are sure to fall down again into material existence, for they do not
take shelter at Your lotus feet." (Srimad-Bhagavatam
10.2.32)
Yusmad-anghrayah
refers to the lotus feet of Krishna. If one does not take shelter of
Krishna's lotus feet, he falls down (patanty adhah), even
from liberation. The Hare Krishna maha-mantra, however, gives
liberation and at the same time offers shelter at the lotus feet of
Krishna. If one takes shelter at the lotus feet of Krishna after
liberation, he develops his dormant ecstatic love for Krishna. That is
the highest perfection of life.
"Please give me the holy name of Krishna and thus make me
fortunate, so
that I also may float in the flood of love of Godhead inaugurated by
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu."
After speaking in this way, Maya worshiped the lotus feet of
Haridasa
Thakura, who initiated her by saying, "Just perform chanting of the
Hare Krishna maha-mantra."
Now even Maya wanted to be favored by Haridasa Thakura. Therefore
Haridasa Thakura formally initiated her by asking her to chant the Hare
Krishna maha-mantra.
After thus being instructed by Haridasa Thakura, Maya left
with great
pleasure. Unfortunately, some people have no faith in these narrations.
Therefore I shall explain the reasons why people should have
faith.
Everyone who hears this will be faithful.
During the incarnation of Lord Chaitanya to inaugurate the
Krishna
consciousness movement, even such personalities as Lord Brahma, Lord
Shiva and the four Kumaras took birth upon this earth, being allured by
ecstatic love of Lord Krishna.
All of them, including the great sage Narada and devotees like
Prahlada, came here as if human beings, chanting the holy names of Lord
Krishna together and dancing and floating in the inundation of love of
Godhead.
The goddess of fortune and others, allured by love of Krishna,
also
came down in the form of human beings and tasted the holy name of the
Lord in love.
What to speak of others, even Krishna, the son of Nanda
Maharaja,
personally descends to taste the nectar of love of Godhead in the form
of the chanting of Hare Krishna.
What is the wonder if the maidservant of Krishna, His external
energy,
begs for love of Godhead? Without the mercy of a devotee and without
the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, love of Godhead cannot be
possible.
In the activities of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the three
worlds
dance and chant, having come in touch with love of Godhead. This is the
characteristic of His pastimes.
The holy name of Krishna is so attractive that anyone who
chants
it—including all living entities, moving and nonmoving, and even Lord
Krishna Himself—becomes imbued with love of Krishna. This is the effect
of chanting the Hare Krishna
maha-mantra.
I have heard from the mouth of Raghunatha dasa Gosvami all
that Svarupa
Damodara Gosvami recorded in his notes about the pastimes of Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
I have briefly described those pastimes. Whatever I have
written is by
the mercy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, since I am an insignificant
living being.
I have described but a fragment of the glories of Haridasa
Thakura.
Hearing this satisfies the aural reception of every devotee.
Praying at the lotus feet of Sri Rupa and Sri Raghunatha,
always
desiring their mercy, I, Krishnadasa, narrate
Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, following in their footsteps.
Thus end
the Bhaktivedanta purports to Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita,
Antya-lila, Third Chapter, Verses 49-99 and 214-272, describing the
glories of Srila Haridasa
Thakura.
