SRÍ HARIDÁS THÁKUR

VrajaLīlā svarūp: MahāTapā Brahmā (Ṝcīk Muni’s son) / Prahlād

[GauraGaṇoddeśaDīpikā 93]
Birthplace: Buran, SātKṣīrā, BānglaDesh
Tirobhāv (disappearance): BhādraGauraCaturdaśī
Śrīpāṭ: Benāpol, Haridāspur, Fuliā, KulīnGrām, Cāndpur, Purī

All glories, all glories to the friend of the fallen, Srí GauraSundar. All
glories to the husband of LaksmíDeví. He is the SupremeController of everyone.
All glories to him, who descends on this earth to protect his devotees. All glories
to his lílá of Sankírtan, the Truth for all time. All glories, all glories to Srí
Gauránga in the company of his devotees. By hearing the topics concerning Lord
Chaitanya (ChaitanyaKathá) one attains genuine devotion.
The pastimes of the ÁdiKhanda are like streams of nectar, in which are
contained the playful sports of Srí Gauránga, who bewilders all living entities
everywhere.
Thus the Hero of Vaikuntha, as a householder and the best of the
bráhmanas, continued to instruct his students though he descended to reveal
loving devotion to the Lord. He left this purpose for the time being. This is his
independent nature.
The entire world, at that time, was entirely devoid of real piety or any
spiritual culture. Rather, everyone was affectionately engaged in the trifling and
insignificant mellows of worldly affairs. Even those who sometimes taught
BhagavadGítá and SrímadBhágavatam, never themselves realized the importance of
sankírtan, and therefore, could not divulge this truth to others.
Only a handful of devotees would meet together, where in each other’s
company they sang the Lord’s kírtan while clapping their hands. Even at that,
they became the brunt of so much joking-
“What do they hope to accomplish by yelling so loudly? I am that same
SupremeSpirit! That is to say, the SupremeBeing, that Supremely Pure Entity is
within me. Why do they think they are calling to Hari? I think this is simply a
trick; the real purpose is to beg something to eat. We should break their houses
and throw them away.”
In this way, the inhabitants of Nadíyá raised these points of ‘reason’
amongst themselves. The devotees, however, felt sad to hear these abusive
remarks. They sought out some gentle and respectable persons to whom they
could pour out their woes and receive in turn some amelioration, but nowhere
were such persons to be found. Thus they saw this world as a great void and had
no other recourse but to call out, “Há Krsna!” while immersed in this vast,
shoreless sea of sadness.
Just at this time, Srí Haridás arrived in Navadvíp, his form bearing the full
manifestation of devotion to Lord Krsna. Now please hear the narrations of
HaridásThákur’s wonderful qualities, which will certainly enable you to attain
Krsna, by all means and in every respect.

 HaridásThákur appeared in the village of Buran, which auspicious good

fortune caused that region to be illuminated by the light of Srí KrsnaSankírtan.
From his very birth he was very deeply devoted to the HolyNames of Srí Krsna.
Buran is in the present district of Sátksíra, BánglaDesh, which was previously a subdivision of Khulná.
After remaining there for some days, he eventually came to the banks of
MotherGanges and remained at Fuliá, near Shántipur. ÁcháryaGosái was in total
ecstasy to get his association and roared very loudly, there being no bounds to the
bliss he felt. Thus it came to pass that in the company of AdvaitaDev, Haridás
spent his time floating in the waves of the ocean of the nectarean mellows of
Govinda’s Name, Form, Qualities, Lílá and Service.
Many people have the mistaken conception that Haridás was exclusively engaged in the
chanting of the names of Hari and therefore had not entered into relishing the mellows connected with
the loving lílá of Govinda. The mundane illusionists haven’t yet understood that the Name itself is the
wish-fulfilling gem and embodied form of rasa (loving mellows). By the power of uttering the Name,
one can taste the mellows of devotion to Krsna; it is not possible to do so by any other practice or
method. The connoisseur of the Name, ThákurHaridás, is therefore the best of the most eminent of
teachers in the matter of showing how to enter an understanding of the rasa shástras (scriptures dealing
with the topic of rasa, or loving mellows). The emotionally-minded, mundane illusionists, by reason of
their offenses to the Name, become obsessed with material mellows and therefore never obtain even a
trace of information about the transcendental mellows of the Name.
Haridás thus wandered on the banks of MáGangá, incessantly absorbed,
with great eagerness, in the loud chanting of the HolyNames.
He was the foremost of those who are disgusted with material pleasures
and whose only fulfillment is through the Name, which graced the splendour of
his most fortunate mouth by taking up residence there. Never for even a moment
did he feel any apathy or indifference toward Govinda’s Name. By the mellows
of devotion he continually expressed his ecstatic moods in different ways.
Sometimes he began to dance on his own and sometimes he made sounds that
resembled those of a mad lion. Sometimes he cried very loudly and sometimes he
laughed even louder. Sometimes his voice thundered with menacing shouts and
sometimes he remained collapsed on the ground, fallen in a faint of ecstatic love.
Sometimes he made supernatural sounds, calling to some unearthly abode, and
then explained those eulogies in elevated speech. Tears, standing of the bodily
hairs on end, laughing, fainting and perspiration - all of the transformations due
to loving devotion to Srí Krsna would exhibit their playful pastimes in his body
the moment he began to dance.
The mundane fruitive workers are very zealous to observe the state of
their physical bodily health, and so they are averted from the culture of Krsna
consciousness; whereas the opposite occurs in the case of the devotees who are
always ready to render some service to the Personality of Godhead. In other
words, the ecstatic symptoms are visible within their bodies while they engage in
excessive and intense dancing. Even the outright atheists were awed to see
ThákurHaridás, his body drenched by the flow of ecstasy emanating from his
eyes, and they actually obtained great happiness in doing so. Even Lord Brahmá
and Lord Siva were made very eager to see the strange yet wonderful symptoms
of horripilation in the body of Haridás; thrilled with ecstatic rapture, all of his
bodily hairs standing on end. The residents of the village of Fuliá, many of whom
were bráhmanas, became overwhelmed by the sight of Haridás and immediately
placed their full faith and confidence in him. Thus PrabhuHaridás remained
there and engaged in his daily activity of bathing in MáGangá, after which he

 wandered about, loudly chanting HariNám. Gradually word began to spread of

his glories.
THE MALICIOUS MUSLIMS
When the local Kázi came to know all this, he began to burn with malice
and went to the Mulukpati, the administrative head of the province, and narrated
to him all about the activities of Haridás.
“There is a Muslim in this area who has taken up the Hindu religion. I
think it would be wise to have him brought here for judgment.”
The Mulukpati, who was just as sinful as the Kázi, had Haridás
immediately brought there. But what to speak of the Muslims, by the mercy of Srí
Krsna, HaridásMaháshoy was not afraid of even eternal time, beyond which
there is nothing else as fearful. While uttering “Krsna, Krsna” he immediately set
off with his captors and subsequently came into the presence of the Mulukpati.
The local inhabitants, having experienced great happiness and excitement at
obtaining Haridás within their midst, were now transported into dire straights
and became thoroughly morose at the thought of what might happen to him at
the hands of the Yavanas.
News spread far and wide about the arrest of HaridásThákur. When the
inhabitants of the jail, many of whom were respectable gentlemen harassed by
the Mohammedans, came to find out that Haridás would be coming amongst
them, they felt very glad within themselves.
“HaridásMaháshoy is a great Vaishnav. By seeing him, the affliction that
we experience, due to being contained within this jail, will be alleviated.”
Having appealed to the jail-keepers to let them see Haridás when he
came, they now remained waiting and watching for his arrival. Haridás arrived
just at that moment and bestowed his merciful glance on all of them, while they,
in turn, offered their obeisances to him.
HaridásThákur had a very beautiful appearance. His arms were long and
graceful and his eyes expanded like the petals of a lotus flower. The matchless
beauty of his moonlike face had an enchanting effect on one’s mind. The
prisoners greeted him with great reverence and thus experienced the
transformations that are concomitant with KrsnaBhakti. PrabhuHaridás was very
satisfied to see their devotional temperament and so he smiled very mercifully.
He addressed them, “Just remain here, as you are.” He laughed at his own
joking words, which were actually a hidden benediction. The prisoners, however,
could not understand the hidden meaning of his words and so felt dejected.
Haridás therefore explained the meaning of his disguised benediction.
“Because you could not understand the meaning of this benediction that I
have conferred upon you all, you therefore feel somewhat saddened at heart. You
should, however, understand that it is not my inclination to behave in a vicious
manner with anyone. Therefore please try to understand the import of what I
have spoken.
“At present I have noticed that you are all very much inclined towards Srí
Krsna. So it was this that I was referring to when I said, ‘May you always remain
like this.’
“You should all collectively chant the eternal Names of Srí Krsna and in
this way remain absorbed in thoughts of him. If you call out to Krsna with all
your heart, and entreat him most earnestly by calling his transcendental Name,

then you will remain thinking of him and will no longer be conscious of the
oppression and maliciousness which is being vented against the citizens of this
land by the present regime. If you go out into the world only to become absorbed
once again in worldly affairs, then what will be the value of that? Due to
association with wicked persons you will forget everything about what you are
now experiencing. Love of Krsna does not take place if one remains addicted to
worldliness. You can know for certain that Krsna remains at a distance from the
materialistic sense enjoyers. It is a very troublesome affair for the mind, once one
enters into worldly life. One becomes entangled in the webs of máyá. Eternal
time in the form of wife and sons comes to engage him. By the grace of
Providence, a fortunate and virtuous soul happens to get the association of a
sádhu and thus he gradually gives up his obsession with worldly matters and
takes to the worship of Srí Krsna.
sadhu- honest person, living a life of integrity
“Now if such a fortunate soul again associates with materialists, then he
will again become implicated in offensive activity. This is the nature of worldly
life. Just try to understand the essence of what I am saying. My blessing was not
that you should remain prisoners here, but that you should remain absorbed day
and night in the chanting of the HolyNames of Hari and thus forget entirely
about worldly existence. Only as a pretense did I bless you in that way. Don’t
trouble yourselves about it for even half a second and thus become depressed.
What to speak of all of you, I am favourably disposed towards all living entities. I
only desire that they should attain steadfast devotion to Krsna. Don’t worry.
Within two or three days you will all be released from here. I can say this without
any reservation. Wherever you remain in worldly life, or if you live here and
there without any fixed place of residence, wherever and in whatever condition
of life you remain, please be careful not to ever lose this understanding of life
which I have imparted to you today.”
After putting those prisoners on this auspicious path, the search for Srí
Krsna, Haridás came before the Muslim ruler.
The Mohammedan governor was captivated to see Haridása’s lustrous
appearance and so he very respectfully offered him a sitting place. The governor
personally began to question him, “Why, my dear brother! How is it that you
have become inclined in this way? What exactly are your intentions? Just see how
fortunate you are to have been born as a Muslim. Then why do you behave with
your body and mind as though you were a Hindu? As Muslims, we don’t take
our meals with Hindus or even eat in their presence, but you have given up our
tradition though you were born in a very reputable Muslim family. If you
transgress the duties of the religion that you have inherited by birth only to take
up some other practices, then how do you expect to get salvation in the afterlife?
The only respite for you now is to recite the Kalma (prayers from the Koran). This
will absolve you from the sinful reactions of your deviation from the customary
duties and rites of a Muslim, which you have unknowingly committed.”
Haridás simply smiled to hear the Nawáb’s words, which were nothing
but the lure of illusion. He exclaimed, “Aho VisnuMáyá! Just see the power of
illusion of Lord Visnu!”
He then replied to him in very sweet speech, “Hear me, Báp! There is only
one Lord of the Universe, the Master and Proprietor of everyone else. The
Hindus and Muslims know him by different names but in the highest interest,

 from the transcendental viewpoint, he is one. This is the version of both the
Koran and the Puránas. He is the One Supremely pure, eternal Reality, indivisible
and imperishable, without beginning or end, who is full in himself and who is
seated within everyone’s heart. The totality of living entities, existing within all
the worlds, are inspired individually within their hearts by the Supreme Lord,
who causes them to act in different ways. Throughout the entire world, the
people of all regions praise his HolyNames and Qualities according to the view
of their scriptures. The Supreme Lord, on the other hand, accepts the individual
nature, or mood, of each and every living entity. If anyone shows malice towards
another’s religion (dharma) he is actually showing his malice to the Lord himself,
who incited the initial inspiration. Since he is One, one therefore becomes
envious of the same Supreme Lord that he himself is worshipping. At present I
am acting as I have been inspired by that same Supreme Lord.
dharma- here, the conversation appears to be centred on ‘religion’, the external practices by which one
demonstrates his love, or attachment to the SupremeLord. HaridásThákur, however, is concerned with
something much more intrinsic. It is the SupremeLord who inspires everyone to act, from within their
hearts. And yet, the Lord continues to reciprocate according to one’s own individual nature, according
to how one individually acts on the initial inspiration incited by him. This very internal relationship is
the actual meaning of dharma, and not the external form, or religion.
“It is sometimes seen that though one is born as a Hindu in a bráhmana
family, out of his own desire he becomes a Muslim. What do the Hindus do to
such a person? A man suffers the good or bad results of his own activity. How
does it befit me to beat someone who has already killed himself? Is this a matter
of righteousness or the means to attain religious merit? My dear Sir, you simply
decide. If I am guilty of any crime, then feel free to punish me.”
Those Mohammedans were very satisfied to hear HaridásThákur’s
statements, which were undeniably based on the truth. Amongst them, only that
sinful Kázi requested the governor, “He should be punished!”
The nature of a bad apple is that it spoils the whole bunch. Thus it was
that the vile and wicked Kázi poisoned the others present there and so stained
the honour of all Muslims.
“Let him admit his mistake and again recite from his own scriptures,
otherwise he must be punished fittingly.”
The Governor pleaded with Haridás, “My brother! There is nothing to
worry about if you will just recite from your own scripture. Otherwise, the Kázi’s
men will beat you severely. Eventually they’ll force you to accede, so why
unnecessarily should you suffer and also lower your dignity?”
Haridás replied, “The SupremeLord alone is the PrimeMover. No one can
do anything outside of his sanction. Whatever proportionate result is due as the
consequence of one’s offenses is awarded by the SupremeLord himself. Know
this to be a fact, that he alone is dispensing his will. If my body is cut into pieces
and even if the life force leaves that body, still I will not give up the chanting of
HariNám.”
When the Mohammedan Governor heard Haridás issue such a powerful
statement, he looked at the Kázi and inquired, “What should we do with him?”
The Kázi replied, “He should be bound in chains and severely beaten
while dragged through the twenty-two different market places of this kingdom. I
can find no other judgment as fitting as this. If, after being beaten throughout
twenty-two market places, he remains alive, then I will know that the words of
the wise men of this country are true.”

 Calling the bailiff and his footmen, the Kázi shouted at them angrily, “He
should be beaten in such a way that his life cannot possibly remain. This is the
only means of deliverance for a Muslim who has become a Hindu.”
The governor was also sinful by nature, thus did he order the guards to
carry out the instructions of the sinful Kázi. Then those wicked fellows came
forward and caught hold of Haridás. They dragged him from one bazaar to the
next, and in a very angry mood beat him severely and cruelly so that he must
certainly die.
HaridásThákur was engaged in remembrance of Krsna by repeating his
HolyNames. He was so much absorbed in the ecstasy of the Name that he was
not aware of any physical pain.
When the good-natured and upright citizens of that country saw that he
was being beaten so severely they felt immense grief. Some of them remarked,
“This kingdom will be desolated! Only for this reason, honest people are treated
in such fashion?”
Some of them, in a vehement mood, cursed the king and his councilors
while others got up and prepared themselves to physically attack the guards who
were beating the Thákur. Someone fell down in front of those guards and while
catching hold of their feet entreated them, “I’ll pay you something, but please
don’t beat him so hard!”
Not a tinge of mercy, however, could be made to awaken itself within
those sinful wretches, whose angry mood would not easily abate. They continued
to beat Haridás as they dragged him from one bazaar to the next.
By the prasád (mercy) of Srí Krsna, Haridás felt not even a pinch of pain
within his body, though he was being beaten severely, just as Prahlád, who was
similarly tortured by the demoniac associates of his father, felt no distress
whatsoever, in spite of their torturing. This is the version of all the scriptures.
What to speak of Haridás, even ordinary persons who remember him (Haridás),
and his exceptional quality of forbearance, can get relief from all their sufferings.
The only anguish Haridás felt was for the vicious culprits who beat him.
“Krsna! Please show some kindness upon these creatures. There is no offense on
their part, on account of the injury they try to inflict upon me.”
Though they continued to beat him tenaciously, so that the life force might
leave his body, Haridás showed no signs of feeling any pain, due to the absence
of any external consciousness. The Mohammedans were totally astonished and
thought to themselves, “Is it possible for an ordinary human being to remain
alive even after such a beating as this? Generally people give up their bodies after
being beaten in only two or three bazaars. Now we have beaten this fellow in
twenty-two marketplaces, yet he still remains alive. Not only does he not die but
I have also sometimes noticed that he is occasionally even smiling. Is he some
kind of holy man or what?” Thus they considered within their minds.
They now addressed him, “Ohe Haridás! You will be the cause of the
destruction of all of us! (Now you will be the death of us!) Though we have
beaten you so much, still you don’t die. Now the Kázi will take our lives for
having failed in our duty.”
Haridás smiled as he replied to them, “If there will be some difficulty for
you in my remaining alive, then I suppose I’ll just have to die. Now see for
yourselves!” So saying, Haridás entered a deep trance, or state of internal

 consciousness. He was endowed with full potencies and so he could render his
body completely motionless, without even a sign of breathing.
Again those Mohammedans were totally amazed as they carried his body
to the door of the Mulukpati and threw it there on the ground. The governor
ordered them to take the body away and bury it, but the Kázi protested, “No,
then he will eventually achieve final beatitude. Though he has taken a high birth
he has nevertheless engaged in abominable activities. Therefore he should be
dealt with in a befitting manner. If he is buried then he will have an auspicious
afterlife. Rather, throw his body into the Ganges so that he will suffer
perpetually.”
When they heard the instructions of the Kázi those sinful Muslim
miscreants went to pick up Haridása’s body but found that his body had become
immovable. While Haridás was absorbed in the ecstasy of deep meditation, Srí
Visvambhar had entered into Haridása’s body, the result being that his body had
now become so heavy that it was not within the power of anyone there to move
it, not even a fraction of an inch. Though they were all very strongly built and
pushed and pulled from all directions, PrabhuHaridása’s body was totally
paralyzed and now appeared as though it were a pillar in a great hall. Totally
drowned in the ocean of the pure ecstasy of Krsna consciousness, there was no
manifestation whatsoever of any external consciousness in his body. He was not
at all conscious of where he was, where was the sky, the earth or MotherGangá.
Due to the influence of KrsnaBhakti, the same capacity for remembrance of Krsna
that was observed in PrahládMaháráj was also now evident in the person of
HaridásThákur. He was not aware of anything other than the presence of Srí
GauraChandra within his heart.
Just as Hanumán, in order to show proper respect to the brahmástra
weapon released against him by Indrajit, allowed himself to be bound, so also
Haridás allowed himself to be beaten, in order to instruct the people of the world
about tolerance and forbearance. “If, as the result of unending misery, the life
force leaves my body, still I will not give up the chanting of the HolyNames.”
With Srí Govinda himself as his protector, who has it within their power to
violate the transcendental existence of HaridásThákur? If one merely remembers
ThákurHaridás, all of his own sorrows and suffering are rendered null and void.
So what can we understand about the transcendental position of HaridásThákur?
[In other words, if by only remembering HaridásThákur one gets free from grief,
then we can just imagine his transcendental position and total absence of
anguish.]
Hanumán- the Entellus; monkey warrior, friend of LordRámChandra
brahmástra- (brahma astra) nuclear weapon; the nuclear explosion resulting from the release of this
weapon was so controlled that it remained on an atomic level, that is to say, when Asvatháma released
this weapon against Pariksit in the womb of his mother, the weapon would have destroyed Pariksit
without killing his mother, had not the SupremeLord intervened (Asvatháma and Pariksit are characters
from the MaháBhárat; Hanumán, Rávana and Indrajit are from the Ramáyan)
Indrajit- son of Rávana
Verily, Haridás is a controller of this universe, due to his exalted position
as the foremost follower of Srí ChaitanyaChandra. Thus it happened that as his
body floated in the waters of MáGangá, his external consciousness returned in a
flash, due to the influence of the will of the SupremeLord. Having become again
externally aware, HaridásMaháshoy came to the banks of the river and got up
out of the water, feeling himself thrilled with ecstatic symptoms. This is how he

 returned to his residence at FuliáNagar, chanting the HolyNames very loudly all
the time.
When those Mohammedans came to know of his extraordinary prowess
they gave up their feeling of malicious enviousness and their minds were
purified. They considered Haridás to be a great holy man. Thus by offering their
salutations they obtained deliverance.
When Haridás saw the governor again he smiled very mercifully. The
governor humbly replied with folded hands, “Now I have become fortunate
enough to know what a great saint you are! You are fixed in the knowledge of the
all-pervasiveness of the Supreme, and everyone and everything’s existence in
him. Fortified by your total conviction, you have now become possessed of his
transcendental qualities. Previously, whatever yogís or jnánís I had met, I found
to be nothing more than big talkers. They did not possess any perfection, neither
were they liberated from material conditioning. All of the mystic perfections,
however, are very wonderfully displayed in your body. I came here just to meet
you, Maháshoy! Please forgive all of my crimes and offenses. You are fully
equipoised and for you no one is a friend or enemy. Actually there is no one in
the three worlds competent to know you. Please feel free to wander anywhere
you like within the lands under my jurisdiction and thus make this country
auspicious by gracing it with your holy presence. I hope that you will again take
up solitary residence in your cave on the banks of MáGangá. According to your
desire you can stay anywhere you like. Whatsoever you may desire, please at all
times and places feel free to act accordingly.”
What to speak of pious and honest men, by seeing the lotus feet of
HaridásThákur, even the Mohammedans forgot their own independent existence
and became devoted to him. At first this sinful man had summoned up such
intense anger, in order that Haridás might be beaten, and now he offered prayers
at his feet, considering him a great saintly person. Haridás bestowed upon him
his merciful glance and then proceeded towards his residence at Fuliá.
While loudly chanting the HolyNames, Haridás arrived at an assembly of
the local bráhmanas. When they saw him they felt extremely happy, and began to
chant loudly, “Hari! Hari!”
To this Haridás responded by dancing in great ecstasy as he gradually
became overcome by strange yet wonderful symptoms, such as weeping,
trembling, laughing, fainting, erection of the hairs of the body and loud roaring.
In an unlimited progression these ecstatic symptoms swept over him, engulfing
him in the mellows of ecstatic love and causing him to slip and tumble down to
the ground. The bráhmanas were floating in an ocean of ecstasy to see such
symptoms of intense love. Haridás calmed himself for a moment and sat down
with those bráhmanas who were also seated in a circle around him.
Haridás addressed them, “Hear me Oh Bráhmanas! Please do not feel any
affliction on my behalf. It is only due to the fact that I allowed words of
blasphemy of the SupremeLord to enter my ears that he saw fit to chastise me. It
is very good for me, and I am very happy that I got by with such a token
punishment, in spite of the severity of my sin. Actually, the hell known as
Kumbhípáka is prescribed for those who listen to condemnation of the
SupremeLord Visnu, a substantial amount of which I have heard with these
sinful ears of mine. Now that I have been fittingly punished by him, I only hope
that I never commit such sins again.”

 Kumbhípáka- ‘One who criticizes Lord Visnu and his devotees loses all the benefits accrued in a
hundred pious births. Such a person rots in the Kumbhípáka hell and is bitten by worms as long as the
sun and moon exist. One should therefore not even see the face of a person who blasphemes Lord
Visnu and his devotees. Never try to associate with such persons.’
[BhaktiSandarbha 313]
“‘If one does not immediately leave upon hearing the Lord or the Lord’s devotee blasphemed, he falls
down from devotional service.’” [BhaktiSandarbha 265; quoted from:
SrímadBhágavatam 10.74.40]
“If one hears an irresponsible person blaspheme the master and controller of religion, he should block
his ears and go away if unable to punish him. But if one is able to kill, then one should by force cut out
the blasphemer’s tongue and kill the offender, and after that he should give up his own life.”
[SrímadBhágavatam 4.4.17]
So it happened that Haridás enjoyed great fun while fearlessly chanting
and dancing in the midst of those pious bráhmanas. Those Mohammedans who
had tried to inflict pain on ThákurHaridás were totally desolated, along with
their families, within a number of days.
A DRAMA
In Srí ChaitanyaChandrodoyNátak, Haridás plays the part of the Sútradhár.
He has a turban on his head, earrings on his ears, a string of pearls on his neck
and bracelets on his arms. From his shoulders hang a flowing wreath of field-
flowers.
On the stage, the dramatic character representing the abstract virtue of
Brotherhood asks the Deity of Love and Faith, how it is that a Mohammedan is
allowed to take part in the religious functions of the Hindus.
The latter replies, “The way of love and faith is different from the way
prescribed in the shástras.”
Brotherhood says, “If one takes an irregular course, it will take a long time
to arrive at the spiritual goal, if it is to be attained at all by such means.”
The Deity of Love and Faith replies, “Not so always, though it may be
true, generally speaking. There are occasions when, by embracing an undefined
and irregular course, the destination is reached the sooner. Behold, when the
country is deluged with flood and there is no fixed course for the boat to take, it
goes faster to its destination by following an undefined course than it would do
by taking the zigzag course of a well-defined river in the dry season.”
[Chaitanya and His Companions / RaiSahib DineshChandra Sen]
LIVING WITH A SNAKE
Haridás remained in a solitary, hollowed-out hole within the earth at the
base of a tree, on the banks of MáGangá. Here he remembered the HolyNames of
Srí Hari at all hours of the day and night. That hole (gufa) within the earth
became a residence in Vaikuntha for him, as he chanted the HolyNames 300,000
times daily.
This gufa still exists near Fuliä, on the banks of the old bed of MotherGaìgä.
One can reach Fuliä by train from Shäntipur. From there it is a short rickshaw ride to
the gufa.
There was, however, a great, venomous snake that lived also in that hole,
within the roots of the tree, and who was a great source of anxiety to all other
living creatures. Whoever came by to talk with Haridás could not remain there
due to experiencing a burning sensation produced by the venom of that snake.
Everyone noticed it, but Haridás was not even slightly aware of any such
sensation.

 Once some of the local bráhmanas were discussing amongst each other as
to why there might be such a source of vexation within Haridása’s áshram. Some
physicians from that locality then ascertained the cause- the presence of a
venomous snake.
One of them remarked, “At the base of this hole lives a great snake whose
venom creates such a burning sensation that no one else can remain here.
Haridás, I’m speaking to you with all certainty. Please leave this place and come
to live somewhere else. It is not right to live with snakes. All of us are dependent
on you and therefore we are requesting you to abandon this dangerous
situation.”
They all came to him, individually and in groups, requesting him to take
shelter elsewhere, this place having become unfit for his habitation.
Haridás replied to them, “I have been living here for many days but I have
never noticed even a scent of any poisonous fumes here. Since you are all
aggrieved at this and none of you can tolerate it, then I will leave here tomorrow.
My dear sirs, if there really is a snake here, then either he or I, one of the two of
us, will leave here by tomorrow. This is nothing worth worrying about. Now let
us hear something about Krsna.”
Then something very miraculous happened as they engaged in
KrsnaKírtan. When the serpent that was living there realised that Haridás was
going to leave, he decided that he should himself leave. So at the beginning of
sunset, within the sight of everyone, he slowly slithered out from the inner
recesses of that hole and left there for another place. Such an exceedingly
wonderful snake it was, very dangerous-looking yet beautiful, with many
different colours: yellow, blue, white and red. When those bráhmanas saw the
large jewel on his head blazing forth, they became very afraid and remembered
Krsna by chanting his HolyName, “Krsna! Krsna!”
Then, however, they saw that the snake was gone and there was no longer
any burning sensation, thus they were very pleased. Their devotion to Haridás
increased even more; to see his overwhelming spiritual power.
Just see the amazing influence of HaridásThákur! The snake immediately
left, simply on the strength of his words. Merely by seeing HaridásThákur one
becomes free from the bondage of ignorance. Even Krsna himself is not prepared
to infringe upon the Thákur’s words.
There is another very interesting incident which I ask you to listen to with
rapt attention, the glories of HaridásThákur as revealed by the king of the snakes
himself.
THE APPEARANCE OF THE KING OF THE SNAKES, SRÍ ANANTADEV
One day, at the home of a well-to-do gentleman, a snake charmer
appeared on the scene and began to dance in a variety of fashions. Under the
influence of the various mantras he chanted, his associates played the mridanga
and kartáls and sang very loudly in a circle around him.
mridanga- a clay drum; kartáls- hand cymbals
Just at that moment HaridásThákur happened to arrive there and stood
off to one side to watch the dancing of the snake charmer. By the power of those
mantras, the king of the snakes, Vásuki himself, entered within the body of that
snake charmer and began to dance in great eagerness. His associates now began
to sing a melody that portrayed the unlimited compassion and kindness of the

 activities of Srí Krsna, in subduing and dancing on the heads of the Káliya
serpent.
Vásuki- the serpant used by the suras and asuras (demigods and demons) to churn the ocean of milk
into nectar
Káliya- a serpant who fled the wrath of Garuda, Lord Visnu’s bird carrier, and came to Vraja, where he
was forcibly subdued by Srí Krsna and asked to leave there
When Haridás heard the glories of his worshipful Lord being sung, he
fainted to the ground where he remained without exhibiting any symptoms of
life, even that he was still breathing. After some time, however, he regained
consciousness. Getting up from the ground he roared very loudly. Then
ThákurHaridás began to dance in great ecstasy. The snake charmer could
perceive that Haridás was possessed by an ecstatic trance of love of God and so
stood off to one side. Haridás began to roll on the ground while manifesting the
ecstatic symptoms of horripilation, tears in the eyes and trembling of the body.
He wept loudly while remaining totally absorbed in the Lord’s wonderful
qualities, which he now remembered as a result of hearing the songs of the snake
charmer and his troupe. All those present surrounded Haridás and sang in
ecstatic joy while Haridás danced. The snake charmer respectfully remained off
to one side and watched their fun. Haridás remained possessed by this ecstatic
trance for some moments, but when he again became externally aware, the snake
charmer resumed his dancing.
The people gathered there had become thoroughly delighted to see his
trance of ecstatic love. Wherever they saw the impression of his footprints in the
earth they picked up the dust from that spot and smeared it on their bodies in
great eagerness.
Now one very pretentious bráhmana, who was present there, began to
consider that he would also dance, as he said to himself, “I have understood that
these stupid and boorish villagers will give respect to any ordinary fellow if he
dances.” Thinking like this, he stumbled to the ground as though he was
benumbed.
The moment he fell down, where the snake charmer was dancing, the
snake charmer began to beat him, in a very angry mood. On the sides, on the
back, everywhere, even on his head, the lashes of his cane showed no mercy, and
there was no escape. That bráhmana was completely shattered by the lashes of
his cane. Calling out, “Báp! Báp!” he had no other recourse but to flee the wrath
of the snake charmer. Then the snake charmer continued to dance to his complete
self-satisfaction, though the onlookers gathered there were thoroughly amazed,
as they wondered within themselves what had just happened.
Finally their curiosity prompted them to ask him, as they continued to
stand off to one side while he danced, “Why did you beat that bráhmana, and
why, when Haridás was dancing, did you remain respectfully at some distance?”
Srí AnantaDev, present at that moment in the body of the snake charmer,
replied to their questions as follows, “What you have asked about is a very
mysterious matter and though it is actually indescribable, I will certainly tell you
all about it.
“When all of you showed such regard to Haridás due to his absorption in
ecstatic love, that deceitful bráhmana, whose heart was burning with jealousy,
feigned as though he had fainted and so fell to the ground in a tumble. Can
someone interrupt the happiness I was feeling through dancing, simply on the

 strength of his enviousness? Because he had the audacity to try to falsely imitate
the Thákur, I punished him appropriately. Only so that others might see him as a
great devotee has he behaved in this way. Just to gain some cheap adoration by
making one’s position prominent among the people, such deceitful rogues
engage in religious activities. Such arrogant fools have no love or affection for
Krsna. Only if one is sincere in his motives can he obtain devotion to Krsna.
“What you saw at first, the dancing of Haridás, is sufficient to release one
from material bondage. When Haridás dances, Krsna himself dances, and so the
whole universe becomes purified to see that dancing. It is very fitting that he
should be known as Haridás, since Krsna is in fact continuously present in his
heart. He is compassionate and affectionate to all living entities and acts only for
their benefit. In every birth he descends with the Lord. He is completely free from
any offense to Lord Visnu or the Vaishnavas. Even in dreams it cannot be seen
that he goes astray in any way. Whoever gets his association for only half a
moment must necessarily also get shelter at the lotus feet of Krsna. Even Lord
Brahmá and Lord Siva always cherish a desire to have the association of such
devotees as Haridás. Just to show the insignificant position of high birth or caste,
he has taken his birth in a lower substratum of society, all by the order of the
Lord. This is the verdict of the scriptures- ‘Even though one takes his birth in a
lower caste family, if he is a devotee of Visnu then he is worshipful. If one takes
his birth in an aristocratic family but does not worship Krsna, then what has such
a birth accomplished? other than causing one to sink into hellish existence.’ In
order to bear testimony to these utterances of the Vedas, HaridásThákur accepted
birth in a low caste family.”
Except for a few mogul invaders, the indigenous population of Bengal were all originally
Hindu, or followers of SanátanDharma. Amongst the lower castes especially, it was seen to be
somewhat of an advantage to convert to Islam, since the government at that time was in the hands of
the Muslims.
“Srí HaridásThákur is an eternally liberated associate of the Lord. The
associates of the Lord are worshipful wherever they make their appearance. As
Prahlád appeared in a family of demons and Hanumán appeared as a monkey,
similarly Haridás appeared amongst the lower castes. The demigods desire to
touch the transcendental body of Haridás and MotherGanges herself longs for
the moment when he will immerse his body in her waters. What to speak of
touching him, simply by seeing him the fetters of material bondage of the fallen
conditioned living entities are cut asunder. If one sees someone who has taken
shelter of HaridásThákur, that in itself is sufficient to free one from material
bondage. Even if one speaks of the glories of HaridásThákur with a hundred
mouths for a hundred years he will not be able to reach their limit. All of you are
blessed. Because of your appreciation of this transcendental personality,
HaridásThákur, something concerning his wonderful qualities has issued forth
from my mouth. Merely by saying his name, Haridás, one will be promoted to
Krsna’s abode.”
Having spoken thus, the King of the Serpents, Srí AnantaDev, who was
speaking through the mouth of that snake charmer, now fell silent. The virtuous
gentlemen who had gathered there were very satisfied by his reply to their
questions and returned to their homes in a happy mood.
Such are the glories of HaridásThákur, as have been previously stated by
the serpent devotee. Everyone now felt especially affectionate towards Haridás,
after being pleased to hear about him from the mouth of the serpent (Srí Ananta).

 In this way HaridásThákur remained absorbed in service to Srí

NámPrabhu, though the common people could not understand anything since
Srí GauraChandra had not as yet revealed the glories of devotional service.
KALIYUGA
In all directions and amongst all persons, devotion to Lord Visnu was
highly conspicuous due to its complete absence. Neither did they know of the
aims and purpose of performing kírtan. Nowhere had VisnuBhakti manifest itself
and consequently people only joked about the Vaishnavas. What few devotees
there were would meet together in secret and sing the names of Krsna while
clapping their hands. Even at that, the wicked persons became very angry,
straining at the reins of their thin veneer of patience, “These bráhmanas will
destroy the kingdom! They’ll cause a famine! Only for begging something to eat,
these emotionally unstable people perform kírtan, trying to deceive us by their
tricks. Gosái (the Supreme Lord) is resting for these four months (Cháturmásya-
the period when Lord Hari lies down)! Calling his name in this loud fashion will
be a source of disturbance. If he is awakened, he’ll be very angry. Then there will
be famine. Have no doubt. It will not be otherwise!”
Someone else said, “If the price of food goes up then I’ll go and give them
a good thumping on the back of the neck.”
Another one chimed in, “On Ekádashi one can stay up all night and
loudly chant the names of Govinda, but what is accomplished by chanting like
this every day?”
Ekádashi- the eleventh day of the waning and waxing moon, when Vaishnavas observe fasting and
increased remembrance of the glories of Srí Hari
In this way, these confirmed atheists and materialistic karmis, who were
situated midstream in society, ranted and raved about the activities of the
devotees. The devotees naturally felt afflicted to hear these comments but did not
give up the chanting of HariNám. Haridás also felt very sad within his heart to
hear the people slight devotional service in this way. Still, he continued to fill his
mouth with the loud chanting of the Lord’s HolyNames. The wicked and sinful
rascals, however, could not tolerate to hear this loud chanting of HariSankírtan.
karmi- fruitive actor
THE RASCAL BRÁHMANA
One bráhmana rascal from the village, HariNadi, became very angry upon
seeing Haridás and addressed him as follows, “Oi Haridás! What kind of
behaviour is this? What is your motive in calling out these names as you do?
Rather you should chant silently to yourself. This will be the proper observance
of religious duty. What scriptures state that one should call out these names as
such? Where have you learned to do like this? Come on, tell us. This is an
assembly of scholars. We will all be interested to hear.”
Haridás replied, “The fundamental truths concerning this matter, namely
the glories of HariNám, I think are very well known to all of you. Whatever I am
saying or will say I have in fact heard from all of you. If one chants loudly then
the religious merit that accrues to him is a hundred times more than if one simply
chants to himself. The scriptures do not attribute any fault to such chanting;
rather, they describe it as a virtuous attribute.

 uccaih (uccasvarena) gṛhitam nám sata guṇam bhavet

‘If one chants loudly the result is a hundred times greater.’

[Srí ChaitanyaBhágavat ÁdiLílá 16.274]
The bráhmana inquired, “By loud chanting the religious merit becomes a
hundred times greater? What is the cause of this?”
Haridás replied, “Please hear me, sir. The truths regarding this subject
matter are discussed in the Vedas and SrímadBhágavatam.”
All of the scriptures ran to take shelter in Haridása’s mouth, as he began
to explain these matters in the happiness of Krsna consciousness.
“Listen Oh bráhman! Whoever in fact hears KrsnaNám, be he beast, bird,
or a worm, goes to the supreme abode of the Lord, SríVaikuntha. Since the kírtan
of his Name purifies all those who hear, along with the chanter himself, then
what more can be said about someone who becomes purified by the direct touch
of his lotus feet. He will naturally be able to purify all others in every way.”
‘Anyone who chants your Name purifies all who hear his chanting, as
well as himself.’ [SrímadBhágavatam 10.34.17]
“The birds, beasts and insects cannot chant on their own, but if they hear
the HolyNames then they are delivered. If one chants to himself he delivers
himself only, but if one chants loudly then he renders the greatest benefit to
others. Therefore the scriptures have explained that if one chants loudly the
result is a hundred times greater.”
‘He who chants loudly is indeed a hundred times greater than he who
chants to himself, for the one who chants to himself purifies himself, whereas the
loud chanter purifies himself as well as the others who hear such loud chanting.’
[NáradíyaPurána / PrahládMaháráj]
“Thus we see in the Puránas that one who chants loudly is a hundred
times better than one who chants to himself. Listen, oh Vipra, with your full
attention, to the reason behind this. If I chant to myself then I am myself
nourished by this. But by the loud chanting of Govinda’s Names any creature
that hears is liberated. Though they have tongues, living entities other than
human beings cannot produce the sound that comes by uttering Krsna’s names.
If any creature who hears me can be delivered from an otherwise useless birth,
then please tell me what could possibly be the fault in such an activity? Someone
is interested only in maintaining himself while another supports and nourishes
thousands. Between the two, who is superior? This you can understand yourself
if you just consider the matter. This is the effective intention of chanting loudly.”
Having heard the words of Haridás, that bráhmana began to speak very
rudely and in an angry mood, “So, all of you have seen before you this Haridás,
how at every step he has destroyed the path of knowledge as we know it. It is
stated in the scriptures that at the end of the KaliYuga shúdras will comment on
the shástras. Why at the end? I am seeing it just now! Haridás, you have revealed
your real self. Just to enjoy nice foodstuffs you wander from house to house. If
this explanation given by you is not correct, then I will cut off your nose and your
ears.”
shúdra- member of the labourer class
Having heard the words of this despicable and mean-minded bráhmana,
Haridás smiled slightly and replied, “Hari!”

 He had nothing more to say than this and so departed from there, all the
while singing loudly the Lord’s HolyNames. The other members of that
assembly, who were also of an evil disposition, remained silent rather than give a
proper reply to the heinous remarks of that so-called bráhman. Therefore, they
also received a share of the sinful reaction inherent in his remarks. Actually they
were all rákshasas (demoniac), bráhmanas in name only, fitting recipients of the
tortures meted out by Yamaráj. In this age of ignorance and quarrel (KaliYuga)
the rákshasas take birth in bráhmana families to perpetrate their malicious and
malevolent mischief against the virtuous and pious.
rákshasas- (lit.) man-eaters, cannibals, orcs

“Having taking shelter of KaliYuga, rákshasas take their births in

bráhmana families to continue their business of oppressing the rare devotees who
are followers of the Sruti (the Lord’s instruction).
“The religious scriptures prohibit one from touching, listening to or
offering ones salutations to such so-called bráhmanas.”
[VaráhaPurána / Lord Siva]
“It is needless to say more on this matter; yet all of these bráhmanas, who
are not Vaishnavas, should not, even by mistake, be spoken to or touched.”
[PadmaPurána / Lord Siva]
“As one should never look upon a dog-eating chandal, so also it is never
proper to see a bráhmana who is not a Vaishnav. Whatever caste or class in which
he may take his birth, a Vaishnav is the guru of bráhmanas and is the purifier of
all the three worlds. One’s piety decays away, merely by talking to a non-
Vaishnav bráhman.” [PadmaPurána]

Within a matter of days, that despicable bráhmana contracted a serious

disease by which his nose became infected and ulcerous and eventually dropped
off. As he had threatened HaridásThákur, Krsna instead awarded the same
punishment to him.
[Srí ChaitanyaBhágavat ÁdiLílá 16]

NAVADVÍP LÍLÁ
Haridás sadly called out, “Krsna! Krsna!” while breathing a deep sigh, to
see that the world was so absorbed in materialistic consciousness. For so many
days he had desired to see another devotee and so he came to NavadvípPurí.
When the devotees saw Haridás, their minds were transported to the outer limits
of ecstasy. ÁcháryaGosái (AdvaitÁchárya) kept Haridás with himself and looked
after him with more care than he did his own life. He would offer the first
prasádam to HaridásThákur (which is to be offered only to high-class
bráhmanas) after performing PitriShráddha (worship of his forefathers). All of
the Vaishnavas were very affectionate to Haridás and showed him much respect.
This gave the atheists more to talk about and so they continued to tease
and torment the devotees with their snide remarks. The devotees in turn
mutually discussed this situation amongst themselves. Their only shelters were
the Gítá and Bhágavat upon which they based all of their discussions.
[Srí ChaitanyaBhágavat ÁdiLílá 16]

 SAT-PRAHÁRIYA MAHÁBHAVA
During the time when Srí ChaitanyaMaháprabhu displayed his Divine
opulences by manifesting his identity as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in
the courtyard of SrívásPandit’s house, he called his dear devotees to his side, one
by one.
“Haridás! Come and see me! You are more important to me than my own
body. Your caste and mine are the same.
“Haridás! When those Mohammedans were beating you, I was ready to
destroy them with my SudarshanChakra, but as you were praying for their
welfare, I was unable to do anything. Therefore I accepted their blows on my
own body. Just see, the scars are still here!”
There is nothing the Lord is not prepared to do or say, in order to magnify
the qualities of his devotees. He is even prepared to swallow fire in order to
protect his devotees. He willingly becomes the servant of his devotees. Krsna
knows nothing but his devotees. Their equal is nowhere to be found in all the
unlimited universes.
Seeing the scars on Maháprabhu’s body Haridás fainted in ecstatic love.
Regaining his consciousness he began to praise the Lord of his life, “O Lord
Visvambhar, Master of the universe, please have mercy on this sinner, who has
fallen at your feet. I have no good qualities and am a vile wretch, rejected by all
classes of men. How can I describe your Divine character?”
Prabhu: “Tell me! Tell me! Everything is already yours! There is nothing I
would not give you!”
Haridás then prayed for the benediction that he could receive the
remnants of prasádam of all the Lord’s devotees, “Just let me take birth as a dog
in the home of a devotee.”
The Lord replied that whoever remains with you for just a day, or
whoever talks with you; they all will attain me. Whoever respects you, respects
me. Aristocratic birth, pious activities, and wealth accomplish nothing. Without
prem, without grief and distress - no one can attain Krsna. Whatever family a
Vaishnav appears in is the topmost. This is the version of the shástras, and
YavanHaridás is the proof. He has received that which is rarely obtainable even
by Lord Brahmá.’
[Srí ChaitanyaBhágavat MadhyaLílá 10]
YavanHaridás- Haridás, who was born in a family of Muslims
’kaṣṭa nā korle, keṣṭo pāoyā jāy nā’- without some hardship, Krsna is not attainable
PURÍ PASTIMES
ThákurHaridás was present during most of the Lord’s lílá in Nadíyá.
When Maháprabhu went to JagannáthPurí, Haridás also took up residence there.
Everyday, after attending Lord Jagannáth’s MangalÁratí, Lord Chaitanya would
come to see HaridásThákur and would bring him some of Lord Jagannáth’s
prasádam. When Srí SanátanGosvámí and Srí RúpaGosvámí would come from
Vrindában to Purí, they used to stay with HaridásThákur. Haridás, in order to
maintain proper etiquette, would not go near Lord Jagannáth’s temple, but
would offer his obeisances from a distance, to the Chakra on top of the temple.
As he was considered a Mohammedan by birth, his presence in the temple would
be objectionable to those who were caste-conscious.

 Whoever hears or recites this narration (about HaridásThákur) will obtain

shelter at the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, GauraChandra. Vrindában dás thus
sings the glories of the lotus feet of Srí KrsnaChaitanya and NityánandaChandra,
who are his life and soul.

HaridāsṬhākur lived for some time at Benāpol, presently within

JessoreDistrict, BānglaDesh, where, every day and night he would chant three-
hundred thousand HolyNames. MahāMāyāDevī took initiation in the MahāMantra
from HaridāsṬhākur and ChaitanyaMahāprabhu appointed him as the Āchārya of the
HolyName. His departure from this world, in the presence of Śrī
ChaitanyaMahāprabhu, is fully described by Śrī KṛṣṇadāsKavirāj Gosvāmī in the
AntyaLīlā of Śrī ChaitanyaCharitāmṛta.
The worship at his samādhi mandir in Śrī PuruṣottamKṣetra
(JagannāthaPurī) is maintained by the followers of Rāmdās Bābājī. ṬhākurHaridāsa’s
samādhi is at SvārgaDvār.
samādhi mandir - tomb
Benāpol is just on the border of India and BānglaDesh. There is a rail line
from Kolkātā to Bongāon. From Bongāon one may take a rickshaw to the border.
Haridāspur is the last village on the Indian side, before the border, and Benapol is on
the BānglaDesh side.
There is a memorial still existing in Fuliā, near the gufa (subterranean room)
where Haridās used to reside. The room has been filled in but there is a marble
plaque by its side with the verses from Śrī ChaitanyaBhāgavat describing Haridāsa’s
līlā with the snake there. One may go from KṛṣṇaNagar to Shāntipur, and from there
to Fuliā.

The day I arrived at Fulia, the local inhabitants were oberserving SasthiPuja, when
mothers worship SasthiDevi to obtain protection for their children. They had arrayed the ground
near Haridas’s gufa with a number of earthen vessels filled with a variety of fruits and sweets.
Eventually they requested me to perform the puja since their local brahman had not shown up yet
and they were getting impatient. I told them that I was a Krsna bhakta and only knew the mantras
for making offerings to Krsna. They said that it would be alright if I just offered everything to Krsna
and then his prasad could be offered to SasthiDevi.
In the middle of making the offering, the local brahman showed up. The ladies accosted
him for being so late but he replied that they should have had everything ready sooner. He told
them that since he had already taken his meal he could not do any puja. He wasn’t troubled at all
that I was sitting on the asana originally meant for him, or that I was a foreigner. After I had offered
everything to Krsna he instructed me what to do to offer Krsna’s prasad to SasthiDevi, and intoned
various mantras which all of the ladies and I repeated. In the end everyone was very happy,
especially me, since I felt that I had been accepted by all of them in a very nice way. This is the
beauty of this culture.
In the country of my own origin, or in other Western countries, I go to temples founded by
my spiritual master and am treated as an outsider. The mood is often, “We don’t know you; you
don’t exist.” Whereas, when I used to visit BanglaDesh, the mood was, “We don’t know you - who
are you?! Where and when were you born? How many brothers and sisters do you have? What
kinds of crops grow in your country? On and on and on.” Sometimes it was a bit much. One could
even call them very ‘nosy’ people, judging from one perspective. But if it was a choice between
being totally ignored and disregarded, or barraged with questions about myself, I think I prefer
people who show some interest in me, even if it is only very superficial and perhaps just as
temporary. At least it affords an opportunity to talk about Krsna, in connection with talking about
myself.
In fact, I had to come up with all variety of answers for those standard, gets-boring-pretty-
fast questions. In the end I came up with some standard answers as well: “My name is Krsna das.
I’m from Vrindaban. I was born at the lotus feet of my spiritual master. My age is the number of
years since I was initiated, etc.” Some people would get offended, thinking I was being overly
flippant with them. But I would then explain,
‘ahankare matta hoiya, nitai pada pasariya, asatyere satya kari mani’

 ‘It is only due to becoming maddened with false ego, and forgetting the lotus feet of
Nityananda Prabhu, that we take what is unreal (asat) to be real (sat).’
I told them, “I’m giving you the straight story. I’m not pulling your leg or joking with you.
This is real, what I told you. And the rest of it, what you are thinking is ‘real’, is all made up, and
continues to get ‘made up’ over and over again, until we get tired and let go, wanting to become a
part of, wanting to belong to something of greater value, than the utter pettiness of this most
temporary existence. Hankering for a life consisting of something more than dull and boring
repetitious activities, day after day, week after week, till the old man reflects, “I still remember the
pajamas I wore when I was 10. It seems like only yesterday.” Where did that whole life go (again)?
Does it make any difference if I’m alive or dead?
If you knew you have x number of years to live, or x number of months to live, would it
change the way you live your life?

NityánandaPrabhu tricked Maháprabhu into going east, after they had

wandered in Rárhdesh for three days, and thus brought him to MotherGangá
once again. GauraSundar, upon returning to external consciousness and the
understanding that this was MotherGanges and not the YamunáRiver, sent
Nityánanda to bring the devotees to Shántipur. He told Nityánanda, “You please
bring everyone quickly. I am going to Haridása’s village at Fuliá.”

HaridásThákur also used to reside, during the four months of the rainy
season (Cháturmásya), in KulínGrám.

tār upaśākhā, yata kulīna grāmi jana | satyarāja-ādi tār kṛpār bhājan ||
‘One sub-branch of HaridásThákur consisted of the residents of
KulínGrám. The most important among them was SatyarájKhán (SatyarájVasu),
who was a recipient of all the mercy of HaridásThákur.’
[Srí ChaitanyaCharitámrita ÁdiLílá 10.48]
The father of SatyarājKhān, GunarājKhān, was the author of Śrī KṛṣṇaVijay.
Śrī ChaitanyaMahāprabhu was very fond of this book. Caṇḍīdās and MālādharVasu
are considered the best of the early Bengali poets. The Mohammedan king of Bengal
conferred the title GunarājKhān on Mālādhar in consideration of his poetic genius.
RāmānandaVasu was the son of SatyarājKhān.
SatyarājKhān / VrajaLīlā – Sukuṇṭhi
GunarājKhān - also known as MālādharVasu

KulīnGrām is approximately four miles from the JauGrām station on the

Chord line from Kolkātā (this is the rail line that goes from Kolkātā to Delhi).
According to GaurīyaVaiṣṇavTīrtha (465 Gaurābda / 1951 C.E.), the ruins of
VasuRāmānanada’s house can still be seen in KulīnGrām – on the north side of the
road that runs south from BholaNāth Vasu’s house – Chaitanyapur Paṭi (pārā). The
main temple of the village is Śrī MadanMohan Mandir. There is a large pond in front
of the temple towards the east named GopālDīghi. Amongst the ŚālagrāmŚilās in the
temple, it is said that the Śrīdhar Śilā was worshiped by SatyarājKhān. Śrī
GopeśvarŚiva was also worshiped by SatyarājKhān, according to local legend. There
is a grand festival held here from PauśaPūrṇimā (full moon in the month of Pauśa)
up till MāghiPūrṇimā.
There is a GaurīyaMath temple in KulīnGrām where a murti (image) of
HaridāsṬhākur is worshipped in an ancient shrine. Śrī HaridāsṬhākur’s bhajan sthān
is to the south of Śrī MadanMohan Mandir, in the place known as GaṅgāRām Paṭi.
There used to be an enormous Bakul tree shading this area with another large
Banyan tree off to the side. In the year 1733 Śakābda (1811 C.E.), the resident of
Vaidyapur, DīnaNāth NandiMahodoy constructed a small temple underneath this
banyan tree, in the place where HaridāsṬhākur used to chant japa. It is said that a

 wooden murti of HaridāsṬhākur has been worshiped here since the time of
RāmānandaVasu. There is a festival held here on MākarīSaptamī and Bhīmāṣṭamī.
japa- repeated recitation of the names of God (rosary)

Mahāprabhu was so taken by the residents of KulīnGrām that he once said that even
the dogs of that village were very dear to him.

BhaktivinodaṬhākur delivered a ghost who was residing at KulinGrām.

references to HaridásThákur from:

Srí ChaitanyaCharitámrita
ÁdiLílá 4.227-28; 6.49-50; 7.92; 9.39; 10.43-48, 84, 124-26; 13.3, 54-55,
99-101; 17.17-18, 71, 136, 24
MadhyaLílá 1.63,183-84, 219, 252, 257; 3.63, 113, 131, 193-97; 4.125; 7.37;
10.81; 11.86, 161-66, 176, 185-96, 206; 12.135, 160-61, 201;
13.35, 41, 71; 15.6; 16.127-29, 207, 217, 281; 17.45, 185; 19.152;
25.229
AntyaLílá 1.45-49, 59, 63, 95, 100-11, 209-13; Chap.3. The Glories of Sríla
Haridás Thákur; 4.13-23, 48, 87-99, 103, 127, 146, 188,
191-206; 5.86; 7.48-49, 73-74; Chap.11. The Passing of Haridás
Thákur; 20.106-07, 119