Thakur Haridas (part 2)

Article: Thakur Haridas (part 2)

Journal ‘The Harmonist’ Edited by

Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur (No. 2, Vol. XXV, July 1927)

THE sixteen names of thirty-two letters, the Tarak Bramha Name, was adopted as the form of prayer. That one born of a yavana family was bound to use only yavanic language in worshipping God, such narrowness never manifested itself in the heart of magnanimous Haridas. Accepting the principle of Universal and highest charity and living in the solitary cell of Benapole he continued loudly to take the Name. The sight of Haridas endeavoring with a singleness of purpose to take the Name aroused the feeling of hostility in the malicious section of Hindu society.

The pure-hearted people were delighted with the spectacle of Haridas’s un-precedented love for the Name; but the evil impulses of certain persons imbued with the mischievous instincts of brutes were not subdued. One of the leaders of this body of haters of devotees formed the resolution of devising a method of defiling Haridas.

This man by name Ramchandra Khan was very well-known in those parts. He had also an immense following and great material prosperity made him proud. Under the advice of several mean-minded friends he prepared to engage himself in an evil deed. Haridas did not originally belong to the district of Ramchandra. He, an alien, had come to reside in the village of Ramchandra.

Without offering to support the evil deeds of Ramchandra he was always occupied with the Name of Hari; born in yavana family he uttered vocatives of the Sanskrit language in calling God; the Name uttered by him, because he prayed with a loud voice, penetrated into the auricular cavities of persons such as Ramchandra Khan etc. and such hearing in the opinion of Ramchandra being clearly against the shastras, Ramchandra volunteered to create trouble for Haridas.

Ramchandra thought that Haridas was a weak-minded youngman like himself that he was engaged in uttering the Name of Hari merely under the impulse of the moment, had become a sadhu being denied the possession of objects of sensuous gratification and therefore, would be drawn away from the path of holiness by the actual contact of any object of sensuous desire; and thinking thus and gaining over a certain harlot by holding out the prospect of pecuniary reward he sent her to the solitary cell of Thakur Haridas.

The Lord of day had just gained the summit of the sunset mountain, the lonely cell had become lonelier at the approach of darkness, Shree Haridas was taking the Name of God with undivided attention, his faculty of external perception had shrunk as the result of taking the Name and all inner faculties were engaged in the service of God, – when the harlot sent by Ramchandra Khan appeared before him.

That fallen woman by the beauty of her person and the display of amorous gestures born of the passions of the heart that make a man forget himself, tried her utmost to shake the impulse of the service of Thakur Haridas. But through the three divisions of the night – the periods of dusk, the dead of night and the small hours of departing gloom – no change was produced in the heart of Haridas. Remaining firm he did not fall into the enchanting meshes of the harlot.

Those objects of sensuous gratification for the attainment of which the irrepressible appetites of the human mind are eager, by presenting themselves in the solitary cell of Haridas did not obstruct his service of God. There is a very great difference between the heart of a Vaishnava and that of an ordinary man. The harlot failing with all manner of effort to gain her object returning at sunrise to Ramchandra Khan reported every thing as it had happened.

The hard-hearted Ramchandra instructed her to try again at night to captivate the heart of Haridas. Acting under the direction of the heartless Ramchandra that woman, lost to shame, continued to employ all her arts to prevent the devotional practice of Haridas. Three successive nights passed away in this manner and yet the un-worldly heart of Haridas seeking no respite from the service of Hari did not render the least help to the realization of the confident hopes of the harlot and Ramchandra.

In answer to all the efforts of the harlot Shree Haridas Thakur always persisted in telling her that as the required number of Names to be counted had not been completed he was for that reason occupied in uttering the Name. Those who are ever engaged in taking the un-defiled Name do not turn to sin even when such sins accumulate close to them. The elevationists are not able to forego such opportunities of sinful acts; but watching the manifestation of the super-natural force of the character of Haridas the heart of the sinful woman was changed.

Throwing herself at the feet of Thakur Haridas she said with contrition, “I am addicted to sin, contaminated by the lust of many; you are the greatest of devotees engaged in the service of Hari; the evil propensities of my heart have been destroyed in your company by the force of your transcendental power; I am now a supplicant for following the footsteps of a bhagabat like yourself; out of mercy direct me to walk in the path of devotion!” The heart of the merciful Haridas was touched.

He forgot all about the bad profession of the harlot – the unworthy object of the lust of many and deciding that she was eligible for taking the maha-mantra of the Name of Hari in the manner that is free from offence, rescued her from the deep well of sensuality. Such mercy is not met with anywhere except the heart of a Vaishnava. All praise to Haridas! May your mercy be appreciated by all the people of the world – that non-evil producing, disillusioning kindness of thine towards the ugly harlot that tried to turn your mind away from the service of Krishna.

There can be no comparison between the man who is bound by the results of his actions and the Vaishnava who is worthy of the homage of all the gods. The shuddha-bhaktas who have thrown themselves on the protection of the Name treasuring up in their hearts the incomparable deeds of Thakur Haridas should free from offence un-ceasingly call upon the Name of Krishna and will thus obtain the mercy of Thakur Haridas who is the acharyya of the Name i. e. teacher of the Name by his own practice. The six passions of lust etc. will ever fail to ensure the success of any efforts directed against the devotees of God.

The author is unknown