(Continued)
TEXT 72
TEXT
sakala jagate haya ucca sankirtana
suniya premavese nace sthavara-jangama
SYNONYMS
sakala jagate--all over the universe; haya--there is; ucca
sankirtana--loud chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra; suniya--hearing;
prema-avese--in ecstatic emotional love; nace--dance; sthavara-jangama--all
living entities, nonmoving and moving;
TRANSLATION
"When loud chanting of the Hare Krsna 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.
TEXT 73
TEXT
yaiche kaila jharikhande vrndavana yaite
balabhadra-bhattacarya kahiyachena amate
SYNONYMS
yaiche--as; kaila--You have performed; jharikhande--in the forest known
as Jharikhanda; vrndavana yaite--while going to Vrndavana;
balabhadra-bhattacarya--Your servant Balabhadra Bhattacarya; kahiyachena
amate--has said to me.
TRANSLATION
"My dear Lord, all the incidents that took place while You were
going to Vrndavana through the forest known as Jharikhanda have been related to
me by Your servant Balabhadra Bhattacarya.
TEXT 74
TEXT
vasudeva jiva lagi'
kaila nivedana
tabe angikara kaila jivera mocana
SYNONYMS
vasudeva--the Lord's devotee named Vasudeva; jiva lagi'--for all living
entities; kaila nivedana--submitted his appeal; tabe--at that time; angikara
kaila--You accepted; jivera mocana--the deliverance of all living entities.
TRANSLATION
"When Your devotee Vasudeva Datta submitted his plea at Your lotus
feet for the deliverance of all living entities, You accepted that request.
TEXT 75
TEXT
jagat nistarite ei tomara avatara
bhakta-bhava age tate kaila angikara
SYNONYMS
jagat nistarite--to deliver the whole world; ei--this; tomara
avatara--Your incarnation; bhakta-bhava--the mood of a devotee;
age--previously; tate--therefore; kaila angikara--You accepted;
TRANSLATION
"My dear Lord, You have
accepted the form of a devotee just to deliver all the fallen souls of this
world.
TEXT 76
TEXT
ucca sankirtana tate karila pracara
sthira-cara jivera saba khandaila samsara"
SYNONYMS
ucca sankirtana--loud chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra;
tate--therefore; karila pracara--You have spread; sthira-cara--nonmoving and
moving; jivera--of the living entities; saba--all; khandaila--You finished;
samsara--the bondage to material existence;
TRANSLATION
"You have preached the loud chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra
and in this way freed all moving and nonmoving living entities from material
bondage."
TEXT 77
TEXT
prabhu kahe,----"saba jiva mukti yabe pabe
ei ta' brahmanda tabe jiva-sunya habe!"
SYNONYMS
prabhu kahe--the Lord replied; saba jiva--all living entities;
mukti--liberation; yabe--when; pabe--will achieve; ei--this; ta'--certainly;
brahmanda--universe; tabe--then; jiva-sunya--devoid of living entities; habe--will
be;
TRANSLATION
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, "If all living entities were
liberated, the entire universe would be devoid of living beings."
TEXTS 78-79
TEXT
haridasa bale,----"tomara yavat martye sthiti
tavat sthavara-jangama, sarva jiva-jati
saba mukta kari' tumi vaikunthe pathaiba
suksma-jive punah karme udbuddha kariba
SYNONYMS
haridasa bale--Haridasa Thakura said; tomara--Your; yavat--as long as;
martye--in this material world; sthiti--situation; tavat--for that duration of
time; sthavara-jangama--nonmoving and moving; sarva--all; jiva-jati--species of
living entities; saba--all; mukta kari'--liberating; tumi--You; vaikunthe--to
the spiritual world; pathaiba--will send; suksma-jive--the undeveloped living
entities; punah--again; karme--in their activities; udbuddha kariba--You will
awaken;
TRANSLATION
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.
TEXT 80
TEXT
sei jiva habe ihan sthavara-jangama
tahate bharibe brahmanda yena purva-sama
SYNONYMS
sei jiva--such living entities; habe--will be; ihan--in this material
world; sthavara-jangama--nonmoving and moving living entities; tahate--in that
way; bharibe--You will fill; brahmanda--the entire universe; yena--as;
purva-sama--the same as previously.
TRANSLATION
"In this way all moving and nonmoving living entities will come
into existence, and the entire universe will be filled as it was previously.
PURPORT
While we are preaching, opposing elements sometimes argue, "If all
living entities were delivered by the Krsna 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." (Bg. 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.
TEXT 81
TEXT
purve yena raghunatha saba ayodhya lana
vaikunthake gela, anya-jive ayodhya bharana
SYNONYMS
purve--previously; yena--as; raghunatha--Ramacandra; saba--all;
ayodhya--the population of Ayodhya; lana--taking with Him; vaikunthake
gela--went back to Vaikunthaloka; anya-jive--other living entities; ayodhya--Ayodhya;
bharana--filling.
TRANSLATION
"Previously, when Lord Ramacandra left this world, He took with Him
all the living entities of Ayodhya. Then He filled Ayodhya again with other
living entities.
TEXT 82
TEXT
avatari' tumi aiche patiyacha hata
keha na bujhite pare tomara gudha nata
SYNONYMS
avatari'--descending; tumi--You; aiche--like that; patiyacha hata--have
set up a market; keha na bujhite pare--no one can understand; tomara--Your;
gudha nata--deep acting.
TRANSLATION
"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.
TEXT 83
TEXT
purve yena vraje krsna kari' avatara
sakala brahmanda-jivera khandaila samsara
SYNONYMS
purve--previously; yena--as; vraje--in Vrndavana; krsna--Lord Krsna;
kari' avatara--descending as an incarnation; sakala--all; brahmanda-jivera--of
living entities within this universe; khandaila--destroyed; samsara--the
material existence.
TRANSLATION
"Formerly, when Lord Krsna descended in Vrndavana, He freed all
living entities in the universe from material existence in the same way.
TEXT 84
TEXT
na caivam vismayah karyo
bhavata bhagavaty aje
yogesvaresvare krsne
yata etad vimucyate
SYNONYMS
na--not; ca--also; evam--thus; vismayah--wonder; karyah--to be done;
bhavata--by You; bhagavati--unto the Supreme personality of Godhead; aje--the
unborn; yoga-isvara-isvare--the master of all masters of mystic power;
krsne--unto Lord Krsna; yatah--by whom; etat--all living entities;
vimucyate--are delivered.
TRANSLATION
"Krsna, 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.'
PURPORT
This is a quotation from Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.29.16).
TEXT 85
TEXT
"ayam hi bhagavan drstah kirtitah samsmrtas ca
dvesanubandhenapy akhila-surasuradi-durlabham
phalam prayacchati, kim uta samyag bhaktimatam" iti
SYNONYMS
ayam--this; hi--certainly; bhagavan--Supreme Personality of Godhead;
drstah--seen; kirtitah--glorified; samsmrtah--remembered; ca--and; dvesa--of
envy; anubandhena--with the conception; api--although;
akhila-sura-asura-adi--by all demigods and demons; durlabham--very rarely
achieved; phalam--result; prayacchati--awards; kim uta--what to speak of;
samyak--fully; bhakti-matam--of those engaged in devotional service; iti--thus.
TRANSLATION
"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?'
PURPORT
This is a quotation from the Visnu Purana (4.15.17).
TEXT 86
TEXT
taiche tumi navadvipe kari' avatara
sakala-brahmanda-jivera karila nistara
SYNONYMS
taiche--in that way; tumi--You; navadvipe--at Navadvipa; kari'
avatara--descending as an incarnation; sakala--all; brahmanda--of the universe;
jivera--the living entities; karila nistara--have delivered;
TRANSLATION
"By descending as an incarnation at Navadvipa, You, just like
Krsna, have already delivered all the living entities of the universe.
TEXT 87
TEXT
ye kahe,----caitanya-mahima mora gocara haya'
se januka, mora punah ei ta' niscaya
SYNONYMS
ye kahe--whoever says; caitanya-mahima--the glories of Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu; mora gocara--known to me; haya--are; se januka--he may know;
mora--of me; punah--again; ei ta' niscaya--this is the decision;
TRANSLATION
"One may say that he understands the glories of Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu. He may know whatever he may know, but as far as I am concerned,
this is my conclusion.
TEXT 88
TEXT
tomara ye lila maha-amrtera sindhu
mora mano-gocara nahe tara eka bindu"
SYNONYMS
tomara--Your; ye--whatever; lila--pastimes; maha-amrtera sindhu--a great
ocean of nectar; mora--for me; manah-gocara nahe--it is not possible to
conceive; tara--of it; eka bindu--one drop;
TRANSLATION
"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."
TEXT 89
TEXT
eta suni' prabhura mane camatkara haila
'mora gudha-lila haridasa kemane janila?'
SYNONYMS
eta suni'--hearing this; prabhura--of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; mane--in
the mind; camatkara haila--there was astonishment; mora--My; gudha-lila--confidential
pastimes; haridasa--Haridasa; kemane--how; janila--has understood.
TRANSLATION
Hearing all this, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was astonished. "These
are actually My confidential pastimes," He thought. "How could
Haridasa have understood them?"
TEXT 90
TEXT
manera santose tanre kaila alingana
bahye prakasite e-saba karila varjana
SYNONYMS
manera santose--with complete satisfaction of the mind; tanre--him;
kaila alingana--He embraced; bahye--externally; prakasite--to disclose;
e-saba--all this; karila varjana--He avoided;
TRANSLATION
Greatly satisfied by the statements of Haridasa Thakura, Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu embraced him. Outwardly, however, He avoided further discussions of
these matters.
TEXT 91
TEXT
isvara-svabhava,----aisvarya cahe acchadite
bhakta-thani lukaite nare, haya ta' vidite
SYNONYMS
isvara-svabhava--the characteristic of the Supreme personality of
Godhead; aisvarya--opulence; cahe--wants; acchadite--to cover;
bhakta-thani--before His devotee; lukaite nare--He cannot cover; haya ta'
vidite--is well-known.
TRANSLATION
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.
TEXT 92
TEXT
ullanghita-trividha-sima-samatisayi-
sambhavanam tava parivradhima-svabhavam
maya-balena bhavatapi
niguhyamanam
pasyanti kecid anisam tvad-ananya-bhavah
SYNONYMS
ullanghita--passed over; tri-vidha--three kinds; sima--the limitations;
sama--of equal; atisayi--and of excelling; sambhavanam--by which the adequacy;
tava--Your; parivradhima--of supremacy; sva-bhavam--the real nature;
maya-balena--by the strength of the illusory energy; bhavata--Your;
api--although; niguhyamanam--being hidden; pasyanti--they see; kecit--some;
anisam--always; tvat--to You; ananya-bhavah--those who are exclusively devoted;
TRANSLATION
"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."
PURPORT
This is a verse from the Stotra-ratna of Yamunacarya;
TEXT 93
TEXT
tabe mahaprabhu nija-bhakta-pase yana
haridasera guna kahe sata-mukha hana
SYNONYMS
tabe--after this; mahaprabhu--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu;
nija-bhakta-pase--to His personal devotees; yana--going; haridasera guna--the
transcendental qualities of Haridasa Thakura; kahe--explains; sata-mukha--as if
with hundreds of mouths; hana--becoming.
TRANSLATION
Then Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to His personal devotees and began
speaking about Haridasa Thakura's transcendental qualities as if He had
hundreds of mouths. hundreds of mouths.
TEXT 94
TEXT
bhaktera guna kahite prabhura badaye ullasa
bhakta-gana-srestha tate sri-haridasa
SYNONYMS
bhaktera--of the devotees; guna--qualities; kahite--speaking;
prabhura--of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; badaye--increases; ullasa--jubilation;
bhakta-gana--of all devotees; srestha--topmost; tate--in that;
sri-haridasa--Haridasa Thakura.
TRANSLATION
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu derives great pleasure from glorifying His
devotees, and among the devotees, Haridasa Thakura is the foremost.
TEXT 95
TEXT
haridasera guna-gana----asankhya, apara
keha kona amse varne, nahi paya para
SYNONYMS
haridasera guna-gana--the stock of transcendental qualities of Haridasa
Thakura; asankhya--innumerable; apara--unfathomed; keha--someone; kona
amse--some part; varne--describes; nahi paya para--cannot reach the limit.
TRANSLATION
The transcendental qualities of Haridasa Thakura are innumerable and
unfathomable. One may describe a portion of them, but to count them all is
impossible.
TEXT 96
TEXT
caitanya-mangale sri-vrndavana-dasa
haridasera guna kichu kariyachena prakasa
SYNONYMS
caitanya-mangale--in the book known as Caitanya-mangala
(Caitanya-bhagavata); sri-vrndavana-dasa--Sri Vrndavana dasa Thakura;
haridasera--of Haridasa Thakura; guna--qualities; kichu--some; kariyachena
prakasa--manifested.
TRANSLATION
In Caitanya-mangala, Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura has described the
attributes of Haridasa Thakura to some extent.
TEXT 97
TEXT
saba kaha na yaya haridasera caritra
keha kichu kahe karite apana pavitra
SYNONYMS
saba--all; kaha--to speak; na yaya--is not possible; haridasera
caritra--the characteristics of Haridasa Thakura; keha kichu kahe--someone says
something; karite--just to make; apana--himself; pavitra--purified.
TRANSLATION
No one can describe all the qualities of Haridasa Thakura. One may say
something about them just to purify himself.
TEXT 98
TEXT
vrndavana-dasa yaha na kaila varnana
haridasera guna kichu suna, bhakta-gana
SYNONYMS
vrndavana-dasa--Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura; yaha--whatever; na--not;
kaila varnana--described; haridasera guna--qualities of Haridasa Thakura;
kichu--something; suna--hear; bhakta-gana--O devotees of Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu.
TRANSLATION
O devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, please hear something about the
qualities of Haridasa Thakura that Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura has not
described in detail.
TEXT 99
TEXT
haridasa yabe nija-grha tyaga kaila
benapolera vana-madhye kata-dina rahila
SYNONYMS
haridasa--Haridasa Thakura; yabe--when; nija-grha--his own residence;
tyaga kaila--gave up; benapolera--of the village known as Benapola;
vana-madhye--in the forest; kata-dina--for some time; rahila--stayed.
TRANSLATION
After leaving his home, Haridasa Thakura stayed for some time in the
forest of Benapola.
TEXT 100
TEXT
nirjana-vane kutira kari' tulasi sevana
ratri-dine tina laksa nama-sankirtana
SYNONYMS
nirjana-vane--in a solitary forest; kutira--a cottage; kari'--making; tulasi--the
tulasi plant; sevana--worshiping; ratri-dine--throughout the entire day and
night; tina--three; laksa--hundred thousand; nama-sankirtana--chanting of the
holy name.
TRANSLATION
Haridasa Thakura constructed a cottage in a solitary forest. There he
planted a tulasi plant, and in front of the tulasi he would chant the holy name
of the Lord 300,000 times daily. He chanted throughout the entire day and
night.
PURPORT
The village of Benapola is situated in the district of Yasohara, which
is now in Bangladesh. Benapola is near the Banagano station, which is at the
border of Bangladesh and may be reached by the eastern railway from Shelda
Station in Calcutta. Haridasa Thakura, being the acarya of chanting the Hare
Krsna maha-mantra, is called Namacarya Haridasa Thakura. From his personal
Example we can understand that chanting the Hare Krsna mantra and becoming
highly elevated in Krsna consciousness is very simple. Without difficulty one
can sit down anywhere, especially on the bank of the Ganges, Yamuna or any
sacred river, devise a sitting place or cottage, plant a tulasi, and before the
tulasi chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra undisturbed.
Haridasa Thakura used to chant the holy name on his beads 300,000 times
daily. Throughout the entire day and night, he would chant the sixteen names of
the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. One should not, however, imitate Haridasa Thakura,
for no one else can chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra 300,000 times a day. Such
chanting is for the mukta-purusa, or liberated soul. We can follow his example,
however, by chanting sixteen rounds of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra on beads
every day and offering respect to the tulasi plant. This is not at all
difficult for anyone, and the process of chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra
with a vow before the tulasi plant has such great spiritual potency that simply
by doing this one can become spiritually strong. Therefore we request the
members of the Hare Krsna movement to follow Haridasa Thakura's example
rigidly. Chanting sixteen rounds does not take much time, nor is offering
respects to the tulasi plant difficult. The process has immense spiritual
potency. One should not miss this opportunity.
TEXT 101
TEXT
brahmanera ghare kare bhiksa nirvahana
prabhave sakala loka karaye pujana
SYNONYMS
brahmanera ghare--in the house of a brahmana; kare--does; bhiksa
nirvahana--asking alms of food; prabhave--by spiritual potency; sakala
loka--all people; karaye pujana--worship.
TRANSLATION
For his bodily maintenance he would go to a brahmana's house and beg
some food. He was spiritually so influential that all the neighboring people
worshiped him.
PURPORT
In the days of Haridasa Thakura, all the brahmanas worshiped Narayana in
the form of the salagrama-sila. Therefore begging from a brahmana's house meant
taking krsna-prasada, which is transcendental (nirguna). If we take food from
the house of others, such as karmis, we shall have to share the qualities of
those from whom we take alms. Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took prasada in
the houses of Vaisnavas. This is the general process. The members of the Krsna
consciousness movement are advised not to take food from anywhere but a
Vaisnava's or brahmana's house where Deity worship is performed. Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu has said, visayira anna khaile dusta haya mana: if a devotee takes
alms or food from the house of a karmi who is simply interested in money, his
mind will be unclean. We must always remember that a devotee's life is one of
vairagya-vidya, or renunciation and knowledge. Therefore all devotees are
warned not to live unnecessarily luxurious lives at the cost of others.
Grhasthas living within the jurisdiction of the temple must be especially
careful not to imitate karmis by acquiring opulent clothing, food and
conveyances. As far as possible, these should be avoided. A member of the
temple, whether grhastha, brahmacari or sannyasi, must practice a life of
renunciation, following in the footsteps of Haridasa Thakura and the six
Gosvamis. Otherwise, because maya is very strong, at any time one may become a
victim of maya and fall down from spiritual life.
TEXT 102
TEXT
sei desadhyaksa nama----ramacandra khanna
vaisnava-vidvesi sei pasanda-pradhana
SYNONYMS
sei--that; desa-adhyaksa--landholder; nama--whose name; ramacandra
khanna--Ramacandra Khan; vaisnava-vidvesi--envious of Vaisnavas; sei--that;
pasanda-pradhana--chief of the atheists.
TRANSLATION
A landholder named Ramacandra Khan was the zamindar of that district. He
was envious of Vaisnavas and was therefore a great atheist.
TEXT 103
TEXT
haridase
loke puje, sahite na pare
tanra apamana karite nana upaya kare
SYNONYMS
haridase--unto Haridasa Thakura; loke--people; puje--offer respect;
sahite na pare--he could not tolerate; tanra--his; apamana--dishonor;
karite--to do; nana--various; upaya--means; kare--plans.
TRANSLATION
Unable to tolerate that such respect was being offered to Haridasa
Thakura, Ramacandra Khan planned in various ways to dishonor him.
TEXT 104
TEXT
kona-prakare haridasera chidra nahi paya
vesya-gane ani' kare chidrera upaya
SYNONYMS
kona-prakare--by any means; haridasera--of Haridasa Thakura;
chidra--fault; nahi--not; paya--gets; vesya-gane--prostitutes; ani'--bringing;
kare--makes; chidrera upaya--a means to find some fault.
TRANSLATION
By no means could he find any fault in the character of Haridasa
Thakura. Therefore he called for local prostitutes and began a plan to
discredit His Holiness.
PURPORT
This is typical of atheistic men, but even among so-called religionists,
sadhus, mendicants, sannyasis and brahmacaris, there are many enemies of the
Krsna consciousness movement who always try to find faults in it, not
considering that the movement is spreading automatically by the grace of Lord
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who wanted it spread all over the world, in every town
and village. We are trying to fulfill the Lord's desire, and our attempt has
become fairly successful, but the enemies of this movement unnecessarily try to
find faults in it, exactly like the old rascal Ramacandra Khan, who opposed
Haridasa Thakura.
TEXT 105
TEXT
vesya-gane kahe,----"ei vairagi haridasa
tumi-saba kara ihara vairagya-dharma nasa"
SYNONYMS
vesya-gane--unto the prostitutes; kahe--said; ei--this;
vairagi--mendicant; haridasa--Haridasa Thakura; tumi-saba--all of you;
kara--cause; ihara--his; vairagya-dharma--from the life of a mendicant;
nasa--deviation.
TRANSLATION
Ramacandra Khan said to the prostitutes, "There is a mendicant
named Haridasa Thakura. All of you devise a way to deviate him from his vows of
austerity."
PURPORT
Devotional service is the path of vairagya-vidya (renunciation and
knowledge). Haridasa Thakura was following this path, but Ramacandra Khan
planned to induce him to break his vows. Renunciation means renunciation of
sensual pleasure, especially the pleasure of sex. Therefore a brahmacari, sannyasi
or vanaprastha is strictly prohibited from having relationships with women.
Haridasa Thakura was strictly renounced, and thus Ramacandra Khan called for
prostitutes because prostitutes know how to break a man's vow of celibacy by
their feminine influence and thus pollute a mendicant or a person engaged in
devotional life. It was impossible for Ramacandra Khan to induce any other
women to break Haridasa Thakura's vow, and therefore he called for prostitutes.
Free mingling with women has never been possible in India, but for one who
wanted to associate with society girls, they were available in a district of
prostitutes. There were prostitutes in human society even in Lord Krsna's time,
for it is said that the prostitutes of Dvaraka City came forth to receive the
Lord. Although they were prostitutes, they were also devotees of Krsna.
TEXT 106
TEXT
vesya-gana-madhye eka sundari yuvati
se kahe,----"tina-dine hariba tanra mati"
SYNONYMS
vesya-gana-madhye--among the prostitutes; eka--one; sundari--attractive;
yuvati--young; se--she; kahe--said; tina-dine--in three days; hariba--I shall
attract: tanra--his; mati--mind.
TRANSLATION
Among the prostitutes, one attractive young girl was selected."I
shall attract the mind of Haridasa Thakura," she promised, "within
three days."
TEXT 107
TEXT
khanna kahe,----"mora paika yauka tomara sane
tomara sahita ekatra tare dhari' yena ane"
SYNONYMS
khanna kahe--Ramacandra Khan said; mora paika--my constable; yauka--let
him go; tomara sane--with you; tomara sahita--with you; ekatra--together;
tare--him; dhari'--arresting; yena--so that; ane--can bring.
TRANSLATION
Ramacandra Khan said to the prostitute,"My constable will go with
you so that as soon as he sees you with Haridasa Thakura, immediately he will
arrest him and bring both of you to me."
TEXT 108
TEXT
vesya kahe,----"mora sanga ha-uka eka-bara
dvitiya-bare dharite paika la-imu tomara"
SYNONYMS
vesya kahe--the prostitute said; mora sanga--union with me; ha-uka--let
there be; eka-bara--one time; dvitiya-bare--the second time; dharite--to
arrest; paika--constable; la-imu--I shall take; tomara--your.
TRANSLATION
The prostitute replied,"First let me have union with him once; then
the second time I shall take your constable with me to arrest him."
TEXT 109
TEXT
ratri-kale sei vesya suvesa dhariya
haridasera vasaya gela ullasita hana
SYNONYMS
ratri-kale--at night; sei--that; vesya--prostitute; su-vesa dhariya--dressing
herself very nicely; haridasera--of Haridasa Thakura; vasaya--to the place;
gela--went; ullasita hana--with great jubilation.
TRANSLATION
At night the prostitute, after dressing herself most attractively, went
to the cottage of Haridasa Thakura with great jubilation.
TEXT 110
TEXT
tulasi namaskari' haridasera dvare yana
gosanire namaskari' rahila dandana
SYNONYMS
tulasi namaskari'--after offering obeisances to the tulasi plant;
haridasera--of Thakura Haridasa; dvare--at the door; yana--going;
gosanire--unto the acarya; namaskari'--offering obeisances; rahila
dandana--remained standing.
TRANSLATION
After offering obeisances to the tulasi plant, she went to the door of
Haridasa Thakura, offered him obeisances and stood there.
TEXT 111
TEXT
anga ughadiya dekhai vasila duyare
kahite lagila kichu sumadhura svare
SYNONYMS
anga ughadiya--exposing part of her body; dekhai--visible; vasila--sat
down; duyare--on the threshold of the door; kahite lagila--began to speak;
kichu--something; su-madhura svare--in very sweet language.
TRANSLATION
Exposing part of her body to his view, she sat down on the threshold of
the door and spoke to him in very sweet words.
TEXT 112
TEXT
"thakura, tumi----parama-sundara, prathama yauvana
toma dekhi' kon nari dharite pare mana?
SYNONYMS
thakura--O great devotee acarya; tumi--you; parama-sundara--very
beautifully constructed; prathama yauvana--the beginning of youth; toma
dekhi'--seeing you; kon nari--what woman; dharite pare--can control; mana--her
mind.
TRANSLATION
"My dear Thakura, O great preacher, great devotee, you are so
beautifully built, and your youth is just beginning. Who is the woman who could
control her mind after seeing you?
TEXT 113
TEXT
tomara sangama lagi' lubdha mora mana
toma na paile prana na yaya dharana"
SYNONYMS
tomara sangama--union with you; lagi'--for the sake of; lubdha--greedy;
mora mana--my mind; toma--you; na paile--if I do not get; prana--my life;
na--not; yaya--can be; dharana--maintained.
TRANSLATION
"I am eager to be united with you. My mind is greedy for this. If I
don't obtain you, I shall not be able to keep my body and soul together."
TEXTS 114-115
TEXT
haridasa kahe,----"toma karimu angikara
sankhya-nama-samapti yavat na haya amara
tavat tumi vasi' suna nama-sankirtana
nama-samapti haile karimu ye tomara mana"
SYNONYMS
haridasa kahe--Haridasa Thakura said; toma--you; karimu angikara--I
shall accept; sankhya-nama--the number of holy names; samapti--finishing;
yavat--as long as; na--not; haya--it is; amara--my; tavat--so long; tumi--you;
vasi'--sitting; suna--hear; nama-sankirtana--chanting of the holy name;
nama--of the holy name; samapti--finishing; haile--when there is; karimu--I
shall do; ye--what; tomara--your; mana--mind.
TRANSLATION
Haridasa Thakura replied,"I shall accept you without fall, but you
will have to wait until I have finished chanting my regular rounds on my beads.
Until that time, please sit and listen to the chanting of the holy name. As
soon as I am finished, I shall fulfill your desire."
TEXT 116
TEXT
eta suni' sei vesya vasiya rahila
kirtana kare haridasa pratah-kala haila
SYNONYMS
eta suni'--hearing this; sei vesya--that prostitute; vasiya
rahila--stayed there sitting; kirtana--chanting; kare--performs;
haridasa--Haridasa Thakura; pratah-kala haila--there was the light of morning.
TRANSLATION
Hearing this, the prostitute remained sitting there while Haridasa
Thakura chanted on his beads until the light of morning appeared.
TEXT 117
TEXT
pratah-kala dekhi' vesya uthiya calila
saba samacara yai khannere kahila
SYNONYMS
pratah-kala dekhi'--seeing the morning; vesya--the prostitute; uthiya
calila--stood up and left; saba samacara--all information; yai--going; khannere
kahila--she spoke to Ramacandra Khan.
TRANSLATION
When she saw that it was morning, the prostitute stood up and left.
Coming before Ramacandra Khan, she informed him of all the news.
TEXT 118
TEXT
'aji ama angikara kariyache vacane
kali avasya tahara sange ha-ibe sangame'
SYNONYMS
aji--today; ama--me; angikara--acceptance; kariyache--he has done;
vacane--by word; kali--tomorrow; avasya--certainly; tahara sange--with him;
ha-ibe--there will be; sangame--union.
TRANSLATION
"Today Haridasa Thakura has promised to enjoy with me. Tomorrow
certainly I shall have union with him."
TEXT 119
TEXT
ara dina ratri haile vesya aila
haridasa tare bahu asvasa karila
SYNONYMS
ara dina--the next day; ratri--night; haile--when there was; vesya--the
prostitute; aila--came; haridasa--Haridasa Thakura; tare--unto her; bahu--many;
asvasa karila--gave assurances.
TRANSLATION
The next night, when the prostitute came again, Haridasa Thakura gave
her many assurances.
TEXT 120
TEXT
'kali duhkha paila, aparadha na la-iba mora
avasya karimu ami tomaya angikara
SYNONYMS
kali--yesterday; duhkha paila--you were disappointed; aparadha--offense;
na la-iba--please do not take; mora--my; avasya--certainly; karimu--shall do;
ami--I; tomaya--unto you; angikara--acceptance.
TRANSLATION
"Last night you were disappointed. Please excuse my offense. I
shall certainly accept you.
TEXT 121
TEXT
tavat ihan vasi' suna nama-sankirtana
nama purna haile, purna habe tomara mana'
SYNONYMS
tavat--until that time; ihan--here; vasi'--sitting; suna--hear;
nama-sankirtana--chanting of the holy name of the Lord; nama purna haile--as
soon as the regular chanting is fulfilled; purna--satisfied; habe--will be;
tomara mana--your mind.
TRANSLATION
"Please sit down and hear the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra
until my regular chanting is finished. Then your desire will surely be
fulfilled."
TEXT 122
TEXT
tulasire tanke vesya namaskara kari'
dvare vasi' nama sune bale 'hari' 'hari'
SYNONYMS
tulasire--unto the tulasi plant; tanke--unto Haridasa Thakura;
vesya--the prostitute; namaskara kari'--offering obeisances; dvare
vasi'--sitting at the door; nama--the holy name; sune--hears; bale--says; hari
hari--O my Lord Hari, O my Lord Hari.
TRANSLATION
After offering her obeisances to the tulasi plant and Haridasa Thakura,
she sat down at the door. Hearing Haridasa Thakura chanting the Hare Krsna mantra,
she also chanted,"O my Lord Hari, O my Lord Hari."
PURPORT
Herein one can clearly see how a Vaisnava delivers a fallen soul by a
transcendental trick. The prostitute came to pollute Haridasa Thakura but he
took it as his duty to deliver the prostitute. As clearly demonstrated here,
the process of deliverance is very simple. With faith and reverence the
prostitute associated with Haridasa Thakura, who personally treated her
material disease by chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. Although the
prostitute had an ulterior motive, somehow or other she got the association of
a Vaisnava and satisfied him by occasionally chanting in imitation, "O my
Lord Hari, O my Lord Hari." The conclusion is that associating with a
Vaisnava, chanting the holy name of the Lord and offering obeisances to the
tulasi plant or a Vaisnava all lead one to become a transcendental devotee who
is completely cleansed of all material contamination.
TEXT 123
TEXT
ratri-sesa haila, vesya usimisi kare
tara riti dekhi' haridasa kahena tahare
SYNONYMS
ratri--night; sesa haila--came to an end; vesya--the prostitute;
usimisi--restless; kare--became; tara--her; riti--activities; dekhi'--seeing;
haridasa--Haridasa Thakura; kahena--says; tahare--unto her.
TRANSLATION
When the night came to an end, the prostitute was restless. Seeing this,
Haridasa Thakura spoke to her as follows.
TEXT 124
TEXT
"koti-nama-grahana-yajna kari eka-mase
ei diksa kariyachi, haila asi' sese
SYNONYMS
koti-nama-grahana--chanting ten million names; yajna--such a sacrifice;
kari--I perform; eka-mase--in one month; ei--this; diksa--vow; kariyachi--I
have taken; haila--it was; asi'--nearing; sese--the end.
TRANSLATION
"I have vowed to chant ten million names in a month. I have taken
this vow, but now it is nearing its end.
PURPORT
If one regularly chants 333,333 times daily for a month and then chants
one time more, he will thus chant ten million times. In this way a devotee
worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such worship is called yajna.
Yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi sumedhasah: those whose intelligence is
brilliant accept this hari-nama-yajna, the yajna of chanting the holy name of
the Lord. By performing this yajna, one satisfies the Supreme Personality of
Godhead and thus attains perfection in spiritual life. According to external
vision, Haridasa Thakura belonged to a Mohammedan family. Nevertheless, because
he engaged himself in performing the yajna of chanting the Hare Krsna
maha-mantra, he became a regularly initiated brahmana. As stated in
Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.33.6):
yan-namadheya-sravananukirtanad
yat-prahvanad yat-smaranad api kvacit
svado 'pi sadyah savanaya kalpate
kutah punas te bhagavan nu darsanat
Even if a devotee comes from a family of dog-eaters, if he surrenders to
the personality of Godhead he immediately becomes a qualified brahmana and is
immediately fit to perform yajna, whereas a person born in a family of
brahmanas has to wait until completing the reformatory processes before he may
be called samskrta, purified. It is further said in Srimad-Bhagavatam
(12.1.40):
asamskrtah
kriya-hina
rajasa tamasavrtah
prajas te bhaksayisyanti
mleccha rajanya-rupinah
"In the age of Kali, mlecchas, or lowborn people who have not
undergone the purifying process of samskara, who do not know how to apply that
process in actual life and who are covered by the modes of passion and
ignorance, will take the posts of administrators. They will devour the citizens
with their atheistic activities." A person who is not purified by the
prescribed process of samskara is called asamskrta, but if one remains
kriya-hina even after being purified by initiation--in other words, if one
fails to actually apply the principles of purity in his life--he remains an
unpurified mleccha or yavana. On the other hand, we find that Haridasa Thakura,
although born in a mleccha or yavana family, became Namacarya Haridasa Thakura
because he performed the nama-yajna a minimum of 300,000 times every day.
Herein we find that Haridasa Thakura strictly followed his regulative
principle of chanting 300,000 times. Thus when the prostitute became restless,
he informed her that first he had to finish his chanting and then he would be
able to satisfy her. Actually Haridasa Thakura chanted the holy name of the
Lord for three nights continuously and gave the prostitute a chance to hear
him. Thus she became purified, as will be seen in the following verses.
TEXT 125
TEXT
aji samapta ha-ibe,----hena jnana chila
samasta ratri nilun nama samapta na haila
SYNONYMS
aji--today; samapta ha-ibe--will be finished; hena jnana chila--I
thought that; samasta ratri--all night; nilun--I took; nama--the holy name of
the Lord; samapta--finished; na haila--was not.
TRANSLATION
"I thought that today I would be able to finish my performance of
yajna, my chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra. I tried my best to chant the holy
name all night, but I still did not finish.
TEXT 126
TEXT
kali samapta habe, tabe habe vrata-bhanga
svacchande tomara sange ha-ibeka sanga"
SYNONYMS
kali--tomorrow; samapta habe--it will end; tabe--at that time;
habe--there will be; vrata-bhanga--the end of my vow; svacchande--in full
freedom; tomara sange--with you; ha-ibeka--there will be; sanga--union.
TRANSLATION
"Tomorrow I will surely finish, and my vow will be fulfilled. Then
it will be possible for me to enjoy with you in full freedom."
PURPORT
Haridasa Thakura never wanted to enjoy the prostitute, but he tricked
her to deliver her by giving her a chance to hear the holy name of the Lord
while he chanted. Pure devotees chant the Hare Krsna mantra, and simply by
hearing this chanting from a purified transcendental person, one is purified of
all sinful activities, no matter how lowborn or fallen one may be. As soon as
one is thus completely free from the reactions of sinful activities, he is
eligible to render devotional service to the Lord. This is the process for
engaging the fallen souls in devotional service. As Lord Krsna says in
Bhagavad-gita (7.28):
yesam tv anta-gatam papam
jananam punya-karmanam
te dvandva-moha-nirmukta
bhajante mam drdha-vratah
"Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life,
whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the
duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with determination."
TEXT 127
TEXT
vesya giya samacara khannere kahila
ara dina sandhya ha-ite thakura-thani aila
SYNONYMS
vesya--the prostitute; giya--returning; samacara--information; khannere
kahila--spoke to Ramacandra Khan; ara dina--the next day; sandhya
ha-ite--beginning from the evening; thakura-thani aila--she came and remained
at the residence of Haridasa Thakura.
TRANSLATION
The prostitute returned to Ramacandra Khan and informed him of what had
happened. The next day she came earlier, at the beginning of the evening, and
stayed with Haridasa Thakura.
TEXT 128
TEXT
tulasike, thakurake namaskara kari'
dvare vasi' nama sune, bale 'hari' 'hari'
SYNONYMS
tulasike--unto the tulasi plant; thakurake--and unto Haridasa Thakura;
namaskara kari'--offers her obeisances; dvare vasi'--sitting at the door; nama
sune--hears the holy name; bale--chants; hari hari--the holy name of the Lord.
TRANSLATION
After offering obeisances to the tulasi plant and Haridasa Thakura, she
sat down on the threshold of the room. Thus she began to hear Haridasa
Thakura's chanting, and she also personally chanted "Hari, Hari," the
holy name of the Lord.
TEXT 129
TEXT
'nama purna
habe aji',----bale haridasa
'tabe purna karimu aji tomara abhilasa'
SYNONYMS
nama--chanting of the holy name; purna--complete; habe--will be;
aji--today; bale haridasa--Haridasa Thakura said; tabe--then; purna karimu--I
shall satisfy; aji--today; tomara abhilasa--your desires.
TRANSLATION
"Today it will be possible for me to finish my chanting,"
Haridasa Thakura informed her. "Then I shall satisfy all your desires."
TEXT 130
TEXT
kirtana karite aiche ratri-sesa haila
thakurera sane vesyara mana phiri' gela
SYNONYMS
kirtana karite--chanting and chanting; aiche--in that way; ratri-sesa
haila--the night ended; thakurera sane--by the association of Haridasa Thakura;
vesyara--of the prostitute; mana--mind; phiri' gela--was converted.
TRANSLATION
The night ended while Haridasa Thakura was chanting, but by his
association the mind of the prostitute had changed.
TEXT 131
TEXT
dandavat hana pade thakura-carane
ramacandra-khannera katha kaila nivedane
SYNONYMS
dandavat hana--offering obeisances; pade--she fell down;
thakura-carane--at the lotus feet of Haridasa Thakura; ramacandra-khannera--of
Ramacandra Khan; katha--policy; kaila--did; nivedane--submission.
TRANSLATION
The prostitute, now purified, fell at the lotus feet of Haridasa Thakura
and confessed that Ramacandra Khan had appointed her to pollute him.
TEXT 132
TEXT
"vesya hana muni papa kariyachon apara
krpa kari' kara mo-adhame nistara"
SYNONYMS
vesya hana--being a prostitute; muni--I; papa--sinful activities;
kariyachon--have done; apara--unlimited; krpa kari'--being merciful;
kara--please do; mo-adhame--unto me, the most fallen; nistara--deliverance.
TRANSLATION
"Because I have taken the profession of a prostitute," she
said, "I have performed unlimited sinful acts. My lord, be merciful to me.
Deliver my fallen soul."
TEXT 133
TEXT
thakura kahe,----khannera katha saba ami jani
ajna murkha
sei, tare duhkha nahi mani
SYNONYMS
thakura kahe--Haridasa Thakura said; khannera katha--the plans of
Ramacandra Khan; saba--all; ami jani--I know; ajna murkha sei--he is an
ignorant fool; tare--by that; duhkha nahi mani--I do not feel unhappiness.
TRANSLATION
Haridasa Thakura replied, "I know everything about the conspiracy
of Ramacandra Khan. He is nothing but an ignorant fool. Therefore his
activities do not make me feel unhappy.
TEXT 134
TEXT
sei-dina yaitama e-sthana chadiya
tina dina rahilana toma nistara lagiya
SYNONYMS
sei-dina--on that very day; yaitama--I would have left; e-sthana--this
place; chadiya--giving up; tina dina--for three days; rahilana--I stayed;
toma--you; nistara lagiya--for delivering.
TRANSLATION
"On the very day Ramacandra Khan was planning his intrigue against
me, I would have left this place immediately, but because you came to me I
stayed here for three days to deliver you."
TEXT 135
TEXT
vesya kahe,----"krpa kari' karaha upadesa
ki mora kartavya, yate yaya bhava-klesa"
SYNONYMS
vesya kahe--the prostitute said; krpa kari'--being merciful; karaha
upadesa--please give instructions; ki--what; mora kartavya--my duty; yate--by
which; yaya--go away; bhava-klesa--all material tribulations.
TRANSLATION
The prostitute said, "Kindly act as my spiritual master. Instruct
me in my duty by which to get relief from material existence."
TEXT 136
TEXT
thakura kahe,----"gharera dravya brahmane kara dana
ei ghare asi' tumi karaha visrama
SYNONYMS
thakura kahe--Srila Haridasa Thakura said; gharera--at home;
dravya--articles; brahmane--to the brahmanas; kara dana--give as charity; ei
ghare--in this room; asi'--returning; tumi--you; karaha visrama--stay.
TRANSLATION
Haridasa Thakura replied, "Immediately go home and distribute to
the brahmanas whatever property you have. Then come back to this room and stay
here forever in Krsna consciousness.
PURPORT
Haridasa Thakura's instruction that the prostitute should distribute to
the brahmanas all the property she had at home is very significant. Haridasa
Thakura never advised the prostitute to give charity to the so-called
daridra-narayana ("poor Narayana") or any other such persons. According
to Vedic civilization, charity should be given only to the qualified brahmanas.
As stated in Bhagavad-gita (18.42):
samo damas tapah saucam
ksantir arjavam eva ca
jnanam vijnanam astikyam
brahma-karma
svabhava-jam
The brahminical qualifications are truthfulness, control of the senses
and mind, tolerance, simplicity, knowledge, practical application of
transcendental knowledge in one's life, and full faith in the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. persons engaged in pursuing spiritual understanding have no time to
earn their livelihood. They depend completely on the mercy of the Lord, who
says in Bhagavad-gita (9.22) that He personally carries to them all their
necessities (yoga-ksemam vahamy aham).
The Vedic civilization recommends that one give charity to brahmanas and
sannyasis, not to the so-called daridra-narayana. Narayana cannot be daridra,
nor can daridra be Narayana, for these are contradictory terms. Atheistic men
invent such concoctions and preach them to fools, but charity should actually
be given to brahmanas and sannyasis because whatever money they get they spend
for Krsna. Whatever charity one gives to a brahmana goes to Krsna, who says in
Bhagavad-gita (9.27):
yat karosi yad asnasi
yaj juhosi dadasi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kurusva mad-arpanam
"O son of Kunti, all that you eat, all that you offer and give
away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an
offering unto Me." Everything actually belongs to Krsna, but so-called
civilized men unfortunately think that everything belongs to them. This is the
mistake of materialistic civilization. The prostitute (vesya) had earned money
by questionable means, and therefore Haridasa Thakura advised her to distribute
to the brahmanas whatever she possessed. When Srila Rupa Gosvami retired from
family life, he distributed fifty percent of his income to the brahmanas and
Vaisnavas. A brahmana knows what the Absolute Truth is, and a Vaisnava, knowing
the Absolute Truth, acts on behalf of the Absolute Truth, the Supreme
personality of Godhead. Generally one earns money by many questionable means.
Therefore at some time one should retire and distribute whatever one has to the
brahmanas and Vaisnavas who engage in devotional service by preaching the
glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TEXT 137
TEXT
nirantara nama lao, kara tulasi sevana
acirat pabe tabe krsnera carana"
SYNONYMS
nirantara--twenty-four hours a day; nama lao--chant the Hare Krsna
mantra; kara--perform; tulasi sevana--worship of the tulasi plant; acirat--very
soon; pabe--you will get; tabe--then; krsnera carana--the lotus feet of Krsna.
TRANSLATION
"Chant the Hare Krsna mantra continuously and render service to the
tulasi plant by watering her and offering prayers to her. In this way you will
very soon get the opportunity to be sheltered at the lotus feet of Krsna."
PURPORT
At least five thousand years ago, Lord Sri Krsna expressed His desire
that everyone surrender to Him (sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam
vraja). Why is it that people cannot do this? Krsna assures, aham tvam
sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami ma sucah: "I shall deliver you from all sinful
reactions. Do not fear." Everyone is suffering from the results of sinful
activities, but Krsna says that if one surrenders unto Him, He will protect one
from sinful reactions. Modern civilization, however, is interested neither in
Krsna nor in getting relief from sinful acts. Therefore men are suffering.
Surrender is the ultimate instruction of Bhagavad-gita, but for one who cannot
surrender to the lotus feet of Krsna, it is better to chant the Hare Krsna
mantra constantly, under the instruction of Haridasa Thakura.
In our Krsna consciousness movement we are teaching our followers to
chant the Hare Krsna mantra continuously on beads. Even those who are not
accustomed to this practice are advised to chant at least sixteen rounds on
their beads so that they may be trained. Otherwise, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
recommended:
trnad api sunicena
taror api sahisnuna
amanina manadena
kirtaniyah sada harih
"One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of
mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street. One should be more
tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and ready to offer
all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of
the Lord constantly." Sada means "always." Haridasa Thakura
says, nirantara nama lao: "Chant the Hare Krsna mantra without
stopping."
Although Krsna wants everyone to surrender to His lotus feet, because of
people's sinful activities they cannot do this. Na mam duskrtino mudhah
prapadyante naradhamah: rascals and fools, the lowest of men, who engage in
sinful activities, cannot suddenly surrender to the lotus feet of Krsna.
Nevertheless, if they begin chanting the Hare Krsna mantra and rendering
service unto the tulasi plant, they will very soon be able to surrender. One's
real duty is to surrender to the lotus feet of Krsna but if one is unable to do
so, he should adopt this process, as introduced by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and
His most confidential servant, Namacarya Srila Haridasa Thakura. This is the
way to achieve success in Krsna consciousness.
TEXT 138
TEXT
eta bali' tare 'nama' upadesa kari'
uthiya calila thakura bali'
'hari' 'hari'
SYNONYMS
eta bali'--saying this; tare--her; nama upadesa kari'--instructing about
the process of chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra; uthiya--standing up;
calila--left; thakura--Haridasa Thakura; bali'--chanting; hari hari--the Hare
Krsna maha-mantra.
TRANSLATION
After thus instructing the prostitute about the process of chanting the
Hare Krsna mantra, Haridasa Thakura stood up and left, continuously chanting
"Hari, Hari."
TEXT 139
TEXT
tabe sei vesya gurura ajna la-ila
grha-vitta yeba chila, brahmanere dila
SYNONYMS
tabe--thereafter; sei--that; vesya--prostitute; gurura--of the spiritual
master; ajna--order; la-ila--took; grha-vitta--all household possessions;
yeba--whatever; chila--there was; brahmanere--to the brahmanas; dila--gave.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter, the prostitute distributed to the brahmanas whatever
household possessions she had, following the order of her spiritual master.
PURPORT
Sometimes the word grha-vrtti is substituted for the word grha-vitta.
Vrtti means "profession." The grha-vrtti of the prostitute was to
enchant foolish people and induce them to indulge in sex. Here, however,
grha-vrtti is not a suitable word. The proper word is grha-vitta, which means
"all the possessions she had in her home." All the girl's possessions
had been earned by professional prostitution and were therefore products of her
sinful life. When such possessions are given to brahmanas and Vaisnavas who can
engage them in the service of the Lord because of their advancement in
spiritual life, this indirectly helps the person who gives the charity, for he
is thus relieved of sinful reactions. As Krsna promises, aham tvam
sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami: "I shall save you from all sinful reactions."
When our Krsna conscious devotees go out to beg charity or collect
contributions in the form of membership fees, the money thus coming to the
Krsna consciousness movement is strictly employed to advance Krsna
consciousness all over the world. The Krsna conscious devotees collect the
money of others for the service of Krsna, and they are satisfied with Krsna's
prasada and whatever He gives them for their maintenance. They do not desire
material comforts. However, they go to great pains to engage the possessions of
prostitutes, or persons who are more or less like prostitutes, in the service
of the Lord and thus free them from sinful reactions. A Vaisnava guru accepts
money or other contributions, but he does not employ such contributions for
sense gratification. A pure Vaisnava thinks himself unfit to help free even one
person from the reactions of sinful life, but he engages one's hard-earned
money in the service of the Lord and thus frees one from sinful reactions. A
Vaisnava guru is never dependent on the contributions of his disciples.
Following the instructions of Haridasa Thakura, a pure Vaisnava does not
personally take even a single paisa from anyone, but he induces his followers
to spend for the service of the Lord whatever possessions they have.
TEXT
140
TEXT
matha mudi' eka-vastre rahila sei ghare
ratri-dine tina-laksa nama grahana kare
SYNONYMS
matha mudi'--shaving her head; eka-vastre--wearing one cloth;
rahila--remained; sei ghare--in that room; ratri-dine--throughout the entire
day and night; tina-laksa--300,000; nama--holy names; grahana kare--chants.
TRANSLATION
The prostitute shaved her head clean in accordance with Vaisnava
principles and stayed in that room wearing only one cloth. Following in the
footsteps of her spiritual master, she began chanting the Hare Krsna
maha-mantra 300,000 times a day. She chanted throughout the entire day and
night.
TEXT 141
TEXT
tulasi sevana kare, carvana, upavasa
indriya-damana haila, premera prakasa
SYNONYMS
tulasi--the tulasi plant; sevana kare--she worshiped; carvana--chewing;
upavasa--fasting; indriya-damana--controlling the senses; haila--there was;
premera prakasa--manifestations symptomizing love of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
She worshiped the tulasi plant, following in the footsteps of her
spiritual master. Instead of eating regularly, she chewed whatever food she
received as alms, and if nothing was supplied she would fast. Thus by eating
frugally and fasting she conquered her senses, and as soon as her senses were
controlled, symptoms of love of Godhead appeared in her person.
TEXT 142
TEXT
prasiddha vaisnavi haila parama-mahanti
bada bada vaisnava tanra darsanete yanti
SYNONYMS
prasiddha--celebrated; vaisnavi--devotee of the Lord; haila--became;
parama-mahanti--very advanced; bada bada vaisnava--many recognized, highly
situated devotees; tanra--her; darsanete--to see; yanti--used to go.
TRANSLATION
Thus the prostitute became a celebrated devotee. She became very
advanced in spiritual life, and many stalwart Vaisnavas would come to see her.
PURPORT
Stalwart, highly advanced Vaisnava devotees are not interested in seeing
prostitutes, but when a prostitute or any other fallen soul becomes a Vaisnava,
stalwart Vaisnavas are interested in seeing them. Anyone can be turned into a
Vaisnava if he or she follows the Vaisnava pri
