CONTENTS:
1. TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
1. TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN
Krishna’s pastimes and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes are in a way two sides of the same coin. Krishna is enjoying and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is distributing the same Krishna prema. Krishna enjoys in His pastimes in Vrindavan and in a way you can say that the counterpart of Krishna’s Vrindavan pastimes is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes in Navadvipa and of course Jagannatha Puri. These are the two places where Mahaprabhu spent most of His time.
In Krishna’s pastimes there was a very wonderful incident. Brahma could not recognize Krishna. When Krishna killed Aghasura Krishna was only six years old. And He killed Aghasura, a demon who was terrible that even the demigods were afraid of him. Not only afraid of him, just by hearing the name Aghasura they used to tremble with fear. And that Aghasura was so easily killed by Krishna, this six-year-old cowherd boy. Brahma started to wonder, who is this boy? Is he my Lord and Master Narayana? Because other than Narayana who could kill Aghasura? Even Lord Siva could not deal with him. He was so powerful. And this boy so easily killed him! So, he considered to just see who this boy is. He kept on watching. And after killing Aghasura, Krishna along with His friends went to the bank of Yamuna and they let the calves graze in the field. They all sat down having a picnic. Different boys carried his breakfast packet. They sat together and started to eat and Brahma saw an unusual happening that these boys, some boy when he liked what their mother made for them, he said: “Krishna, Krishna, see how tasty this sweet is that my mother made for me!” Krishna said: “Let me see.” Krishna would take that and eat it. Now eating the remnants is not a done thing.
Generally, people don’t eat remnants because remnants are considered to be contaminated. When Brahma saw that Krishna and His friends are dealing with each other in such a way; like some boy saw something in Krishna’s plate and he wanted to take it. And he would say: “Krishna looks at the bird there” And when Krishna looked at the bird, he took fully the food from Krishna’s plate and he would eat it. In this way they were having their exchanges. Brahma saw that and he felt: “Narayana will never behave like this and nobody will ever dare to deal like this with Narayana; offering his remnants to Narayana!” So, Brahma became very surprised, who is this boy? So, in order to check him out, Brahma just stole their calves that Krishna and His friends were taking care of. And all of a sudden, they saw that the calves are missing. They became very worried, where did the calves go. Krishna said: “Don’t worry, they most probably went into the forest, I will bring them back, you just carry on taking your food.” Krishna went to look for the calves and He did not find the calves. When He came back, He found that the cowherd boys are also missing. So, when Krishna went to look for the calves, Brahma stole the cowherd boys and He put them in a cave.” Krishna came back and He saw that his cowherd friends are also missing.
So, Krishna started to wonder what happened and then Krishna realized - after all He is the omniscient Supreme Personality of Godhead; so He could figure out what happened. He figured out that Brahma actually was trying to check Him out. Then He said: “Okay, Brahma, I will show you who I am.” Krishna expanded Himself into all those cowherd boys and into calves. So, it took Brahma just one second to take these boys and the calves and put them into the cave and then as Brahma turned around and saw; although it took Him one second but according to our calculation it was one year. So, Brahma saw that the same boys are there and the same calves are grazing in the field and the cowherd boys are still there having their picnic. And Brahma then again looked at the cave and he saw these cowherd boys and calves are all fast asleep due to his arrangement and then Brahma again looked back at the scene in Vrindavan and what did Brahma see? Brahma saw that all those cowherd boys and calves are Narayanas. Brahma knew about only one Narayana but here he was seeing so many Narayanas in place of the cowherd boys and the calves. Then Brahma recognized Who Krishna is. So, Brahma fell down at His feet and begged forgiveness profusely. Krishna said: “Don’t worry Brahma, it is okay.”
Although Brahma was forgiven by Krishna but Brahma still felt very guilty and very embarrassed and guilty. So, Brahma went and performed great austerity to free himself from this sinful reaction – And then Brahma when he was lamenting and performing austerities, he did that in Navadvipa, in one of the islands of Navadvipa which is called Antardvipa. So, then Krishna appeared to him. Here Krishna appeared in a rather unusual form. Krishna’s complexion is generally like monsoon cloud but this Personality, although Krishna was like molten gold. Then Brahma asked: “I have never seen You this form before.” Then Krishna said: “Yes, I will appear in this form, soon in this place at Navadvipa, in the beginning of Kali-yuga. Then Brahma requested: “I also want to be part of Your pastime.” Krishna said: “Fine.” Or rather Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. “Yes, you can come in this pastime.”
Then Brahma made a very special request. He said: “Look, when I get the feeling that I am Brahma, when I am aware of my position as Brahma, you have seen how arrogant and conceited I become. Even I dare to test Your Identity. It is because of my elevated position that I developed this kind of attitude. So please allow me that in these pastimes I will come in a very fallen and degraded condition. Krishna also assured Brahma that that would happen. And as a result of that, Brahma who is the best of the Brahmanas, he appeared in a Muslim family, which is considered to be untouchable outcaste. That is Haridasa Thakura. Haridasa Thakura appeared in a Muslim family but obviously from his childhood he was a pure devotee, although born in a Muslim family and the early part of Haridasa Thakuras’ pastimes, there is not much description of that.
Haridasa Thakura, it is understood that when he was young, he left home and came to a place which is called Benapola and which is now in Bangladesh, the Eastern part of Bengal. There Haridasa Thakura was chanting the Holy Name. He used to chant three hundred thousand Names a day that means hundred and ninety-two rounds of Hare Krishna Maha mantra. We have difficulty to even chant sixteen rounds. He was chanting one hundred and ninety-two rounds. And then naturally people became very impressed seeing his devotion and austerities. But the landlord of that place became very envious of him. He felt that this person is a Muslim and even the Hindus are showing him so much respect. He wanted to dishonour him.
And the way he decided to do that is that he called the prostitutes. And he proposed that: “Can you all make him fall down?” So, one young prostitute was extremely beautiful and naturally very confident of her ability. She proposed: “Okay, I will take up that responsibility. I will make him fall down.” So, this person, his name is Ramacandra Khan, he said: “Okay, I will send my soldiers with you. And when you make him fall down, my soldiers will go and arrest him and bring him here and then I will punish him. So, this prostitute, whose name was Laksyahira, which means, ‘Laksya’ means one hundred thousand and ‘hira’ means diamonds. She was as brilliant as one hundred thousand diamonds. So, she said: “First let me make him fall down and the next night you come and arrest him.” You send your soldiers like that. She went, dressed up, naturally, in a very, very attractive way and she went to Haridasa Thakura and she proposed that he was such a very handsome man, “I want to have your association.” So, Haridasa Thakura said: “Okay, but you see, every day I chant a certain number of rounds of the Holy Name. When I finish my rounds, then I will give you, my association. And so, Haridasa Thakura was chanting, she just sat there listening and, in this way, the whole night went by. When the sun rose and it was morning, Haridasa Thakura said: “I am sorry I could not fulfill your desire.” She said: “Okay, I will come again tonight.” That night also the same thing happened. And on the third day her attitude completely changed. Just by hearing Haridasa Thakuras’s pure chanting she became transformed; she fell down at his lotus feet and she admitted what actually happened that she was sent by Ramacandra Khan. Haridasa Thakura said: “I already knew that and I would have already left the place but I stayed on, simply to deliver you, for your sake I stayed on.”
In this way Haridasa Thakura then told her that you distribute all your wealth to the Brahmanas and the Vaishnavas. And after giving everything away you come here and you sit here and you chant the Holy Name of the Lord and saying that, Haridasa Thakura left that place. So that lady became a great devotee. So great that many exalted vaishnavas used to come to see her and appreciate her devotion to Krishna. The Holy Name can be chanted in three ways: offensive chanting, clearing chanting and pure chanting. Offensive chanting may give some material benefit but it is not desired, it is offensive. Chanting the Holy Name of Krishna is Krishna Himself. But if there is offense while chanting then the Holy Name will not manifest as Krishna. The Holy Name, just the syllables of the Holy Name will be uttered but that is not Name of the Lord. So that is the offensive chanting. But when the offenses are removed, then that is the clearing stage of chanting. And when the chanting is performed purely, pure chanting gives Krishna-prema.
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
Srila Prabhupada demonstrated that all over the world. Anybody can become a devotee. Through Haridasa Thakura Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu set such a wonderful, glorious example of the effects of the chanting of the Holy Name, the potency of the chanting of the Holy Name, the mercy of the chanting of the Holy Name. And Srila Prabhupada so mercifully gave it to us. We can see what an amazing sacrifice Srila Prabhupada made.
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
- Anybody can become a devotee;
- Chanting the Holy Name of Krishna is Krishna Himself; and
- We can see what an amazing sacrifice Srila Prabhupada made.
(The content of this E-magazine was based on a lecture given by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami on 7 July 2013 at the London Ratha Yatra festival)
(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Devi Dasi)