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Sri Haridas, a great Bhãgavata and foremost of Vaishnavas gave such importance to Nãma Japa (chanting of the divine name) that nobody else would have given. One can call him an incarnation of the glory of the Lord’s Name indeed! The result of all spiritual disciplines like sacrifices, japa, austerities, meditation, worship, yoga, samadhi etc. is for the development of liking for the Lord’s Name and steadfastness in chanting it. Having done all these, if one fails to attain love for chanting the Name of the Lord, all those efforts are futile. Sadhyam(goal) is the Divine Name. All other activities are merely the means to attain it.

Saint Haridas, though born in a Muslim family, possessed great liking and steadfastness in chanting the Lord’s Name. Haridas, who lost his parents at an early age, developed such a liking for Lord Hari due to meritorious samskara (latent impression) of previous births. Since he had nothing to call his own, he fed his hunger by begging for alms. He chanted Hari Nãma for the rest of the day. He did not stay in a house but stayed all alone in a small hut which he had built in a thick and dense forest in the outskirts of the city. A unique joy and peace radiated around him due to his bright and divine countenance and power of austerity. Its extent was so great that even the wild animals experienced it.

Each day, he chanted the Name of the Lord for three lakh times in a high tone. Do you know why he chanted the Names aloud? His compassionate heart felt that by doing so, even unmoving creatures (like plants, trees etc.) animals and all other living beings could also be purified. As his fame spread, many people came to see him. His mere Darshan (sight) made many happy.

A Zamindar, Ramachandra Khan by name, who was envious of Haridas’s fame, harboured a wicked plan to trap Haridas in the net of desire and belittle him in the eyes of public. All the obstacles for those who chant the Name of the Lord Hari , invariably, turn out to add glory to them! That indeed is the glory of the Divine name! Ramachandra Khan requested a young and beautiful sixteen-year old girl to obstruct the bhajan of Haridas. The girl too, who was vainly proud of her beauty, accepted it as a challenge. She went to his cottage and tried her best in every way to lure Haridas by her beauty and distract his attention from japa.

But, can Haridas, who was intoxicated with the joy of the Divine Name, be infatuated by anything else?

A dense forest with nobody around, a solitary and peaceful hut, an extremely beautiful young girl who has come of her own accord, Haridas’s youth - none of these factors could bring about even a minute disturbance in Haridas’s mind. With a concentrated mind, he kept chanting the Mahamantra

“HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE.
HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE”

The day went off this way. Night too passed in a similar manner. The next day dawned and four days passed away in this fashion. The beautiful girl arrived there promptly each day.

Whenever she made an effort to talk to Haridas, he said “Please be seated Madam! Let my count of japa get over. I shall then listen to you” and resumed his chanting. The count was not a mere thousand or ten thousand. It was three lakhs! That too in a loud voice. She came there every morning, waited patiently listening to Haridas’s chanting. Where is the end for it? She would return home disappointed after waiting till midnight.

Since unknowingly she listened to Nãma sankirtan for four days, all her sins melted away and her bad intentions too disappeared along with it. She began to despise her own self for having planned to wrong such a great saint. At last with tears she fell at Haridas’s feet and spoke pitiably “Great man! You are truly the redeemer of sinners! You extend your love unconditionally towards all creatures. You have graced even a sinful person like me, who is censured by the world. I came here with very bad intentions. By the company of a sadhu like you and by listening to the sweet Name of the Lord, my mind has become purified. Please instruct me how I should expiate my sins” and she cried bitterly.

Haridas consoled her and advised her thus “Devi(literally meaning goddess)! Rise up! Do not worry! Sri Hari is the very form of compassion. He pours His grace over the sinful, down-trodden people too. There exists no differentiation in His court. Even the greatest sin melts away before the lord. Give in charity all the wealth you have earned so far by sinful means to the poor and needy and begin chanting the Name of Hari unceasingly.

. “HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE.
HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE

Chant this great mantra always. This is enough! I will no longer stay in this cottage. You can stay here”.

He then left for Shantipur and engaged himself in learning (from advaitãcharya) and doing Krishna Sankirtan.

To be continued...

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