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Advaitãchãrya was Haridas’s preceptor, father and refuge who meant everything to him. Haridas had profound Guru Bhakti (devotion to his Guru). On the day of Mahaprabhu's incarnation in Navadweep, Advaitãchãrya danced in joy and sang many kirtans( songs of praise). Haridas too joined him in the Krishna kirtan. When Advaitãchãrya told Haridas that in future, Gauranga would uplift people and spread Krishnanãma sankirtan, he accepted it with full faith. He was spending his time in Krishna sankirtan eagarly awaiting the time Mahaprabhu's fame would spread everywhere.

During that time in Sapthagram village, there lived two Zamindar brothers named Hiranyan and Govardhan. Balaram Achãrya, a very devout Vaishnavite and a shastra pandit (scholar) was their family priest. He had great reverence for Advaitãchãrya who was a Vaishnavite. Very often, Haridas came from Puliya village to Sapthagram, stayed at Balaram Pundit’s house and performed nãmasankirtan. Pleased with Haridas’s devotion and Nãmanishta, Balaram Pundit treated him dearly like his own son. Whenever Raghunathadas, son of Govardhan Zamindar went to Balaram Pundit’s house for his studies he saw Haridas performing incessant Nãmajapa and developed a great liking for Haridas.

Once Balaram Achãrya took Haridas to a gathering of pundits at the Zamindar's house. The Zamindar brothers paid obeisance to their Achãrya and also to Haridas. They offered Haridas an ‘ãsana’( seat). Haridas was chanting the Mahãmantra

HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE
HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE

loudly. Everyone watched him with awe. On seeing Haridas perform incessant Nãma Japa, the Zamindars developed devotion towards him. Most of the pundits in the gathering began conducting satsang. When the topic of the Lord’s Divine Names was being discussed, the pundits asked with humility, “What is indeed the ultimate benefit of chanting The Lord’s Names? What joy is got from that? Is it true that all miseries are destroyed without any trace by merely chanting Hari’s Names? Will mere Nãmajapa lead one to liberation?”

Haridas replied humbly with folded hands, “Oh! Great ones! You are all great shastra scholars well-aquainted with the nuances and intricate details of Dharma. You are all well-versed in all the Vaishnava Grantas. What can I even speak to you? Still, the joy that I experience due to the greatness of chanting the Lord’s Name dares me to address all of you. The greatest benefit of Nãmajapa is that a unique peace and happiness descends in our hearts. To experience this unique bliss, one feels like chanting more and more and this (nama ruchi) is indeed the highest benefit. For one who does Nãmajapa, desire for liberation or for eradication of miseries ceases to rise in the heart. His ultimate end and aim is the Lord’s Name itself. Wherever and however he is, he constantly remembers the Lord’s Name. He does not deviate even for a moment from that. This is the ultimate state of doing Nãmajapa. For a sãdhak doing Nãmajapa, Nãma is both the means and the end. This is all I know. I request you to enlighten me on what you know over and above this.”

To be continued...

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