SRI PURI DHAM MAHATMYA-MUKTA-MALA

(29) Punishment of Chhota Haridas

yadi chaha pranaya rakhite gaurangera sane
chhota haridasera katha thake yena mane

‘If you want to get along with Gauranga, remember the story of Chhota Haridas.’

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 7.12)

It is written in the scriptures that Mahaprabhu had three and a half close servitors: Ray Ramananda, Svarup Damodar, Sikhi Mahiti and Sikhi Mahiti’s sister Sri Madhavi Devi.

When I went to Russia, I once got into big trouble – Gurudev saved me that day. In the evening on that day, there was a big public programme, and many of our Math’s sannyasis were seated on the stage. While we were waiting for Gurudev to come, devotees asked all the sannyasis questions one by one. Each of the sannyasis had a microphone in front of him, like in the parliament. Suddenly, a lady jumped up and said, ‘Acharya Maharaj was giving a class in the morning, and he said that Mahaprabhu had three and a half intimate servitors, and that Madhavi Devi was only a half of a servitor. We, ladies, do so much service, why are we considered only a half?’ Hearing her question, suddenly all the ladies in the audience rose from their seats, showing their eagerness to know the answer. I thought, ‘Gurudev, save me!’

I did not know the answer to her question because it is not written anywhere in the scriptures, so what was I to say? I took shelter in Gurudev and prayed, ‘Gurudev, please give the answer.’ Then, gradually the answer came. And the answer was this:

Next to Kolkata, on the bank of the Ganges, there is a village called Panihati. There, Srila Raghunath Das Goswami made a flat rice and yoghurt festival and received Nityananda Prabhu's mercy. Also, in Panihati there lived a girl called Damayanti who would every year cook hundreds of dishes for Mahaprabhu. When devotees walked from Nabadwip to Puri, her brother, Raghav Pandit, would join them and bring all that bhoga to Mahaprabhu. That bhoga became famous as ‘Raghav’s bags’ – Mahaprabhu liked it very much and always accepted it very happily. Who prepared all that bhoga? Damayanti. She did everything, but she could not come herself – she could not come to the Lord and serve Him herself (she could not feed Mahaprabhu with her own hand). That is why she was only a half of a servitor.

So, in Puri, Madhavi Devi always cooked for Mahaprabhu, but she never had the fortune to come in front of Mahaprabhu and serve Him all that food nicely. That is why she is said to be a half of a servitor.

When I explained it and gave these examples, the lady who asked the question said, ‘Oh, all right, I can understand it now.’ I was saved.

Later, I came to Guru Maharaj and told him about the big trouble that had happened to me that day. I told him about the question I was asked and also the answer that I gave, and Guru Maharaj said, ‘Your answer is correct.’ This happened to me one year after I took sannyas.

So, what is to be told now has to do with this Madhavi Devi. One day, Mahaprabhu’s devotee Bhagavan Acharya sent Chhota Haridas to her house to bring some rice for Mahaprabhu. Madhavi Devi’s house is near Alarnath. She was an old lady, not a beautiful young girl at all – she always practised various austerities and strictly followed all rules and regulations. Mahaprabhu accepted her service. So, on the order Mahaprabhu’s devotee, Chhota Haridas came to her, took some rice and went back. Later, when Mahaprabhu was taking prasad, He asked where the rice that He was eating was from, and the devotees told Him that Chhota Haridas had brought it from Madhavi Devi.

Mahaprabhu did not say anything. After taking prasad, He went to Gambhira to rest. When He came to His room, He told Govinda, ‘Make sure Chhota Haridas never shows up here again. I do not want to see his face.’

prabhu kahe,—“vairagi kare prakrti sambhosana
dekhite na paron ami tahara vadana”

‘The Lord said, “If a renounced person mixes with women, I do not want to see their face!”’

durbara indriya kare visaya-grahana
daru-prakrti hare muner api mana

‘Senses cannot resist the material world. Even an advanced scholar can be ruined by the sight of a wooden statue of a beautiful lady.’

matra svasra duhitra va navivikta-sano vaset
balavan-indriya-gramo vidvamsam api karsati

‘Never stay alone with your mother, sister or daughter because the senses are so strong that they can sway the mind of even a very learned man.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.2.117–119)

Mahaprabhu was very angry. When the devotees heard Him say this, they fell silent. Chhota Haridas heard from Govinda what Mahaprabhu had said and was astonished – the Lord had punished him so severely!

All the devotees came to Mahaprabhu and begged, ‘Prabhu, Chhota Haridas has made such a small mistake. Please forgive him. He has stopped eating and bathing – he has not eaten for so many days now.’ In the end, Mahaprabhu said, ‘If you ever bring up his name again, you will not see Me here again.’ Then, the devotees did not say anything…

A year had passed in this way. Sometimes, Chhota Haridas could see Mahaprabhu from far: when Mahaprabhu went to Lord Jagannath’s temple, he would hide somewhere and see Him from far. Eventually, he could no longer take it, so he decided that by hook or by crook he had to come to Mahaprabhu’s holy lotus feet. He went to Prayag and jumped into the Triveni, taking his life.

The devotees were very sad, and Mahaprabhu also understood that everybody had become dejected. One day, He suddenly asked them, ‘Oh, where is Chhota Haridas? Call him here.’

‘How will we call him?’ the devotees replied. ‘He jumped into the Ganges and committed suicide.’

Mahaprabhu smiled, ‘Oh really?’ Everybody was taken aback. Then, He said, ‘So, you think that My devotee can ever leave Me? How can that be possible?’

‘Prabhu, his sraddha and the vaishnav-seva have already been done. How is it possible to find him now?’

‘All right. You do not believe Me.’ Then, Mahaprabhu called out loudly, ‘O Haridas!! Chant some kirtan!’

Chhota Haridas could sing kirtan very well. In those days, there were no tape recorders, no DVDs, no CDs, but everybody could suddenly heard Chhota Haridas singing kirtan. They were astonished, ‘Where is the sound of kirtan coming from? Has Chhota Haridas become a ghost?’

Can a devotee of the Lord ever become a ghost? Even if they commit suicide, they never become ghosts. Mahaprabhu told the devotees, ‘Wherever I am, My devotees are always with Me.’

In this way, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu taught everybody.

— ☸ ☸ ☸ —

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