Today is the disappearance of Hari Das Thakur. It is a very long narration. In a short time, I cannot narrate it fully. Hari Das Thakur is a combined avatāra of Richika Muni’s son Brahma, the performer of great austerity, and Prahlad. The respected Murari Gupta has written in his Chaitanya Charita Mahakavya that Richika Muni’s son picked a Tulasi leaf and offered to Krishna without having washed it first. His father then cursed him to become a mleccha in his next life. He was thus born as Hari Das, a great devotee. (Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika 93-95)

In his book Nabadvipa-dhama-mahatmya, Srila Bhaktivinoda Ṭhakura has written the following account of how Brahma became Hari Das Thakur: Once, in the Dvapara Yuga, when Nandanandana Sri Krishna was herding the cows through Vraja Dham in the company of His cowherd boyfriends, Brahma desired to see the actual identity of Sri Krishna and decided to test Him. He stole Krishna’s calves, as well as His friends and hid them for a year in the caves of Sumeru Mountain. But when Brahma returned to Vraja a year later, he was astonished to see that Krishna was still there with both His friends and calves. Realizing his foolishness, Brahma regretted by falling down at Krishna’s feet and begged for forgiveness; Krishna responded by mercifully revealing His divine opulence. No one can know Krishna without surrendering to His lotus feet. When Brahma took absolute shelter at His lotus feet, he could know Him by His mercy only.

He who appears in the Dvapara Yuga as Nandanandana Sri Krishna, descends again in the Kali Yuga as the most munificent form Gauranga, taking on the mood and bodily luster of Radharani. Brahma was afraid that he might commit the same offence during the Gaura incarnation so he went to Antardvipa, the central island of Nabadvipa, and began to meditate. The Lord was able to understand his mind and so came to him in the form of Gauranga and said, “During My avatāra as Gaura, you will be born in a family of mlecchas, and will preach the glories of the Holy Name and bring auspiciousness to all the living beings.”

Hari Das Thakur was 35 years older than Mahaprabhu. Mahaprabhu began His sankirtan pastimes in Nabadvipa in His adolescence (at the age of 15 years). Hari Das Thakur first entered into Mahaprabhu’s association when the preaching of the sankirtan movement began. From this we can reckon that Hari Das Thakur was about 50 years old when he first met the Lord. Even before meeting the Lord, however, Hari Das Thakur had already started to reveal the glories of the Holy Names in many wondrous ways.

After Hari Das Thakur had left his home in Burhan, he came to the Benapole jungle, which, after the pastime about to be described, was given the name, ‘the prostitute Hira’s jungle.’ Hari Das would have been in his early youth at this time, and these events took place before Mahaprabhu had appeared. He took up residence in a cottage in a secluded part of the jungle, worshiping Tulasi Devi and daily chanting 300,000 Holy Names. He would beg for food at a Brahmin’s house. All the people of the surrounding country observed Hari Das Thakur’s spotless character and staunch devotion to the Holy Name and gave him their respect.

At that time, an atheistic Vaisnava-hater named Ramachandra Khan was the area’s principal landowner. He became jealous of Hari Das Thakur’s increasing reputation and decided to ruin it by showing a flaw in his character. To this end he devised numerous tactics, none of which were successful. Finally, he called some prostitutes together and asked them to seduce Hari Das Thakur. One of these prostitutes, a very beautiful young girl named Lakshahira, claimed to be able to accomplish the task within three days. Hence, Ramachandra engaged her for this mission.

Ramachandra Khan proposed sending an armed guard with Lakshahira to arrest Hari Das Thakur as soon as he was seen uniting with her, but she refused, saying that it would be better to wait until she was sure that Hari Das Thakur was ready to succumb. That night, she dressed and decorated herself in a most attractive manner and went to Hari Das Thakur’s hut. The first thing she did was to pay obeisances to the Tulasi, showing that she was still influenced by her pious Hindu upbringing.

She then went and stood beside Hari Das Thakur. She began to use all the wiles at her command, flirting with him by saying, “You are a very handsome man Thakura, in the full bloom of youth. What woman would be able to resist you? I have come here because I am filled with desire for you. If I don’t obtain you, I will kill myself.”

In answer to this, Hari Das Thakur said, “I have just began chanting my regular number of Holy Names. As soon as I am finished, I will do whatever you wish. In the meantime, please sit down and wait and listen to the chanting of the Holy Name.” He kept chanting until morning, when the prostitute finally became impatient and left. She returned to Ramachandra Khan and reported what had happened.

That night she returned to Hari Das Thakur’s hut, and he expressed his regret at having been unable to fulfill her desires due to his inability to complete his quota of Holy Names. Once again, however, he assured her that as soon as he was finished, he would do as she wished. Lakshahira paid her obeisances to Tulasi Devi as she had the previous evening and sat down. Once again she spent the night waiting for Hari Das Thakur to finish his chanting. In spite of her wily tricks to make Hari Das Thakur impatient, he continued to chant the Holy Name unperturbed. When morning came, she again grew restless. Hari Das Thakur said to her, “I have taken a vow that I will chant ten million Holy Names before the end of the month. I have almost completed this number. As a matter of fact, I should finish it this very night. Don’t worry, as soon as I have fulfilled my obligation, I will be able to fulfil your desire.”

On the third night, Lakshahira returned, again paying obeisances to the Tulasi and sitting down beside Hari Das Thakur to listen to him chant. As she continued to listen to him repeat the Holy Names, the contaminations in her mind began to melt away and she began to regret her mission. She finally fell down at his feet and begged forgiveness of him. She told him all about Ramachandra Khan’s evil intentions, but Hari Das Thakur answered her, “I know all about them. I would have left here on the very first day you came, but I wanted to bestow mercy unto you, so I stayed for three days.”

Lakshahira then asked him to instruct her so that she might be saved. He told her that whatever money she had earned by sinful means should be given in charity to the Brahmins and then she should come and take up residence in his hut where she should worship Tulasi Devi and chant the Holy Names constantly.

Lakshahira did exactly as her Guru instructed her, giving all her riches to the Brahmins and shaving her head before returning to the hut dressed in a single piece of cloth. She then started to chant 300,000 names every day. By virtue of her service to Tulasi and her chanting of the Holy Name, she became much renounced. All her senses were conquered and she attained pure love for Krishna. Through Hari Das Thakur’s mercy, the prostitute had become a great Vaishnavi.

Nityanand Prabhu’s appearance was later of this incident but as the indwelling soul of all beings, He was perfectly aware of Ramachandra Khan’s record, so He along with His associates came to his house during a preaching tour in the area to punish him. Though Nityananda Prabhu is known to be the most compassionate, merciful to even the lowliest people, saving sinners like Jagai and Madhai and giving them love of God, He too becomes angry with one who offends a Vaisnava.

As a result of his offences to Hari Das Thakur, Ramachandra Khan had become a complete demon. He could not give Nityananda Prabhu and His companions the respect due to such exalted guests but arranged quarters for them in a cowshed. Nityananda Prabhu became even more displeased with Ramachandra Khan as a result of this insult and immediately left the place. He said, “This place is not fit for us, but for cow-slaughtering meat-eaters.” Not long thereafter, the Muslim revenue officer came with his soldiers to collect overdue taxes. He and his men stayed in the Durga Mandapa at Ramachandra Khan’s house and killed a cow there. They arrested him and his family and looted the house and village, destroying his caste, his wealth and his family in one full swoop.

Hari Das Thakur came to Shanti Pura from there. In Shanti Pura also there are many wondrous incidences. (Because of limitation of time Srila Gurudev is not narrating them.) From there Hari Das Thakur came to Purushottam Dham (Jagannath Puri). Though Hari Das Thakur was not officially banned from going into the Lord Jagannath temple or the house of Kashi Mishra (where Mahaprabhu was staying), he never went there out of humility at his lowly birth. Mahaprabhu arranged a solitary cottage for him in a garden not far from His own place of worship.

There is one Bakula tree at that place underneath which Hari Das Thakur used to chant the Holy name. That flower garden is now known as Siddha Bakula.

As Hari Das Thakur grew old, it became more and more difficult for him to maintain his vow of chanting three lakhs of Names every day. Thus, he had no appetite when Govinda came with Lord Jagannath’s Prasad and would eat only a single grain of rice just to avoid disrespecting the Holy food. Out of His affection for Hari Das Thakur, Mahaprabhu told him that he was a perfected being and that there was no need for him to show such attachment for devotional service in practice; he could thus reduce the number of Holy Names that he chanted every day.

Hari Das Thakur knew that Mahaprabhu would soon be ending His pastimes in this world and he wished to leave before Him. The affectionate Lord granted Hari Das Thakur his wish, even though He felt desolate at the prospect of losing his company.

Hari Das Thakur sat in front of Mahaprabhu and gazed at His lotus face. As the tears flowed from his eyes, he took the Lord’s lotus feet on his chest and, with the names “Ha Chaitanya! Ha Chaitanya!” on his lips, voluntarily left his body like Bhishma.

All around them, the devotees were being swept away by a kirtan that grew louder and louder. The Lord spontaneously lifted Hari Das Thakur’s body and started to dance around the courtyard, holding him to His chest. In the accompaniment of the loud singing of the Holy Names, He and the devotees took Hari Das Thakur’s body to the beach. There they bathed the body in the sea and then dug a hole in the sand where they placed it. Mahaprabhu was the first to offer sand into the samadhi. This was the samadhi ritual of Hari Das Thakur and the seashore has become a great place of pilgrimage.

Mahaprabhu circumambulated the burial place and then went personally to the Jagannath temple to beg for Prasad for a feast in honor of Hari Das Thakur. Svarupa Damodar Goswami would not let Mahaprabhu carry the Prasad, but took personal responsibility for organizing the festival. At the feast, all the devotees were given enough food to eat to their fill.

What faith he had in chanting the Holy Name of Supreme Lord! Even Mayadevi (the personified form of the illusory energy of Supreme Lord) came to test him. If we truly perform harinam then nobody on earth can attract us. Illicit persons cannot do any harm to me. Harlots cannot do any harm to me. But we find sometime some so-called Vaishnava are attracted to woman. But by doing harinam one will be fixed and will be freed from the attraction of such non-eternal things of this world, especially from illicit connection with woman. We will be saved.