CHAPTER SIX

In the forest of Benāpola, in what is now known as Bangladesh, the solitary monk sat before the sacred tulasī plant chanting the holy names of Kṛṣṇa day and night. Haridāsa Ṭhākura would chant three hundred thousand names of God each day. The body of this extraordinary saint, who was constantly in trance, was maintained by spiritual strength from chanting, and he barely slept at all. He was so influential that all the neighboring people offered their respects to him.

But a landholder named Rāmacandra Khān, the district tax collector, was envious of devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Unable to tolerate the great respect that was being offered to Haridāsa Ṭhākura, he schemed to dishonor him. By no means, however, could he find any fault in Haridāsa’s character. Therefore, he called for some local prostitutes and plotted with them to discredit the saint. Rāmacandra Khān said, “There is a mendicant named Haridāsa Ṭhākura. All of you devise a way to deviate him from his vows of austerity.” Austerity means renunciation of sensual pleasures, especially the pleasure of sex.

Rāmacandra Khān selected a ravishing young beauty to break the monk’s vow of celibacy and dishonor him. “I shall attract the mind of Haridāsa Ṭhākura within three days,” she promised.

Rāmacandra Khān said to the prostitute, “My constable will go with you so that as soon as he sees you with Haridāsa Ṭhākura, he will immediately arrest him and bring both of you to me.”

The prostitute replied, “First let me unite with him once; then the second time I shall take your constable with me to arrest him.”

At night the prostitute, after dressing herself seductively, went to Haridāsa’s cottage. Haridāsa was young, strong, and handsome, and the girl was eager to be alone with him. After offering respects to the tulasī plant, she went to the door of Haridāsa’s hut, offered him obeisances, and stood there. Exposing part of her body to his view, she sat down on the threshold and spoke to him in sweet words.

“My dear Haridāsa, O great preacher, great devotee, you are so beautifully built and your youth is just beginning. What woman could control her mind after seeing you? I am eager to unite with you. My mind is greedy for this. If I don’t obtain you, I shall not be able to keep body and soul together.”

Haridāsa Ṭhākura replied, “I shall accept you without fail, but you will have to wait until I’ve finished chanting my regular rounds on my beads. Until that time, please sit and listen to the chanting of the holy name. As soon as I am finished, I shall fulfill your desire.”

Hearing this, the prostitute remained sitting there while Haridāsa Ṭhākura chanted on his beads until the light of morning appeared. When she saw that it was morning, the prostitute stood up and left. Coming before Rāmacandra Khān she informed him of all the news.

“Today Haridāsa Ṭhākura has promised to enjoy with me,” she said. “Tomorrow I shall certainly have union with him.”

The next night, when the prostitute returned, Haridāsa Ṭhākura gave her many assurances. “Last night you were disappointed. Please excuse my offense. I shall certainly accept you. Please sit down and hear the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra until my regular chanting is finished. Then your desire will surely be fulfilled.”

After offering her obeisances to the tulasī plant and Haridāsa Ṭhākura, she again sat down at the door. Hearing Haridāsa Ṭhākura chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, she also chanted, “O my Lord Hari, O my Lord Hari.”

When the night came to an end, the prostitute was restless. Seeing this, Haridāsa said, “I have vowed to chant ten million names in one month. I have taken this vow, but now it is nearing its end. I thought that today I would be able to finish my chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. I tried my best to chant the holy name all night, but I still did not finish. Tomorrow I will surely finish, and my vow will be fulfilled. Then it will be possible for me to enjoy with you in full freedom.”

The prostitute returned to Rāmacandra Khān and informed him of what had happened. The next day she came earlier, at the beginning of the evening, and stayed all night. Again, as she began to hear Haridāsa Ṭhākura’s chanting, she also chanted “Hari, Hari,” the holy name of the Lord.

“Today it will be possible for me to finish my chanting,” the saint said. “Then I shall satisfy all your desires.”

The night ended with Haridāsa still chanting, but now, because of her constant hearing of Haridāsa’s chanting, the prostitute’s mind had changed. Now fully purified, she began to cry and fell at the feet of Haridāsa Ṭhākura, confessing that Rāmacandra Khān had appointed her to pollute him.

“Because I have taken the profession of a prostitute,” she said, “I have performed unlimited sinful acts. My lord, be merciful to me. Deliver my fallen soul.”

Haridāsa replied, “I know everything about Rāmacandra Khān’s conspiracy. He is nothing but an ignorant fool, so his activities do not disturb me. On the very day Rāmacandra Khān was planning his intrigue against me I would have left this place, but because you came I stayed for three more days just to deliver you.”

“Kindly act as my spiritual master,” she begged him. “Instruct me in my duty so that I can get relief from this material existence.”

Haridāsa answered, “Immediately go home and distribute to the brāhmaṇas whatever property you have. Then come back to this room and stay here forever in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra continuously and render service to the tulasī plant by watering her and offering prayers to her. In this way you will very soon get the opportunity to be sheltered at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa.”

After thus instructing the prostitute in the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Haridāsa Ṭhākura stood up and left, continuously chanting the Kṛṣṇa’s holy names.

Following the order of her spiritual master, the prostitute distributed to the local priests whatever household possessions she had. Following Haridāsa’s example she began chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa three hundred thousand times a day. She chanted throughout the entire day and night, and she worshiped the tulasī plant. By sometimes eating frugally and at other times fasting, she conquered her senses. As soon as her senses were controlled, symptoms of love of God appeared in her person.

Thus the prostitute became a great saint, and her fame spread throughout the land. Because she was advanced in spiritual life, many devotees of the Lord came to see her. Seeing the sublime character of this former prostitute, everyone was astonished. They glorified the influence of Haridāsa Ṭhākura and offered their obeisances to him.

As for Rāmacandra Khān, he was eventually ruined, by the Lord’s arrangement. Meanwhile, Haridāsa Ṭhākura continued his travels, always preaching the glories of the holy name, about which he often said, “As the rising sun immediately dissipates all the world’s darkness, which is deep like an ocean, so the holy name of the Lord, if chanted once without offenses, can dissipate all the reactions of a living being’s sinful life. All glories to that holy name of the Lord, which is auspicious for the entire world.”

To this day thousands of pilgrims each year visit the tomb of Haridāsa Ṭhākura, who, although born a Muslim, became the exemplar of the chanting of the holy name and one of India’s greatest devotee-saints.