Sri Caitanya-caritamrta: Antya-lila
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Chapter 3

Antya3.112

TEXT 112

"thakura, tumi--parama-sundara, prathama yauvana

toma dekhi’ kon nari dharite pare mana?

SYNONYMS

thakura—O great devotee acarya; tumi—you; parama-sundara—very beautifully constructed; prathama yauvana—the beginning of youth; toma dekhi’-seeing you; kon nari—what woman; dharite pare—can control; mana—her mind.

TRANSLATION

"My dear Thakura, O great preacher, great devotee, you are so beautifully built, and your youth is just beginning. Who is the woman who could control her mind after seeing you?

Antya3.113

TEXT 113

tomara sangama lagi’ lubdha mora mana

toma na paile prana na yaya dharana"

SYNONYMS

tomara sangama—union with you; lagi’-for the sake of; lubdha—greedy; mora mana—my mind; toma—you; na paile—if I do not get; prana—my life; na—not; yaya—can be; dharana—maintained.

TRANSLATION

“I am eager to be united with you. My mind is greedy for this. If I don’t obtain you, I shall not be able to keep my body and soul together.”

Antya3.114-115

TEXTS 114-115

haridasa kahe,--"toma karimu angikara

sankhya-nama-samapti yavat na haya amara

tavat tumi vasi’ suna nama-sankirtana

nama-samapti haile karimu ye tomara mana"

SYNONYMS

haridasa kahe—Haridasa Thakura said; toma—you; karimu angikara—I shall accept; sankhya-nama—the number of holy names; samapti—finishing; yavat—as long as; na—not; haya—it is; amara—my; tavat—so long; tumi—you; vasi’-sitting; suna—hear; nama-sankirtana—chanting of the holy name; nama—of the holy name; samapti—finishing; haile—when there is; karimu—I shall do; ye—what; tomara—your; mana—mind.

TRANSLATION

Haridasa Thakura replied,“I shall accept you without fall, but you will have to wait until I have 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.”

Antya3.116

TEXT 116

eta suni’ sei vesya vasiya rahila

kirtana kare haridasa pratah-kala haila

SYNONYMS

eta suni’-hearing this; sei vesya—that prostitute; vasiya rahila—stayed there sitting; kirtana—chanting; kare—performs; haridasa—Haridasa Thakura; pratah-kala haila—there was the light of morning.

TRANSLATION

Hearing this, the prostitute remained sitting there while Haridasa Thakura chanted on his beads until the light of morning appeared.

Antya3.117

TEXT 117

pratah-kala dekhi’ vesya uthiya calila

saba samacara yai khannere kahila

SYNONYMS

pratah-kala dekhi’-seeing the morning; vesya—the prostitute; uthiya calila—stood up and left; saba samacara—all information; yai—going; khannere kahila—she spoke to Ramacandra Khan.

TRANSLATION

When she saw that it was morning, the prostitute stood up and left. Coming before Ramacandra Khan, she informed him of all the news.

Antya3.118

TEXT 118

’aji ama angikara kariyache vacane

kali avasya tahara sange ha-ibe sangame’

SYNONYMS

aji—today; ama—me; angikara—acceptance; kariyache—he has done; vacane—by word; kali—tomorrow; avasya—certainly; tahara sange—with him; ha-ibe—there will be; sangame—union.

TRANSLATION

“Today Haridasa Thakura has promised to enjoy with me. Tomorrow certainly I shall have union with him.”

Antya3.119

TEXT 119

ara dina ratri haile vesya aila

haridasa tare bahu asvasa karila

SYNONYMS

ara dina—the next day; ratri—night; haile—when there was; vesya—the prostitute; aila—came; haridasa—Haridasa Thakura; tare—unto her; bahu—many; asvasa karila—gave assurances.

TRANSLATION

The next night, when the prostitute came again, Haridasa Thakura gave her many assurances.

Antya3.120

TEXT 120

’kali duhkha paila, aparadha na la-iba mora

avasya karimu ami tomaya angikara

SYNONYMS

kali—yesterday; duhkha paila—you were disappointed; aparadha—offense; na la-iba—please do not take; mora—my; avasya—certainly; karimu—shall do; ami—I; tomaya—unto you; angikara—acceptance.

TRANSLATION

"Last night you were disappointed. Please excuse my offense. I shall certainly accept you.

Antya3.121

TEXT 121

tavat ihan vasi’ suna nama-sankirtana

nama purna haile, purna habe tomara mana’

SYNONYMS

tavat—until that time; ihan—here; vasi’-sitting; suna—hear; nama-sankirtana—chanting of the holy name of the Lord; nama purna haile—as soon as the regular chanting is fulfilled; purna—satisfied; habe—will be; tomara mana—your mind.

TRANSLATION

“Please sit down and hear the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra until my regular chanting is finished. Then your desire will surely be fulfilled.”

Antya3.122

TEXT 122

tulasire tanke vesya namaskara kari’

dvare vasi’ nama sune bale ’hari’ ’hari’

SYNONYMS

tulasire—unto the tulasi plant; tanke—unto Haridasa Thakura; vesya—the prostitute; namaskara kari’-offering obeisances; dvare vasi’-sitting at the door; nama—the holy name; sune—hears; bale—says; hari hari—O my Lord Hari, O my Lord Hari.

TRANSLATION

After offering her obeisances to the tulasi plant and Haridasa Thakura, she sat down at the door. Hearing Haridasa Thakura chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, she also chanted,“O my Lord Hari, O my Lord Hari.”

PURPORT

Herein one can clearly see how a Vaisnava delivers a fallen soul by a transcendental trick. The prostitute came to pollute Haridasa Thakura but he took it as his duty to deliver the prostitute. As clearly demonstrated here, the process of deliverance is very simple. With faith and reverence the prostitute associated with Haridasa Thakura, who personally treated her material disease by chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. Although the prostitute had an ulterior motive, somehow or other she got the association of a Vaisnava and satisfied him by occasionally chanting in imitation, “O my Lord Hari, O my Lord Hari.” The conclusion is that associating with a Vaisnava, chanting the holy name of the Lord and offering obeisances to the tulasi plant or a Vaisnava all lead one to become a transcendental devotee who is completely cleansed of all material contamination.

Antya3.123

TEXT 123

ratri-sesa haila, vesya usimisi kare

tara riti dekhi’ haridasa kahena tahare

SYNONYMS

ratri—night; sesa haila—came to an end; vesya—the prostitute; usimisi—restless; kare—became; tara—her; riti—activities; dekhi’-seeing; haridasa—Haridasa Thakura; kahena—says; tahare—unto her.

TRANSLATION

When the night came to an end, the prostitute was restless. Seeing this, Haridasa Thakura spoke to her as follows.

Antya3.124

TEXT 124

"koti-nama-grahana-yajna kari eka-mase

ei diksa kariyachi, haila asi’ sese

SYNONYMS

koti-nama-grahana—chanting ten million names; yajna—such a sacrifice; kari—I perform; eka-mase—in one month; ei—this; diksa—vow; kariyachi—I have taken; haila—it was; asi’-nearing; sese—the end.

TRANSLATION

"I have vowed to chant ten million names in a month. I have taken this vow, but now it is nearing its end.

PURPORT

If one regularly chants 333,333 times daily for a month and then chants one time more, he will thus chant ten million times. In this way a devotee worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such worship is called yajna. Yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi sumedhasah: those whose intelligence is brilliant accept this hari-nama-yajna, the yajna of chanting the holy name of the Lord. By performing this yajna, one satisfies the Supreme Personality of Godhead and thus attains perfection in spiritual life. According to external vision, Haridasa Thakura belonged to a Mohammedan family. Nevertheless, because he engaged himself in performing the yajna of chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, he became a regularly initiated brahmana. As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.33.6):

yan-namadheya-sravananukirtanad
yat-prahvanad yat-smaranad api kvacit
svado ’pi sadyah savanaya kalpate
kutah punas te bhagavan nu darsanat

Even if a devotee comes from a family of dog-eaters, if he surrenders to the personality of Godhead he immediately becomes a qualified brahmana and is immediately fit to perform yajna, whereas a person born in a family of brahmanas has to wait until completing the reformatory processes before he may be called samskrta, purified. It is further said in Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.1.40):

asamskrtah kriya-hina
rajasa tamasavrtah
prajas te bhaksayisyanti
mleccha rajanya-rupinah

“In the age of Kali, mlecchas, or lowborn people who have not undergone the purifying process of samskara, who do not know how to apply that process in actual life and who are covered by the modes of passion and ignorance, will take the posts of administrators. They will devour the citizens with their atheistic activities.” A person who is not purified by the prescribed process of samskara is called asamskrta, but if one remains kriya-hina even after being purified by initiation-in other words, if one fails to actually apply the principles of purity in his life-he remains an unpurified mleccha or yavana. On the other hand, we find that Haridasa Thakura, although born in a mleccha or yavana family, became Namacarya Haridasa Thakura because he performed the nama-yajna a minimum of 300,000 times every day.

Herein we find that Haridasa Thakura strictly followed his regulative principle of chanting 300,000 times. Thus when the prostitute became restless, he informed her that first he had to finish his chanting and then he would be able to satisfy her. Actually Haridasa Thakura chanted the holy name of the Lord for three nights continuously and gave the prostitute a chance to hear him. Thus she became purified, as will be seen in the following verses.

Antya3.125

TEXT 125

aji samapta ha-ibe,--hena jnana chila

samasta ratri nilun nama samapta na haila

SYNONYMS

aji—today; samapta ha-ibe—will be finished; hena jnana chila—I thought that; samasta ratri—all night; nilun—I took; nama—the holy name of the Lord; samapta—finished; na haila—was not.

TRANSLATION

"I thought that today I would be able to finish my performance of yajna, my chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra. I tried my best to chant the holy name all night, but I still did not finish.

Antya3.126

TEXT 126

kali samapta habe, tabe habe vrata-bhanga

svacchande tomara sange ha-ibeka sanga"

SYNONYMS

kali—tomorrow; samapta habe—it will end; tabe—at that time; habe—there will be; vrata-bhanga—the end of my vow; svacchande—in full freedom; tomara sange—with you; ha-ibeka—there will be; sanga—union.

TRANSLATION

“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.”

PURPORT

Haridasa Thakura never wanted to enjoy the prostitute, but he tricked her to deliver her by giving her a chance to hear the holy name of the Lord while he chanted. Pure devotees chant the Hare Krsna mantra, and simply by hearing this chanting from a purified transcendental person, one is purified of all sinful activities, no matter how lowborn or fallen one may be. As soon as one is thus completely free from the reactions of sinful activities, he is eligible to render devotional service to the Lord. This is the process for engaging the fallen souls in devotional service. As Lord Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita (7.28):

yesam tv anta-gatam papam
jananam punya-karmanam
te dvandva-moha-nirmukta
bhajante mam drdha-vratah

“Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with determination.”

Antya3.127

TEXT 127

vesya giya samacara khannere kahila

ara dina sandhya ha-ite thakura-thani aila

SYNONYMS

vesya—the prostitute; giya—returning; samacara—information; khannere kahila—spoke to Ramacandra Khan; ara dina—the next day; sandhya ha-ite—beginning from the evening; thakura-thani aila—she came and remained at the residence of Haridasa Thakura.

TRANSLATION

The prostitute returned to Ramacandra Khan and informed him of what had happened. The next day she came earlier, at the beginning of the evening, and stayed with Haridasa Thakura.

Antya3.128

TEXT 128

tulasike, thakurake namaskara kari’

dvare vasi’ nama sune, bale ’hari’ ’hari’

SYNONYMS

tulasike—unto the tulasi plant; thakurake—and unto Haridasa Thakura; namaskara kari’-offers her obeisances; dvare vasi’-sitting at the door; nama sune—hears the holy name; bale—chants; hari hari—the holy name of the Lord.

TRANSLATION

After offering obeisances to the tulasi plant and Haridasa Thakura, she sat down on the threshold of the room. Thus she began to hear Haridasa Thakura’s chanting, and she also personally chanted “Hari, Hari,” the holy name of the Lord.

Antya3.129

TEXT 129

’nama purna habe aji’,--bale haridasa

’tabe purna karimu aji tomara abhilasa’

SYNONYMS

nama—chanting of the holy name; purna—complete; habe—will be; aji—today; bale haridasa—Haridasa Thakura said; tabe—then; purna karimu—I shall satisfy; aji—today; tomara abhilasa—your desires.

TRANSLATION

“Today it will be possible for me to finish my chanting,” Haridasa Thakura informed her. “Then I shall satisfy all your desires.”

Antya3.130

TEXT 130

kirtana karite aiche ratri-sesa haila

thakurera sane vesyara mana phiri’ gela

SYNONYMS

kirtana karite—chanting and chanting; aiche—in that way; ratri-sesa haila—the night ended; thakurera sane—by the association of Haridasa Thakura; vesyara—of the prostitute; mana—mind; phiri’ gela—was converted.

TRANSLATION

The night ended while Haridasa Thakura was chanting, but by his association the mind of the prostitute had changed.

Antya3.131

TEXT 131

dandavat hana pade thakura-carane

ramacandra-khannera katha kaila nivedane

SYNONYMS

dandavat hana—offering obeisances; pade—she fell down; thakura-carane—at the lotus feet of Haridasa Thakura; ramacandra-khannera—of Ramacandra Khan; katha—policy; kaila—did; nivedane—submission.

TRANSLATION

The prostitute, now purified, fell at the lotus feet of Haridasa Thakura and confessed that Ramacandra Khan had appointed her to pollute him.

Antya3.132

TEXT 132

"vesya hana muni papa kariyachon apara

krpa kari’ kara mo-adhame nistara"

SYNONYMS

vesya hana—being a prostitute; muni—I; papa—sinful activities; kariyachon—have done; apara—unlimited; krpa kari’-being merciful; kara—please do; mo-adhame—unto me, the most fallen; nistara—deliverance.

TRANSLATION

“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.”

Antya3.133

TEXT 133

thakura kahe,--khannera katha saba ami jani

ajna murkha sei, tare duhkha nahi mani

SYNONYMS

thakura kahe—Haridasa Thakura said; khannera katha—the plans of Ramacandra Khan; saba—all; ami jani—I know; ajna murkha sei—he is an ignorant fool; tare—by that; duhkha nahi mani—I do not feel unhappiness.

TRANSLATION

Haridasa Thakura replied, "I know everything about the conspiracy of Ramacandra Khan. He is nothing but an ignorant fool. Therefore his activities do not make me feel unhappy.

Antya3.134

TEXT 134

sei-dina yaitama e-sthana chadiya

tina dina rahilana toma nistara lagiya

SYNONYMS

sei-dina—on that very day; yaitama—I would have left; e-sthana—this place; chadiya—giving up; tina dina—for three days; rahilana—I stayed; toma—you; nistara lagiya—for delivering.

TRANSLATION

“On the very day Ramacandra Khan was planning his intrigue against me, I would have left this place immediately, but because you came to me I stayed here for three days to deliver you.”

Antya3.135

TEXT 135

vesya kahe,--"krpa kari’ karaha upadesa

ki mora kartavya, yate yaya bhava-klesa"

SYNONYMS

vesya kahe—the prostitute said; krpa kari’-being merciful; karaha upadesa—please give instructions; ki—what; mora kartavya—my duty; yate—by which; yaya—go away; bhava-klesa—all material tribulations.

TRANSLATION

The prostitute said, “Kindly act as my spiritual master. Instruct me in my duty by which to get relief from material existence.”

Antya3.136

TEXT 136

thakura kahe,--"gharera dravya brahmane kara dana

ei ghare asi’ tumi karaha visrama

SYNONYMS

thakura kahe—Srila Haridasa Thakura said; gharera—at home; dravya—articles; brahmane—to the brahmanas; kara dana—give as charity; ei ghare—in this room; asi’-returning; tumi—you; karaha visrama—stay.

TRANSLATION

Haridasa Thakura replied, "Immediately go home and distribute to the brahmanas whatever property you have. Then come back to this room and stay here forever in Krsna consciousness.

PURPORT

Haridasa Thakura’s instruction that the prostitute should distribute to the brahmanas all the property she had at home is very significant. Haridasa Thakura never advised the prostitute to give charity to the so-called daridra-narayana (“poor Narayana”) or any other such persons. According to Vedic civilization, charity should be given only to the qualified brahmanas. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (18.42):

samo damas tapah saucam
ksantir arjavam eva ca
jnanam vijnanam astikyam
brahma-karma svabhava-jam

The brahminical qualifications are truthfulness, control of the senses and mind, tolerance, simplicity, knowledge, practical application of transcendental knowledge in one’s life, and full faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead. persons engaged in pursuing spiritual understanding have no time to earn their livelihood. They depend completely on the mercy of the Lord, who says in Bhagavad-gita (9.22) that He personally carries to them all their necessities (yoga-ksemam vahamy aham).

The Vedic civilization recommends that one give charity to brahmanas and sannyasis, not to the so-called daridra-narayana. Narayana cannot be daridra, nor can daridra be Narayana, for these are contradictory terms. Atheistic men invent such concoctions and preach them to fools, but charity should actually be given to brahmanas and sannyasis because whatever money they get they spend for Krsna. Whatever charity one gives to a brahmana goes to Krsna, who says in Bhagavad-gita (9.27):

yat karosi yad asnasi
yaj juhosi dadasi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kurusva mad-arpanam

“O son of Kunti, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me.” Everything actually belongs to Krsna, but so-called civilized men unfortunately think that everything belongs to them. This is the mistake of materialistic civilization. The prostitute (vesya) had earned money by questionable means, and therefore Haridasa Thakura advised her to distribute to the brahmanas whatever she possessed. When Srila Rupa Gosvami retired from family life, he distributed fifty percent of his income to the brahmanas and Vaisnavas. A brahmana knows what the Absolute Truth is, and a Vaisnava, knowing the Absolute Truth, acts on behalf of the Absolute Truth, the Supreme personality of Godhead. Generally one earns money by many questionable means. Therefore at some time one should retire and distribute whatever one has to the brahmanas and Vaisnavas who engage in devotional service by preaching the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Antya3.137

TEXT 137

nirantara nama lao, kara tulasi sevana

acirat pabe tabe krsnera carana"

SYNONYMS

nirantara—twenty-four hours a day; nama lao—chant the Hare Krsna mantra; kara—perform; tulasi sevana—worship of the tulasi plant; acirat—very soon; pabe—you will get; tabe—then; krsnera carana—the lotus feet of Krsna.

TRANSLATION

“Chant the Hare Krsna mantra continuously and render service to the tulasi 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 Krsna.”

PURPORT

At least five thousand years ago, Lord Sri Krsna expressed His desire that everyone surrender to Him (sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja). Why is it that people cannot do this? Krsna assures, aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami ma sucah: “I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” Everyone is suffering from the results of sinful activities, but Krsna says that if one surrenders unto Him, He will protect one from sinful reactions. Modern civilization, however, is interested neither in Krsna nor in getting relief from sinful acts. Therefore men are suffering. Surrender is the ultimate instruction of Bhagavad-gita, but for one who cannot surrender to the lotus feet of Krsna, it is better to chant the Hare Krsna mantra constantly, under the instruction of Haridasa Thakura.

In our Krsna consciousness movement we are teaching our followers to chant the Hare Krsna mantra continuously on beads. Even those who are not accustomed to this practice are advised to chant at least sixteen rounds on their beads so that they may be trained. Otherwise, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommended:

trnad api sunicena
taror api sahisnuna
amanina manadena
kirtaniyah sada harih

“One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street. One should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.” Sada means “always.” Haridasa Thakura says, nirantara nama lao: “Chant the Hare Krsna mantra without stopping.”

Although Krsna wants everyone to surrender to His lotus feet, because of people’s sinful activities they cannot do this. Na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah: rascals and fools, the lowest of men, who engage in sinful activities, cannot suddenly surrender to the lotus feet of Krsna. Nevertheless, if they begin chanting the Hare Krsna mantra and rendering service unto the tulasi plant, they will very soon be able to surrender. One’s real duty is to surrender to the lotus feet of Krsna but if one is unable to do so, he should adopt this process, as introduced by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His most confidential servant, Namacarya Srila Haridasa Thakura. This is the way to achieve success in Krsna consciousness.

Antya3.138

TEXT 138

eta bali’ tare ’nama’ upadesa kari’

uthiya calila thakura bali’ ’hari’ ’hari’

SYNONYMS

eta bali’-saying this; tare—her; nama upadesa kari’-instructing about the process of chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra; uthiya—standing up; calila—left; thakura—Haridasa Thakura; bali’-chanting; hari hari—the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.

TRANSLATION

After thus instructing the prostitute about the process of chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, Haridasa Thakura stood up and left, continuously chanting “Hari, Hari.”

Antya3.139

TEXT 139

tabe sei vesya gurura ajna la-ila

grha-vitta yeba chila, brahmanere dila

SYNONYMS

tabe—thereafter; sei—that; vesya—prostitute; gurura—of the spiritual master; ajna—order; la-ila—took; grha-vitta—all household possessions; yeba—whatever; chila—there was; brahmanere—to the brahmanas; dila—gave.

TRANSLATION

Thereafter, the prostitute distributed to the brahmanas whatever household possessions she had, following the order of her spiritual master.

PURPORT

Sometimes the word grha-vrtti is substituted for the word grha-vitta. Vrtti means “profession.” The grha-vrtti of the prostitute was to enchant foolish people and induce them to indulge in sex. Here, however, grha-vrtti is not a suitable word. The proper word is grha-vitta, which means “all the possessions she had in her home.” All the girl’s possessions had been earned by professional prostitution and were therefore products of her sinful life. When such possessions are given to brahmanas and Vaisnavas who can engage them in the service of the Lord because of their advancement in spiritual life, this indirectly helps the person who gives the charity, for he is thus relieved of sinful reactions. As Krsna promises, aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami: “I shall save you from all sinful reactions.” When our Krsna conscious devotees go out to beg charity or collect contributions in the form of membership fees, the money thus coming to the Krsna consciousness movement is strictly employed to advance Krsna consciousness all over the world. The Krsna conscious devotees collect the money of others for the service of Krsna, and they are satisfied with Krsna’s prasada and whatever He gives them for their maintenance. They do not desire material comforts. However, they go to great pains to engage the possessions of prostitutes, or persons who are more or less like prostitutes, in the service of the Lord and thus free them from sinful reactions. A Vaisnava guru accepts money or other contributions, but he does not employ such contributions for sense gratification. A pure Vaisnava thinks himself unfit to help free even one person from the reactions of sinful life, but he engages one’s hard-earned money in the service of the Lord and thus frees one from sinful reactions. A Vaisnava guru is never dependent on the contributions of his disciples. Following the instructions of Haridasa Thakura, a pure Vaisnava does not personally take even a single paisa from anyone, but he induces his followers to spend for the service of the Lord whatever possessions they have.

Antya3.140

TEXT 140

matha mudi’ eka-vastre rahila sei ghare

ratri-dine tina-laksa nama grahana kare

SYNONYMS

matha mudi’-shaving her head; eka-vastre—wearing one cloth; rahila—remained; sei ghare—in that room; ratri-dine—throughout the entire day and night; tina-laksa—300,000; nama—holy names; grahana kare—chants.

TRANSLATION

The prostitute shaved her head clean in accordance with Vaisnava principles and stayed in that room wearing only one cloth. Following in the footsteps of her spiritual master, she began chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra 300,000 times a day. She chanted throughout the entire day and night.

Antya3.141

TEXT 141

tulasi sevana kare, carvana, upavasa

indriya-damana haila, premera prakasa

SYNONYMS

tulasi—the tulasi plant; sevana kare—she worshiped; carvana—chewing; upavasa—fasting; indriya-damana—controlling the senses; haila—there was; premera prakasa—manifestations symptomizing love of Godhead.

TRANSLATION

She worshiped the tulasi plant, following in the footsteps of her spiritual master. Instead of eating regularly, she chewed whatever food she received as alms, and if nothing was supplied she would fast. Thus by eating frugally and fasting she conquered her senses, and as soon as her senses were controlled, symptoms of love of Godhead appeared in her person.

Antya3.142

TEXT 142

prasiddha vaisnavi haila parama-mahanti

bada bada vaisnava tanra darsanete yanti

SYNONYMS

prasiddha—celebrated; vaisnavi—devotee of the Lord; haila—became; parama-mahanti—very advanced; bada bada vaisnava—many recognized, highly situated devotees; tanra—her; darsanete—to see; yanti—used to go.

TRANSLATION

Thus the prostitute became a celebrated devotee. She became very advanced in spiritual life, and many stalwart Vaisnavas would come to see her.

PURPORT

Stalwart, highly advanced Vaisnava devotees are not interested in seeing prostitutes, but when a prostitute or any other fallen soul becomes a Vaisnava, stalwart Vaisnavas are interested in seeing them. Anyone can be turned into a Vaisnava if he or she follows the Vaisnava principles. A devotee who follows these principles is no longer on the material platform. Therefore, it is one’s strict adherence to the principles that should be considered, not the country of one’s birth. Many devotees join our Krsna consciousness movement from Europe and America, but one should not therefore consider them European Vaisnavas or American Vaisnavas. A Vaisnava is a Vaisnava and should therefore be given all the respect due a Vaisnava.

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