Haridasa Thakur
| Haridasa Thakur (NamAcarya) | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Religion | Gaudiya Vaishnavism |
| Other names | Mama thakur, Yavana Haridas, |
| Personal | |
| Born | 1450 East Bengal |
| Died | Puri, India |
| Senior posting | |
| Based in | Mayapur and Puri India |
| Title | Nama acharya of the Gaudiya Vaishnavism |
| Predecessor | Advaita Acharya and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu |
| Religious career | |
| Ordination | Vaishnava-Diksa |
| Post | Namacharya |
| Website | [1] |
Haridasa Thakur (IAST Haridāsa) (born 1451 or 1450) was a prominent Vaishnava saint known for being instrumental in the initial propagation of the Hare Krishna movement. He is considered to be the most famous convert of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, apart from Rupa Goswami and Sanatana Goswami. His story of integrity and unflinching faith in the face of extreme adversity is told in Chaitanya Charitamrita, Antya lila. Besides being an ex-Muslim, he is famous because of his dedication to the religious practice of constantly chanting the names of God. Haridasa Thakura and Advaita Acharya,two senior and well-respected religious personalities of Gaudiya Vaishnavism in the local area of Mayapur, prayed for the descent of the yugavatara, (avatar of the era) believed to be Chaitanya. As an associate of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, he is named the acharya, or guru, of the holy name. Due to his constant prayer and meditation on the names of God, he personified compassion, while being brutally beaten by Muslim aggressors he prayed incessantly that The Lord may forgive them. It is believed that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu himself designated Haridasa as nāmācarya, meaning the 'teacher of the Name'. Haridasa Thakura, was a devotee of God, Krishna, and had practiced chanting the names of the Lord, Hare Krishna, 300,000 times daily. The original, Muslim name of Haridasa is not known.
From the very beginning of Chaitanya's 16th century bhakti movement in Bengal, Haridasa Thakur and other born Muslims as well as those of various faiths joined together to spread love of God. This openness received a boost from Bhaktivinoda Thakura's broad-minded vision in the late 19th century and was institutionalized by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati in his Gaudiya Matha in the 20th century. A disciple of Bhaktisiddhanta, Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, is the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, that celebrates festivals memory of Haridasa Thakura in India and worldwide.
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