258
Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta
[Antya-līlā, Ch. 3]
PURPORT
The village of Benāpola is situated in the district of Yaśohara, which is now in Bangladesh. Benāpola is near the Banagāṅo station, which is at the border of Bangladesh and may be reached by the eastern railway from Shelda Station in Calcutta. Haridāsa Thākura, being the ācārya of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa  mahā-mantra , is called Nāmācārya Haridāsa Thākura. From his personal example we can understand that chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa  mantra  and becoming highly elevated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is very simple. Without difficulty one can sit down anywhere, especially on the bank of the Ganges, Yamunā or any sacred river, devise a sitting place or cottage, plant a  tulasī , and before the  tulasī  chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa  mahā-mantra  undisturbed.
Haridāsa Thākura used to chant the holy name on his beads 300,000 times daily. Throughout the entire day and night, he would chant the sixteen names of the Hare Kṛṣṇa  mahā-mantra . One should not, however, imitate Haridāsa Thākura, for no one else can chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa  mahā-mantra  300,000 times a day. Such chanting is for the  mukta-puruṣa , or liberated soul. We can follow his example, however, by chanting sixteen rounds of the Hare Kṛṣṇa  mahā-mantra  on beads every day and offering respect to the  tulasī  plant. This is not at all difficult for anyone, and the process of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa  mahā-mantra  with a vow before the  tulasī  plant has such great spiritual potency that simply by doing this one can become spiritually strong. Therefore we request the members of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement to follow Haridāsa Thākura's example rigidly. Chanting sixteen rounds does not take much time, nor is offering respects to the  tulasī  plant difficult. The process has immense spiritual potency. One should not miss this opportunity.
TEXT 101
ব্রাহ্মণের ঘরে করে ভিক্ষা নির্বাহণ ।
প্রভাবে সকল লোক করয়ে পূজন ॥ ১০১ ॥
brāhmaṇera ghare kare bhikṣā nirvāhaṇa prabhāve sakala loka karaye pūjana
SYNONYMS
brāhmaṇera ghare —in the house of a  brāhmaṇa ;  kare —does;  bhikṣā nirvāhaṇa —asking alms of food;  prabhāve —by spiritual potency;  sakala loka —all people;  karaye pūjana —worship.
TRANSLATION
For his bodily maintenance he would go to a brāhmaṇa's house and beg some food. He was spiritually so influential that all the neighboring people worshiped him.