English
28 January 2024
Chanting the holy name
Speaker: HH Sundara Chaitanya Goswami Maharaj
Hare Krsna. I would like to thanks HG Padmamali Prabhu for inviting me to give the japa talk today. In Narad puran, this is the truth.
satyam satyam punā, satyaṃ satyaṃ iva punā punā,
vinā rādhiko prasāde, mata prasādo na vidyate (Nārada Purāṇa)
Translation: Shri Krsna says: O Narada! I tell you truly truly, again truly, truly, again and again - without the mercy of “Radharani”, one cannot attain my mercy.
Without the mercy of Radharani, we cannot get the mercy of Sri Krsna. It is said three times here, punah punah, again and again. And Sri Krsna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna himself but he is in mood of Radharani. So Radharani is more merciful.
Once in Vrindavan, Krsna was distributing prasada. He said, those devotees who brought the plate can only get the prasadam and others won’t. Like Iskcon devotees, they distribute prasadam with plates. Srimati Radharani was not happy about Krsna not giving prasadam to everyone and she complaint to her father Vrishabhanu and then he complaint to Nanda Maharaj that why Krsna is not giving prasadam to everyone.
And then after Nanda Maharaj questioned Krsna, he replied, how is it possible to give them prasadam if they cannot bring the plates. They have to bring the plates to get prasadam. So then Srimati Radharani decided when I will descend to the planet earth, I’ll distribute prasadam without differentiating in caste, creed and color. So that is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the mood of Radharani.
pātrāpātra-vicāra nāhi, nāhi sthānāsthāna
yei yāṅhā pāya, tāṅhā kare prema-dāna (CC Adi 7.23)
Translation: In distributing love of Godhead, Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His associates did not consider who was a fit candidate and who was not, nor where such distribution should or should not take place. They made no conditions. Wherever they got the opportunity, the members of the Pañca-tattva distributed love of Godhead.
Although qualified or not, Mahaprabhu is distributing this holy name prasadam to everyone. So real beggar is Mahaprabhu and the devotee is the same. He is begging, please chant the holy name. Nitynanada prabhu would go door to door and say,
nadiya-godrume nityananda mahajana 2
sraddhaban jana he sraddhaban jana he)
prabhura ajnaya bhai magi ei bhikha
bolo krishna bhajo krishna koro krishna-sikha
Translation: (O faithful people, O faithful people,) O my brothers, by the Lord's command I ask this charity of you: Please chant, Krishna!, worship Krishna, and learn and teach about Krishna.
This is explained by Bhaktivinoda thakur as sambandha gyan, pyayojana gyan. This is the wealth. To cry while remembering the names of the Lord, this is Dhan. Because when Mayavadis were asking Chaitanya Mahaprabhu why are you doing this, always chanting the names of Krsna then he asked his Gurudev,
kibā mantra dilā, gosāñi, kibā tāra bala
japite japite mantra karila pāgala (CC Adi 7.81)
Translation: My dear lord, what kind of mantra have you given Me? I have become mad simply by chanting this mahā-mantra!
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, I have become mad by chanting Krsna naam. This mantra is making me laughing, crying and dancing.
hāsāya, nācāya, more karāya krandana
eta śuni’ guru hāsi balilā vacana (CC Adi 7.82)
Translation: Chanting the holy name in ecstasy causes Me to dance, laugh and cry. When My spiritual master heard all this, he smiled and then began to speak.
His Gurudev said that this is the power of Krsna mantra.
nāca, gāo, bhakta-saṅge kara saṅkīrtana
kṛṣṇa-nāma upadeśi’ tāra’ sarva-jana (CC Adi 7.92)
Translation: My dear child, continue dancing, chanting and performing saṅkīrtana in association with devotees. Furthermore, go out and preach the value of chanting kṛṣṇa-nāma, for by this process You will be able to deliver all fallen souls.
tasmāt saṅkīrtanaṁ viṣṇor
jagan-maṅgalam aṁhasām
mahatām api kauravya
viddhy aikāntika-niṣkṛtam (SB 6.3.31)
Translation: Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: My dear King, the chanting of the holy name of the Lord is able to uproot even the reactions of the greatest sins. Therefore the chanting of the saṅkīrtana movement is the most auspicious activity in the entire universe. Please try to understand this so that others will take it seriously.
kali-kālera dharma — kṛṣṇa-nāma-saṅkīrtana
kṛṣṇa-śakti vinā nahe tāra pravartana (CC Antya 7.11)
Translation: The fundamental religious system in the Age of Kali is the chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. Unless empowered by Kṛṣṇa, one cannot propagate the saṅkīrtana movement.
Yuga dharma of Kaliyuga is Naam Sankirtana - The congregational chanting of the holy names. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came here to distribute Krsna prema prasada without differentiating in anyone. So once Srila Haridas thakur was having discussion regarding the holy name. A Brahman said the goal of chanting is to be freed from the miseries of life and get liberation. So Haridas thakur said the goal of chanting the holy name is only Krsna prema, not to get liberation.
Krsna prema is like an ocean. But to get liberated is like a drop of that ocean. Its explained that in our Krsna Consciousness movement, like worshiping Laxmi Narayan takes you to Vaikuntha but we can’t go to Goloka Vrindavan so after performing sadhna bhakti in dasya bhava, is it possible to go to Goloka dham while performing devotional service? -Those who are performing in other moods like sakhya bhava or madhurya bhava do attain Goloka Vrindavan. But how will we get because we are in dasya bhava.
Yes it is possible because,
nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś
caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ
pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya-mukto
’bhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ (CC Madhya 17.133)
Translation: The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all spiritual benedictions, for it is Kṛṣṇa Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure. Kṛṣṇa’s name is complete, and it is the form of all transcendental mellows. It is not a material name under any condition, and it is no less powerful than Kṛṣṇa Himself. Since Kṛṣṇa’s name is not contaminated by the material qualities, there is no question of its being involved with māyā. Kṛṣṇa’s name is always liberated and spiritual; it is never conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because the name of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa Himself are identical.
All the rasa’s and bhava’s are included in the holy name of the Lord. So we don’t need to perform sadhna bhakti in any other bhava because all these are included in the chanting of the holy name of the Lord.
Although there is no difference between naam and naami (Krsna and his name) still, there is a difference in naam and nami. Naam is more powerful because ‘Hari se bada Hari ka naam’. We find a story, that once Krsna is being kidnapped by Putana and when he killed Putana, then Krsna went to his home and his parents were bathing and purifying him and they were chanting the Lord’s name. Here is the Supreme personality of Godhead present personally, who purifies everything and he is getting purified by his name. A person by hearing about the Lord becomes purified.
Om Apavitrah Pavitro Vaa Sarva-Avasthaam Gato-Api Vaa
Yah Smaret-Punnddariikaakssam Sa Baahya-Abhyantarah Shucih
Translation: Om, if one is Apavitra (Impure) or Pavitra (Pure), or even in all other conditions. He who remembers Pundarikaksha (Another name of Sri Vishnu, literally meaning with Lotus-like Eyes), He becomes Pure outwardly as well as inwardly.
Sometimes Krsna would ask what kind of mantra is this. This Mahamantra is very special because its made of Lord’s name. The Hare Krsna mantra, from the beginning it is having the Lord’s naam but gayatri mantra is not having the Lord’s naam. So Mahamantra is made of naam only. Chanting gayatri has to be chanted silently but Mahamantra is the opposite, the more loudly you chant the more powerful it is.
Gayatri mantra is secret, their Gurudev is secret but Mahamantra is open secret, we chant it loudly and we keep our beads in bead bag so its secret also. Chanting the holy name is Yuga dharma. When Sri Madhvacharya met Srila Vyasadev, Vyasadev inspired him to write the glories of hari naam. He wrote 9 prameyas to glorify Harinaam. Those Prameyas explain us what we need to learn in shastras.
sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto
mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca
vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
vedanta-krd veda-vid eva caham (BG 15.15)
Translation: I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.
Many people don’t understand Vedas. People read Bhagavad Gita but they learn how to rule or how to make business. But this is not the real goal of reading Bhagavad Gita. To understand Vedas means to understand Krsna. In Prameyas, Sri Madhvacharya wrote, how to know the difference between matter and spirit soul, what is God, what is the difference between the Lord and the Jiva.
Srila Bhaktivinoda thakur also wrote Prameyas but he wrote one more Prameya, which was the root of all 9 prameyas and which is based on Rasa. In other Sampradayas, they are also chanting. But in our Sampradaya, we are dancing and crying and chanting.
nāca, gāo, bhakta-saṅge kara saṅkīrtana kṛṣṇa-nāma upadeśi’ tāra’ sarva-jana (CC Adi 7.92). This is the effect of the holy name.
Hare Krsna! Thank you very much.
