English
03 February 2024
Properly Chanting the Holy Name
Speaker: HH Lokanath Swami Maharaj
Hare Krsna. We are engaging in this process of chanting the holyname of the Lord. These names are powerful and non different from the Lord himself.
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.
Perfection andrealizations in chanting are equal to realizations of Krsna.
bahūnāṁ janmanām ante
jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti
sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ (BG 7.19)
Translation: After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.
The Lord is everything and the cause behind everything. Who is this name? The name is the Lord. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur says there is nothing other than this holy name in the 14 planetary system, which in another sense means Vasudeva or Harinam is all in all. Everything else is stone and dirt.
prema-dhana vinā vyartha daridra jīvana
‘dāsa’ kari’ vetana more deha prema-dhana (CC Antya 20.37)
Translation: Without love of Godhead, My life is useless. Therefore I pray that You accept Me as Your servant and give Me the salary of ecstatic love of God.
This life is poor without the wealth of Love.I am trying to put this thought in your mind - Holy name realization.Harinam is Hari, who is also Lord Chaitanya and he himself is saying this, that without Harinam life is meaningless. If you haven't earned or collected this Harinam deposited in your account, then you are poverty stricken, penniless and bankrupt.
golokera prema-dhana, hari-nama-sankirtana,
rati na janmilo kene tay
samsara-bishanale, diba-nisi hiya jwale,
juraite na koinu upay (Hari Hari bifale 2)
Translation: The treasure of divine love in Goloka Vrindavana has descended as the congregational chanting of Lord Hari’s holy names. Why did my attraction for that chanting never come about? Day and night my heart burns from the fire of the poison of worldliness, and I have not taken the means to relieve it.
Sri Krsna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna himself and he brings the Holy names, the wealth of Goloka Vrindavan. Both Harinam and Mahaprabhu are non different.
kali-kāle nāma-rūpe kṛṣṇa-avatāra
nāma haite haya sarva-jagat-nistāra (CC Adi 17.22)
Translation:
In this Age of Kali, the holy name of the Lord, the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, is the incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Simply by chanting the holy name, one associates with the Lord directly. Anyone who does this is certainly delivered.
Lord Chaitanya has come to give this love but we haven't taken it attentively. We are chanting but not attentively. So it is not being deposited in our account. Such life is useless and meaningless. Inattentively chanted names go to the account of Maya. In Shikshastakam there are 8 verses ofLord Chaitanya’s instructions.
cheto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam
shreyah-kairava-chandrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam
anandambhdhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamritasvadanam
sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate shri-krishna-sankirtanam (Shikshashtakam 1)
Translation:
Glory to the Shri Krsna sankirtana (congregational chanting of the Lord's holy names), which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. That sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.
Lord Chaitanya resides at Jagannath Puri at Gambhira. Whole night he would spend with Swarup Damodar who is Lalita from Vraja lila And Ramananda Raya who is Vishakha. And Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna in Radha Rani’s mood.So Radha, Lalita and Vishakha are discussing and experiencing bliss together. This chapter is the last chapter of the Antya lila of Chaitanya Charitamrita and its last verse is known as Shikshashtaka, where they are discussing each verse one by one.
Whole night they would discuss one verse. It is his own compilation and the Lord is also doing commentary. Explaining the essence and esoteric meanings.There Lord Chaitanya says, the dharma of Kali Yuga is Harinam Sankirtan.
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.
Further commentaries are done by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur and others. This is all done for realizing the holy name. Here God realization is replaced with Nama realization. That is what we do in the Japa session, chant 16 rounds minimum. Lord Chaitanya says to always chant.
trinad api sunicena
taror api sahishnuna
amanina manadena
kirtaniyah sada harihi (Shikshashtakam 3)
Translation: 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 should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.
The Lord’s name is desire stone. These are not ordinary alphabets or empty words or names. Take this chanting more and more seriously and attentively everyday. Increase your attention everyday. We read Shikshashtakam before the japa session. Many of you are not there at that time. It would be nice if you all will join with the reading of Shikshashtakam, so the mood is set, as it is the glories of the holy name. And the chanter of this prayer is Lord himself. He is glorifying himself. Name is the Lord and the compiler is also the Lord and the commentator is also the Lord himself. By compiling Shikshashtakam, Krsna wants to attract our hearts to him. He says in the Bhagavad Gita, my devotees mind and heart is in me.
mach-chittā mad-gata-prāṇā bodhayantaḥ parasparam
kathayantaśh cha māṁ nityaṁ tuṣhyanti cha ramanti cha (BG 10.9)
Translation: The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are fully devoted to My service, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss from always enlightening one another and conversing about Me.
And we have read the meaning. When we say Hare Krsna, we should think, Oh Krsna please attract my mind. Srila Gopal Guru Goswami, Jiva Goswami and others have written commentaries on the holy name where they also explain, what should be our mood when we chant. Oh Krsna, you are called the all attractive, so with your sweetness attract me (sarva akarshati iti Krsna). Everything about you is sweet. Attract my heart by that sweetness. This is what we pray when we chant. It starts with cleansing the heart, mind and thoughts. May the mirror of my mind be cleansed. (ceto darpana marjanam).
The dust on the mirror obstructs one from seeing anything. So the holy name cleanses all these impurities from many lifetimes, that is covering our mind, thoughts and mood. So we can see nicely the darshan of Krsna in that mirror of the heart. You will see yourself also. This happens by bhakti and love. When we chant, then the soul sees the Supersoul, the holy name, The lord. In the end the chanter is the soul.
We have to make the soul chant. Not from our lips. Lips is just the instrument or medium. The soul is the real chanter. This Hare Krsna is calling to the Lord. As much as he chants attentively with love that much he will realize the holy name. And the holy name will appear. Krsna says in the Bhagavad Gita, as one surrenders that much he sees me.
ye yathā māṁ prapadyante
tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham
mama vartmānuvartante
manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ (BG 4.11)
Translation: As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Pṛthā.
Other wise I cover my self with Yoga Maya.
nāhaṁ prakāśhaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛitaḥ
mūḍho ’yaṁ nābhijānāti loko mām ajam avyayam (BG 7.25)
Translation: I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My internal potency, and therefore they do not know that I am unborn and infallible.
More attention will bring more surrender and then we will get the darshan of the Lord. Then we will understand who is this Harinam. The devotee, the Lord and devotion they are all eternally existent. Devotee is the soul. The Lord is the holy name and devotion is chanting with love, attention and free of offenses.
aparadha-sunya hoye loha krishna-nama
krishna mata krishna pita krishna dhana prana (Nadiya Godrume 3)
Translation: Chant Krishna's name without offense. Accept Krsna as your mother. Accept Krsna as your father. Accept Krishna as your wealth and your life.
When one chants attentively then there is zero offense. When we avoid these offenses then the Lord will appear. So there is a relation between attention and offenses. This is sadhana- practice. The first to fifth verses of Shikshashtakam is for practitioners of Sadhana Bhakti. Sixth and seventh is bhava Bhakti and eighth is Prema Bhakti - Love. These are different levels of devotion.
ashlishya va pada-ratam pinashtu mam
adarshanan marma-hatam karotu va
yatha tatha va vidadhatu lampato
mat-prana-nathas tu sa eva naparaha (Shikshashtakam 8)
Translation: I know no one but Kṛṣṇa as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly in His embrace or makes me brokenhearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord unconditionally.
Lord Chaitanya is Radha and Krsna. And this 8th verse is Radharani's loving words in the mood of separation. It is the essence of the Shikshashtakam. This is the language of Love.
All India Padyatra leader HG Acharya prabhu was supposed to lead the japa talk but he had some service. I thought I'll talk for a few minutes. But I continued for the whole session. We will hear from HG Acharya prabhu some other day.
This food for thought session is done daily. So please digest it, meditate on it and think about it. And all that was said today preserve them. These are important thoughts. And I hope this will help you to chant attentively.
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Sri Krsna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ki Jai. Sri Chaitanya Shikshashtaka ki Jai. Harinaam Prabhu ki Jai. Gaur bhakta vrinda ki Jai!
Share these thoughts with others too. Share the glories of Harinam with your loved ones. We always give everything to Maya but share Krsna with others. Inspire others to chant and help them realize the holy name.
Share Krsna with them then you are their true friend. Otherwise you become their enemy. Nothing else is worth giving. One should not take Maya or give Maya. But give and take Krsna only. You are now getting the ability to give Krsna. Krsna is yours and you can give Krsna, so share Krsna. We will pause here.
HG Swarupananda prabhu: We have got the instructions. Chant 16 rounds attentively and offenselessly. And join the session early for the reading of the Shikshashtakam and share Krsna with others. Make people fortunate. Take notes so you won't forget. You can write your take aways. What inspired you note that down.
Hare Krsna.
