Çré Nämämåta
Preface
Introduction
1: The Holy Name:
The Universal and Supreme Religion for this Age
1. The Prime Religious Practice for the Kali-yuga Is the Chanting of the Holy Name
2. In the Kali-yuga, Lord Kåñëa Is
Worshiped by Chanting of the Holy Name
3. The Yuga-dharma Is Personally Introduced by Lord Kåñëa in His Incarnation as Lord
Caitanya
4. In the Kali-yuga, Chanting Yields the Results of Other Religious Practices Performed in
Previous Ages
5. Saìkértana-yajïa Is the Only
Recommended Yajïa for this Age
6. In this Age, Chanting of the Holy Name Is the Supreme Form of Yoga
7. Chanting of the Holy Name
Yields All Results of Austerity
8. Chanting Versus Other Spiritual Practices (Other than Yajïa, Yoga, and Austerity)
9. Lord Caitanya Introduced the Mahä-mantra To Counteract the Philosophy of
Impersonalism
10. In This Age, Chanting of the Holy Name Is More Important than Varëäçrama-dharma
11. The Holy Name Counteracts
The Effects of the Kali-yuga
12. In This Age, Kåñëa Appears in His Name in Order To Annihilate the Demons and Protect the
Devotees
13. The Holy Name Destroys the Demoniac Mentality of the People in General
14. The Glories of Nämäcärya Haridäsa Öhäkura
15. The Chanting of Hare Kåñëa Is
Not Limited to the Kali-yuga
16. Chanting of the Holy Name Is the Easiest Means for Spiritual Advancement
17. Chanting of the Holy Name Is
The Foundation of Spiritual Life
18. Chanting of the Holy Name Is the Most Important Element of Devotional Service
19. The Holy Name Is Meant to
Be Chanted by All Persons
20. The Holy Name Benefits All Human Society
21. Even the Lowest of Men Can be
Elevated by the Holy Name
2a. The Transcendental Attributes the Holy Name
1. The Lord Has Innumerable Names
(to Indicate Different Functions and Dealings)
2. “Kåñëa” Is the Principal Name of God
3. The Meaning of the Name “Kåñëa”
4. The Meaning of the Name “Räma”
5. The Meaning of the Name “Hare”
6. The Relative Potency of the Names “Kåñëa,” “Räma,” and “Viñëu”
7. The Lord and His Holy
Name Are Nondifferent
8. The Holy Name Is All-auspicious
9. The Holy Name of Çré Caitanya
Mahäprabhu Is All-auspicious
10. The Mahä-mantra Is a
Spiritual Sound Vibration
11. The Holy Name Is Ever Fresh
12. The Mahä-mantra Is a Prayer for Deliverance, Protection, and Engagement
In the Lord’s Service
13. The Mahä-mantra Is the Essence
And the Conclusion of All Vedic
Knowledge, Rituals, Hymns, and Mantras
14. “Oà” and “Hare Kåñëa”
15. Definitions: Japa, Kértana,
Saìkértana, and Çravaëa
16. The Name of Christ
17. Other Instructions on the
Transcendental Attributes of the Holy Name
2b. The Transcendental
Effects f the Holy Name
1. The Holy Name Revives One’s Dormant,
Eternal Kåñëa Consciousness
2. The Role of the Holy Name in the Progression of Devotional Service
3. The Holy Name Frees One
from the Reactions to Sins
4. By Chanting the Holy Name,
The Mind Becomes Controlled
5. The Holy Name Protects One from Pride
6. By Chanting, One Develops Forbearance
7. The Holy Name Eradicates
Material Desires and Sinful Activity
8. The Holy Name Cleanses the Heart And Frees One from Material Contamination
9. The Holy Name Brings
Faith in Kåñëa Consciousness
10. The Holy Name Liberates One
From the Miseries of Material Existence
11. By Chanting the Holy Name
One Becomes Enlightened
12. If One Chants His Holy Name,
Kåñëa Becomes Pleased and Obliged
13. Kåñëa Helps the Sincere Chanter
14. By Chanting His Holy Name,
One Can Remember Kåñëa
15. By Chanting, One Associates
With the Lord Directly
16. The Holy Name Attracts One to Kåñëa
17. The Holy Name Invokes an
Attitude of Service to the Lord
18. By Chanting the Holy Name,
One Achieves Direct Service to the Lord
19. By Chanting the Holy Name,
One Comes to Understand / Realize / See Kåñëa
20. The Holy Name Evokes Love of God
21. The Holy Name Evokes Ecstasy
22. Chanting of the Holy Name
In the State of Ecstasy
23. By Chanting the Holy Name,
One Returns Home, Back to Godhead
24. Even Improper Chanting of the
Holy Name Yields Beneficial Results
25. A Devotee Can Be Satisfied in Any Condition of Life Simply by Chanting
26. The Holy Name Protects the
Devotee from Falldown
27. The Holy Name Protects
One from Danger and Fear
28. Other Instructions on the Transcendental Effects of the Holy
Name
3. The Practice of the Holy
Name
1. The Practice of the Holy
Name
2. Offensive Chanting of the Holy Name
3. Offenseless Chanting of the Holy Name
4. One Must Receive the Holy Name
From Proper Spiritual Authorities
5. The Chanting of a Pure Devotee
Is Especially Effective
6. One Should Not Hear the
Holy Name from a Nondevotee
7. Where and When One Should Chant
8. One Must Chant the Holy
Name Constantly
9. Devotees Must Chant (at Least) Sixteen Rounds Daily
10. One Develops a Taste for
Chanting by Chanting
11. To Be Effective,
Chanting Should Be Accompanied
By the Four Regulative Principles
12. Before Chanting the Hare Kåñëa Mahä-mantra, One Should Chant
the Païca-tattva Mahä-mantra
13. One Must Distinctly
Pronounce the Holy Name
14. One Must Chant Loudly
Enough to Hear Oneself
15. One Must Chant in Humility
16. One Must Chant with
Respect and Veneration
17. One Must Have Faith In
the Holy Name
18. One Must Become a
Servant of the Holy Nam
19. The Process of Chanting
Is Very Simple
20. The Pure Brahmacari Engages
Fully in the Chanting of the Holy Name
21. Householders Can Conduct
Chanting at Home
22. A Neophyte Devotee Should Not
Retire to a Secluded Place to Chant
23. One Should Not Concoct
Chants and Mantras
24. Results of Giving Up Chanting
25. Chanting at the Time of Death
26. Other Instructions on the
Practice of the Holy Name
4. The Propagation of the Holy Name
1. The Holy Name Should Be
Propagated Throughout the World
2. The Kåñëa Consciousness Movement And the Propagation of the Holy Name
3. Only One Empowered by the Lord
Can Propagate the Holy Name
4. Only One Who Is Strictly Following Religious Principles Can Propagate the Holy
Name
5. Other Important
Instructions Concerning the Holy Name
1. The Kåñëa Consciousness
Movement and the Holy Name
2. Qualifications and Disqualifications for Understanding and Chanting the Holy Name
3. Näma-dékñä, Brahminical
Initiation, and the Holy Name
4. Relative Importance of
Chanting and Initiation
5. Relative Importance of
Chanting and Deity Worship
6. The Interrelationship Between
Chanting and Studying Scripture
7. Even If One Cannot Read or
Understand the Scriptures, He Can
Attain Perfection Through Chanting
8. One Chants the Holy Name
Due to Devotional Service
Performed in Previous Lives
9. Anyone Who Chants the
Holy Name Is Worthy of Respect
10. One Who Realizes that the Lord And His Name Are Identical Is a Pure Devotee and Should Be Respected
11. Great Souls Chant the Holy Name
12. Our Misfortune: No
Attachment for Chanting
13. To Preach Effectively,
One Must Chant the Holy Name
14. Chanting of the Holy Name
Continues in the Liberated State
15. Chanting of the Holy Name in Kåñëa-lélä
16. Other Instructions
6. Songs by Vaiñëava Saints on
The Glories of the Holy Name
7. Important Verses from
Vedic and Vaiñëava Literature on the Glories
Of the Holy Name
1. The Holy Name Is the Universal
And Supreme Religion for this Age
2. The Transcendental Attributes
And Effects of the Holy Name
3. The Practice of the Holy Name
4. The Propagation of the Holy Name
5. Other Verses About the Holy Name
8. His Divine Grace
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda About Çréla Prabhupäda
The Nectar of the Holy Name
Instructions by
His Divine Grace
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda
Founder-Äcärya of the International Society for
Krishna Consciousness
compiled and edited by
Çubhänanda däsa
Preface
Preface
On June 7, 1977, about four months before Çréla Prabhupäda left
this world, I wrote him a long letter. Although I had been his disciple already
for a number of years, I had written to him only once before, because I felt
very timid about taking his time unnecessarily. At this point, however, I felt
an urgent need to write to him, because I wanted to propose an idea that had
occurred to me while contemplating the possibility that he might leave us
before too long. As Çréla Prabhupäda’s health was very poor at that time, I,
like so many of my Godbrothers and Godsisters, felt compelled to deepen my
understanding of my relationship with my spiritual master with reference to his
anticipated absence. The obvious and compelling question was, “In what form
will my relationship with Çréla Prabhupäda continue after his physical
departure?” Taking shelter of çästra, I found this statement in Çréla
Prabhupäda’s commentary to Çrémad-Bhägavatam 4.28.47:
… The disciple and spiritual master are never separated, because
the spiritual master always keeps company with the disciple as long as the
disciple follows strictly the instructions of the spiritual master. This is
called the association of väëé (words). Physical presence is called vapuù. As
long as the spiritual master is physically present, the disciple should serve
the physical body of the spiritual master, and when the spiritual master is no
longer physically existing, the disciple should serve the instructions of the spiritual
master.
I could understand, therefore, that if I were to always very
seriously attend to his instructions, I would always be able to feel enlivened
by Çréla Prabhupäda’s transcendental presence within my heart. This
understanding was confirmed when I glanced at Çréla Prabhupäda’s expression of
dedication to his spiritual master in the first volume of the Bhägavatam, where
he writes, “To Çréla Prabhupäda Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Gosvämé Mahäräja, my
spiritual master.… He lives forever by his divine instructions and the follower
lives with him.”
Now, where are those instructions? Those instructions are
enshrined primarily within his books. As Çréla Prabhupäda stated upon his
return to Våndävana from London, shortly before his physical departure, “There
is nothing new to be said. Whatever I had to say I have already said in my
books. Now you must all try to understand it and continue with your
endeavors.…” He also stated at around the same time, “If I depart, there is no
cause for lamentation. I will always be with you through my books and my
orders. I will always remain with you in that way.”
It is clear from these instructions, then, that Çréla Prabhupäda
lives on, in full transcendental manifestation in his divine instructions, and
that we can contact him and receive his mercy by understanding and by executing
those instructions. Anyone who makes even a humble endeavor to research any
particular philosophical point within Çréla Prabhupäda’s books will discover a
cornucopia of transcendental knowledge and insight. The thought occurred to me,
however, that other than attending temple classes on Çrémad-Bhägavatam and
Bhagavad-gétä, few of us, for whatever reasons, undertake a systematic and
comprehensive study of Çréla Prabhupäda’s books, even if we have the
opportunity to do so. I began, therefore, to reflect on how Çréla Prabhupäda’s
disciples and future followers might be provided some system for drawing out
instructions on specific subjects from his books in an easy and convenient
manner. With this concern in mind, I wrote Çréla Prabhupäda a letter in which I
proposed that some sort of comprehensive, systematic compilation of all of his
instructions from his books be executed. I offered to accept that difficult
task, even though I felt personally unqualified to do so. Later that month, I
received the following reply from Tamäla Kåñëa Goswami, who was then acting as
Çréla Prabhupäda’s secretary:
My dear Çubhänanda Prabhu,
Please accept my
humble obeisances. I have been instructed by His Divine Grace Çréla Prabhupäda
to reply your letter dated June 7th, 1977.
His Divine Grace
was very pleased to hear your proposal for systematically amassing a subject by
subject encyclopedic compilation of all of Çréla Prabhupäda’s teachings and
instructions as found in his books. Çréla Prabhupäda said that he knows that
you are a scholarly devotee and are just fit for doing this job. He said, “It
is a very welcome suggestion.”
Although most often preoccupied with other projects since
receiving this order from my spiritual master, I have often meditated on how
best to fulfill this instruction and have, at different times, discussed the
concept of this project with senior Vaiñëavas. The basic conclusion of such
meditations and discussions has been that the encyclopedia itself should not be
merely a quantitative compilation of all of Çréla Prabhupäda’s words on every
subject (which would be extremely voluminous), but that it should follow the
traditional encyclopedia format. Since the publication of Preaching Is the Essence
and The Spiritual Master and the Disciple, however, many devotees have urged me
to produce comprehensive compilations of Çréla Prabhupäda’s instructions on at
least the most important subjects of Kåñëa consciousness, two of which have
already been covered in these two publications.
It therefore seemed natural that the next compilation (I hope to
produce one every year or so) should be on the chanting of the mahä-mantra,
because this is the foundation of the practice of Kåñëa consciousness. I
therefore now humbly offer this book, Çré Nämämåta: The Nectar of the Holy
Name, to all of Çréla Prabhupäda’s disciples and granddisciples. All of us
should absorb our minds in these nectarean instructions with rapt attention and
conscientiously apply their conclusions in our practical spiritual life. By
studying Çréla Prabhupäda’s instructions on this most important of subjects, we
will become fully convinced of the central importance of offenseless chanting
of the holy name of Kåñëa in our endeavor for spiritual advancement.
Çré Nämämåta is divided into five principal parts: Part One
reveals the chanting of the holy name, the Hare Kåñëa mahä-mantra, as the
yuga-dharma, the principal and universal religion for this age of Kali. Part
Two delineates the wonderful, transcendental attributes and effects of the holy
name. Part Three offers a wide variety of practical instructions on the
practice of the chanting of the holy name, and Part Four deals with the
necessity for propagating the holy name throughout human society. Finally, Part
Five presents a variety of important instructions on the holy name not included
in the other four sections.
With few exceptions, I have not induded general references to
saìkértana that do not make specific reference to näma-saìkértana, the chanting
of the holy name. I have also decided not to include in this book the numerous
descriptive narrations of chanting of the holy name in caitanya-lélä (as found
in Çré Caitanya-caritämåta). Such descriptions can be found easily enough
through the indexes to the various volumes of Çré Caitanya-caritämåta. I have
decided, thus, to restrict this compilation to specific instructions about the
holy name, as such.
At the end of the book, one will find two helpful appendixes: The
first is a collection of songs written by Çréla Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura, Çréla
Narottama däsa Öhäkura, and Locana däsa Öhäkura on the glories of the holy
name. The second appendix lists over sixty of the most important verses from
Vedic and Vaiñëava literature glorifying the holy name.
A few words of explanation concerning the system of compilation
and organization used in this book, as well as about some innovations, are in
order here: (1) In going systematically through Çréla Prabhupäda’s books,
whenever I come across a purport dealing with the subject at hand, I have the
relevant passage typed on an index card, and then I title it. Generally, I
include only one central topic per index-card entry. (2) If, within any
purport, distinctly different points are made about the subject, separate
index-card entries are made, and each is appropriately titled and categorized.
(3) In cases where two different but related points are presented in one
interwoven discussion, or where one point applies equally to two or more
different topic categories, identical entries are prepared and placed within
appropriate categories. There is, in other words, a small degree of unavoidable
duplication of entries. (In some cases, such duplicate entries will be titled
differently, appropriate to their respective categories.) (4) Within any
particular subsection, where two or more entries are very similar in content,
rather than duplicating exact or near-exact entry titles, I have allowed one
entry title to suffice for the consecutive entries. (5) Rather than including
Sanskrit or Bengali verse transliterations for every verse cited,
transliterations are given only for the most important verses (those included
in Appendix II). The transliterations for any other verses can be found in
Çréla Prabhupäda’s books. (6) When I have cited verses that appear, in their
original textual context, in conversational form, I have indicated who the
speaker and hearer are whenever possible. Further, as is often the case in Çré
Caitanya-caritämåta, when a traditional scriptural verse is cited in
conversation (as, for instance, between Lord Caitanya and Rüpa Gosvämé), only
the original speaker and hearer are given.
In closing, let me say that it is my humble and fervent hope that
by carefully studying, absorbing, and implementing the nectarean instructions
found within this volume, many, many sincere souls will feel renewed
inspiration to take the holy name of Çré Kåñëa as their life and soul.
—Çubhänanda däsa
NAM: Introduction
Introduction
“I do not know how much nectar the two syllables ‘Kåñ-ëa’ have
produced. When the holy name of Kåñëa is chanted, it appears to dance within
the mouth. We then desire many, many mouths. When that name enters the holes of
the ears, we desire many millions of ears. And when the holy name dances in the
courtyard of the heart, it conquers the activities of the mind, and therefore
all the senses become inert.”
These lines, conceived in a state of religious ecstasy, flowed
from the pen of Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé, the great Vaiñëava theologian and mystic,
as he wrote his famous devotional drama Vidagdha-mädhava in early
sixteenth-century India. His equally famous brother, Çréla Sanätana Gosvämé,
exults in his Båhad-bhägavatämåta,
All glories to the all-blissful holy name of Çré Kåñëa, which
causes the devotees to give up all conventional religious duties, meditation,
and worship. When somehow or other uttered even once by a living entity, the
holy name awards him liberation. The holy name of Kåñëa is the highest nectar.
It is my very life and my only treasure.
To the uninitiated, these expressions of enthusiasm for the
practice of contemplative recitation of the name of God may appear odd. For how
can repeated recitation of mere sounds—linguistic formulations—transform
consciousness and invoke ecstasy? Modern secular students of religion,
especially those of a reductionistic temperament, seek often to divest such
spiritual experiences of their unique metaphysical properties, attributing them
to quantifiable psychological (or other) causes. Some even view them as
pathological. But mere psychological reductionism can do little to shed light
upon the profound religious experiences of those who “taste,” in devotional
ecstasy, “the nectar of the name.” Nor can it explain the profound influence
this practice has had on the religious adepts of many different spiritual
traditions, most prominently the Vaiñëava religious tradition of India, within
which the theology and practice of the holy name have reached their highest
development.
According to historically reliable literary accounts, medieval
India witnessed a massive religious renaissance centered largely on the popular
mysticism of the congregational chanting and singing of the names of God. This
litany often took the form of the mahä-mantra: Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa
Kåñëa, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare. The great
sixteenth-century saint Çré Caitanya, Himself worshiped as an incarnation of
Lord Kåñëa, first turned this public congregational chanting (saìkértana) into
a mass movement in Bengal and then spread it to other parts of north India, and
later to the south of India, where, according to His biographers, He traveled
on foot for six years and converted millions to the religion of the holy name.
The chanting of the divine name was no longer to be confined to the retreats of
solitary mystics and hermits, but to spread itself widely and assume a central
role in the spiritual lives of the common people. Exuberant chanting
processions, accompanied by drums and cymbals, swept through the streets of the
cities, towns, and villages, inundating countless people in a tidal wave of
ecstatic emotion. Not only the common people but some of the most prominent
religious intellectuals of the day, having first been inspired by the
brilliance and clarity of His teachings, succumbed to the devotional ecstasy of
Çré Caitanya’s revivalist movement. Not meant to remain confined even to India,
Caitanya-style saìkértana has in recent decades appeared on Western shores,
where members of the Hare Kåñëa movement, modern followers of Çré Caitanya,
publicly chant in the streets of major cities.
Why the profound effect on human consciousness? How is this
process of meditation performed? What are its effects? Why its universal
appeal, which appears to transcend all historical and cultural bounds? To gain
a deep understanding of these matters, we will need to explore the theological
and mystical literature of the Vaiñëava tradition. In preparation, because we
are dealing with a subject that is not quantitative and empiric but
experiential, we will need to suspend our limiting ethnocentric and ideological
prejudices and attempt to understand these apparent mysteries with an open and
inquisitive mind. To do so, let us assume the reverential attitude of the
sincere pilgrim, for this will give us a chance to penetrate the mystery. Now,
let us proceed.
The Divine Attributes
of the Holy Name
According to Vaiñëava wisdom, the holy name of Kåñëa has
extraordinary spiritual potency because the name of God is nondifferent from
God Himself. In the material sense, name is different from form. Language is
merely representative, symbolic; it does not itself embody the reality it seeks
to represent. Recitation of the sound water does not quench our thirst, nor
does calling the name of our beloved invoke the full presence of the beloved.
In the divine realm, however, symbol embodies reality. Kåñëa self-manifests
within His “sound incarnation,” His holy name. In the only literary work
ascribed to Çré Caitanya, the eight-verse Çikñäñtaka, Çré Caitanya prays, “My
Lord, in Your holy name there is all good fortune for the living entity, and
therefore You have many names, such as Kåñëa and Govinda, by which You expand
Yourself. You have invested all Your potencies in those names.” That the name
of God, being nondifferent from God, manifests all transcendental potencies and
attributes is explained in this verse from Padma Puräëa:
The holy name of Kåñëa is transcendentally blissful. It bestows
all spiritual benedictions, for it is Kåñëa Himself, the reservoir of all
pleasure. Kåñëa’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 Kåñëa Himself. Since Kåñëa’s name is not contaminated by the
material qualities, there is no question of its being involved with mäyä
[illusion]. Kåñëa’s name is always liberated and spiritual; it is never
conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because the name of Kåñëa
and Kåñëa Himself are identical.
The great seventeenth-century Vaiñëava poet Narottama däsa Öhäkura
writes, golokera prema-dhana, hari-näma-saìkértana: the transcendental sound of
the holy name of the Lord has its origin in the spiritual world.
Being the sound incarnation of the Lord, therefore, the holy name
is not an ordinary material sound; it is divine, transcendental. But the divine
nature of the holy name remains forever a mystery to those whose approach is
merely empiric or intellectual. In discussing the theology of the holy name with
an assembly of scholars, Çréla Haridäsa Öhäkura, the great teacher of the name,
asserted, “One cannot understand the glories of the holy name merely by logic
and argument.” The holy name is understood and experienced only by those who
have renounced all conceit and pretension and directly embraced the process of
chanting with humility, faith, and devotion. As sound transmitted from afar can
be heard when received by an appropriate electronic device, so transcendent,
spiritual sound can be properly heard and assimilated by one equipped with the
proper means to receive it: bhagavat-prema, love of God.
The Practice of
Chanting the Holy Name
Since the holy name is spiritual, it must be received from
spiritual sources. The holy name—and, ultimately, all spiritual wisdom—is
preserved and transmitted by generation after generation of realized souls
comprising a disciplic succession of spiritual teachers. The mantra, the holy
name, which is the seed of spiritual devotion, is planted within the heart of
the sincere disciple by the spiritual master at the time of formal spiritual
initiation. When uttered in devotion by a fully realized guru, the holy name
has great efficacy upon the hearer, who achieves immediate benefit. Having
received the holy name from the lips of a spiritual master, the student embarks
upon the path of daily chanting, being careful to pronounce the mantra clearly
and distinctly and to chant loudly enough to hear himself. The chanter must
absorb his consciousness deeply within the divine sound of the mantra,
vigilantly protecting the mind from the distraction of trivial or directionless
thought.
The chanting of the holy name is not, however, a mechanical
process depending merely upon contemplative prowess. It is a devotional art, a
form of prayer, and thus one must chant with reverence and devotion. The Hare
Kåñëa mantra is a prayer for protection and deliverance, a prayer to the Lord
for His divine presence and for the opportunity to serve Him. Chanting is
compared to the helpless cry of a child for its mother. It is a prayer from the
core of the repentant heart. It is chanted, therefore, in humility. Once, in a
state of devotional ecstasy while in the company of two close followers
(Svarüpa Dämodara Gosvämé and Rämänanda Räya), Çré Caitanya described the
quintessential importance of chanting with the mood of humility. He said, “One
who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and
who does not expect personal honor but is always prepared to give all respect
to others can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord.” Commenting
upon this famous verse, Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja Gosvämé, author of Çré
Caitanya-caritämåta, declares, “Everyone please hear me! String this verse on
the thread of the holy name and wear it on your neck for continuous
remembrance. One must strictly follow the principles given by Lord Caitanya
Mahäprabhu in this verse. If one simply does so, certainly he will achieve the
ultimate goal of life, the lotus feet of Çré Kåñëa.”
When and where is chanting appropriate? There is no restriction as
to the appropriate time or place for chanting the holy name. The devotee is
advised to chant always and everywhere. The process of God realization is not a
mere liturgical or social formality to be restricted to circumscribed times and
places. It is a quest that should underlie and pervade all one’s activities. In
Bhagavad-gétä, Kåñëa describes that great souls (mahätmäs) constantly chant His
glories (satataà kértayanto mäm [Bg. 9.14]). The final line of Çré Caitanya’s
prayers mentioned above recommends that one chant the holy name continuously
(kértanéyaù sadä hariù [Cc. adi 17.31]). Çréla Haridäsa Öhäkura says, nirantara
näma lao: “Chant the holy name without stopping.”
To experience the full effects of the holy name, one must attain
the stage of offenseless chanting. According to Vaiñëava scripture, there are
three progressive stages in the development of chanting: the offensive stage
(näma-aparädha), the stage of lessening offenses (nämäbhäsa), and the offenseless,
pure stage. A neophyte commits offenses against the holy name. According to
Padma Puräëa, there are ten offenses, involving misuse of or mundane
misconceptions about the koly name and the scriptures and saints who embody and
teach the holy name. One who remains at the offensive stage does not attain the
ultimate goal of chanting, love of God. Says Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja, “If one chants
the exalted holy name of the Lord again and again and yet his love for the
Supreme Lord does not develop and tears do not appear in his eyes, it is
evident that because of his offenses in chanting, the seed of the holy name of
Kåñëa does not sprout.” In fact, without giving up the offenses in chanting,
one does not develop a spontaneous attachment for chanting. Taking the role of
a conditioned soul, Çré Caitanya prays, “My dear Lord, although You bestow
mercy upon the fallen, conditioned souls by liberally teaching Your holy names,
I am so unfortunate that I commit offenses while chanting the holy name, and
therefore I do not achieve attachment for chanting.”
How can one overcome offenses and develop pure chanting? By more
chanting. In his commentary on Çrémad-Bhägavatam (Bhägavata-Puräëa), Çréla
Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkura quotes a verse from Padma Puräëa stating that
even if in the beginning one chants the Hare Kåñëa mantra with offenses, one
can become free from such offenses by repeated chanting. By the immense
purificatory power of the holy name, constant chanting frees one from offenses
to the holy name and gradually elevates one to the transcendental platform of
pure chanting, by which one can attain pure love of God.
Elsewhere it is recommended that one can also overcome offenses by
realizing that the holy name is nondifferent from the Lord, by chanting in
humility, and by developing an attitude of service to the Lord.