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Hari Nama Chintamani
By Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
Translated by Bhanu Swami
1. - Glories of the Holy Name
2. - Accepting the Holy Name
3. - Namabhasa
4. - Blasphemy of Vaishnavas
5. - Worshiping the Demigods as Independent of
Krishna
6. - Disregarding the Guru
7. - Criticism of Scripture
8. - Interpreting the Holy Nam
9. - Committing Sin on the Strength of the
Name
10. - Giving the Name to the Unfaithful
11. - Considering the Name as Equal to
Material Piety
12. - Inattention While Chanting
13. - Attachment to "I and Mine"
14. - Offenses in Serving the Deity
15. - Bhajana-pranali
All Glories to Shri Guru
and Gauranga
nama cintamanih krishnas
chaitanya-rasa-vigrahah
purnah suddho nitya-mukto
'bhinnatvan nama-naminoh
The holy name of Krishna
is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all spiritual benedictions, for it is
Krishna Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure. Krishna'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 Krishna Himself. Since Krishna's
name is not contaminated by the material qualities, there is no question of its
being involved with maya. Krishna's name is always liberated and spiritual; it
is never conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because the name
of Krishna and Krishna Himself are identical. —Padma Purana
Hari-nama-cintamani &
Nama-bhajana
by Shrila Saccidananda
Bhaktivinoda Thakura
World Sankirtana Party
Inc.
The Vaishnava community
is highly indebted to H.H. Bhanu Swami for this beautiful translation of the
Hari-nama-cintamani.
Chapter 1 - Glories of
the Holy Name
All glories to Gadadhara
and Gauranga, to the life of Jahnava, Nityananda Prabhu. All glories to Sita
and Advaita, to Shrivasa and all the devotees.
On the shore of the ocean
at Nilacala, in the temple of Jagannatha, resides daru-brahman, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead in wooden form. Having mercifully descended in this
material world, He is bestowing both material enjoyment and liberation. At this
same dhama, in order to give good fortune to mankind and make known the dharma
of Kali-yuga, Shri Chaitanya, the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of
a sannyasi, came and set up residence in the house of Kasi Misra. There, along
with His devotees, He gave out love of Godhead to all, just as a desire tree
gives treasure freely. There the Lord took great care to present the proper
spiritual teachings to the living entities. This He did by making various
devotees explain different aspects of devotional service, while He sat and
listened in great bliss. In this way, through Ramananda Raya's mouth He taught
the concept of rasa, through the mouth of Sarvabhauma He taught the real
principle of liberation, through the mouth of Rupa Gosvami in Vrindavana He
taught the details of rasa and through the mouth of Haridasa He taught the full
glories of the holy name.
One day, after bathing in
the ocean, the Lord met with Haridasa Thakura at the Siddha-bakula tree, and in
blissful mind He carefully inquired from Haridasa how the jivas could easily
become delivered from material existence.
Grasping the Lord's feet,
Haridasa's body shivered and tears poured from His eyes. In great humility he
spoke: "O Lord, Your lila is very deep. I have absolutely nothing—I have
nothing. Your lotus feet are my only possession. For no good reason have You
asked this question to such an unfit person as I. What can
the result be?
"O Lord, You are
Krishna Himself, who has this time descended in Navadvipa dhama to deliver the
jivas of Kali-yuga. There You mercifully display Your pastimes. If You kindly
put those pastimes within my heart, I will be happy. It is by Your great mercy
that You have revealed Your unlimited name, qualities, form and pastimes in the
material world so that even low rascals such as I can taste them.
"You are the
spiritual sun; I am the particle of its light. You are the Lord; I am Your
eternal servant. The nectar of Your lotus feet is my wealth of happiness; my
hope rests in the nectar of Your name.
"As I am such a low
person, how do I know what to say, O Lord and Master? Still, I must obey Your
order. What comes from my mouth I will happily present to You, not considering
the faults.
Krishna and His Energies
"The Supreme Person
who is completely independent and free to act according to His desire is Shri
Krishna. He exists as the Supreme Truth, one without a second; but is
inconceivably always in the company of His eternal energies. These energies are
never independent of Krishna; rather they are intimately related with Him. This
is stated in the Vedic mantras. Krishna is the independent principal conscious
entity, and the energies are His attributes. They can never be independent.
Krishna may be called vibhu, the omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent master,
and the manifestations from His energies—all other existing phenomena—may be
called vaibhava, the opulent expressions of His factual existence. Yet, even in
the midst of unlimited, countless energies scattered throughout endless time,
Krishna remains separate and independent in His original form. It is through
these energies, these vaibhava of the vibhu, that the Lord's presence can be
perceived.
"The manifestations
from Krishna's energies are of three types: cid-vaibhava, or spiritual
manifestations coming from Krishna's spiritual potency; acid-vaibhava, or the
dull, unconscious material world; and jiva, or countless souls, small particles
of spirit. This is the statement of scripture.
Cid-vaibhava—Spiritual
Manifestation
"The cid-vaibhava
consists of Krishna's abodes, such as the unlimited number of Vaikuntha
planets; Krishna's unlimited names, such as Govinda, Hare, etc.; Krishna's
unlimited forms, such as the two-handed form holding the flute; Krishna's
extraordinary qualities, such as affectionately giving bliss to His devotees;
Krishna's pastimes, such as the rasa-lila of Vraja and the sankirtana
activities of Navadvipa. Even though these spiritual manifestations may descend
into the material world and be visible or perceivable by the living entities,
they remain spiritually untouched by material influence. All these elements
intimately related to Vishnu or Krishna are called Vishnupada throughout the
Vedas. The word denotes that the cid-vaibhava are inseparable from the Lord
Himself. The spiritual phenomena are inseparable from the prime spiritual
entity.
"Therefore, in the
spiritual realm of Vishnupada, the changes which occur due to the influences of
the material energy are not present. That realm is transcendental to material
change, and like Lord Vishnu Himself, is pure goodness, unmixed with passion or
ignorance in the least, unlike the condition of the material world. Krishna and
the plenary Vishnu expansions are all of pure goodness. Thus, whether in
Goloka, Vaikuntha, the Causal Ocean, or the material world, these personalities
remain unaffected, as the Lord of all the demigods and the Lord of maya.
"Vishnu forms are
the Lords of maya and are in pure goodness, whereas Brahma, Siva, etc. possess
goodness mixed with other modes.
Acid-vaibhava
"Across the Viraja
River, which is the separating boundary, opposite from the Vishnu forms,
spiritual abodes, spiritual pastimes and other spiritual manifestations, lies
the nonspiritual realm composed of the universes of fourteen planetary systems.
This realm under the control of the Lord's illusory energy is called
Devi-dhama, the abode of maya. It is composed of the five material elements
(earth, water, fire, air and ether), plus mind, intelligence and false ego,
which form the gross and subtle bodies of the living entities. The seven upper
and seven lower planetary systems are all contained within the acid-vaibhava,
or nonspiritual manifestation of one of the Lord's energies.
Jaiva-vaibhava
"Whereas the
spiritual manifestation (cid-vaibhava) is the full spiritual principle, and the
illusory material world (acid-vaibhava) is its shadow, jivas are atomic
particles of spiritual element. Because the jivas are spiritual in character,
they also have some degree of independence, and have the potentiality of
unlimited bliss which is natural to the spiritual realm. Those jivas who resort
to Krishna to attain that bliss remain as liberated souls eternally associated
with Krishna. But, thinking of his own happiness, if one selfishly desires to
enter the neighboring abode of maya, he turns away from Krishna and takes a
material body in the material universe. Having fallen into the revolving wheel
of continuous activities, good or bad, with their results, the jiva wanders
throughout the universe, sometimes in svarga, sometimes in hell, taking birth
with a material body to enjoy life in all the eight million four hundred
thousand species of beings.
"But as You are the
Lord, the controller of the jivas, and the jivas are Your energies, You are
always thinking of their welfare. Whatever happiness a jiva may seek, You
kindly bestow it. Therefore one who desires impermanent happiness in the
material world achieves it without difficulty by the Lord's mercy. All the
processes to achieve this happiness of sense gratification, such as rules of
varna and asrama, yajna, yoga, homa and vrata, which are pious activities, are
simply material without spiritual transcendental nature at all. The results of
these practices—elevation to higher planets and sense enjoyment—are material
and temporary. Thus, in such activities for satisfying the temporary senses,
the soul remains unsatisfied. The attempt to achieve happiness by gaining a
temporary situation in a higher planet is a gross error by the soul.
"Similarly, by the
mercy of devotees, a jnani may perform activities of bhakti. Such jnana mixed
with devotional activities is also classified as a secondary path of bhakti.
Such a jnani easily arrives at the stage of faith in Krishna, and can quickly
proceed in full devotional service.
"The servant jivas,
desiring the trifling fruits in the hell of the material world, reject their
master, but Krishna, knowing what is best for their welfare, forces them to
give up the enjoyment (bhukti) resulting from fruitive activities (karma) and
the liberation (mukti) resulting from speculative endeavors (jnana), and at
last bestows the sweet fruit of devotion to Krishna (bhakti). It is only the
mercy of the Lord, who is made of pure mercy, that He puts the jivas on a
secondary path which lets the jiva fulfill his material desire for sometime,
but simultaneously gives him faith in the process of bhakti. If it were not for
the mercy of the Lord, how could the living entities ever become pure and enter
their position of happiness in the spiritual realm?
"In the Satya-yuga
the Lord supplied the process of meditation, by which the rishis became
purified. Attaining purification, the Lord gave the treasure of bhakti.
Similarly, in the Treta-yuga, the Lord arranged for purification by performance
of sacrifices, and in Dvapara-yuga, the Lord gave temple worship for
purification, as paths leading to bhakti. But seeing the pitiful state of the
jivas in the Kali-yuga, the Lord gave up hope in the processes of karma, jnana
and yoga. In Kali-yuga such troubles as short life, many diseases, decreased
intelligence and strength, afflict all jivas. Therefore the secondary paths of
karma and jnana—the practices of varnasrama, sankhya, yoga and jnana, mixed
with a little devotional activity—are too narrow and obstructive. The only
result in Kali-yuga of these paths is deviation from the path of bhakti. Thus
if one takes to these paths in hope of success in the Kali-yuga, life will
simply become difficult for the jivas.
The Chief Path—Bhakti and
the Holy Name
"Therefore, thinking
of the welfare of the jivas in Kali-yuga, the Lord has descended with His name.
The Lord descended and preached the path for Kali yuga—the process of
nama-sankirtana. Since by this process the jiva may directly achieve the
highest treasure of Krishna prema, which is actual happiness, it is called the
major or chief path, as distinct from the secondary paths of karma and jnana.
In this process all the jiva has to do is sing and remember the name of the
Lord constantly. When the impure jiva takes up the process of bhakti for his
purification, he is performing sadhana-bhakti, or devotional service in
practice. When his practice reaches purity and perfection (sadhya), in other
words, when the jiva achieves prema-bhakti, the activities of sadhana-bhakti—hearing
and chanting the Lord's name, etc.—remain as the activities of prema-bhakti.
The principal activities of devotional service are eternal. At the perfectional
stage of prema, the means (sadhana) and the end (sadhya), or the method (upaya)
and what is to be attained by the method (upeya) become nondifferent. Thus
there is no barrier or obstacle between the life and activities during training
and at the perfectional stage: the holy name remains constant in both cases. In
this way the jiva can easily transcend the material world."
Haridasa continued:
"I am just a fallen, low person, so much absorbed in sense objects. Being
so foolish, I did not even take up Your name, O Lord!"
With tears flowing
incessantly from his eyes, Haridasa, the incarnation of Brahma, fell breathless
at the
Lord's feet.
Shrila Bhaktivinoda
Thakura prays that whoever is able to take refuge in the Lord, the Lord's
devotees and devotional service, receives the full effects of the holy name,
which is a touchstone yielding all desires. At that time the name becomes the
center of his existence.
Chapter 2 - Accepting the
Holy Name
gadai gauranga jaya
jahnava-jivana
shri advaita jaya
shrivasadi bhakta-gana
In the ecstasy of prema,
Haridasa wept, and in prema, Gauranga embraced him. Gauranga said: "Where
is there such a devotee as you, Haridasa? You know all the spiritual truths and
are at all times transcendental to material nature. By taking birth in a low
family, you have shown to the world that obtaining Krishna is not dependent on
wealth, honor, family or refinement, but is dependent on faith alone. Whoever
has faith in the process of unalloyed worship of Krishna is greater than the
demigods. You have understood that the name is the Supreme Truth—both the means
and the end; you know the full glories of the name; you are ideal in your
conduct of devotional activities (acara); and you are learned and skillful in
preaching. Haridasa, I request you to describe the unlimited glories of the
name, for it makes Me happy when I hear those glories from your mouth.
"Whoever says the
holy name even once is considered a Vaishnava, and the householder should be
careful to respect such a person. But one who is constantly chanting the holy
name of Krishna is even a better Vaishnava, being endowed with all good
qualities. And one who, by his very presence can make others chant the name in
devotion, is the highest Vaishnava. Now describe to Me exactly all the ways
that the living entities take up this name of Krishna."
Folding his hands in
respect, with choked up throat and tears in his eyes, Haridasa began to speak.
First, he gave a general description of the name:
"The holy name is
cintamani, the object that gives everything one desires. To the materialists it
gives dharma, artha, kama and moksha, and to the nonfruitive devotees it gives
pure, unalloyed love of Krishna. The name is unlimited, beginningless, fully
conscious, and inseparable from the chief consciousness, Krishna. Whatever is
in Krishna is in the holy name, for the two are nondifferent. The name is
eternally free from material contamination and spiritually situated in a state
of pure goodness (suddha-sattva) like Krishna. Though descending into the
material world, the name remains pure, eternal, and the embodiment of the
highest sweetness (rasa).
"Like any object,
Krishna, the Absolute Reality, is known by four characteristics: name, form,
qualities and activities. But in the case of Krishna, these elements are
unlimited. The Supreme Personality of Godhead expresses Himself by means of
these four elements, which take their spiritual existence by means of the
Lord's sandhini energy. By these elements Krishna attracts all the people of
the universe, and as His name is nondifferent, the existence of the name in the
universe serves the same purpose.
"Krishna and His
form are also nondifferent, and thus His form and His name cannot be separated
either. If one remembers Krishna's name, one will also receive Krishna's form.
"As for qualities,
Krishna has sixty-four remarkable qualities in fullness, which are partially
represented in His avataras, in His guna-avataras Brahma and Siva, and up to
sixty in number in Lord Narayana. But Krishna's name has all the eternal
qualities in full, which expand to uncountable numbers. The pastimes of the
Lord take place in the waves of these qualities in the Lord's dhamas of Goloka,
Vaikuntha and Vraja, and these are also fully spiritual.
"In spiritual
existence, name, form, quality and activity are not differentiated from the
person's actual identity; but by combination with dull material elements which
are not conscious, the covered living entity knows only names, qualities, forms
and activities which are separate from one another and from his real self.
Name, form, qualities and activities are one for the pure living entities, but
taking shelter of a material body, the jiva distinguishes differences. Since
Krishna is always beyond material tinge, all these elements are eternally parts
of one inseparable principle.
However, among these four
elements by which one can know the object Krishna, the holy name is the primary
element, for it is by the name that all other characteristics can be perceived
in full. As one can realize the form, qualities and activities of the Lord by
taking shelter of the name, the name is thus accepted as the Vaishnava dharma."
Lord Chaitanya himself
accepted as a fact that through the chanting of the name all the pastimes of
the
Lord could be revealed.
Next, Haridasa considered
who is a Vaishnava:
"That person is
called a Vaishnava who takes the holy name in faith and pure intention; and
that person is called a semi-Vaishnava who takes the name, but with the
impurity of namabhasa. However, by the mercy of Krishna, the semi-Vaishnava,
gradually becomes a pure Vaishnava.
"In either case, one
must take to the name, for in this material world there is nothing comparable
to it. It is the ultimate treasure in Krishna's storehouse, since it contains
within it the whole spiritual realm. The particles of spirit who are parts and
parcels of Krishna, have in illusion come into this world of dull matter, and
the holy name, containing all aspects of Krishna and the full power of Krishna,
has come into this world just to deliver those spirit souls. One should know
that everything in the world other than the jiva and the holy name, are without
substance.
Krishna's names are of
two types, primary and secondary. By taking shelter of the primary names, the
living entity gets the highest benefit. Those names which are part of the
transcendental lila of the Lord are considered primary names. Names such as
Govinda, Gopala, Rama, Radhanatha and Hari reveal the eternal lilas of the
Lord, and by chanting them the living entity gets entrance into the spiritual
world.
"The secondary names
are those which describe the Lord's functions. The Creator, Paramatma and
Brahman are names for use in karma and jnana-kanda, and give material elevation
and liberation. Since the principal names alone give love of Godhead, the
devotees accept only the principal names.
"Just as there are
different types of names with different effects, so there are different ways of
chanting the name with different effects. The scriptures of course declare that
if one chants the name of Krishna once or hears the name of Krishna once,
whether it be the pure name or the impure name, the jiva is still delivered
from the clutches of the material energy. However, the types of deliverance and
the speed of deliverance must be noted. If the name is chanted in namabhasa
(impurely) the benefit will come slowly. Because the person will eventually
attain pure love of God, the abhasa name is considered all-auspicious. By the
process of namabhasa chanting, sins are gradually destroyed, until the name is
chanted and heard purely. At that stage of pure chanting, the devotee quickly
achieves the goal—pure love of Godhead.
"There is also the
case of chanting or hearing the holy name with more impurity than namabhasa,
situated at a greater distance from the pure name. The greater the distance,
the less the effect of the name. Such obstruction, or distance from the name,
where chanting gives little or no effect, is called aparadha or offense. The
obstruction of vyavadhana (separation) is the mistaken idea that Krishna's name
and Krishna are different or separate. In other words, the belief that the
Absolute Truth does not reside in the name and that therefore chanting the name
cannot bring one to the highest realization of truth, is called vyavadhana or
separation. As long as this belief persists, love of God is impossible to
attain.
"Besides separation
based on philosophical principles, there is another type of separation in
chanting. This is syllabic separation of Krishna's names. For instance, if the
syllables "ha" and “ri” are separated from each other by some other
syllables, by this syllabic separation the effects of the holy name are greatly
hindered. This is different from the utterance of the word "haram" by
the yavana unintentionally when he is dying, for there is no separation of the
syllables in that utterance. It is therefore classified as namabhasa. “Ha” and
“ri” separated syllabically have much less effect. Of the two types of
separation, the philosophical separation of the mayavadis is much more
detrimental to spiritual progress. The belief that the name is not all-powerful
and absolute is a great disturbance in Kali-yuga and is not in accordance with
scripture.
"By these
considerations one can understand the real nature of the holy name: it is the
chanting and hearing of a principal name of Krishna, devoid of namabhasa,
aparadha or vyavadhana (separation). That is the pure name (suddha-nama).
Whoever accepts and chants that pure name is known as a real Vaishnava, and may
belong to any of the three categories mentioned earlier. In happiness one
should serve such a Vaishnava always.
"In order to
overcome namabhasa and get the pure name, the jiva must serve the bona fide
guru with great attention. By doing this the anarthas will disappear and the
pure name endowed with all spiritual potency will dance on the devotee's
tongue. At that time, he will never give up the stream of sweet nectar
emanating from the holy name; the jiva will chant constantly, mad with the
sweetness of the name. In joy the name will dance, the jiva will dance, and the
treasure of love of God will dance—the whole universe will dance and maya will
flee.
"The different types
of holy names have been discussed. Now consider who has the right or adhikara
for the holy name. Any one who is a human being, regardless of material
considerations, such as class, varna, birth, sex, age, or education, has the
right to take up the holy name, for the Lord has invested in the name a
transcendental power that surpasses all distinctions. But although everyone has
the right to the name, only those who have developed faith in Krishna and His
name will actually take shelter of the name and seriously chant it. Thus any
human being has the right to the name, and one who has faith becomes the
practitioner of the name.
"In other spiritual
practices there are restrictions in performance according to time, place,
cleanliness or uncleanliness. But in taking up the name, this is not so, for
the name overcomes all these restrictions by its invested power. Whereas in
acts of charity, sacrifice, bathing, japa, etc. there is always consideration
of time, place, and cleanliness; in the chanting of the holy name of Krishna,
faith alone is the only necessity. And whoever takes shelter of the holy name
in Kali-yuga achieves the highest perfection in life. The conclusion is that
the living entity in Kali-yuga, being situated in the midst of maya, must take
up the name.
"One who accepts the
name and practices it, though doing this with minimal restrictions, must still
be careful to perform all actions favorable to increasing devotion to Krishna,
reject all actions which hamper devotion to Krishna, and simply remember the
name of Krishna constantly while passing out his life in the material world.
Never should he deviate to the path of fruitive activities or worship of
demigods. Instead he should chant the name, serve the devotees, and achieve the
goal of life-Krishna prema."
Thus concluding his
explanation of how the jivas should accept the holy name, Haridasa Thakura
began weeping. Falling at the Lord's feet, he held them and begged for
attraction to the holy name. For one who performs devotional service at the
feet of the uttama Vaishnava, Haridasa Thakura, the transcendental touchstone
of the holy name will become the center of his life.
Chapter 3 - Namabhasa
gadai gauranga jaya
jahnava-jivana
sitadvaita jaya
shrivasadi bhakta-jana
Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
mercifully lifted Haridasa up with His own hands and said, "Listen,
Haridasa, to My words. Now explain in detail the meaning of namabhasa. If one
thoroughly understands namabhasa, one's chanting of the holy name will become
pure. Then, by the power of that pure chanting, he will end his material
existence. The holy name, like the sun, dispels the darkness of illusion.
However, sometimes clouds or mist cover the sun from the viewer so that only a
portion of light comes through. In the same way, when ignorance and anarthas
predominate, the sun of the holy name becomes covered and only a portion of the
full effect of the name is felt. Therefore, in some cases, the holy name will
appear in full force in the heart of the chanter, but in other cases clouds of
ignorance and anarthas will minimize the effect of the name on the chanter.
"What is ignorance?
Ignorance is of three types. If one does not know the true spiritual nature of
the holy name which one has accepted, this ignorance of the name, like mist,
leads one into darkness. Secondly, a person ignorant that Krishna is the
Supreme Lord will take to worship of the demigods and the path of material
piety. Thirdly, one who is ignorant of the transcendental nature of his own
self as an infinitesimal part of Krishna and His world, takes shelter of the
world of impermanence and illusion; thus he will remain eternally in
ignorance."
When the Lord had
finished, Haridasa said, "Today I am most fortunate, for from my mouth the
Supreme Lord Himself, Shri Chaitanya, will hear about the holy name.
"Haridasa first explained about ignorance:
"Knowledge means
knowing Krishna is the Lord, that the living entities are His servants, and
that the material world is a nonconscious gross manifestation or by-product of
the Lord. The person who does not know clearly the nature of these principles
and their relationship, lives under the shadow of ignorance. This is one cause
of namabhasa, or covering of the sun of the pure holy name, by which its full
effects cannot be felt.
"Actually, the mist
of ignorance simply covers the individual living entity's eye in a localized
position. Just as the sun becomes invisible only from the relative position of
the individual under the cloud, but is never really covered. So the holy name
is never covered, for it is nondifferent from Krishna, and eternally
transcendental and pure. The full effects are diminished for those people who
have over their eyes the cloud of anarthas and the mist of ignorance.
"What are anarthas?
These are classified as thirst for material objects (asat-trishna), miserliness
of the heart (hridaya-daurbalya) and offense (aparadha).
"The category of
thirst for material objects is divided thus: craving for material objects in
this world, craving for heavenly sense pleasures in the next life, desire for
mystic yoga powers, and the desire for liberation in Brahman. Weakness of heart
may be analysed as attachment to trifling things unrelated to Krishna, deceit,
envy of someone else's progress, and longing for position and fame. Offense may
be divided into offenses to the holy name, offenses to Krishna Himself
(sevaparadha), offenses to Krishna's devotees, and offenses to other living
entities. By these anarthas, the influence of the holy name becomes obstructed
and the full transcendental nature of the name is not manifested.
"The living entity
will continue under the shadow of namabhasa as long as he is ignorant of
sambandha-tattva, the basic facts concerning the jiva, God and the material
nature, and their mutual relationship. However, when the serious student takes
shelter of a bona fide guru, by force of his effective spiritual practice he
can remove the obstructions blocking the sun of the holy name. When the clouds
and mist go away, the brilliant sun of the name becomes visible and bestows
upon the devotee the treasure of love of God. After the bona fide guru gives
sambandha-jnana, he instructs the disciple on the practice of culturing the
holy name (sadhana-bhakti). This is called abhidheya or process. By this
specific process the name will show its influence and drive out the anarthas.
Finally, the jiva achieves the goal of life—love of God—and in that position he
continues his performance of chanting the holy name in full spiritual bliss
(prema).
"The ignorance of
correct knowledge is explained as follows. The living entity takes shelter of
the bona fide guru and with genuine faith receives the correct knowledge about
Krishna, the spirit soul, material nature and the relationship of the three,
according to scripture. Krishna is the eternal Lord, and the living entities
are His eternal servants, linked to the Lord by the bond of love (prema). This
relationship of jiva to God in prema-bhakti is also eternal. This is the living
entity's constitutional nature, which has only to be uncovered.
"However, when the
jiva forgets that he is the eternal servant of Krishna, he comes into the
material world looking for happiness. But this universe of illusion is a prison
house for the jivas, acting as the remedial or reformatory process by punishing
the jivas for turning away from Krishna. The material world is meant as a place
of purification.
"By the mercy of the
pure Vaishnava devotees of the Lord, if the jiva takes up Krishna's name with
correct knowledge of sambandha, he will certainly attain the great treasure of
prema, the perfectional activity of the living entity. At that time, even
liberation of merging into the Lord's effulgence becomes detestable. But as
long as the transcendental knowledge of sambandha is not accepted, the anarthas
and ignorance must remain, and the person will continue on the platform of
namabhasa. Though the person chants, the effect is limited.
"However, even
chanting in the namabhasa stage is considered to be very auspicious. It is
considered the chief of pious activities, for by the accumulation of namabhasa
activity one eventually gains faith to accept devotional service properly.
Namabhasa is considered higher than the activities of yoga, sacrifice,
varnasrama rules, austerities, etc., because it will lead to the path of pure
bhakti. The processes of yoga, austerities, etc. unless mixed with some
activities of bhakti, will never lead to bhakti.
"What are the
effects of chanting in namabhasa? By chanting in namabhasa all sinful effects
are destroyed and one can attain liberation from the material world. All the
effects of Kali-yuga are overcome. By chanting at this stage, all anxieties
will go and peace can be obtained. Evil influences of ghosts, demons, spirits
and unfavorable planets are also nullified. Even the residents of hellish
planets can achieve liberation by chanting in namabhasa, for namabhasa destroys
the effects of sinful activities already committed (prarabdha-karma). For these
reasons, namabhasa is even more powerful than the Vedas and all holy places. It
surpasses all the materialistic pious activities of karma-kanda.
"Because the holy
name is invested with all Krishna's transcendental energies, even by chanting
in namabhasa one can attain the goals of dharma, artha, kama and moksha, the
cherished aims of the varnasrama, system. This chanting can give one the
position of happiness in the material universe. It is the only resort for the
helpless. One can go up to the border of Vaikuntha planets by this chanting.
Scriptures recommend the name as the process for Kali-yuga in particular.
"Namabhasa as
unintentional pious activity may be classed into four types: sanketa, parihasa,
stobha, and hela. Chanting in sanketa, or indirectly, means that one chants the
name of Vishnu or Krishna with a specific material conception, or chants the
holy name unintentionally while thinking of some other object with the same
sound. An example of the first type is Ajamila, who called the name of his son,
who happened to be named Narayana. He chanted the name of Vishnu but with the
intention of calling his son. Still he was saved from the yamadutas and
eventually attained Vaikuntha. An example of the second type of sanketa is the
yavana who exclaims "haram" when dying. Because the syllables
"ha" and "ram" are present forming a name of the Lord
accidentally, that person attains liberation. Because this type of
namabhasa is the least
offensive, the power of the holy name is intact to a large degree.
"One who utters the
name of the Lord in parihasa, a joking mood, such as Jarasandha, also crosses
over the material world. Uttering the name in stobha or derision, as Sisupala
did, can also cut the chains of material existence. Uttering the name in hela
or disregard, without attention, also brings benefit. The mlecchas attain
liberation by all these types of namabhasa.
"These types of
namabhasa: coincidence, jest, derision and disregard, being without real faith
in Krishna, are situated on the lower border of namabhasa. On the other hand,
if one has genuine faith in Krishna and takes to the holy name while anarthas
are still present, that stage is called sraddha-namabhasa. Since even by
chanting in namabhasa without faith one can attain liberation, how can one
describe the results of chanting in namabhasa with faith? By chanting in
namabhasa one can get everything except prema.
"If one gets to the
point of sraddha-namabhasa, quickly the anarthas will go and the pure name will
be revealed. Chanting the pure name, suddha-nama, one will certainly get prema
very quickly. It may be concluded, therefore, that namabhasa itself cannot give
Krishna prema; but by progressing from this stage to the stage of suddha-nama,
by means of following rules of sadhana as laid down by the guru, one can get
love of God.
"Thus, provided one
does not commit nama-aparadha, namabhasa is praiseworthy. It is considered
unlimited times better than karma or jnana because a person with such namabhasa
will eventually get faith, and that seed of faith will then develop into
attraction and taste for Krishna, which will lead to the stage of suddha-nama
and then prema.
"Abhasa means a
faint light or indirect image. It is of two types: reflected light and
obstructed light. Similarly, there are two types of faint faith: reflected or
distorted faith, and shadow or partial faith. From partial faith comes dim
namabhasa, which eventually develops into the pure name and love of God. This
is classed as actual namabhasa. Just as clouds obstruct the full brilliance of
the sun, so the clouds of anarthas and the mist of ignorance in the jiva's
heart allow only a faint light of the name to enter.
"Though having the
opportunity to take pure faith, other living entities take a distorted faith,
which is compared to the light reflected from water. The light is broken and
the image not intact. When people with distorted faith receive the holy name,
the name that they take is also distorted. Such people are characterized by deeply
rooted desire for enjoyment and liberation, to the extent that they strive day
and night to fulfill their desires for enjoyment and liberation. Because such
people may use the name, they may appear to have faith in the name, but this is
not actual faith. If one takes to the name with that faith, no matter how long
one continues, one will not progress to purification, but will remain at the
same perverted stage continually. Instead, such practice usually leads to
mayavada mentality, and finally one becomes a cheater. Such a person thinks
that the holy name is simply a means to a higher end, and by such mentality the
glory and power of the name become lost. The only result is offense.
"Here is the
difference between real namabhasa, where due to obstruction the effects of the
name are felt faintly, and distorted namabhasa. In real namabhasa, many
anarthas may be generated out of ignorance and weakness of heart, but all these
effects can be cleared by continual chanting of the name. However, in distorted
namabhasa born from cheating knowledge, offenses simply increase. This is not
called namabhasa but nama-aparadha.
"The mayavadis
consider Krishna, His name, form, lila and qualities to be false and
perishable. On this ground they will never receive love of God, for such a path
leads in the opposite direction from the path of devotional service or bhakti.
Thus there can be no real compromise between the two paths; the mayavada
philosophy is considered the enemy of bhakti and its followers are considered
the greatest offenders. Actually, the holy name never comes from the mouths of
these people, for although the syllables may be heard, the holy name with all
its transcendental potency does not reside there. The mayavadi chanting the
name in this way, simply goes to hell because he thinks that the name is
temporary and material. While chanting the name, the mayavadi desires enjoyment
and liberation, and by being so deceptive and chanting with motivation, he
receives only pain for all his troubles.
"If, by the mercy of
the devotees, he can give up the aspiration for bhukti and mukti and accept his
position as servant of Krishna, being repentent and obedient, he can receive
the real name and realize actual knowledge of sambandha-jnana. Then, by
constantly chanting the name, tears will come to his eyes, the mercy inherent
in the name will come, and his true nature, prema-bhakti, will become manifest.
"But, the mayavadi
who holds that both Krishna and the position of the jiva as Krishna's servant
are temporary and imaginary is an offender against the name, and dwells in the
deep hole of misfortune. Since the name is a desire tree, it gives the mayavadi
his desire of merging into the Lord's effulgence. Of the five types of
liberation, sayujya or merging gives relief from the pains of the material
ocean, but extinguishes one's own identity as well. Illusioned men, thinking
there will be happiness in that state, receive only this shadow of happiness.
For in that state, forgetting Krishna completely, they cannot obtain service in
eternal bliss and knowledge, which is the perfection of life. If one has no
bhakti, no love for Krishna, no constant faith and conviction in Krishna, how
can one attain real, eternal happiness?
"In summary, one who
is at the stage of namabhasa does not accept the mayavadi philosophy, nor is
his heart contaminated or weakened by its influence. The full glory of the sun
is not visible when covered by clouds; but when the clouds are removed, the sun
shines in full glory. Just in this manner, when a person receives knowledge of
the actual nature of the name by the mercy of the guru, when the ignorance and
anarthas causing namabhasa are dissipated by sambandha-jnana and sadhana of
proper chanting, that namabhasa can be transformed into suddha-nama, at which
stage one will receive the full brilliance of the name in the form of prema.
"Therefore, whoever
carefully avoids the company and influence of mayavadis, takes shelter of the
pure name, and serves out of love, will become fully satisfied in full perfection.
That is the Lord's instruction. Whoever accepts this instruction is a fortunate
soul, and whoever rejects it is a rascal who will not be delivered for a
hundred million births. To state it in another way, one should simply give up
bad association and take shelter of Lord Chaitanya's lotus feet. Other than
Mahaprabhu's feet, other than His mercy, there is no way."
Thus did Haridasa Thakura
conclude his explanation of namabhasa. One who takes shelter at the two lotus
feet of Haridasa, will sing incessantly his glorification of the name entitled
"Hari-nama-cintamani."
Chapter 4 - Blasphemy of
Vaishnavas
gadadhara-prana jaya
jahnava-jivana
jaya sitanatha shrivasadi
bhakta-gana
Shri Chaitanya said:
"O Haridasa, now describe in detail the offenses to the holy name."
Haridasa answered, "By Your power I will say what You make me say.
"Offenses to the
holy name are analyzed as ten, according to scripture. One should be fearful of
committing these offenses. They are as follows:
1. To blaspheme or
criticize the Vaishnavas.
2. To consider that other
living entities, such as the demigods, are independent of Krishna.
3. To disobey or
disrespect the guru.
4. To disrespect
scriptural authority.
5. To interpret the
meaning of the name and to think that the glories of the name are imaginary.
6. To commit sinful
activity on the strength of the holy name.
7. To give the name to
the unfaithful who are not ready to accept.
8. To consider the holy name
as karma and pious activity.
9. To be inattentive
while chanting the holy name.
10. After having taken
correct knowledge, being aware of the glories of the name, to remain attached
to the material world of "I and mine," and ultimately reject the name."
These shall be described
one after another. The first offense, known as sadhu-ninda, criticism of
Vaishnavas, is very harmful for those wanting to progress in spiritual life.
First let us define what sadhu or Vaishnava is. In the Eleventh Canto of the
Shrimad-Bhagavatam, Krishna enumerates to Uddhava the characteristics of a
sadhu:
dayalu—merciful,
sahishnu—tolerant,
sama—equal,
droha-sunya-vrata—penance
without injury to the body,
satya-sara—truthfulness,
visuddhatma—purified,
parahita-rata—engaged in
the welfare of mankind,
kame
akshubhita-buddhi—intelligence free from lust,
danta—restrained,
akincana—devoid of
concept of ownership,
mridu—gentle,
suci—clean,
parimita-bhoji—regulated
eating and other habits,
santaman—peaceful,
aniha—apathy to materialism,
dhriiman—patience,
sthira—steadiness,
apramatta—attentive,
alert,
sugambhira—very grave,
vijita-shadguna—conquering
over the six gunas, (hunger, thirst, lamentation, envy, old age and death),
amani—not expecting honor
from others,
manada—giving respect to
others,
daksha—skillful,
avancaka—nonhypocritical,
jnani—knowledgeable of
the scriptures.
By these characteristics
one can know who is a sadhu. However, here there are two types of
characteristics: principal and marginal. The principal characteristic is
exclusive surrender to Krishna, while all others are dependent upon it. By some
good fortune one may get the association of Vaishnavas, and then attain a taste
for the name, chant the name and take shelter of Krishna's lotus feet. This
becomes the chief characteristic, and by continuing to chant the name, all the
other characteristics make their appearance. Therefore they are called marginal
or accompanying. Though secondary to the principal characteristic, they will
certainly appear in the body of a true Vaishnava or sadhu, as an effect of
proper chanting of the holy name.
On the other hand, the
status of grihastha, brahmacari, vanaprastha and sannyasi, sudra, vaisya,
kshatriya and brahmana of the varnasrama system, and their respective habits
and qualities, are external distinctions which in no way determine who is a
sadhu. The chief characteristic of a sadhu is his complete surrender to
Krishna, which is not dependent on a certain varna or asrama.
Through the example of
Raghunatha dasa, Shri Chaitanya taught how the grihastha Vaishnava should act.
The married man should enter household life with a mind steadily fixed on
service to Krishna, not enamored by sense gratification, and in this way the
householder can gradually cross the ocean of material existence. Instead of
playing as a false renunciate (markata vairagi), enjoying with the senses in
the cloth of a sannyasi, it is better to take only those things necessary for
survival in the material world, while cultivating nonattachment. One should always
be internally fixed on Krishna, though externally one may act according to
one's social custom in varna and asrama. Krishna quickly delivers such
grihastha Vaishnavas.
When Raghunatha dasa gave
up household life, the Lord gave him instruction on the life of renunciation:
"One should neither
listen to materialistic conversations, nor speak materialistic topics to
others. One should not eat fancy food, or wear fancy clothing. One should
always chant the holy name, respecting all, without expecting honor, and
meditate on eternal service to Radha and Krishna in Vraja within one's
mind."
"The principal
characteristic is one, namely, surrender to Krishna's name, which will prevail
in all sadhus, no matter what varna or asrama, grihastha or sannyasi. However,
according to asrama or varna, the secondary characteristics will differ to some
degree. And even if there appears some bad element or fault in a person, if he
has the chief characteristic, surrender to Krishna, he must be considered a
sadhu, and to be respected and served by all. This is Krishna's statement in
Bhagavad-gita.
"When one has
developed a taste for chanting the pure name, it is said that chanting just one
time will destroy the influence of all past sins. Some remnants of those sins
may still remain, but they will completely vanish by the influence of the holy
name. Since these traces of sin will quickly go, that person is known as the
most righteous person. Of course, if the materialist sees those traces of sin
in a Vaishnava sadhu, he may consider that the sadhu is just like a
materialistic sinner. If he should criticize the sadhu because the sadhu has a
trace of sin coming from previous sinful activity, he is committing
sadhu-ninda. He is to be considered a rascal because of his fault of
criticizing a Vaishnava; and by this nama-aparadha (offense unto one who has
surrender to the name) he falls directly under the wrath of Krishna.
"It is concluded
that one who is solely devoted to Krishna and sings His name is known as a
sadhu. Other than the devotees of Krishna, no one else is considered to be a
sadhu. One who considers himself a sadhu is filled with material pride. But one
who thinks himself to be the lowest rascal, humbly takes shelter of Krishna and
sings Krishna's name, is the real sadhu. Knowing himself to be less than a
blade of grass, considering himself like a tree of tolerance, not expecting
honor for himself and giving honor to all other living entities, he chants the
name and attains attraction for Krishna.
"If a person of the
above qualities chants the holy name even once, he is considered a Vaishnava,
and should be respected. The Vaishnava is the friend and spiritual leader of
the universe; he is an ocean of mercy to all living entities. Whoever
criticizes such a Vaishnava goes to hell birth after birth; for there is no
path for real liberation other than bhakti, and bhakti is obtained only by the
mercy of the Vaishnavas.
"In the pure
Vaishnava resides Krishna's energies of bhakti, hladini and samvit. Thus by
contacting a Vaishnava one can also receive Krishna bhakti. For this reason
also, the food remnants, the foot water and the foot dust from the pure
Vaishnavas are three powerful articles for creating bhakti. If one stays near a
pure Vaishnava for some time, one can receive the bhakti energy flowing from
his body. If one can bind that energy within one's heart, after having
developed strong faith, bhakti will develop and one's body will begin to
tremble in ecstasy. Thus, by living close to a Vaishnava, soon devotion will
appear in one's heart. First, such a person will begin chanting the holy name,
and then, by the power of the name, he will receive all good qualities. This is
the particular power of the uttama adhikari.
"A Vaishnava may be
criticized on four counts: his caste by birth, previous sins or faults in this
life, an unpremeditated accidental act of sin, and present traces of previous
sinful activity. Though all these conditions may be present in a Vaishnava,
they are insubstantial grounds for criticism of a Vaishnava. One who so
blasphemes a Vaishnava will be punished by Yamaraja. Because the Vaishnava is
spreading the glories of the Lord's name, the Lord does not tolerate such
criticism of a Vaishnava. Giving up dharma, yoga, sacrifice and jnana for the
name of Krishna, the Vaishnava is the topmost person. Criticism is a serious
offense. Furthermore he does not criticize the scriptures or the demigods, but
simply takes shelter of the name.
"One should rather
eagerly take the dust from the feet of a Vaishnava, regardless of whether he is
a grihastha or sannyasi. One will treat him only according to his advancement
as a Vaishnava, which is based upon his degree of attraction to the holy name.
Such things as caste or asrama, wealth, learning, youthfulness, beauty,
strength or number of followers are not factors.
"It goes without
saying that one who has taken shelter of the name will not indulge in
sadhu-ninda. One who criticizes a sadhu is not situated in bhakti, but in
aparadha against bhakti. A serious person therefore would not indulge in
criticism, but associate with, hear from and serve the sadhu.
"Because association
with those who are not devotees is bound to produce disrespect for devotees
(sadhu-ninda), the devotee is careful to avoid such association. Materialistic
association or asat-sanga is of two types: association with women and
association with those devoid of devotion to the Lord. Association with women
means associating with women not according to Vedic tradition. This association
with women which is not authorized by scripture is divided into association
with women outside of marriage for the purpose of sex life and association
within marriage where one is controlled by one's wife. Thus, only if one is
married according to prescribed rules and is following the rules for married
life, in which the wife is submissive to the husband and the husband acts as a
sadhu, is the
association considered
bona fide. Other types of association are considered asat.
"The second type of
asat association, association with nondevotees, is of three types: association
with mayavadis, association with pretenders, and association with atheists.
Mayavadis believe that the Lord and the jivas are both temporary entities, and
that the Lord's murti form is material. The pretenders, though without genuine
devotion or renunciation, pretend to be devotees to make a living. The atheists
do not believe in any form of God. Now these people may claim to be devotees,
and may be accepted by the public as such, but if one rejects such people, it
is not considered sadhu-ninda. Furthermore, one who criticizes a person who
gives up these asat people should also be rejected and avoided. Therefore, the
serious devotee who gives up asat-sanga, which causes sadhu-ninda, and
exclusively takes shelter in the name, will certainly receive the treasure of
prema.
"It may be observed
that in order to proceed properly to prema, one must be able to distinguish the
devotee from the nondevotee. For one must avoid the aparadha of criticizing the
devotee and seek his association, and simultaneously reject the nondevotee
completely. One must furthermore be able to distinguish the types of Vaishnavas
according to their spiritual advancement. These are of three types: the
materialistic Vaishnava or Vaishnava-praya (almost a Vaishnava) is he who has
mediocre faith in Krishna but has no service attitude to sadhus. Actually, such
a person is not a Vaishnava but the dim image of a Vaishnava, Vaishnava-abhasa.
However, if he is not a Vaishnava, how will he be permitted to associate with
Vaishnavas, who do not associate with non-Vaishnavas? Therefore, this person is
considered to be at the beginning stage of a Vaishnava, kanishtha Vaishnava,
upon whom the actual fixed-up Vaishnavas will bestow mercy so that he becomes
purified.
"The next higher
stage of Vaishnava is the madhyama-bhakta, who can recognize the important
position of the Lord's devotees and thus always associates with them. In faith
he is convinced of Krishna's position as the Lord, the jivas as His eternal
servants, the process as bhakti and the goal as prema. He shows mercy to the
innocent, those who have a little faith, the kanishtha-bhaktas, by giving them
sambandha-jnana. And he avoids the enemies, asat-sanga, understanding the
different effects of the different types of association. Even at this stage of
madhyama-bhakta, one is considered a pure Vaishnava, with the qualification of
taking the real holy name, not namabhasa. As a real Vaishnava he is able to
distinguish a Vaishnava from a non-Vaishnava, so that he may avoid asat-sanga
and sadhu-ninda and serve the advanced devotees. Actually he must do this for
his own advancement.
"He who experiences
Krishna as the life and soul of everything, and thus sees Krishna situated in
everything, and consequently does not make distinction between Vaishnava and
non-Vaishnava, but simply engages in relishing the nectar of the holy name, is
called the uttama Vaishnava, the most advanced devotee.
"The
kanishtha-bhakta performs his devotional service at the stage of namabhasa,
whereas the madhyama Vaishnava is actually qualified for the real holy name,
and can understand and discern the various offenses in chanting the holy name.
The uttama adhikari is above committing offense, as he sees Krishna expanded
everywhere.
"It can be seen that
it is important for the practitioner of bhakti—whether a kanishtha or madhyama
bhakta—to understand in his performance of sadhana, his own position in
devotional service according to his internal purity. By doing this one can
avoid nondevotees (asat-sanga), and by this one can advance further. Therefore
it is important that one come to the position of madhyama bhakta, one who is
qualified to make these distinctions. The typical activities of a real devotee
(madhyama bhakta) are to avoid sadhu-ninda and to take association of sadhus,
serve sadhus and give knowledge to the innocent jivas, while performing
nama-sankirtana.
"Being overcome with
the material modes, if one commits the offense of blasphemy against a devotee,
one should sincerely feel repentent and cry at the feet of that devotee for
mercy and forgiveness. The devotee, who is by nature very merciful, will
forgive the offender."
Haridasa concluded,
"According to Your order, Lord, I have discussed the first offense. This I
offer to Your lotus feet."
That person who, like a
bumble bee, lingers at the lotus feet of Haridasa, will receive the touchstone
of the holy name as his life and soul.
Chapter 5 - Worshiping
the Demigods as Independent of Krishna
jaya gadadhara-prana
jahnava-jivana
jaya sitanatha jaya
gaura-bhakta-gana
Haridasa spoke with folded
hands, "Now hear about the second offense, O Lord of the universe.
First he clarified the
position of Vishnu. “Vishnu is the supreme principle, not subject to the
duality of the material world. He is a form full of consciousness and
knowledge, existing eternally beyond the modes of material nature, although
being the absolute controller of the material world. Krishna in Goloka is the
original and supreme Vishnu form, being ornamented with sixty-four
transcendental qualities to enhance His blissful activities by which He
performs His activities. The purusha-avataras and other plenary avataras all
possess these sixty qualities in order to carry out their function.
"Krishna expands as
two types of conscious particles. The first is the ordinary jiva, who has fifty
qualities to some degree. The second are the demigods, who have the same fifty
qualities but to a greater degree. In addition, Siva possesses five more
qualities. Vishnu has all these qualities plus five more which are not found in
other living entities. In this way we can see that Vishnu or Narayana, with
sixty qualities, is the Lord, and Siva and the demigods are His servants.
Greater than the ordinary jivas are the demigods and Siva, and greater than
Siva is Vishnu, who is the Lord of the jivas and the Lord of the demigods.
Therefore, whoever considers Vishnu on the same level as the demigods is very
ignorant.
"Some people claim
that the Brahman without qualities takes on qualities when it expands as
Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. However, the conclusion of scripture is that Narayana
is supreme, and is the cause of Brahma and Siva. Whoever rejects Vishnu as the
supreme controller and takes to worship of demigods, falls into the world of
illusion.
"Other people claim
that since Vishnu is all pervading throughout the universe and is present in
the demigods as well, one can worship Vishnu by worshiping all the demigods.
But this is not the ruling in the scriptures. Rather, this type of activity is
forbidden. By worshiping Vishnu all other worship is perfected. Just as by
giving water to the root of a tree the branches become satisfied; by worshiping
Vishnu exclusively, all worship is covered. This is the Vedic conclusion, but
unfortunately, the fools reject this precept. Under the influence of mayavadi
philosophy, the living entities of Kali-yuga put Vishnu on the same level as
the demigods. In truth, however, the demigods give only limited result, whereas
worship of Vishnu yields all results. If the materialists can understand this
truth, they will take to Vishnu worship and achieve all results.
"How should a
householder in the varnasrama system act? Generally he should give up worrying
about inferior obligations and simply worship Krishna. In other words, in all
the samskaras from insemination to funeral rites, Krishna should be worshiped,
using appropriate mantras from the Vedas. One should worship the Vaishnavas and
Vishnu directly and worship the forefathers by giving them prasada from Vishnu.
To directly worship the demigods as the mayavadis do will only shorten one's
life. To think that the demigods are independent of Vishnu is an offense. Since
the demigods take their existence from Vishnu, in them one cannot find full
perfection. Even the controlling powers of Brahma, Ganesa and Surya come from
Krishna. They do not have independent power. Therefore the grihastha Vaishnava
should recognize one supreme Lord Vishnu, and regard the demigods as His
dependent energies. Thus the grihastha, though following the rules and customs
prescribed in his caste, will give up all those rules which include demigod
worship, aimed at sense gratification, and hold firmly to the path of bhakti,
worshiping Him alone in all cases where worship is prescribed.
"In this way the
grihastha, with his mind fixed on devotion to Krishna, will perform the
samskaras of his caste, satisfy the ancestors by Vishnu prasada offerings, and
offer oblations to the demigods by recognizing them as the devotees of Krishna,
and then taking prasada himself. He knows that by worshiping Krishna and the Vaishnava
all results are attained. Thus he always chants the holy name, being careful to
avoid offenses such as the second aparadha.
"The question may
arise why one should follow the varnasrama system at all. The answer is that
everyone who has taken a human birth must follow this system. By this
scientific arrangement of society, the general masses of people can attain to
their full capacity according to their individual nature and gradually attain
devotion to Krishna. Those outside the varnasrama system should be made to give
up all bad habits and begin practicing as sudras. This must be the path for
civilized society to carry on life.
"The worship of
Krishna is an essential part of the varnasrama system. If the four varnas carry
out life according to the rules of their particular caste but do not worship
Krishna, then they simply go to hell. Particularly the grihastha must follow
the rules of his varna in performing his worldly activities of raising family
and relating with the rest of society, but at the same time, according to his
means, he must worship Krishna. And he must respect and follow these rules as
long as he has not come to the platform where the rules hamper his progress in
worshiping Krishna. This is the platform technically known as bhava. In that
state the jiva develops sadhana bhakti, in which the inspiration to perform
devotional activities comes directly from the taste experienced by the pure
jiva. This goal will eventually be achieved by the grihastha Vaishnava who
accepts Vishnu as supreme.
"There is one other
offense derived from not accepting Vishnu as the supreme, one without a second,
or advaya-tattva. Being the advaya-tattva, Vishnu, by His inconceivable
energies, possesses inherently name, form and qualities which cannot be considered
separate from Him. To consider the name, etc. as different from the Lord is to
consider the Lord and the name on a material level. This concept of duality is
offensive. At the stage of namabhasa one may hold this conception unconsciously
from lack of knowledge or faith, but it is impossible to hold this conception
at the stage of prema. This anartha can be removed by the mercy of the bona
fide guru who will guide the practitioner in sadhana bhakti so that the
suddha-nama, the pure name, is revealed.
"By material
speculation one can bring about this concept of duality in the Lord, and it can
become a serious offense which is difficult to remove. Thus, in the case of the
mayavadis, holding to this concept is an aparadha. The mayavadis claim that the
impersonal Brahman is the supreme truth, without variety, character or
energies, without form or beauty, without change or activity, simply pure
existence. For them, the name and form of Vishnu are creations of maya, the
material energy of illusion. When a person can overcome illusion, then Vishnu
simply merges into the impersonal Brahman, losing individual identity. This is
all simply bad logic, based on atheism. To claim that the Supreme Truth is
without all inconceivable transcendental energies, or is unable to possess
character, is madness. There may be some confusion of what to call the Supreme
Truth—Brahman or Vishnu—but in either case, the highest realization must be God
with energies and personality. That is the Vedic conclusion.
"Actually Vishnu has
both features in Himself: nirvisesha and savisesha, without variety and with
variety. This is possible by the inconceivable power of God, the Supreme
Powerful. All opposites are assimilated without difficulty. By this
inconceivable power the Supreme One can exist with variety, beauty and lila.
“Of course, the jiva,
being naturally of small intelligence as a particle of God, cannot fully
understand the nature of the Lord's inconceivable power. In the attempt to
establish a concept of the Supreme Truth by his own intelligence, the jiva
takes shelter of material logic and accepts the secondary feature of the Lord,
or impersonal Brahman, which is a state of unity and peace, as the supreme. By
rejecting the lotus feet of Vishnu, who is worshiped by the higher beings or
demigods, and by then being bound up in a state of Brahman, he cannot
distinguish what is good or bad for his own welfare.
"But a person who
can understand that the Absolute Truth can exist with form and variety in a
pure transcendental state, can properly see that Vishnu, His name and qualities
are all one and inseparable from Him. This concept of Krishna with personality
is actual knowledge. With this understanding one can take to chanting the holy
name, knowing that it is Krishna Himself.
Thus one must avoid the
offense of thinking materially that Vishnu and His name, form, etc. are
different, and of thinking that other living entities, such as the demigods,
have an existence separate from Vishnu.
"To summarize,
whoever is solely devoted to Krishna simply worships Krishna and gives up all
other worship. He does not criticize the demigods or the scriptures which
support the worship of the demigods, but respects the demigods as the servants
of Krishna. Some scriptures may establish demigods as supreme to establish
belief in different categories of human beings, in order to raise them through
regulation to the point of coming to faith in Krishna and bhakti. The true
Vaishnava will see the function of the demigods and their respective scriptures
in proper perspective. Criticism of Krishna's servants, the demigods, is also
offensive.
"Since it is
obligatory for the householder to worship the demigods according to his caste,
he will worship the demigods and forefathers by offering them the remnants from
their Lord, Krishna. Similarly, when the devotee sees the murti of a demigod,
he will pay respects to the demigod, seeing the demigod as a Vaishnava. However
the devotee will not accept the prasada remnants of an offering that a mayavadi
has made to Vishnu. Because the mayavadi's chanting and worship are both
offensive, the Lord never accepts his offering. Also to accept offerings made
directly to the demigods is an offense to Vishnu and obstructs the path of pure
devotional service. But by worshiping Krishna, the real devotee will give the
demigods the Lord's prasada out of respect. Such worship, and receiving such
prasada, is not offensive. In this way, the devotee avoids the second offense
in chanting the name, and by continuing this process correctly, he achieves
love of God.
"If by accident, one
should happen to turn from accepting Vishnu as supreme, one should be repentent
and take shelter of Vishnu and be careful not to commit the offense again. By
remembering Krishna, by remembering His name and chanting His name, the offense
will disappear. According to the Vedic literature, there is no prayascitta
(reformatory process or atonement) more effective than this. This is because
the Lord is an ocean of mercy and an ocean of forgiveness. Similarly, the devotee
also forgives past faults."
Haridasa concluded,
"One should avoid association with those who worship demigods as supreme
and rather worship the Vaishnavas, who take Krishna as the supreme. In this
way, one can avoid the second offense."
For one who performs his
devotions at the feet of Haridasa, the touchstone of the holy name, the name
becomes his very life and soul.
Chapter 6 - Disregarding
the Guru
panca-tattva jaya jaya
shri radha-madhava
jaya
navadvipa-vraja-yamuna-vaishnava
Haridasa said, "O Lord,
now I will tell you how the third offense occurs. According to Your order, I
will describe in detail all the offenses that occur from disobeying the guru.
"Having wandered
from one body to another in 8,400,000 species of life, through unintentional pious
activity the jiva obtains a human body. The human body is a rare opportunity
because only in this form can the living entity perform devotional service
properly. As a demigod, one has the tendency to enjoy, and as a lower animal,
one has no capacity for knowledge. But in the human form the living entity can
progress back to his constitutional position with Krishna. Therefore if one
does not take care to attain Krishna in this temporary body, one will die and
obtain some other body, losing the opportunity to escape from the material
prison. The intelligent person, having attained a human birth in this world,
will take shelter of a spiritual master who will act as a captain to guide the
jiva over the ocean of material nature with the instructions of bhakti-yoga.
This is the importance of the guru.
"One should approach
the qualified guru, that person who is a devotee of Krishna and has conquered
over the senses, and inquire submisively from him. Being satisfied with his
answers, the jiva takes initiation from him and thus crosses over the material
ocean. Having attraction for Krishna, he will give up useless material logic,
take shelter of higher knowledge and receive mantra initiation from the
spiritual master.
"One who is a
grihastha should accept a guru but remain in his duties of varnasrama. If a
brahmana is a Krishna devotee, he can serve as a guru for the varnas; but if
there is no suitable person of brahmana birth, one can receive initiation from
a guru of another varna. If there is a choice, the grihastha should choose the
bona fide guru of higher caste. But in any case the main qualification by which
to judge who is suitable bona fide guru is how much the guru knows about
Krishna. He may be brahmana or sudra, householder or sannyasi, but this makes
no difference in the guru's ability to deliver the jiva. This should be the
main consideration in choosing a guru, if one desires to progress to pure
attraction for Krishna. In other words, if there is a qualified guru of high
caste, there is no necessity of seeking a guru of a lower caste; but if the
high caste guru is not qualified as a Krishna bhakta, one should not take
diksha from him on the basis of his high caste alone. Rather, one should take a
qualified guru of a lower caste. The qualification of knowing Krishna and being
a devotee of Krishna is the important consideration.
"In the case of a
householder who cannot find proper spiritual life in the grihastha asrama, he
should take a bona fide guru who is not a householder. In other words, if one
renounces household life and is seeking spiritual guidance, one should take
shelter of an acarya who has successfully renounced household life and receive
diksha and siksha from him in order to reach the desired goal of prema. But if
the householder had a qualified guru previously, that previous guru should not
be disrespected or rejected. He should be honored always.
"The householder may
take a guru who is either a householder or renounced. Either is suitable. Accepting
guru and performing sadhana-bhakti, the householder will eventually achieve the
stage of bhava, at which time his attraction for family life and sense
gratification will cease. At that stage he will naturally give up household
life and enter the renounced order. This person should seek out an acarya in
the renounced order and take his instruction.
"Guru may be of two
types: one who gives diksha with mantra and one who gives spiritual
instruction. They should be considered equal in importance by one who wants to
advance quickly. A person can accept only one diksha guru, but may have many
siksha gurus, who give sambandha-jnana.
"The sambandha-jnana
or teachings are handed down in a sampradaya from the founder-acarya of the
sampradaya. These original teachings and the founder-acarya of the sampradaya
should be worshiped with all respect. One should be loyal to his conclusions
and instructions, not taking teachings from others. One should take as siksha
guru only a person who is following faithfully the teachings of that
founder-acarya. To take initiation or teachings from a mayavadi is useless.
"Whoever takes or
accepts such unauthorized teachings simply goes to hell. Rejecting Krishna and
learning anti-Krishna philosophy can only lead to ruination of one's life. How
can a person be guru and deliver others, not having achieved or being able to
achieve perfection himself?
"Thus guru, whether
siksha or diksha, must be the servant of Krishna, and an associate of the Lord
eternally in Vrindavana, who has been especially empowered by Krishna. One
should serve the guru with great devotion, knowing Him to be directly empowered
by Krishna, the dearmost servant of Krishna, and one's own eternal spiritual
guide. By such sincere service to the guru one can cross over the material
ocean.
"What is the
procedure for worshiping the guru? First one should worship the guru (offering
padya, arghya, etc.), then, taking his permission, worship the Lord. Then one
should offer Krishna's prasada to the guru, the Vaishnavas, the demigods and
the forefathers. With the guru in mind, one should worship Krishna, and with
the guru in mind, one should chant Krishna's name.
"Consequently, if
one disobeys or disrespects the guru, that is offensive, and will block one's
progress in bhakti. As in the case of showing proper respect and devotion to
the sadhu and to Krishna, similarly, by properly serving the guru and chanting
the holy name one can get quick success. Having firm faith in the guru, one
can, by the strength of the pure name, attain the goal of prema.
"When should a guru
be rejected? It may happen that through asat-sanga a guru may lose his
qualifications. Starting as a big guru, by committing nama-aparadha he loses
his knowledge. By offending other Vaishnavas he loses the taste for the name
and gradually falls under the control of wealth and women. Such a guru should
be rejected. By the mercy of Krishna, that disciple will obtain a new bona fide
guru and take up pure chanting of the name again.
"If a guru takes
unsuitable people for disciples, he will have to suffer for that, and if a
disciple takes an unqualified guru, he will accordingly suffer. In order to
avoid these misfortunes, one should be cautious. On the other hand, as long as
both guru and disciple are properly qualified, the relationship will continue.
Ideally, this relationship is eternal, but if the disciple becomes bad, the
guru must reject him, and if the guru becomes bad, the disciple must reject
him. Otherwise both may fall; better one than both.
"In order to prevent
the pain of having to reject one's guru, one should first carefully examine him
to see if he is a pure devotee of Krishna. Even in receiving a material
article, one examines it for quality. Once having accepted a qualified guru, if
one disobeys his instruction, one commits a grave offense. By that even the
demigods can fall down to hell.
"How should the guru
be respected? The guru's bed and seat, his shoes, car, water from washing his
feet, and his image should be respected. If one fails to respect them or
worships someone else as guru in the guru's presence, that is devious
mentality, trying to minimize the bona fide guru. One should regard the guru as
one's lord and master, obey his words and instructions, and when seeing him,
fall flat on the ground. One should loudly glorify the guru, never disobey his
order, take his prasada remnants, and not discuss anything that the guru
dislikes. Surrendering oneself humbly at the guru's feet, one should act so
that he is pleased. If one acts in this way, and performs Krishna
nama-sankirtana, one will gain all
perfections. That is the
statement of the Vedas.
"The guru will give
proper teachings concerning the holy name, and after having established faith
in the
holy name in a person's
heart, he will formally give him the name of Krishna or a mantra containing the
name of Krishna to chant as his sadhana. This is diksha. If by bad association
or contact with bogus literature one happens to reject or disrespect such a
bona fide nama-diksha-guru, one should immediately give up the bad association
and literature and in sorrow approach the feet of one's guru. Being
all-merciful, the guru will reinstate him, and by again chanting sincerely, he
will attain prema."
That person who, thinking
himself lower than a blade of grass, aspires for the dust from the feet of
Haridasa Namacarya, will be qualified to sing always the touchstone of the holy
name.
Chapter 7 - Criticism of
Scripture
jaya jaya gadai gauranga
nityananda
jaya sitapati jaya
gaura-bhakta-vrinda
Haridasa spoke,
"Lord, the fourth offense is criticism of scripture. This offense will
also obstruct one's bhakti.
"Scripture means the
four Vedas, the Upanishads and the Puranas. Having emanated from the breathing
of Krishna, they constitute perfect knowledge and authority. Particularly in
spiritual matters these must be referred to as the final proof. Because the
material senses of man, characterized by the four faults of karana-patava
(limited perception), bhrama (illusion), vipralipsa (desire to report something
other than what is perceived) and pramada (inattention of the senses), cannot
possibly perceive anything beyond the material level of unconscious matter, the
spiritual realm would be unapproachable without the aid of Krishna. Therefore
Krishna has given the four Vedas, which are beyond the four faults of the
senses, and by these alone can man progress towards the spiritual goal.
"What are the
contents of the scriptures? The wise man will understand that karma and jnana
are secondary and worthless as independent processes and that the path of
bhakti is the essence. The Vedas stand as the authoritative guide and reference
(pramana) and they prove nine different topics, which may be classified into
sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana. By these ten principles—the Vedic authority
and the nine topics which the Vedas prove—ignorance is destroyed and
transcendental knowledge is revealed.
"These nine
principles may be summarized as follows:
1. There is one Supreme
Lord, Vishnu.
2. The Lord is possessor
of all energies.
3. Krishna is the
fountainhead of all rasas and is situated in His dhama where He eternally gives
joy to the jivas.
4. The jivas are
particles of the Lord, unlimited in number, infinitesimal in size, but
conscious.
5. Some jivas are
eternally bound in the material universes, being attracted by illusory
pleasure.
6. Some jivas are
eternally liberated and engaged in worshiping Krishna; they reside with Him as
associates in the spiritual sky and experience prema.
7. Krishna exists with
His energies—the material energy, jiva energy and spiritual energy—in a state
of simultaneous identity and differentiation, permeating all, yet remaining
aloof, which is only possible by His inconceivable power
(acintya-bhedabheda-tattva).
8. The process
specifically mentioned (abhidheya) for the jiva in the Vedas is the nine-fold
process of devotional service, divided into vaidhi and raga-bhakti. Of the nine
processes, the hearing and chanting of the holy name are principal means. That
is the reason the chanting of 'om' is glorified in the Vedas.
9. The final goal or
constitutional platform (prayojana) of the jivas is the activity of pure bhakti
(prema). This is attained by the mercy of Krishna.
"These are the basic
principles for the guidance of the jivas which are denoted by the Vedas. If one
criticizes the Vedas, that is an offense to the holy name. Such a person is a
low rascal.
"In the history of
India there are six personalities who invented theories, and by their
inventions they simply brought themselves to no good end. Jaimini, though
claiming to follow the Vedas, does not recognize the Supreme Lord and
recommends karma-kanda activity independent of worship of God. By concoction,
Kapila thinks that the Lord is imperfect and recommends the process of yoga, without
understanding its goal. Taking shelter of the philosophy that everything is
illusion, the Jainas preach against the Vedas. The atheist Carvaka had no
respect for the Vedic knowledge; and similarly, the Buddhist, Gautama, does not
worship the Lord, but instead thinks in terms of human beings. All these
philosophies are against the Vedas, sometimes directly and sometimes in a
hidden way. Therefore the wise man, knowing that belief in these philosophies
makes one an offender, completely avoids them.
"One other
philosophy to be avoided is that of the mayavadis. Their scriptures are not
genuine, but are distortions of the meaning of the Vedas. Actually they are
covered Buddhism, and are meant to mislead the foolish people in the Kali-yuga.
On the order of the Lord, Siva appeared in a brahmana family and became an
acarya. Then, like Jaimini, while taking authority from the Vedas, twisted the
meaning to delude the world. He took the Buddhist doctrine of illusion and
tried to delude the world. By doing this, he covered the direct meaning of the
Vedas and the process of bhakti. Thus if one accepts any of these philosophies,
there is no place for real bhakti. If one takes the holy name along with these
philosophies, one is committing serious offense to the name. One simply brings
about one's own end.
"If the jiva can
accept the direct meaning of the Vedas, which is the path of pure bhakti, he
will be rewarded with the sweetness of prema, but if he takes indirect meaning
or metaphorical interpretations as the real meaning, he cannot come to truth
and dies of his offense to Krishna. The principal sound in the Vedas is 'om,'
which is a name of Krishna, and by chanting the name one can achieve the goal
of life. This name is utilized by the devotees in the Shri sampradaya. The
Vedas state that the holy name is the spiritual form of the Lord in the
material world. It is so powerful that even the faint influence of the name can
bring about perfection.
"The purport is
this. Since the Vedas are teaching chanting of the pure name as the principal
process, to criticize the Vedas is to criticize the name. That is offensive.
The devotees, however, take shelter of the Vedas, and by chanting the holy name,
attain the nectar of the name. The Vedas are saying, 'Just chant the name of
the Lord and by that you will receive the highest form of love and bliss.' Even
in the spiritual sky the great personalities are chanting the holy name.
"It is unfortunate
that in Kali-yuga even so-called great personalities avoid the Supreme
Personality of Krishna and His nectarean name, and instead worship the illusory
energy, maya devi. By taking shelter of the tamasic tantra, they criticize the
Vedic authority. Lustful for meat and intoxication, leading a corrupt life
against dharma, these people kill themselves. They do not take the name of
Krishna nor do they get the eternal dhama of Vrindavana. Maya devi gives the
atheists wordly happiness or punishment according to their activities, but to
one who serves the devotees, she gives the shelter of Krishna's lotus feet.
Being Krishna servant, she punishes the erring jivas and gives only illusory
happiness to those who worship her. But if one worships Krishna and His name,
she helps him overcome the material ocean.
"If by misfortune or
accident it happens that one commits Sruti-nindana, one should be repentent and
offer his respect to the scriptures. With attention one should offer flowers
and Tulasi leaves to the Bhagavatarn and the Vedas. Being the essence of the
Vedas and an incarnation of Krishna, the Shrimad-Bhagavatam will give unlimited
mercy.
Haridasa said, "Day
and night I am immersed in this ocean of nectar of the holy name, having given
up the offense of criticizing the scripture."
Whoever aspires for the
dust of the feet of Haridasa is qualified to wear on his neck the touchstone
jewel of the holy name.
Chapter 8 - Interpreting
the Holy Name
jaya gaura-gadadhara,
shri-radha-madhava
jaya
gaura-lila-sthali-jahnavi-vaishnava
Haridasa spoke, "O
son of Saci, the fifth offense is giving interpretations to the name and its
glories.
"The Smritis or
Puranas glorify the holy name of Krishna, stating that if one should chant the
name either in negligence or in faith, Krishna will show that person great
mercy. 'Mere is no knowledge as pure as the name; there is no vow as powerful
as the name. There is no meditation more effective than the name nor is there
any fruit greater than that attained by the name. There is no greater renunciation
than the name; there is no greater peace than the name. In this world there is
no greater pious activity than taking the name, nor is there any quicker
progress than in the name. The name is the highest liberation, the highest
freedom, the highest destination, the highest peace, the point of no more
searching. The name is the highest devotion, the name is the purest inclination
of the jiva, the name is the highest love, and direct remembrance of the Lord.
The name is the cause of all causes, the Supreme Lord, most worshipable, and is
a form of guru to bring one to the Lord.
"It is stated that
one thousand names of Vishnu are equivalent to one name of Rama, and three
names of Rama are equivalent to one name of Krishna. The Vedas say that the
holy name is purely spiritual and thus they constantly glorify the name. One
who minimizes the effects of chanting the holy name as stated in the Vedas and
Puranas is an extreme offender. The rascal who commits arthavada against the
name is doomed to rot away in hell. Some people say that the results of the
holy name that are stated in the scriptures are not true but only meant to
attract one to the name. But those persons, due to lack of bhakti-sukriti,
lacking faith, cannot understand the real purport of the scriptures or the
greatest welfare of mankind. Instead they will take the opposite
interpretation.
"Because the
karma-kanda section of the Vedas is meant to satisfy one's selfish desire for
material gain, for motivation's sake many tempting results are offered. However,
in the process of pure bhakti, the candidate practices unselfishness, for the
goal of bhakti is unmotivated service to Krishna. Therefore, although the
statements concerning the holy name are not exaggeration meant to motivate but
are the true effects of the name, the devotee does not take the name for his
own material enjoyment. He does not ask for the fruits mentioned in the
scriptures.
"If one performs the
sacrifices prescribed in karma-kanda with the desire for material gain, that is
called cheating. If one has desire and faith in the happiness of material
objects, one will ask for material results from a sacrifice. But if one can
execute one's activities without interest in these material results, one's
heart will become purified. That is the actual purpose of the karma-kanda. When
one's heart is purified, one's interest and taste for culturing bhakti begins.
By chanting the holy name bhakti develops and matures. Thus it can be seen that
the end result of karma-kanda is to come to taste the holy name, at least if
those activities are done properly. The results one can obtain from chanting
the name are far beyond anything one can obtain by wandering in any of the
fourteen planetary systems. Indeed the results from the holy name are
incomparable. But how can a karmi or jnani obtain these results with their
offensive attitude?
"Just by namabhasa
one can get all the results obtained by the processes of karma and jnana. If
such results can be obtained by namabhasa, is there need to doubt the great
benefit one will get by chanting the pure name? All the glories of the name
that are recited in the scriptures are accepted as fact by the sincere bhakta.
The low class men do not accept this, however, and by their doubting commit
offense, which leads them to certain ruin. From the beginning to the end of the
Vedas, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Puranas, the name is glorified. To
minimize and interpret these glories, which are clearly stated by the authority
of the Vedas, will yield no good result.
"The Lord and the
Lord's name are one, for the Lord has invested in the name all His
transcendental energies. Thus He has made chanting of the holy name the supreme
process. As the Lord is completely independent and full of all energies, He has
by His will invested in karma-kanda activities His material energy, and in
brahma-jnana, His nirvana energy. But in the holy name He has invested all
energies with all results. Why argue about why and how? The Lord can do what He
wants. Therefore the intelligent, learned man will not yield to interpreting
the glorious name.
"If one happens to
commit arthavada, he should humbly go before an assembly of Vaishnavas who
engage in discussions about Krishna and reveal his offense at their feet,
begging sincerely for forgiveness. The devotees of the Lord, conversant with
all the glories of the holy name, will mercifully forgive him and embrace him.
The offense of interpreting or concocting will not occur again. If one happens
to talk with one of these offenders, one should immediately, without taking off
one's clothes, bathe in the Ganges for purification. If any pure water is not
available, one should mentally purify one's self."
He who has faith in the
mercy of Krishna's dearest Shri Radha, wears this Hari-nama-cintamani as a
necklace.
Chapter 9 - Committing
Sin on the Strength of the Name
gaura-gadadhara jaya
jahnava-jivana
jaya jaya sitadvaita jaya
bhakta-gana
Haridasa spoke on the
power of the name to eradicate sinful activities:
"If the jiva takes
shelter of the pure name, which is suddha-sattva or transcendental and pure at
all times, quickly all the anarthas, including weakness of the heart, will go
away. When one becomes fixed in the holy name, one will no longer think of
committing sin and the effects of past sins will no longer influence one. This
is due to purification of the heart.
"Sin may be analyzed
in three stages. A sinful act is the final stage. This is caused by a seed of
sin, or a desire to sin. That desire or seed originates in ignorance, which is
the root cause. All three are considered as causes of the suffering of the
jiva. However, Krishna is merciful, always looking to the welfare of His parts
and parcels; not being able to bear the sufferings of the jivas, He always
tries to help them. Thus, by the process of bhakti, the thirst for material
stimulation or the lust of the senses, leaves the heart. One is able to look
with contempt on the endeavor to acquire a beautiful woman or wealth. One lives
satisfied with one's constitutional service to the Lord. The devotee accepts
everything favorable to the development of bhakti and rejects everything
unfavorable to bhakti; he regards Krishna alone as his protector and maintainer
and gives up all ideas of the selfish concept of "I and mine."
Thinking himself very low and worthless, the devotee will continuously chant
the holy name. Whoever takes shelter of the name in this way can neither think
nor do any sinful activity.
"It is guaranteed
that quickly one will be purified from all sinful influence. However,
inevitably there is a period between sinful life and the pure state and in this
interim period there may be some relation with past sin, that is, some
diminishing trace of sin. However, new sin is not being committed and the past
sin is quickly dissipating. The more one engages in the holy name, the quicker
that sinful odor will vanish. Krishna promised Arjuna that He would never let
His devotee fall into trouble. Since trouble is caused by sin, Krishna
mercifully takes away all sin from the devotee. Only with great trouble is the
jnani able to control sin, but without Krishna's shelter, quickly he will fall
from his spotless position. Therefore, as scripture concludes, only by taking
shelter of the Lord in bhakti is safety guaranteed.
"Even if by accident
a devotee happens to commit a sin, he does not resort to the purificatory rites
of prayascitta and karma-kanda. That sin is temporary and by chanting it will
be washed away, leaving no influence. However, there is another type of sin. If
someone intentionally commits a new sin out of lust, thinking that there will
be no bad effect because of the name's power in destroying sins, that person is
not a serious devotee but is known as a cheater. From his offense against the
name he will reap lamentation, fear and death. Thus, two types of sinful
activities may be distinguished: an unpremeditated sin and a premeditated sin.
There is a gross difference between the two according to scripture.
"In the case of
ordinary sin, one can counteract it by prayascitta, but if one even thinks of
committing sin on the strength of the holy name, there is no remedial measure,
so serious is the offense. Even endless torture by the servants of Yamaraja
cannot deliver him from the offense. And if thinking of committing the offense
to the name brings such suffering, how much more will be the suffering from
actually committing such an act?
"An example is
given. In scripture one hears that the holy name removes the effects of more
sins than one can commit in ten million lifetimes. In countless places the
scriptures state that by namabhasa. all five types of sin, even the greatest
sin, can be removed. A person of a cheating mentality, hearing this
information, will with ill motive start chanting the holy name. In the same
way, a person may give up regular work as difficult and take the cloth of a
renunciate, but still associate with women and wealth for sense gratification.
Using the position of an advanced renunciate as a means of enjoying as a
householder is a great disturbance to the social order and the universe at
large. Either as a householder or as a renunciate, there is no impediment to
taking the holy name and perfecting one's life, provided one carries out his
devotions according to the rules without offense. But to have the idea of
committing sin under the shelter of the name is a great offense, which will
block the path of bhakti.
"One who is at the
namabhasa stage, by bad association, is always in danger of committing this
offense; but one who has suddha-nama does not commit this aparadha. Those who
have taken shelter of the pure name do not at any time in any form come near to
committing any of the ten aparadhas. However, as long as one does not have the
pure name, there is every danger of onslaught of offenses, and therefore the
person in namabhasa should be aware of the mentality of committing sin on the
strength of the holy name. Those who have the shelter of the pure name always
live in association of pure Vaishnavas and are vigilant to avoid offenses. They
have a mind determined not to move from thought of Krishna, not even for a moment.
But one not in this status should live in fear of offenses, particularly the
offense of committing sin on the strength of the name. This person should
constantly chant the Lord's name, and by the grace of the guru, get sambandha
jnana, which will in turn give him real Krishna bhakti and real Krishna nama.
If by fate one commits
this offense, one should purify himself by association with pure Vaishnavas.
Sinful desires are like thieves on the road to bhakti, and the pure Vaishnavas
are the protectors of the road. Loudly call out the name of the protector; when
the protector comes, the thief flees. Say that name in love and do not fear,
for remember that the Lord has said, 'I am your protector."'
Whoever vows to
exclusively serve the feet of the Vaishnavas, thinking himself the lowest of
the low, gets to sing the touchstone of the holy name.
Chapter 10 - Giving the
Name to the Unfaithful
gadai gauranga jaya
jahnava-jivana
sitadvaita jaya
shrivasadi bhakta-gana
Haridasa, with folded
hands, spoke on the next aparadha:
"Because he has not
developed any faith in Krishna or the name, the materialist cannot even hear
the name. To take up the name, one must have qualification. That qualification
is faith and faith alone. Good caste by birth, good family, knowledge, social
influence or strength, and educational qualifications are not the cause for
qualification to the holy name. The only qualification is faith, and faith
means to have unflinching conviction in the glories and powers of the name.
That is the statement of the scriptures.
"If one does not
have faith, a real Vaishnava will not give him instruction on the name. That is
the behavior of a Vaishnava, for if the faithless man takes the name, he will
simply offend it. For instance, if one casts pearls to the swine, they will
simply grind them to dust, or if one gives fine cloth to a monkey, he will tear
it to pieces. If the faithless take the name they will kill themselves from
their offenses and, simultaneously, he who gives the name to the faithless will
lose all his devotional credits very quickly.
"Sometimes a
faithless man, being envious, will beg the name from the Vaishnavas, but the
Vaishnava should understand that he is a cheater and refuse to give him the name.
To take faith in the name one must give up the cheating mentality and the
desire for position and fame. The cheater is thinking: 'By taking the name I no
longer have to fear committing sinful activities; by becoming a Vaishnava
everyone will pay dandavats to me and I can get all sorts of service from
others; whatever position I lost by my previous activities, I can retrieve by
chanting japa; by this process I can become very happy in this world.' This is
the cheater's mentality. For qualification to the name one must give up this
attitude.
"When one has come
to have faith in the name, without effort he will receive the name, and by the
name's influence he will cross the ocean of material existence. But as long as
one does not have faith, one has no qualification or capability. One should
give up desire for position in the material world and become humble, listening
to the glories of the name from scripture and Vaishnavas.
"If the guru gives
the name to a faithless man because of desire for wealth or material
possessions, by that offense to the name the guru will go to hell. If by
misfortune or accident a guru gives the name and instructions to a faithless
person, he should have great fear. He should confess in front of a Vaishnava
assembly and give up that disciple. If the guru does not do this, by that
offense he himself will become devoid of bhakti and will wander in illusion.
Lord Chaitanya gave the order to give instruction in the name everywhere, but
that means to give it to the faithful men, and by that, perfection will be
reached. One can produce faith by loud sankirtana, and when the jiva attains
faith, he will seek out a bona fide guru. From the guru, the faithful man will
take the holy name and then easily achieve prema. When thieves, prostitutes and
rogues are made to give up their sinful mentality, one can give them
instructions on the holy name. In this way, the name can be spread everywhere.
"If one does not
take these precautions, being guilty of aparadha, one will go to hell. If the
disciple commits offense, the guru has to suffer in his devotional progress. In
this circumstance both the guru and the disciple go to hell."
"O Lord Chaitanya,
being so merciful, You first gave faith to Jagai and Madhai, then You gave them
the name. So wonderful was Your personality that You created faith in all men.
The Vaishnava should try to follow in Your footsteps."
Whoever takes pleasure in
devotion to the feet of devotees will be decorated with this touchstone jewel
of the holy name.
Chapter 11 - Considering
the Name as Equal to Material Piety
jaya jaya gaura-candra
nama-avatara
jaya jaya hari-nama
sarva-tattva-sara
Haridasa said, "O
Lord, please note that the holy name is not to be equated with the pious
activities mentioned in the Vedas. One should know the identity of the name.
Krishna is the spiritual sun, perfect, conscious and inconceivably wonderful.
Thus all the Lord's diverse forms can be similarly fully spiritual, including
His name, dhama and lila. Unlike material objects and names, the Lord's
principal names are nondifferent from the Lord. When the devotee chants the
name, that name is coming directly from the spiritual level, from Goloka to the
atma, from the atma to the body, where it dances on the devotee's tongue, in
his mind, etc. If one takes the name with this conception, then it is the real
name of the Lord with full power. But to take the name as a material object
leads to sorrow.
"Of course, in
scripture there are various methods mentioned, according to one's
qualification, for coming to the Lord. Men who can think only in material terms
of limited time and tangible objects, out of fear, take to religious activity.
Actually the Supreme Lord is the only relief from fear, for by taking His lotus
feet one can cross over the material ocean. To come to accept the Lord's feet,
the Lord has created different methods. For one who is in the material
conception, the method is material. All activities, such as fire sacrifices,
baths, charity, yoga, varnasrama duties, vows of visiting holy places, worship
of forefathers, meditation, culture of knowledge, worship of demigods,
austerities, and prayascitta make use of purely material elements for limited
material goals. But these material pious activities are also a means by which
one may eventually come to bhakti. Then, upon receiving bhakti, one will reject
the material, temporary means and engage solely in bhakti. This will bring
about full bliss or prema, the goal of life.
"Here we can see the
difference between bhakti and pious activities. Material objects and time are
without real bliss. All the activity and reward from pious activity is
material, and progress toward the goal of spiritual prema is slow. There is a
great separation between the means and the end.
"Therefore, being
merciful, the Lord has given the holy name, by which the intelligent jivas can
attain perfection. Because the holy name is also a means or method, it is
considered by some to be a part of the pious activity method, with no other
potency. In the same way, materialists think that Vishnu, like Brahma and Siva,
can be counted as a material demigod. Though the name is transcendental,
without material tinge, the jiva covered by materialism gives the name material
position, as a material pious activity. This is offensive to the name and an
obstacle to bhakti.
"In truth, the name
is the end, the goal, full of spiritual bliss, the perfection; and
simultaneously, the name has appeared in the material world as the means for
the jiva to come to that end. Thus the name is both the means of purification
and the end, prema. According to one's qualification, the name may be acting as
means or end.
“In the world we can find
two means, the secondary or indirect means of purification, such as pious
activities, and the principal means, which is the holy name. One should not
confuse the two and equate them. By singing the name, transcendental bliss will
come and make the heart dance. That actually is the essential character of the
name, it is full of nectarean pastimes. That happiness achieved by jnana and
yoga may seem great in comparison to the shadow of happiness received from the
material world, but in comparison to the bliss of the holy name, that happiness
is scant.
"At the stage of
sadhana, the purificatory stage, the name is the means; but in the pure stage,
the name is the end and the highest bliss. Thus it cannot be compared to
material pious activities. Even at the sadhana stage the name remains pure; the
anarthas of the sadhaka only make it look impure. But by association with
Vaishnavas, material mentality and anarthas will go away and the pure name will
show through. With pious activities, one must reject them in the end, but one never
rejects the name. In one stage it is covered, in the other it is pure.
"By the mercy of the
guru this knowledge is revealed. If this knowledge is lacking at the stage of
sadhana, then one becomes an offender. But if one has faith that the name is supreme
and without equal, then quickly the pure name will be revealed along with full
bliss and nectar.
"If one should
commit this offense and desires relief, one should seek good association and
purify one's intelligence. If an outcaste is surrendered to the pure name, for
one's own purification one should smear his foot dust on one's body, should eat
his food remnants and drink his foot water. In that way one can similarly
obtain the pure name. An example of this is Kali dasa."
Haridasa said, "I am
materially minded and I just sing, but never do I get the touchstone of the
name. Be merciful, O Lord, and dance on my tongue in the form of the name. Keep
me in the material realm or in the spiritual sky, but wherever You put me, give
me the nectar of the name. You have appeared in the world to give the holy name
to the people of the world. Please accept me as one of those people. True, I am
low, but You are the deliverer of the low. This is our unbreakable
relationship. On the strength of this,
I am begging for the
nectar of the name.
"In Kali-yuga it is not even possible to execute the path of pious
activities. Therefore the name has appeared here as the sole process for the
age."
Whosoever serves in
devotion as the servant of Haridasa and thinks himself to be without
qualifications, is qualified to sing the touchstone of the holy name.
Chapter 12 - Inattention
While Chanting
jaya jaya mahaprabhu jaya
bhakta-gana
yanhara prasade kari
nama-sankirtana
Haridasa spoke, "To
Sanatana Gosvami in Puri and to Gopala Bhatta when You travelled to South
India, You taught the importance of performing one's chanting without
inattention. Inattention is counted as one of the aparadhas. Even if one
successfully overcomes all the other offenses in chanting, and one is chanting
continuously, love of God may not come. One should know that the reason for
this is that one is committing the offense known as pramada, or inattention.
This offense will block progress to prema.
"Pramada may mean
madness, but here the meaning is inattention or carelessness. It is from this
offense that all other offenses spring. The wise men recognize three types of
inattention: indifference or no attention, laziness, and distraction
(attraction to other objects).
"By good fortune,
after getting faith, a jiva will take up the name. By chanting regularly,
counting on a Tulasi mala carefully, he will develop attraction for the name.
However, until that attraction has actually developed, one must be very careful
about how one chants. Naturally, the common man, having attachment to material
things, will be attracted to these things even while chanting. Though chanting
japa daily, if his taste is elsewhere, he will show indifference to the name.
His heart will not be absorbed in chanting the name but in some material
object. How can that benefit him? He may chant 64 rounds counting strictly on
his japa beads, but in his heart he has not received one drop of the taste of
the name. This indifference or apathy towards the name is one type of
inattention. In the heart of a materialist it is unavoidable.
"If indifference or
lack of attraction for the name is present, one should take association of
Vaishnavas who are properly chanting in some place sheltered from the material
influence. By chanting in that situation, his absorption in material things
will be reduced; being inspired by the conduct of the Vaishnavas, he will give
up that fault. Gradually the heart will get attraction for the name and will be
anxious for the nectar of the name. The advanced devotees have recommended that
one live in a place where Krishna had His pastimes, near Tulasi, in the company
of Vaishnavas and gradually increase the period of chanting. Quickly the taste
for material objects will go. Another remedy is to carefully chant in a room by
oneself with the door locked, or concentrate on the name by covering the eyes,
ears and nose with a cloth or the like to prevent stimuli from the exterior.
Carefully chanting in this way, an attraction or taste for the name will
develop and indifference will be suppressed.
"If one chants with
a sluggish mind, or after chanting a little, one has to stop before finishing
his round, it is called laziness. From this, one's taste for the name cannot
develop. The remedy for this is to take association of Vaishnavas who do not
waste time in material activity, but constantly chant and remember the holy
name, being absorbed only in the name. One should follow in their footsteps.
When one sees how the true Vaishnava or sadhu does not waste time in useless
pursuits, he will develop a taste to do likewise. In his mind he will think,
"very good." By this, enthusiasm will come to the lazy mind and he
will overcome the offense of laziness or inertia. One will become determined to
increase his chanting everyday. By this eagerness in his rounds and by the
mercy of the devotees, the offense of inertia will quickly go away.
"One should be
careful to eliminate the third type of inattention—distraction. From
distraction all types of inattention are born. This fault resides in attraction
for women (or men, in the case of women) and wealth, attraction for material
success or victory, desire for position, and the cheating propensity. If one
has attraction in any of these categories, one will naturally be inattentive to
the holy name. One should be careful to eliminate these fixations by following
the proper Vaishnava behavior. On ekadashis and appearance days one should stop
thinking of eating and all day and night chant in the association of devotees.
In this way one will joyfully engage in devotional activities, listening to
scriptures of the Lord in association with the Lord's servants, in the Lord's
dhama. Gradually the bhakti portion of one's mind will increase and the mind
will rejoice in hearing topics about Krishna. The higher taste will come and
the lower taste will go. Upon hearing songs about Krishna from the mouths of
the pure devotees, one's mind and ears will taste the real nectar. In this way
the desire for low material objects will disappear and the heart will be
constantly fixed and attracted to singing the name. By avoiding the offense of
distraction, one will be able to indulge in the nectar of name.
"One should thus
never be inattentive to complete one's prescribed number of daily rounds. This
should be noted day by day. When chanting these prescribed rounds, one should
avoid the different types of inattentiveness. Giving up the desire to increase
the number of rounds for show, one should attempt to first concentrate nicely on
what one can manage. Therefore, the devotee starts by chanting with full
concentration in a peaceful place for a short time. He will always be praying
to the Lord that he will chant clear, attentive rounds with the mind fixed on
Krishna; for on one's own one cannot accomplish anything. Krishna‘s grace is
necessary to cross the ocean of material existence. Being anxious in heart, one
should beg for mercy, and because Krishna is merciful, He will help. Whoever
does not try for that mercy is very unfortunate."
That person who has
attained the ornament of the touchstone of the holy name still aspires for the
two feet of Haridasa Thakura.
Chapter 13 - Attachment
to “I and Mine”
gadai gauranga jaya
jahnava-jivana
sitadvaita jaya jaya
gaura-bhakta-gana
Overcome with prema,
Haridasa recited the last offense in chanting the holy name: "Listen, my
Lord, this offense is the lowest of all. With this offense one cannot get
prema. It is the attitude which is exactly opposite to surrender to the Lord.
Having extirpated the first nine offenses, the devotee should culture full
surrender to the name. According to the scriptures, there are six types of
surrender which are impossible to explain in detail. In brief they are as
follows:
1. Accepting everything
favorable for service to the Lord.
2. Rejecting everything
unfavorable for service to the Lord.
3. Having faith in
Krishna as one's protector.
4. Knowing that Krishna
is one's preserver and maintainer.
5. Thinking oneself as
low and worthless.
6. Being self-
surrendered.
"If one does not
culture these attitudes while chanting, one will simply accumulate material in
life. Those things which always help increase devotion should be accepted in
one's life with relish; those things which impede devotion should be rejected
in disgust. One should believe that other than Krishna, there is no one on whom
to depend and that Krishna alone is one's maintainer. One should think that one
is very low and unqualified, with no possessions. As an eternal servant of
Krishna, one will be willing to do anything that Krishna desires. To believe
that one is the doer, the giver, the protector, that one owns this body, house,
wife and offspring, to think oneself to be a brahmana or sudra, husband or
wife, king or citizen—this should all be rejected. Instead, centering one's
thoughts on Krishna, one should think of Krishna as the controller and doer and
that Krishna's desire is the main thing. One will do as Krishna desires, not as
one independently wants to do. 'By Krishna's wish I will stay in this world,
and by Krishna's wish I will cross over it. If there is pain, if there is
rejoicing, still I am Krishna's servant. By His will He will give mercy to the
jivas. My material enjoyment and renunciation are all dependent on Krishna.'
When this attitude is present it is called atma-nivedana, or self-surrender.
"When these six
types of saranagati (full surrender) are not present in an individual, he
possesses the intelligence of "I and mine". Such a person is
considered a low rascal because he believes that he is the doer, that the world
is his, that he is the creator of his destiny and the enjoyer of the fruits of
his activities, that he is his own protector and maintainer, that these are his
wife, brothers, sons and daughters, and that by his own endeavor he can achieve
all perfection and glory. Such people are proud of the power of their own
knowledge. Not considering the Lord's control, they think that by their own
brain they can increase and extend the arts and sciences.
"If these people
hear the glories of the name, they do not believe them, or if they do chant
Krishna's name, it is only out of social custom. Being pretenders and cheaters,
they may chant the name in hela-namabhasa, but will never get prema. This
offense is due to being bound tightly by maya, and deliverance is very
difficult,
"However, one can
see that there are some people who, taking up the name and reaching the level
of suddha-bhakti, have completely given up material attachment and humbly
worship Krishna's lotus feet and sing His name. One should seek out this type
of person, take his association, and serve him with the desire to give up
material attachment. Gradually one will become fixed in the name and "I
and mine" will go away as one transcends attachment to maya. Giving up the
false mentality, one will culture full surrender, which is the constitutional
position of the jiva and the very nature of bhakti. By this one can get prema.
"One who gives up
the ten offenses and performs devotional service correctly is the most
fortunate in the three worlds, is full of all good qualities and is qualified
for getting Krishna's mercy. While chanting the holy name, very soon, by
Krishna's mercy, that person will come to the level of bhava and prema. The
Lord has stated himself that whoever takes the name without offenses will
attain prema, and whoever takes the name without giving up the offenses will
never attain pure bhakti in spite of his practices. The practice of jnana gives
liberation, and fruitive activities give material enjoyment, but pure Krishna
bhakti and prema are available only by correct execution of sadhana-bhakti. As
liberation and material enjoyment are both unsatisfying, and as bhakti is the
only solution, the real form of liberation and the glory of the soul, the jiva
must obtain bhakti. By carefully performing sadhana-bhakti without any
offenses, the creeper of bhakti will quickly yield the fruit of prema. To do
sadhana carefully means to do it without the ten offenses.
"Therefore, whoever
is desirous of obtaining bhakti will take the name, being attentive to avoid
each of the ten offenses, and in his heart fervently begging at the feet of the
holy name to give mercy to destroy offenses. One can never be released from
offenses against the name by prayascitta or pious activity, but only by again
taking shelter of the name continuously. Chanting day and night, feeling
repentant, the offenses will go and the fruit of the name will come. One will
get suddha-nama, then bhava-nama, then prema-nama.
"Finally, to keep
the offenses from entering the heart, pray for the mercy of Lord Chaitanya, who
is absorbed in the nectar of the name."
Shrila Bhaktivinoda
Thakura, who has become the recipient of the lilas of devotion, by the grace of
Haridasa, sings eagerly the touchstone of the holy name.
Chapter 14 - Offenses in
Serving the Deity
jaya gaura-gadadhara
jahnava-jivana
jaya sitapati
shrivasadi-bhakta-gana
Mahaprabhu said:
"Listen, Haridasa, you have revealed the truth about offenses to the name.
By this the jivas of Kali-yuga will become fortunate. You are the acarya of the
holy name. When I hear the description of the name from you, I feel great joy.
You are the acarya in conduct and learned as a preacher, and your character is
decorated by the jewel of the name. Ramananda Raya taught Me about rasa and now
you have taught Me the glories of the name. Now discuss the different offenses
in serving the Deity (sevaparadha). Hearing this, the darkness in the heart of
the jivas will be dissipated."
Haridasa said:
"Those who are serving the Deity know about this. I have simply taken
shelter of the name, so how can I know? However, not to violate Your order, I
will elaborate. Concerning service to the murti of the Lord, there are many
offenses listed in the scriptures. In one place thirty-two offenses are
mentioned, and elsewhere, fifty. The learned have divided these offenses into
four types: offenses in directly serving the Deity, offenses in establishing a
Deity, offenses in taking darsana of the Deity, and general offenses committed
against the Deity.
"The thirty-two
offenses listed in the Bhagavatam are as follows:
1. Entering the temple
with shoes on.
2. Entering on a
palanquin.
3. Not observing
festivals.
4. Not paying obeisances.
5. Reciting prayers in an
unclean state.
6. Bowing on one hand.
7. Circumambulating in
front of the Deity.
8. Spreading one's legs
before the Deity.
9. Sleeping before the
Deity.
10. Eating before the
Deity.
11. Speaking lies before
the Deity.
12. Talking loudly in the
temple room.
13. Gossiping.
14. Cursing or using
harsh words.
15. Thanking others in
front of the Deity.
16. Fighting in the
temple.
17. Crying in front of
the Deity.
18. Criticizing others.
19. Covering oneself in a
blanket before the Deity.
20. Praising others
before the Deity.
21. Using obscene
language.
22. Belching or passing
gas.
23. Not offering the best
articles possible.
24. Eating food not
offered to the Deity.
25. Not offering fruits
in season.
26. Offering already
enjoyed food.
27. Sitting with one's
back to the Deity.
28. Sitting directly in
front of the Deity.
29. Paying respects to others
before the Deity.
30. Not glorifying the
guru.
31. Praising oneself.
32. Criticizing Deities
or demigods.
"Other offenses are:
1. Eating the food of a
materialist.
2. Touching the Deity in
a dark room.
3. Approaching the Deity
without proper etiquette, as being unclean.
4. Opening the Deity
doors without musical instruments sounding.
5. Offering food seen by
a dog.
6. Speaking unnecessarily
during puja.
7. Going outside the
Deity room during the course of doing puja.
8. Offering incense
without a fragrant flower.
9. Offering unsuitable
flower during puja.
10. Commencing puja with
unwashed mouth.
11. Having sex before
puja.
12. Touching a woman
during her period.
13. Touching a lamp.
14. Touching a dead body.
15. Wearing unsuitable
cloth.
16. Seeing a dead body.
17. Passing air.
18. Becoming angry.
19. Coming directly from
a cremation.
20. Doing puja with yet
undigested food in the stomach.
21. Eating onions,
kusumbhasaka.
22. Chewing betel nuts.
23. Touching the Deity
after massage with oil and not bathing.
24. Offering flowers from
an unclean pot.
25. Doing puja at an
inauspicious time.
26. Sitting directly on
the floor.
27. Touching the Deity
with the left hand while bathing Him.
28. Offering old fruit.
29. Boasting during puja.
30. Spitting.
31. Wearing horizontal
tilaka.
32. Not washing the feet.
33. Offering food cooked
by non-Vaishnavas.
34. Allowing
non-Vaishnavas to be present during puja.
35. Not worshiping
Vishnu.
36. Talking to a Siva or
Durga worshiper.
37. Bathing the Deity
with water touched by the fingernails.
38. Worshiping while
perspiring.
39. Making oaths before
Krishna.
40. Stepping over
articles of the Deity.
"All these offenses
in serving the Deity will obstruct one's bhakti. Anyone worshiping the Deity
should avoid these offenses. The devotees avoid both seva and nama—aparadhas,
and thus taste the nectar of devotional service. When a devotee commits a
seva-aparadha, he should rectify it immediately. With the nama-aparadhas he
must constantly be rectifying, improving and avoiding. One who is on the level
of bhava worships the Deity day and night in solitude. He makes no offenses
against the name or in service because his service is performed in his
mind."
On the order of Haridasa,
the devotees chant the touchstone of the holy name.
Chapter 15 -
Bhajana-pranali
gadai gauranga jaya jaya
nityananda
jaya sitanatha jaya
gaura-bhakta-vrinda
The Lord said,
"Haridasa, by your devotion you have received all knowledge available in
the universe. All the Vedas are dancing on your tongue; all the conclusions of
scripture are in your speech. Now speak clearly about the rasa (sentiment or
mellow) of the holy name. How does the jiva get qualification for the rasa of
the name?"
Haridasa, in great bliss,
said, "Through Your inspiration, I will describe it.
"The highest, purest
state, the perfection of the Absolute Truth, is called rasa. This rasa is not
the emotions or sentiment of the material world but is the inherent nature of the
Absolute Pure; it is unlimited, full of bliss and the greatest glory. The
Absolute Truth reveals His variegated character through His energies, which are
inseparable from His very existence (abhinna). His energies create the
variegated spiritual world which is prerequisite to rasa.
"Through His
spiritual energy, Krishna reveals His form, name, dhama and activities. The
Supreme Truth is known as Krishna with a Syamasundara form, residing in
Goloka-dhama, performing His sweet pastimes with His devotees. Thus variety and
rasa exist in the Lord due to His spiritual energies, which cannot be separated
or differentiated from the substance of the Lord (abhinna). In this way, the
Absolute Truth remains supreme, whole (akhanda), beyond duality (advaita), and
simultaneously engages in a transcendental world full of beautiful forms,
activities and emotions.
"The shadow energy
of the Lord's spiritual energy is called maya. By the will of Krishna, this
energy creates the material world outside of the spiritual dimension. Through
His jiva-sakti, He creates the innumerable souls situated between the material
and spiritual worlds, similar in quality to Krishna but infinitesimal in size.
Because of their borderline quality, the jivas are of two types, eternally
bound jivas and eternally liberated jivas. Those who are eternally liberated
are qualified as Krishna's eternal servants in the spiritual sky, and those who
are eternally bound engage and suffer in the material shadow away from Krishna.
The jivas dwelling in the material world are of two types, those taking
Krishna's name and associating with devotees, who will go to the spiritual
world of rasa by the power of the name, and those who ignore Krishna and toil
hopelessly for rasa in relation to inert matter.
"The gradual
realization of rasa in the name is compared to the blossoming of a flower. The
name is compared to a flower in bud when it is spread to the general mass of
people in the world. When one realizes the beautiful form of Krishna in Goloka
Vrindavana through continual chanting of the name, that is compared to the
partially opened flower. Continuing sadhana further, when Krishna's sixty-four
qualities become revealed in the name, that is compared to the fragrance from
the half-opened flower. When one realizes the eternal pastimes of Krishna in
Goloka Vrindavana, the flower is in full bloom. Then, by the great mercy of the
name, the original energies of hladini (bliss) and samvit (consciousness)
belonging to the spiritual world, whose prime embodiment is Radharani, unite in
the form of bhakti-devi and descend upon the small jiva, who possesses only a
small portion of hladini and samvit energy. From the transcendental realm,
bhakti-devi reveals to the jiva the full rasa in the name, and by her mercy the
jiva takes on his spiritual body and enters into the pastimes and tastes rasa.
"There are four
ingredients of rasa: vibhava, anubhava, sattvika-bhava and vyabhicari (sancari)
bhava. The mixture of these ingredients produces rasa. Vibhava, the general
cause for rasa, is divided into alambana and uddipana. Alambana means the root
cause, that upon which the rasa depends. It is divided into asraya, the
recipient, who is the devotee, and vishaya, the object, who is Krishna.
Uddipana, the instigation, is composed of the form and qualities of Krishna,
which are realized through constant chanting. Thus, where there is alambana
(devotee and Krishna) and uddipana (Krishna's qualities), lila and rasa can
occur.
"When the conditions
of vibhava are perfected, anubhava (external symptoms of internal emotions)
appears. These symptoms are all based on pure spiritual love, and can in no way
be compared to the symptoms of love in the material world. Gradually, as
emotions deepen, sattvika and vyabhicari bhavas (additional symptoms) appear.
By the combination of these ingredients, the initial stayi-bhava (primary mood)
of the devotee transforms to rasa, full spiritual flavors. The situation of
tasting rasas in the spiritual world is the highest perfection, the ultimate
goal of the jiva, according to the scriptures. There are four goals for man
mentioned in the Vedas: dharma, artha, kama and moksha. These, however, are
meant to lead to the supreme goal (parama-purushartha)—rasa. One who is truly
liberated is qualified for rasa.
"The path for
attaining rasa is as follows: The jiva who has attained faith in bhakti
receives a pure Vaishnava guru. That guru gives the maha-mantra. The jiva will
take the mantra, either in the form of smarana (remembering the name) or
kirtana (chanting the name), regulating himself by counting on Tulasi beads.
Gradually, as his craving for the name increases, he will increase to 3 x 64
rounds. Of the two forms of taking the name, kirtana is the more powerful, for
in that process are combined sravana, kirtana and smarana, and by it the senses
of the jiva dance in joy. By taking shelter of any of the nine processes of
bhakti, one progresses in devotion, but of the nine processes, chanting is the
best. Those who have an attraction for Deity worship will reach perfection only
by also engaging in hearing and chanting the name. But those who have exclusive
attraction for the name need only engage in hearing, chanting and remembering
the name. If one executes these three processes nicely, all the other nine
processes of bhakti—serving the lotus feet, praying, servitude, and complete
self-surrender—can also be easily accomplished.
"With faith that the
name and Krishna are nondifferent, and avoiding the ten offenses, the effects
of the name will be perceived. By clear chanting and remembering of the name,
one will find attraction and joy in the name. Then, one will either meditate on
a form of Krishna or constantly take darsana of His murti along with one's
chanting, delving deeper and deeper into the name. When one has succeeded in
realizing the form of Krishna in the name, one will then meditate on Krishna's
qualities while chanting, one will meditate on a pastime of Krishna's with the
aid of a specific mantra. When all four elements become one, one will begin to
perceive rasa in the name. One will perfect the rasa by meditating on the
eightfold pastimes of Radha and Krishna in Vrindavana. Gaining one's spiritual
body by the mercy of the guru, one will enter into the pastimes with the
associates of Radharani, and according to the directions of the sakhis, one
will serve Radha and Krishna in ecstasy. This service in the conjugal mood is
the most brilliant thing in the spiritual world, and is obtainable by the jiva
by the practice of bhakti. There are even higher stages than this, but it is
not possible to describe them by mere words. These things will be revealed by
the mercy of Krishna.
"The specific
process is now described. To receive a spiritual body in conjugal rasa one must
culture eleven specific items in one's identity: one's relationship, age, name,
bodily color, membership in a particular group, dress, order, residence,
highest expectation in service and the protecting gopi under whom one serves.
These items are perfected through five stages. First, one will approach a guru
who has realized Krishna's eternal pastimes and the eleven items in eternal
service. Upon hearing the eightfold pastimes of Radha and Krishna, one inquires
how to realize that state. The guru then describes the eleven items by which
one can enter the pastimes. This is called sravana-dasa.
"The guru will then
choose the particular spiritual identity of the disciple according to the
tendency and attraction of the disciple. If the disciple does not have a
natural taste in one bhava, he can request another from the guru. When finally
one's spiritual identity fits, he vows to the guru never to give it up. This is
called varana-dasa (the accepting stage). The disciple will then practice
remembering his given identity in his heart. This smarana-dasa (stage of
remembering) is divided into five levels. First one tries to remember the
eightfold pastimes, but the mind wanders. This is smarana. When one's practice
becomes steady, it is called dharana. When one can meditate on all aspects of
the desired object, it is called dhyana. When this dhyana becomes continual, it
is called anusmriti. When this becomes perfect, it is called samadhi.
"If these stages are
followed progressively in smarana, one will quickly come to the stage of apana
(possession), where the eleven items are realized as one's constitutional
state. However, if one is busy making an exterior show, but does not cultivate
fixing one's identity within, he cannot perfect this stage. But fixing one's
identity is natural, since the jiva has simply forgotten his perfect stage when
entering the material realm and body, desiring his own pleasure, and
proportionately as one increases his practice of remembering his natural state,
material designation and identification will decrease.
"One can reach
apana-dasa either from raganuga sadhana, where scriptural rules are minimal, or
through vaidhi-sadhana, where relying on suitable rules from scripture is
predominant. If one progresses through the stages of faith, practice,
purification, steadiness, taste and attachment, in either vaidhi or
raganuga-sadhana, one then comes to the stage of bhava, preliminary prema. It
is at this point that one attains apana-dasa. At this stage, beyond the
category of sadhana-bhakti, when scriptural rules will be discarded as troublesome
to one's service, conceptions of raganuga and vaidhi will both be discarded.
"Here, one's
identification with the material body will vanish and identification with one's
spiritual body will predominate. In that spiritual body (svarupa-siddhi) one
will always see Vrindavana and serve Radha and Krishna. This final stage is
called sampatti-dasa. By Krishna's mercy, suddenly one's material body, mind,
intelligence and false ego will be cast off and one will appear in a pure
spiritual body, serving Radha and Krishna along with Their eternal associates.
The jiva can achieve this fifth stage in perfecting rasa by taking the name and
becoming purified.
"Therefore, the jiva
with faith should take up chanting of the name seriously and constantly in good
association. He will take superior Vaishnava association, avoid material
association and reside away from material glare. By the strength of these three
items, he will achieve his position of real glory."
Haridasa said, "I am
low, mean-minded and absorbed in material enjoyment, always refusing good
association. Still, I am begging for causeless mercy to progress to the rasa
stage of bhakti."
Saying this, Haridasa
fell unconscious at the lotus feet of Shri Chaitanya.
Lord Chaitanya said,
"Listen, Haridasa, in the future people with evil minds will degrade these
intimate pastimes, but those who are real devotees will understand the supreme
teaching that you have given. Taking shelter of this knowledge and taking shelter
of the name, they will chant the name and worship Krishna, far away from the
materialists. The jiva will attain faith in bhakti through past accumulated
sukriti, (devotional activity). It is hard for all jivas to obtain bhakti. Lead
them on a direct path home. I have come to preach the yuga-dharma of the holy
name. You are helping Me accomplish this activity by describing the full truth
about the holy name."
Whoever attains the full
nectar of the touchstone of the holy name, worshiping Krishna in spontaneous
emotion, has attained full success and full bliss. A worthless rascal, weeping,
I hold that person's feet and beg that he distribute the bliss and let me drink
forever just one paticle of the nectarean rasa.
HC: Nama-bhajana
Nama-bhajana
Prema alone is the
purpose of the life of jivas. Bhava, which is the soul's feeling, develops into
prema. Turning their face towards Krishna, the more jivas progress, the more
they approach the temple of prema. Thus, in considering the candidacy for
prema, we meet at the outset with two kinds of circumstances: one is an intense
longing for the unattained prema, the other is the stage when the pedestal of
prema is already reached. There is no higher stage beyond the latter one—an
incessant rasa in an undivided unique tattva of that region. Those devotees
with an utter craving for prema but who are still on the way to it are again
divided into two classes according to their love of seclusion or bustee: the
first are called viviktanandis, who are close followers of approved usages, the
others are known as gostyanandis and are ever happy in preaching. Deep
meditation on Godhead is the discipline of premi bhaktas and glorifying or
singing the name of Krishna is their preaching.
In the state when there
is an intense longing for the unattained prema, the premi bhaktas are
exclusively devoted to Krishna—utter self-surrender marks them out. The
Shrimad-Bhagavatarn and the Gita have very highly eulogized such refugees. If a
devotee does not take absolute shelter under the cool shade of the gracious
feet of Krishna, why speak of prema? He remains quite in the dark even about
bhava. A self-surrendering devotee should only accept things that are favorable
to prema-bhakti, and should deny everything—whatever it may be—that is antagonistic
or unfavorable to it. Such a devotee believes that Krishna is the only
protector, that nothing else or no one else but Krishna can save or protect
him. He has not the least doubt that Krishna alone protects all. Devotees
firmly and sincerely believe themselves to be very humble and insignificant.
The faith of an earnest and exclusive devotee is that he himself can do
nothing, that not even a straw moves without the will of Krishna.
Extremely
self-surrendered devotees prefer to most exclusively embrace Shri Nama to every
other feature of devotion. They have a more intense appetite for singing and
meditating upon the holy name than for anything else. Of all the means of
bhajana, the name of Bhagavan is most purely spiritual. In describing the
absolute duties, the Shri Hari-bhakti-vilasa has spoken of the glories of
chanting and contemplating the holy name as the best—it has been given the
foremost place. The sastras declare that there is not the least difference
between Krishna and Krishna's name because the real nature of His name is
spiritual—the holy name manifests Himself as the chaitanya-rasa-vigraha of
Krishna.
Those who desire to
realize the form of Krishna and the form of the holy name must try to realize
their own cit-svarupa. The practicer of bhakti can never be dexterous in his
adoration of God so long as he does not realize spiritual truth. So, how can he
attain his object of pursuit? The attainment of an absolute conception of
spiritual truths causes the amelioration of bhajana. Here we shall say
something on this subject.
Many a time we have
pointed out (in the Chaitanya-siksamrita) with quotations from the sastras that
every jiva is a spiritual molecule, that the residence of Krishna is a
spiritual kingdom, that Krishna is the spiritual sun, that devotion to Krishna
is a spiritual inclination, and that Krishna's name is cid-rasa-vigraha. Now,
we venture to show the relation between spirit and those devotees who are
extremely anxious for prema, and then we shall show the means to the attainment
of the highest bliss of the soul. If we have spiritual merit earned in previous
births, transcendental felicity will be enkindled in our heart. We have no
appetite (ruci) for the knowledge of Brahman, which is restricted to
realization of mere cit only; for, spiritual sportive pastimes have no place in
it.
The Savior of the Iron
Age, Shri Krishna Chaitanya, declares the Vedas to be the only judge and
reveals their nine prameyas (subject matters). There is a broad discussion on
it in the Shrimad-Bhagavatam. The Vedas have proved jivas to be spiritual
atomic parts of the Deity. Jivas are like rays from the sun, Krishna; so the
spiritual form of the jivas must be identified with the spiritual form of
Godhead. But the difference lies in the fact that Krishna may be compared with
the full sun, while the jivas are His innumerable rays. Krishna is Lord of
lords—the jivas are His eternal servants. There is no denying the fact that the
residential home of Krishna is in the Paravyoma, or Goloka, which is all-spiritual.
Vaikuntha, cij-jagat, etc. all refer to that spiritual region. The Vajasaneya
Upanishad speaks of the form of Krishna to be purely spiritual; the
Svetasvatara Upanishad describes the eternal powers of Krishna, who is superior
to the best and higher than the highest. The Mundaka Upanishad shows bhakti to
the cid-rasa, and, coming to conceive Krishna to be the life of lives, the
wise, after discarding all garrulity, dry wisdom and vain arguments, dive deep
to see the bottom of their soul. They, after realizing the Deity by dint of
pure intuition, run after devotion. He who does this is a brahmana, i.e., a
Vaishnava devotee of Krishna. Such has been shown to be the nature of bhakti,
or devotion. As the Candogya Upanishad states: "O Maitreya! The soul alone
is to be seen, heard, reflected, meditated upon and realized by spiritual
organs. All is then known to us beyond any doubt. That soul (Krishna) is dearer
than one's son, dearer than wealth, for He is omniscient.
Things that are
sense-pleasing are never worth endearment; from the pleasure of the Great Soul
all joy proceeds." Thus the eternal relation of happiness between Krishna
and the jiva is prema.
What exact connection
does there exist between this manifested and visible mundane world and the
spiritual sphere? In going to search after spiritual truths, more often than
not we are deluded. After deep contemplation and discrimination, we conclude
spirit to be something opposite to matter. Pressing our worldly reasoning too
far, we leave cid-rasa to the background and are satisfied with an imaginative
inarticulate and incomplete conception of spiritual Brahman. This is only an
imagination of the cit-svarupa of Brahman. In such a stage, Brahman is
immutable, incorporeal, invisible or formless, without attributes and dry of
prema—this uncommon perception is like the "sky-flower!" And being
unable to know the name, form, attributes and pastimes or diversions of that
cit-svarupa, we turn to being inactive. Hence it is that all portents of jivas
come to pass due to this dry wisdom. This is well illustrated in the
conversation between Vyasa and Narada.
It is clear from the
above that you never can know the spiritual sportive pastimes of para-brahma if
you are dazzled by the mere cit-svarupa of Brahman, which is only a semblance
of the eternal light of cit. Brother, look ahead! Enter into the kingdom of
Godhead after dashing through the brilliance of pure and simple cit. There you
will be able to realize the spiritual pastimes of Godhead, then you will be
able to taste the ambrosia of an incessant brahma-rasa. No longer will your
soul remain wooden-like. The name, form, attributes and lila of the Supreme
Being are manifested not by any earthly light, but by a spiritual flame. The
sun, moon, stars, lightning and fire of this earth are quite unfit to give
light to that other spiritual horizon. This spiritual light, which is far
beyond worldly lights, brightens that region. It is only a perverted reflection
of that light that we think supplies us with light; but in fact, it does not.
While describing brahmapura (the region of Brahman), the Candogya Upanishad
gives us a comprehensive knowledge of it. The spiritual kingdom as displayed by
the spiritual light is an ideal to this base earth. There is not the least
tinge of baseness; while, on the contrary, only an all-pervading daintiness is
its sweet affair. The fourteen mundane worlds are only a perverted reflection
of that sphere; the gross sun is a reflection of that light and its subtle
reflection is seen in the mundane rays of dry wisdom arising from mind,
conscience and consciousness. Our gross senses believe the gross sun to be a
flash of luster, and we are proud of the earthly knowledge which is gained by
dint of the eight processes of yoga that are actions of the subtle intellect,
conscience and ego. All these are seemingly natural workings of engrossed
jivas.
Listening to the advice
of Narada, while Dvaipayana Rishi (Vyasa) was completely absorbed in the single
and natural deep meditation of the soul, he fully and clearly saw the name,
form, attributes and pastimes of the Supreme Person. He also saw maya, the
shadow of para-sakti, as having no other shelter than the Absolute Truth, and
understood the anarthas of jivas, the atomic cit-tattvas, who are engrossed,
fascinated and enslaved by maya. Further realizing that such jivas can come to
perceive their own personal forms if absorbed in a profoundly meditative
bhakti-yoga, he compiled the Shrimad-Bhagavatam, which describes the spiritual
pastimes of Bhagavan. The forgetfulness of his own eternal form and the form of
Krishna is the foremost anartha of a jiva, whence arises his aversion to
Krishna, as a result of which he is revolved by the wheel of maya on the path
of karma. Thus the world is full of weal and woes. When jivas take shelter
under bhakti, after discarding the basely turned endeavors of the mundane wise
reasoning of the eight processes of yoga, of the karma-margis (followers of
karma or fruitive acts), and of the arguments of the Sankhya school of the
jnana-margis (seekers of dry wisdom) which vainly try to refute things that are
not God or His concerns, then only are the pure rays of spiritual intuition
enkindled in them by being naturally absorbed in divine contemplation. The
worldly pleasures then prick them like piercing thorns, and Krishna prema is
awakened in the heart. By these means only can they be blessed by the grace of
Krishna—the spiritual sun. This divine grace is the only means for washing away
all stain from the mind and for progressing forward towards the ever-shining
land of Krishna.
A sincere faith in pure
devotion is the root cause of this unlabored restraint of the senses together
with the mind, and confinement of the soul in a deep contemplation on Godhead.
When the happy moment came, Dvaipayana Rishi became doubtful about the rules
and methods of karma-kanda and vain jnana-kanda. In reply to the question of
his spiritual preceptor, Shri Narada Gosvami, he said, "O Lord, no doubt I
have realized all the truths you advised, still my soul, I know not why, finds
no contentment! O son of Brahma, be kind to tell me the unimaginable and
indescribable secret that lurks behind it. I beg this of you, being greatly
troubled at heart."
Then Narada Gosvami
replied, "O Vyasa, you have not striven to give as vivid a picture of the
pure spiritual pastimes of Bhagavan, as you have in the Vedanta-sutras and
Mahabharata of the four main objects of human pursuit, viz., virtue, wealth, enjoyment
and salvation. It is due to this shortcoming of yours that you enjoy no
contentment. Therefore you have committed a great and heavy omission by giving
too high an eulogy of castes and stages as the religion of the soul. If any
one, leaving aside such a conventional religion of the self, engages himself in
the service of Hari, but slips before reaching the goal, he suffers no loss to
speak of. On the contrary, if he strictly sticks to conventional religion,
being utterly unmindful of Hari bhajana, what worthy and exalted goal can he
attain thereby?" It is clear from the above that there is no second help
but Hari bhajana. A jiva can attain his highest goal if he embraces the holy
name as the means to Hari.
Vyasadeva then followed
up this bhakti-yoga by absorbing himself in an easy meditation on Godhead.
"Easy" is used here to show that devotion to Krishna is most innate
in the jivatma. Because it is an inherent and eternal religion of the jivas, it
is called the "easy" universal religion of every jiva. Its workings
develop in the following manner. When jivas come to realize that the path of
karma does not give them eternal good, whether it be the eighteen inferior
karma-yoga or the eight subtle processes of yajna—neither can ever lead them to
the highest goal, service to Krishna, which is their soul's religion—or again
when they are fully convinced that there is not the least chance to attain
perpetual happiness by mundane wisdom or limited knowledge that aims at the
spiritual kingdom—both gained by endeavor of the subtle frame of mind, ego,
etc.—finding no shore to catch, they thus, by the grace of sadhus and the
spiritual preceptor, cry out to Krishna from the deepest recesses of their
heart: "O Krishna! O You Deliverer of the fallen! Although I am Your
eternal servant, I am fallen into the deep abyss of the world and am badly
dashed from shore to shore by its drowning waves of troubles and tribulations.
Take me up, my Lord, to the shade of the cool dust of Your lotus feet. Oh! Have
mercy on this wretched self!" Then the all-merciful Lord lovingly takes
all jivas up to His feet.
When with sincere thrills
of joy and tears trickling down their cheeks they constantly chant, hear and
remember the name of Krishna, they gradually reach the stage of bhava. Appearing
in their heart, Krishna erases all stain from their mind. Having thus cleansed
their heart graciously, He blesses them with His own prema. Extreme humbleness
and utter devotion are necessary to call Krishna to the heart. Then, when
earthly knowledge, reasoning and striving are completely burnt to ashes, the
soul's eyes can perceive Bhagavan and His associated counterparts. If after
discarding the company of asat fellows—those who are attached to the fair sex
and those who are nondevotees of Krishna—one embraces the company of the good
or sat, before long he attains firm faith and then through the stages of
nishtha, etc., reaches the ladder of bhava. Those whose hearts are crooked will
beyond any doubt stumble downwards to hell.
The fortunate ones who
earnestly long to ascend the terrace of prema, do sincerely and incessantly
chant the name of Krishna in the company of sadhus. They do not have any
appetite for any other feature of devotion. When in a short time by the grace
of the holy name the heart becomes closely attentive, the fruits of religious
forbearance, control over sensual appetites, religious observances, withholding
the breath by way of religious austerity, abstract religious contemplation,
steady abstraction of the mind and indifference to external impressions are
very easily gained without paying the least heed to any of these. The holy name
alone is a complete suspension of the fleeting mental operations. The more the
heart is transparent, the more the diverse pastimes of the spiritual kingdom
play in it. The flow of the milk of this happiness is so very fast running that
no other means can give even the smallest drop of it. The jivas should desire
no other wealth than this grace of Krishna.
The holy name is
spiritual; wisdom, vows, meditation, abnegation, mental quietness, virtue,
contrivance—none of these can ever equal the name. Know it for certain that the
holy name is the highest salvation, the holy name is the highest end, the holy
name is the noblest and final beatitude, the holy name is existing eternally,
the holy name alone is the supermost devotion, the holy name is the highest
intellect, the holy name is the topmost priti and the holy name is the
brightest remembrance. The holy name is the seed and the holy name is the fruit
to jivas—the holy name is their Lord and the holy name alone is the supermost
object of their worship. The holy name is their preceptor.
The Vedas have described
the spirituality of the name of Krishna to be the highest truth. "O Lord!
We have reasonably judged Your name to be higher than the highest and so we
chant Your holy name. Nama-bhajana is not bound by any rule—the holy name is
beyond all virtuous acts—He is spiritual—He is virility and luster in a person.
All the Vedas have been manifested from this holy name. The holy name is bliss,
the holy name is ananda. We can excellently be devoted to Him. The holy name is
worship and is to be worshiped; Your feet are to be held in veneration.
Repeatedly we fall prostrate at Your lotus feet and anoint our bodies with the
pollen thereof. In order to lead the soul to its highest stage, devotees
mutually discuss the holy name and sing His glories. They believe Your name to
be Chaitanya in person, and always sing and hear kirtana which is identical
with Your name—they are purified by it. The holy name alone is sat, or
ever-existing. The essence of the Vedas is the holy name, who is the Absolute
Truth and whose form is sac-cid-ananda (sat—ever-existing, cit—knowing, and
ananda—all-bliss). O Vishnu, it is only by the grace of Your name that we are
capable of offering these hymns to You. So we should adore and pray to Your
holy name alone."
In His own "Eight
Glorious Precepts," Shriman Mahaprabhu has spoken of the glories of the
holy name. He has also given a glimpse of the gradual steps of nama-bhajana in
those eight precepts. His sloka. beginning with "Consider yourself humbler
than the grass" hints at how to adore the holy name after avoiding the ten
offenses. His sloka "Followers or money I want not" speaks of the selflessness
of nama-bhajana in a devotional spirit—devotion unactuated by any lustful
motive. The sloka "O Son of Nanda" tells us how to make a plaintive
report to the Lord. The last two slokas describe the process of Vraja bhajana
where one loves Krishna to serve Him either in sambhoga (union) or in
vipralambha-rasa (deeper union in separation) or in both after being completely
and spontaneously attached to Shrimati Radha. The sastras have eulogized so
highly and so often the glories of the holy name that their number is legion—to
describe them is to write a big volume like the Shri Hari-bhakti vilasa. So we
hardly have any more space in this small volume to discuss them at length.
Thus, stopping here with the glories of the holy name, we attempt a very short
survey of the processes of nama-bhajana.
Devotees who are desirous
of ascending the terrace of prema should remember a few points even before
entering the field of nama-bhajana. Firstly, they should know for certain that
the form of Krishna, the form of Krishna's name, the form of service to Krishna
and the form of Krishna's servants are eternally free—eternally spiritual!
Krishna, His abode and paraphernalia are all spiritual and beyond the grasp of
maya, the illusory energy. No mundane consideration exists in seva, or service.
The seat, room, garden, forest, Yamuna River and every other thing of Krishna
are spiritual and hence untouchable by matter. They are further aware of the
fact that this belief is not a blind worldly faith—it is absolutely true and
eternal. The exact forms of all these do not in truth manifest on this earth.
Such ideas may perpetually reign in the pure heart of pure devotees. Here, the
fruit of all these spiritual practices is self-realization. Those who have
realized the form of Krishna, as well as of their own self, do before long
attain vastu-siddhi (enter the eternal pastimes of Krishna in the spiritual
kingdom and gain personal service of Krishna). Here in this world, devotees can
only get a glimpse of those immaterial things. The first stage to it is freedom
from the bondage of maya—the climax is prema.
The realization of truths
that are beyond the grasp of matter is called svarupa-siddhi. This is true
knowledge of the relationship between Krishna and the jivas, and when this is
acquired, the endeavor for prema as a means and prema as an object of pursuit
are gained. The spiritual region of Krishna, His spiritual name, His divine
attributes and spiritual pastimes—all these being the necessary object of
pursuit—come under prema. This is delineated in the Prasnopanishad.
The holy name has been
accepted in all respects to be an incarnation of Krishna on this earth.
Although He seems to be just a word, still, by His unimaginable powers, He is
spiritual and is a special incarnation of Krishna. As Krishna and His name are
identical, Krishna has descended to the earth as the holy name; so, Krishna's
name is the first introduction to Krishna. With determination to reach Krishna,
jivas must first accept the name of Krishna. In attempting to determine the
significance and origin of Hari nama, Shri Gopala-guru Gosvami, the dearest
disciple of Shri Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, writes, "Blessed are they no
doubt who utter 'Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare; Hare
Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare' even with indifference. (This verse was
culled from the Agni Purana.) 'Those who chant the holy name are free from
every spot of sin.' (Brahmanda Purana) These utterings of Hare Krishna, coming
out from the lips of Shri Chaitanya, inundated the whole world with the flood
of prema. Glory be to the holy name by His will!" Hence, Shriman
Mahaprabhu, as mentioned in the Chaitanya-caritamrita and in the
Chaitanya-bhagavata, Himself sang and taught jivas to count these sixteen names
of thirty-two syllables on Tulasi beads. Shri Gopala-guru Gosvami explains
these sixteen names in the following way:
"At the utterance of
Hari, all sins are washed from the heart of the wicked. As the flame will burn
the finger even though unconsciously thrust into fire, similarly, even the very
casually pronounced holy name will burn every bit of sin within you. After that
holy name of the Lord manifests the Absolute Truth whose form is cid-ananda, it
destroys avidya, or illusion, and its works. All this is the work of Hari nama.
Or as He takes off the three-fold pangs of miseries, distresses and
afflictions, He is therefore called Hari (lit. to steal away). Or Hari is so
called because He drives out all the three-fold distresses of every animate and
inanimate being, or because the mind of the fourteen worlds is charmed by
hearing and singing the spiritual attributes of Hari. Or as He, by His
exceeding beauty before the loveliness and beauty of a thousand Cupids, which
causes these to hide their faces in shame, He also fascinates all men and
incarnations, hence He is called Hari, which in the vocative case is pronounced
Hare. Or again, according to the views of the Brahma-samhita, She who
fascinates the mind of Hari by Her prema-svarupa, attachments and love is Hara,
or in other words, Shrimati Radhika, the daughter of Vrishabhanu. The vocative
case of Hara is Hare.
"The meaning of
Krishna according to the views of agama is that this Krishna who is ananda in
form and attracts every object, is parabrahma. Krishna, when in the vocative
case, is also Krishna. The agama says, 'O goddess, all guilts and sinful
motives vanish from the heart at the very sound of 'ra', and the door in the
form of 'ma' is attached to it in order to shut out those evils and prevent
them from reentering the heart. These together give us Rama.' The Puranas have
further said that Krishna, who is cleverer than the cleverest, more witty than
the greatest wit, who is the presiding Deity of all spiritual pastimes and who
is eternally engaged in spiritual dalliance with Shri Radha, is termed as
Rama."
Devotees who thirst for
prema and are on the way to it, chant and realize this holy name of Hare
Krishna by counting on beads. While chanting and remembering the name, they
incessantly remember His spiritual characteristics by explaining to the mind
the meanings of the holy name. In this way, their heart is very soon freed from
every spot and becomes pure and stainless; and with the morning twilight of the
holy name, as the heart is purified by constant remembrance, the holy name
dawns on the horizon of the transparent heart with full shining rays.
Those who have accepted
the holy name are either self-realized devotees or are still trotting onwards
to self-realization. Of these, the latter class of devotees are divided
according to their early and advanced stages. Besides these, devotees who are
eternally free no longer confuse the soul for the body and never identify
themselves with the body or mind. In the early stage, devotees begin to chant
the name in a fixed number, and as they gradually increase their countings,
they come to a stage when their tongue does not stop for a moment from singing
the holy name. Although devotees in their first stage have no taste for the
holy name because their tongues are cholera-stricken by avidya, still a patient
and continuous utterance of the name proves to be the only remedy. Later they
will feel uneasy if stopped from singing the name. A constant and regardful
chanting produces a supreme liking for Him.
Zeal and earnestness to
avoid offenses to the holy name are very needful in the first stage, which can
be done only by an avoidance of worldly-minded men and keeping company with
devotees. Incessant chanting of the holy name will, when the first flow has
passed away, naturally increase a love for the name and kindness to jivas. In
this, karma, jnana and yoga have nothing to do. If their workings are strong
even then, they may help the devotees of the holy name in maintaining their
livelihood. If Krishna's holy name is sung with a firm inclination, it will
before long cleanse the heart and burn away avidya; when avidya vanishes, the
brighter illumination of a true, unbiased abnegation and a sense of the
relationship between Krishna and jivas will appear in the heart. Numberless
times has this been proved to be true among the wise.
With a happy heart, one
should recollect the meaning and form of the holy name and should pray to
Krishna with a heart-rending lamentation, and this will draw the grace of
Krishna which will lead him onward in the path of bhajana; or else, births will
pass in vain like karmis and frustrated jnanis.
Those who engage in
bhajana may be divided into two distinct classes. Some bear only the burden,
others appreciate the real worth of things. Those who long for enjoyment or for
self-destroying salvation and are attached to worldly affairs are only yoked to
the heavy load of virtue, wealth, enjoyment and salvation—they are unaware of
the fact that prema is the best sap. So, such load-bearers fail to progress in
bhajana in spite of their utmost strivings, whereas the essence-seekers aiming
at prema-lata very soon reach the longed-for ultimate. They are called
prema-rurukshu (those who earnestly strive for ascending up to the region of
prema); they alone can in a very short time ascend up to the sphere of prema or
easily become paramahamsas. Thus, when one who so long simply did bear burdens,
learns to love the Truth in the company of sadhus, he also soon turns to
longing for prema.
When in previous births
one has done good works looking forward to devotion, this invigorates reverence
and a strong desire for service to Godhead, which then turns into an appetite
for devotion in the company of devotees. Both bhajana and true devotees awaken
sadhana-bhakti which leads to the expectation of prema. If one adopts the
processes of sadhana as directed by true and pure devotees, he will before long
almost turn mad for ascending the stage of prema where it can be tasted. But
again, this prema will remain far in the background if he associates with
half-true devotees and will not be able to exclusively devote himself to the
service of Krishna. In this stage, (1) his strong love for the fleeting world,
(2) his identification of the soul with the material frame of flesh and blood
and the subtle body of the mind, (3) his knowledge of things other than
Krishna, and (4) his extreme servile attitude towards maya do not allow him to
regard and love true devotees—crafty thoughts beguile his heart. In this way,
the practicers of devotion have to remain long confined to the preliminary
rights of a devotee in the first stage. No doubt they have reliance and faith
in Krishna, but it is so tender, fickle and unsteady that they may at any
moment be led away by the contradictory arguments of conflicting schools and
may accordingly come into the company of so-called preceptor and sadhus. In
order to make steady their perturbed state of mind, they must learn by the
process of deduction (the path of Sruti from a true spiritual preceptor) the
true process of worship. A firm faith in the holy name will be awakened in the
heart after worshiping the Deity in this way for a long time; then at last they
will have determination for nama-bhajana in the company of devotees.
The case is different
with those few lucky ones who have an exclusively firm faith in Krishna's holy
name; they take, by unbounded grace of Krishna, shelter at the feet of such a
spiritual guide who is an ontologist of the holy name, i.e., who has realized
and does see the svarupa (form) of the holy name. Concerning the need for such
a preceptor, Shri Mahaprabhu says that though formal initiation may not be
necessary, still a guide is essential in nama-bhajana. The mere letters of the
holy name may be had at any place and from anybody, but the profound and
unknown truth that is lurking behind those letters can only be exposed by the
grace of a true preceptor who is purely devoted to Krishna. The grace of the
spiritual guide alone can pass over from the early twilight from the ten
offenses hindering the true service of the holy name.
Those who are devoted to
the holy name have already from the beginning attained the stage of the second
class of the svarupa (form) of the holy name. They are practically no longer
bound to namabhasa (utterance of the name avoiding the ten offenses). Truly
speaking, they earnestly desire prema—they are true prema-rurukshus. It is
their religion to have prema for Krishna; they make friendship with true
Vaishnavas, they cast kind glances at and show compassion to tender and
unsteady Vaishnavas, and they are indifferent to those who being puffed up with
false vanity of their erudition are malicious and inimical to the devotees and
Shri-murti of Bhagavan. Failing to distinguish right from wrong, the beginners
who are confined to only the initial rights sometimes fall into deplorable
conditions. The middle order of Vaishnavas who are earnestly anxious for prema
behave differently from the three previous classes of Vaishnavas (those who
only carry the burden, those who maintain bad association and those who
strictly follow) and soon are blessed with prema, or ascend to the highest or
superior order of Vaishnavas. It is best to associate with this middle order of
Vaishnavas.
These prema-rurukshu
devotees chant and tell their beads three lacs (3 x 64 rounds) in every
twenty-four hours, and they find such happiness in the holy name that they
cannot spare a moment without Him; then, when no time can be kept in sleep,
etc., they become incessant in their bhajana. Repeated remembrance of the
meaning of the holy name as explained by Shri Gopala-guru Gosvami will, by degrees,
drive out all contamination from the nature of the devotee. Then the holy name
will appear in person before the spiritual eyes of the devotee. When the
svarupa (form) of the holy name fully appears, it is identical with the
spiritual form of Krishna. The appearance of the svarupa of the holy name is
the appearance of the svarupa of Krishna. The more clearly and purely the holy
name is visible, the more bhajana proceeds in the presence of His svarupa, the
more do the three elements of which primordial matter is said to be composed,
namely sattva (the strand of goodness), rajas (the strand of activity) and
tamas (the gloom of pride, haughtiness, etc. of the lowest inherent principal),
disappear and there appear the spiritual attributes of Krishna in the heart of
the devotee. Then again, when there is a happy union of the name, form and
attributes of Krishna, and devotees in their bhajana see them, the lila
(pastimes) of Krishna is awakened by the grace of Krishna in their pure heart
as soon as they are absorbed in deep and easy, natural meditation. The holy
name then dances incessantly on their tongue, the form of Krishna is visible to
their soul's eye, all the attributes of Krishna are observed in their heart and
the bud of lila blooms in their soul while they are buried in meditation. In
this stage, five conditions of the practising devotee are to be noticed: 1.
sravana-dasa, 2. varana-dasa, 3. smarana-dasa, 4. apana-dasa, 5. prapanna-dasa.
The happy mood which the
devotee feels at the time of listening to the object of pursuit and the means
of hearing from the lips of a true spiritual preceptor may be called
sravana-dasa. In this stage, every bit of knowledge about how to chant the holy
name without committing any offense to Him and of the processes and fitness of
chanting the holy name is gained; this facilitates the continuity of the holy
name.
When fit to receive it,
the strung-together beads of nama-prema can be had from shri gurudeva, i.e.,
the disciple with every delight and from the deepest recesses of his heart
cordially welcomes the boon of surrendering himself to the feet of shri guru
for pure and unalloyed bhajana and receives invigorating strength and faculty
from him; this is varana-dasa, (the choice of shri guru for bhajana by the
acceptance of the holy name and strength from him).
Remembrance,
contemplation, concentration, constant meditation and trance (final beatitude)
are the five processes of smarana. From remembrance of the holy name, the
devotee thinks of the form which gives him a steady conception of the
attributes; this steady conception of the attributes gives him a firm
conviction of pursuing the lila of Krishna and having entrance in the lila, he
is completely absorbed in Krishna-rasa. This is apana-dasa. By these stages of
smarana and apana the devotee can know and adore the eternal and daily lila of
Krishna in eight different periods of the day; and when he is deeply absorbed
in it, he realizes his own self and that of Krishna. These self-realized
devotees are paramahamsas.
Then at the time of his
departure from this world, the devotee, by the grace of Krishna, becomes an
associated counterpart of ideal object of his worship in Vraja, and thus
attains the summum bonum of nama-bhajana.
When should all who are
seekers after prema leave the stage of a householder and accept sannyasa, or
the fourth stage? The answer is that, be he in bustee (society) or solitude, in
palace or bower, be he in the stage of a grihastha or a vanaprastha or
sannyasi—in whatever stage he may be in, the prema-rurukshu should prefer to
live in that stage only which will be favorable to the attainment of prema and
should at once desert the stage that is a burden or antagonistic to his
bhajana. In this connection, the lives of Shrivasa Pandita, Shri Pundarika Vidyanidhi,
Shri Ramananda and other personal attendants of Krishna are worth recollection.
They are all born paramahamsas. Ribhu, Janaka, etc. in the days of yore are
seen to be paramahamsa even though they led the lives of householders; while,
on the contrary, finding household life to be detrimental and a bar to bhajana,
Shri Ramanuja Svami, Shri Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, Shri Madhavendra Puri
Gosvami, Shri Haridasa Thakura, Shri Sanatana Gosvami and Shri Raghunatha dasa
Gosvami, all renounced the stage of a householder and accepted sannyasa.
Krishna's loving beauty
is so enamoring that even the god of lust is charmed by Him and Krishna
Himself, being charmed by His own beauty and loveliness, covets the pleasure
enjoyed by the best of His lovers—Shri Radha, by lovingly serving such a form
as His. So anointing Himself with the luster and complexion of Shri Radha and
having been imbued with Her ardent longings of love, Krishna is ever dallying
as an exemplary lover of Himself as Shri Gauranga. Shri Krishna, the essential
nature of the Supreme Being—the only real and eternal truth—is the object of
love, and Shri Gauranga, the possessor and distributor of that love. Krishna is
simultaneously dallying with His dear consort in the groves of Vrindavana and
tasting the extract of love succors flowing from His consort as Gauranga at
Navadvipa, Himself singing Krishna's name and teaching others how to love
Krishna and sing His name. In so doing, He distinguishes pointedly the real
name, identical with the object Himself, from the apparent or false one which
is taken profanely, blasphemously or in vain. He emphasizes that in this
Kali-yuga worldly people indulge in (1) duplicity, (2) intoxication, (3)
sensuality, (4) killing of animals, (5) mercenariness and so are unable to
meditate upon or worship Vishnu and perform Vedic sacrifices. So the chanting
of Krishna's name is the only meditation, the only sacrifice, the only worship
in this Kali age—the name is the means, the name is the end. But it should be
noted with the utmost care that Krishna's name is not a mere combination of
letters or utterance; an appearance is not identity. The fire and the glow
worm, though similar in appearance, are not identical. The minutest spark of
fire set consciously or unconsciously, seriously or playfully, will
instantaneously burn an inflammable thing, whereas a thousand glow worms will
not be able to do that, even in a thousand years. Krishna's name is identical
with Krishna Himself and pregnant with all the properties and attributes of
Krishna. So His name, unlike all other names, is full of energy, perfect,
eternal, pure, devoid of illusion and eternally free.
The aurora of sunrise is
sufficient to dispel the darkness of night and to drive the wild animals to
their lairs and thieves and dacoits to their resorts; it enables us to
distinguish the various objects of senses and ushers the advent of the glowing
lamp of heaven. So namabhasa stops poverty from planting our pillows with
thorns, destroys our worldly hankerings and dispels our illusory gloom so that
we may see the name face to face. When the ever-burning sun peeps out of the
eastern horizon, its ever-effulgent rays make us see it face to face, feel its
golden rays and enable us to see all objects bathed therein. The sun is seen and
felt by us with its own rays and heat and not by the help of any other glowing
object. The brightest candles of the universe put together cannot make the sun
visible to us. When our dreamy nights are at an end, when we shake off our
torpor, open our eyes, and turn them to the east, we see the sun of the holy
name with all His glory and beauty.