NOD – VIHE Nectar of Devotion—Part 13

Giriraj Swami: So, have you all got your exam papers back?

In 1969, the temple was attacked by some hooligans, and they broke into the house which served as the temple, and they started to attack the devotees and beat them and then somehow or other they ran away. So, we called the police and they caught some of the hooligans, and after some days the devotees had to go to court. One of the devotees who had been beaten and who had seen the hooligans was named Nanda Kishore Prabhu, and he had to go on the witness stand, and he had no experience in any such matters or in public speaking or anything. He was very nervous. He didn’t know what to do or what to say, and the lawyer for the hooligans was very tricky and very aggressive. He was trying to give the impression that we belong to some cult that. . . Well, so anyway, so when Nanda Kishore got on the witness stand, the lawyer for the hooligans asked him, “Who is Krishna?” And he said, “According to the dictionary, Krishna is the Hindu God of love and fertility.” So Nanda Kishore said, “Your honor, can I quote my authority?” Then his honor said, “Yes.” Then he quoted Brahma-saṁhitā:

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ

sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ

anādir ādir govindaḥ

sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam

But the first thing how Nanda Kishore got so much confidence and so much intelligence to speak like that and challenge and defeat the other party is that the first thing that the lawyer asked was, “Who was present at the time of the incident?” Then he started to say, “Satsvarupa, Murari,” and he started to chant so many names of Krishna. And by chanting so many names of Krishna, he became blissful, and he could answer all the questions. So, I also felt here reading the names of the devotees which are all names of the Lord that it was very encouraging and blissful which brings us to today’s topic. What is today’s topic?

Yes, ‘Chanting the holy names.’ Who remembers the verse cited by Rupa Gosvami in support of the definition of vaidhī-sādhana-bhakti?

Translation. Yes, it is 1.2.7 in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, tasmād bhārata sarvātmā, that anyone who wishes to be fearless and free from all miseries should always hear and chant about and remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari. So, the verse is significant. It establishes the principle of vaidhī-sādhana-bhakti that in pursuance of the reasonings of the scriptures we engage in devotional service, and it’s also significant because it mentions the three primary activities of hearing, chanting, and remembering.

Now we come to chanting. And actually, out of the three, chanting is considered the most important of all. So we can turn to page seventy-six in the verse book, actually seventy-five has many statements from Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta which explained the verse that Rupa Gosvami has quoted in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.233) and which verse also comes here in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 17.133). But the verse is on page seventy-six:

nāma-cintāmaṇi-kṛṣṇa
caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ
pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya-mukto
abhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ

Nāma means the holy name. Cintāmaṇi means the transcendentally blissful giver of all spiritual benedictions. Whatever one wants, he can get from the holy name. And the next word is kṛṣṇa, it means that the holy name is Krishna. Krishna is Absolute. So, the form of Krishna is Krishna, and the name of Krishna is also Krsna because Krishna is Absolute. So, there is no difference between the body and the soul of Krishna. Krishna is Absolute, His inside and His outside are the same, they’re all spiritual. Similarly, there is no difference between Krishna and His name.

Srila Prabhupada gives the example that or he gives the explanation that in the material world or the relative world the name of the thing and the thing are different. So, if you are thirsty and you chant water, water, water, water, well simply chanting water, water won’t quench your thirst because the word water and the substance water are different. But in the spiritual world or in the Absolute world, if you chant Krishna, Krishna, Krishna then Krishna is personally present because the name Krishna and the person Krishna are the same. He is dancing on your tongue. So, it is said that the form ‘Krishna’ is perceived by the eyes, and the name ‘Krishna’ is perceived by the tongue and the ears. 

But both are the same. So Krishna says in Bhagavad-gītā, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante, that as one surrenders to Him, He reciprocates. So similarly, as one surrenders to the holy name, the holy name reciprocates. And in whatever form one wants to serve the Lord, the Lord reciprocates—so similarly, the holy name. As all incarnations are included within the person of Krishna, similarly, all names of God are included in the maha-mantra in particular. And therefore, the maha-mantra is nāma-cintāmaṇi. It fulfills all desires. For example, if one. . . Say one wants to serve Radha and Krishna. So the three words, Hare, Krishna, and Rama, can all be explained in relation to Radha and Krishna because Hare is a form of address, either to Hara, who is Radha, or to Hari, who is Krishna. And Rama can mean Lord Balarama, can mean Lord Ramachandra, or can mean Radharani also, because Rama means the Goddess of Fortune. So the maha-mantra will reciprocate with the devotee who chants purely and reveal Himself in the particular form that the devotee wants to serve. So, if we chant Hare Rama, then, and if we are thinking that Rama means Balarama, then Hare won’t mean Radharani, because that would be like rasābhāsa. So there, Hare will mean a way of addressing Hari, or Krishna. So it will be Krishna and Balarama.

Nāma-cintāmaṇi-kṛṣṇa caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ—caitanya means conscious. The holy name is as conscious as Krishna - that means more conscious than us. We might think that we are more conscious than the holy name, but actually the holy name is more conscious than us. If we were fully conscious, then we would know that the holy name is also fully conscious. But because we are not fully conscious, we don’t appreciate the holy name. Here also, Srila Prabhupada told one story of a deaf man who was calling his wife. Say his wife’s name was Radha, just so we can speak the holy name of Radha. So he called her, “Radha, Radha. Where’s my food?” Let us say. Then she answered back, but he couldn’t hear her because he was deaf. So he said, “Radha, why aren’t you answering me?” And she said, “I’m answering you.” But he couldn’t hear her. “Oh Radha, what is the matter with you? Are you deaf? Can’t you hear that I’m asking you?” So, Srila Prabhupada says that actually he was deaf, but because he was deaf, he thought that she was deaf. So, actually, because to some extent, some persons may be dead. They think the holy name is dead, or they think the deity is dead, or they think the Bhāgavatam is dead. But the holy name reciprocates perfectly. And if we are conscious, we will also realize that the holy name is conscious.

Rasa, rasa-vigrahaḥ—the form of all transcendental mellows—that is only Krishna, rasarāja. Pūrṇaḥ—complete—oṁ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṁ. Śuddha—pure, without material contamination. Nitya—eternal. Mukta—liberated. Or nitya-mukto—eternally liberated. Abhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ, because there is no difference between the name and the person who has the name; so it is Krishna. In every respect, it is Krishna. Not only Krishna, but when we have full realization of the holy name, we will realize not only Krishna and His form, but also His qualities, His pastimes, His associates, our service to Him, and everything. Everything will be manifest by the holy name. Or the holy name will reveal itself to be Krishna and the spiritual world.

But we can have such a realization only when we chant purely without offense. But still, although we may not be able to chant purely now and have factual realization that the holy name is Krishna, still we get immense benefit even by chanting in the stage of nāmābhāsa. When the father and uncle of Raghunatha dasa Gosvami invited Haridasa Thakura to speak at their assembly, Haridasa Thakura said that liberation and freedom from sinful reactions is not the real benefit to be achieved from the holy name. Such benefits can be achieved even by nāmābhāsa. But the real benefit which can be achieved by śuddha-nāma is kṛṣṇa-prema. So, one envious Brahmin could not believe this statement that just by nāmābhāsa, one can get liberation and freedom from sinful reactions. But actually, it is so.

And we find evidence in the story of Ajamila. Ajamila was born in a Brahmin family and had a pious childhood, but later he became implicated with some prostitute whom he married and to satisfy her, he engaged in so many sinful activities. But fortunately, he named his son – Narayana, and he was always. . . He was very affectionate towards his son. And he was always speaking to his son. “Oh, Narayana, come here. Narayana, sit on my lap. Narayana, bring me water. Narayana, bring my shoes.” Narayana this, Narayana that. So he was always chanting the holy name of Narayana. But he wasn’t thinking he is chanting the holy names of God. He was only chanting in nāmābhāsa.

Now at the time of death, the Yamadutas came to drag his soul and subtle body from his gross body and take him to Yamaraja for punishment. At the last moment, he saw the Yamadutas coming towards him, and in complete helplessness and in complete anxiety, he started calling for his son, “Narayana, Narayana!!” As soon as he chanted the holy name of Narayana, the messengers of Narayana or the representatives of Narayana came there. And there was a discussion between the Yamadutas and the Vishnudutas. And the conclusion was that if someone chants the holy name of Narayana or Vishnu, Vishnu will think that, “Yes,” that the holy name will catch the attention of the Lord, and the Lord will think that, “Because he has chanted My name, I must accept him as My ward and give him all protection.”

Srila Prabhupada explains that Krishna is the absolute truth. He is the origin of everything. And therefore, the same sentiments that we have in human beings also exist in Krishna. So just like there may be a big room full of people, and there may be so many discussions going on in the room. But if someone mentions your name, if you happen to hear someone mention your name, immediately your attention will go there. So, Srila Prabhupada says, “In the same way, as soon as Krishna hears His name, His attention is also attracted.” So, just by chanting in nāmābhāsa, Ajamila was freed from sinful reactions. Otherwise, he would have been punished in hell. And he was liberated from material desires. He gave up material desires and having had the good fortune of the association of the Vishnudutas and having heard their talks about Krishna consciousness, he was able to engage in devotional service. Then he went to Haridwar and became perfect in devotional service and then went back to Godhead. He was not conscious that he was engaging in sinful activities. He was not conscious that he was chanting the holy names of the Lord. So he was chanting in nāmābhāsa. If he knew that he was committing sins, and if he was chanting to become free from the sinful reactions, he would have been chanting in nāma-aparādha, with offense, and therefore he wouldn’t have gotten the result. But because he was chanting in nāmābhāsa, he got the result, and he was freed from sinful reactions.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Oh, maya has two potencies. With one, she pushes the living entity down, and with the other, she covers him. Just like devotees, they get married and leave the temple, and they have the idea that they will earn and contribute to the temple. Then, gradually, they start to see that the temple managers are not managing properly. And they feel if they give the money to the temple, then the money will just be wasted. Then they think, I won’t give to the temple here. I will find some project and some managers that I like, and I will give there. Then they give it there. Then after some time they see, Oh, they’re also not managing properly. They’re also wasting money. Then he thinks, Well, I’m also a devotee as much as they are, and at least I’ll spend the money properly. So I won’t give it to them. I will just keep it for myself, and I will use it for Krishna.

Now everyone knows from Prabhupada’s books that householders are supposed to give in charity and in principle, under ideal circumstances, they could give 50 percent. But by some. . . covering process, he comes to the point where he doesn’t give anything to the temple. But he feels completely justified. He doesn’t think that he is doing anything wrong. In fact, he thinks that he is a better devotee than the devotees in the temple. So that is maya.

Now there was a time in ISKCON, there was a time in ISKCON where the leaders thought that the highest service was to get money by hook or by crook. I was actually in the movement at the time. And the leaders would get on the phone and call each other. And that also, not spending money. But they found a type of washer—it’s a piece of hardware, it’s a ring, which was the same size as a quarter. So they used to go to the pay phone and put washers in the phone box and phone and think of all the new ways they thought of cheating and stealing to get money for Krishna. And, it. . . The one who could think of the best way or the most ingenious way to cheat and steal, he was considered the best devotee. He was considered the most empowered devotee. And we were all taught like that. We were all taught like that. And we had almost no time to chant our rounds. Chanting our rounds was not considered important at all.

And one day, I couldn’t take it anymore. I decided I would just stay back for half a day and chant in the temple. And when one of the leaders found out, he was furious. He thought I was in maya. “What is wrong with him? He is just sitting in the temple, and, Hare, Krishna, Hare, Krishna, he should be out collecting.” And he personally came and got me out of the temple and sent [me]. So maya is very strong. They thought, they really thought that they were doing the best service. Then, eventually, Srila Prabhupada found out, and he introduced certain reforms. He said. . . Anyway, I won’t go into the details, but I’m just saying maya is very strong and very subtle.

And when we are not in the situation and we hear about the situation, we think that, Oh, how could anyone be in such maya? But we also get in our own maya, and when we are in it, we don’t perceive it clearly, but others perceive it. That’s why the association of devotees is so essential. Because the devotees can help us distinguish between the weed and the creeper. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says that the weeds have the same shape and maybe of the same size as the devotional creeper. And it’s very hard to distinguish between the two. So we may not be expert gardeners. We may not be able to distinguish between the weed and the creeper. We may think that it’s bhakti, but it may not be bhakti. Or it may not be favorable and therefore not bhakti. So that’s why we need the association of expert devotees who can distinguish between the weed and the creeper. And Srila Prabhupada was always vigilant that no contamination should enter ISKCON because we are in the material world, and there is always some chance for contamination to enter. And it always does. I mean, it always tries to. And if we are not vigilant and if we are not active, and of course, if we are not discriminating, we may be allowing things to enter, thinking that they’re favorable to devotional service, which are not.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Sorry. Yeah. There, she asked for the definition of nāmābhāsa. Nāmābhāsa, just like the sun, before the sun rises over the horizon in the morning, there is light. Haridasa Thakura gives the example that even before the sun comes over the horizon, there is light and people awaken, and they begin their normal day's activities; and thieves—they stop their nefarious activities; and things begin even before the sun actually peeps over the horizon. So that is nāmābhāsa—before the sun comes over the horizon. And śuddha-nāma means when the sun comes over the horizon. One has a direct perception of Krishna. So it is very helpful. Even before the sun comes over the horizon, when there is light and heat, we can get so much benefit. And there are two categories. One is with faith and the other is without faith. Just like Ajamila chanted the name of Narayana for his son. So he had no faith, no special faith, only chanting by chance or good fortune, Narayana. And devotees—they have faith in the holy name. They have faith in the transcendental process of devotional service. But still, they’re not able to chant purely. So of the two, nāmābhāsa with faith is better because the person will continue to chant with faith, and he’ll eventually be able to chant purely.

Nāmābhāsa means that we commit offenses, not willingly, but just due to past habits or previous conditioning. We commit offenses, but we are trying not to. That is nāmābhāsa. And committing offenses willingly is nāma-aparādha. And no offense is śuddha-nāma.

Devotee: What does it mean when it is said that Sri Gaura-Nitai frees us from the offenses? Is that nāmābhāsa or nāma-aparādha?

Giriraj Swami: By chanting the holy names, Sri Krishna Chaitanya, Prabhu Nityananda, one becomes free from offenses. That means he can gradually chant the holy name purely. Chanting the holy name purely means perfection, bhāva and prema.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: What would happen, depends how he chants.

Devotee: It’s like, we are on another last stage.

Giriraj Swami: Well, I would say it is very difficult to advance in devotional service to Krishna without the mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the age of Kali. It is very difficult.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: You see, nothing is automatic. Everything depends on the attitude of the devotee. But if we are not. . . Let’s put it this way, if we are not willingly committing offenses, we are trying not to commit offenses, but because of anarthas, even without wanting to commit offense, somehow, we do commit offense. And then when we realize it, we repent for it and try to become free from it. That is nāmābhāsa. Nāmābhāsa means the clearing stage. There is the offensive stage, the clearing stage, and the pure stage. So it’s the clearing stage. So we are chanting the Pancha-tattva mantra with the idea of becoming free from offenses. Then such mentality indicates the clearing stage.

Devotee: The holy name is pure, and it’s non-different from Krishna. . . [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Very good question. He says if the holy name is Krishna and pure, then how can we who are not pure chant it or touch it? So the same question was anticipated by Rupa Gosvami, and he has given the answer in the next verse (1.2.234), which we will now read. On page seventy-seven in the verse book.

ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi

na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ

sevonmukhe hi jihvādau

svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ

Ataḥ means ‘therefore.’ What is the implication of therefore? Because Krishna’s name, form, quality are all on the Absolute platform, therefore. . . We, śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi—Lord Krishna’s name, form, quality, pastimes, and so on. Na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ—cannot be perceived by the blunt material senses. So what Purnachandra Prabhu said is correct. We cannot touch the holy name or perceive the holy name with materially contaminated senses. Then what to do? sevonmukhe hi jihvādau—that if we serve the Lord, if we engage in the service of the Lord, then the Lord being pleased with our service, will reveal Himself to us. So this is a very important verse. Srila Prabhupada explains in The Nectar of Devotion that we cannot properly appreciate the holy name as long as we commit offenses. And until we purify our senses, we will commit offenses. So we have to purify our senses by devotional service. And then with purified senses, we can chant the holy name, and the holy name will reveal Himself to us.

Now, jihvādau – this service begins with the tongue. Now, how can someone serve Krishna with the tongue? Bhakta Masimo? Oh, no, what is your name? Oh, you are Nama Prabhu. Nama Prabhu is pleased with us, and he is going to speak to us now, Nama Prabhu Himself.

Naam Prabhu: Chanting the holy name and eating prasādam.

Giriraj Swami: Yes. The tongue has two functions, to vibrate and to taste. So by vibrating the holy name and tasting Krishna prasāda, we serve the Lord, and we become purified. If the tongue can be controlled, then the other senses can be controlled more easily. And if the tongue is not controlled, then the other senses may be more difficult to control.

Devotee: You were describing the pastimes of chanting japa, but sometimes we see that it’s given more emphasis on practical devotional service like. . . That’s more important than japa. Maybe in one sense, the service we do for Krishna is more important. Let’s say one is skipping from doing his duty. So he says, “Oh, I have to turn my rounds now.” In what sense do you do the service of the Lord?

Giriraj Swami: Everything depends on the mercy of the guru. Without the mercy of guru, we cannot advance one iota. By serving the guru, we will get the eligibility for chanting the holy name without offense. Of course, chanting the holy name is also a service to the guru, but serving the mission of the spiritual masters is also service, so we should do both. And if the guru gives any order, it takes precedence over everything else.

Still, the most important instruction is to chant at least sixteen rounds. But even then, Srila Prabhupada said, “In emergencies, we may miss sixteen rounds also.” But you are right. And we also find in the Bhāgavatam that by serving the pure devotees, one develops taste, ruci, for hearing and chanting about Krishna. So, serving the mission of the spiritual master, serving the mission of Gaura-Nitai, will certainly help us to chant. And Srila Prabhupada was aware that devotees could use chanting as an excuse to avoid serving. Because sometimes devotees would propose that they wanted to chant more rounds. So, Srila Prabhupada said, “If they can actually chant more rounds, very good. But not that in the name of chanting more rounds, they’re simply eating and sleeping. And when the manager asks them to do some service, they say, ‘No, I can’t do any service. I’m busy imitating Haridasa Thakura.’” So we should be balanced. We should be balanced.

When we are liberated, we may be able to chant like Haridasa Thakura. But right now, we need many engagements to keep us busy and to keep us encouraged. But even if we are liberated, it doesn’t mean that we should neglect the service of the spiritual master.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: What are we chanting? Well, Krishna reveals Himself in proportion to our surrender. So according to our surrender, we may have nāma-aparādha, which is. . . It will decrease actually. If we chant with offenses, we lose the taste for chanting, and in the end we’ll stop chanting. So, nāma-aparādha should be avoided. Nāmābhāsa will increase. Rupa Gosvami says that by chanting, chanting in nāmābhāsa, eventually we come to the stage of pure chanting. Or we could be chanting śuddha-nāma. It will vary from individual to individual. According to the stage, kaniṣṭhādhikārī in the beginning will chant mostly with offense like that. Madhyamādhikārī is nāmābhāsa, but in the beginning with more offense, at the end less offense. uttama-adhikārī will be without offense.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Sorry?

Devotee: So you can say that Krishna is there.

Giriraj Swami: Krishna is there, but He reveals Himself in proportion to our surrender. Krishna is there as the deity, but He reveals Himself according to our surrender.

Okay, so tomorrow we will discuss what’s the next theme. Yes, in the five items—residing in Vrindavan. And then after the five items. . . to read the next Chapter. After listing so many items, Rupa Gosvami discusses various items which are not accepted as items of devotional service. Like some people might think varnashrama. So he says, “No, varnashrama is not an item.” And then he explains why. Somebody may say cultivating jnana or cultivating vairāgya is an item of bhakti, but he says, “No, it’s not an item of bhakti.” And then he explains why.

So after listing sixty-four items that are included, he next discusses some items which are not included, and he explains why they’re not included. So we’ll discuss that tomorrow. You should finish your homework. And then on the weekend, read the next two Chapters, I’ll give you two days, and outline the next two chapters, which are about spontaneous devotional service. Srila Prabhupada ki. . . jaya! Nitai-Gaura premānande. . . Hari Haribol!!