Japa Workshop—05 Appreciation of the Holy Name

Giriraj Swami: For quite some time, Puruṣa-sūkta Prabhu, who organizes the japa retreats and workshops for Bhagavat Life, has wanted me to speak about gratitude. And I resisted the topic because gratitude implies a separation of interest. For example, we had a life member in Bombay, Sushil Asnani, who was a lawyer, and he used to do legal work for the devotees for Srila Prabhupada. And sometimes I would thank him, and he would say, “Don’t thank me, I’m one of you. By thanking me, you’re considering me to be someone separate from you.”

And later, I read a statement by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura to the effect that when one receives favors from someone, one would rightfully feel gratitude. But he was saying that the mood of bhakti is that we want to render service, not receive favors, and that in the mood of taking, we get something from God, and we express our gratitude towards Him. But in the mood of service, we want to serve Him as our constitutional position. We don’t thank the hand for serving the body because the hand is part of the body. And the hand doesn’t thank the body because they’re one unit together.

But I had an experience, within the last few weeks, that made me appreciate the value of gratitude. And in fact, because we are so conditioned to thinking of ourselves independent of Krishna, we don’t often feel gratitude. Sometimes, instead of feeling grateful for the opportunity to serve, we feel burdened by the obligation to serve. And from that position, to feel grateful for the opportunity to serve, is an improvement. And for many of us, it’s a good improvement. My own experience, and this is a common fact, that we often appreciate something when we lose it. When we have it, we take it for granted, and when we lose it, we appreciate it more.

About three weeks ago, I developed gout, which is a type of arthritis, in my right wrist, and the doctor ordered me not to use my right wrist and to keep it in a splint so that it could heal. I could not put my right hand in my bead bag and chant japa. And it’s like Prabhupada said, “We’re dependent on Krishna for everything.” Even the atheists who blaspheme Krishna, they’re dependent on Krishna for the power to speak and blaspheme the Lord. At any moment, He could take away their power to speak, or think, or write nonsense books.

So, having that experience, I really did not take it for granted that I could always use my right hand to chant my rounds, and I realized that it was the Lord’s mercy that I could hold the beads in my hand, that time may come when I might not be able to. It’s the Lord’s mercy that I can pronounce the holy name, articulate the holy name. It may not always be like that.

So, we are so dependent on the Lord. And yes, in an advanced state, we have no separate interest. I mean, that really is surrender, that’s part of surrender, that one has no separate interest from the Lord. But in our situation, being prone to think of ourselves as the center instead of the Lord being the center, and being prone to make plans based on our own interest rather than on the Lord’s interests, it’s good for us to appreciate how dependent we are on Him. We drink water every day, we couldn’t live without water. Where is the water coming from? It’s coming from the Lord. We breathe air. And sometimes having to roll up the windows in traffic, or when it’s too hot or too cold, to be able to breathe fresh air is really a boon. Where’s that fresh air coming from? Where’s that oxygen coming from?

Our godbrother Bharajaj Prabhu was invited to perform kirtan at a bar in Los Angeles. The organizer of the programs at the bar had association with devotees, so he invited Bharajaj, and Bharajaj did kirtan. The name of the bar was the O2 Bar. Do you know what o2 is?

Devotee: The oxygen.

Giriraj Swami: The oxygen molecule, it’s made of two oxygen atoms. I don’t remember the details, but you got a little bottle of oxygen. And especially in Los Angeles, it must be quite intoxicating to be able to breathe pure oxygen. So, we’re so dependent on the Lord for the most basic necessities of life, and food, shelter, everything. So, feeling grateful to the Lord is a type of appreciation. And of course, when we think of the holy name and we actually develop our relationship with the holy name, we feel so much appreciation to the Lord as the holy name.

When I first joined, our godbrother Gurudas Prabhu told me of a prayer that he had read somewhere, “My dear Lord, You are so merciful, that as the holy name, You are my constant companion.” So, the holy name is always with us, always there for us, always ready to forgive us, always ready to welcome us back when we stray away. So, so many great devotees and the acharyas have expressed their appreciation for the holy name. And throughout the workshop, we are hearing appreciation of the holy name, of the mercy we can get from the holy name, who is Krishna Himself.

But that point of not taking for granted what we have, like Prabhupada said, “Anyone can chant Hare Krishna, all you need is a tongue and two ears.” But really, the faculty to speak, the faculty to hear, we can’t take it for granted. So, it comes back to that same point, that we don’t know which will be the last mantra. Like Prema Manjari Mataji was saying, that her mind is more peaceful if it thinks, This is going to be the last one. [laughter] And we don’t know, any mantra we chant could be the last one. I mean, we hope it won’t be and we expect that it won’t be, but it could be. And one mantra, one day, will be the last one in this body.

So, we really want to value this hand, the tongue, the ears that can be used in such a precious way to chant the holy name, and not take it for granted, not misuse it. If you have some good income, you’re not maybe so careful about how you use it. But then, if there’s a recession, the oil prices go up and money is not coming so easily, then you think, I better be careful how I use this.

So, the time we have in our life, the duration of our life is the most precious item we have. Srila Prabhupada quoted a Canakya sloka, that at the time of death, even for millions of dollars, even for all the gold in the world, you cannot increase the duration of your life by one moment. That means that each moment is invaluable, you can’t measure how much each moment is worth because at the time of death, you could be ready to spend any amount, but you still can’t buy even one more moment. So, we should use every moment that we have in every faculty that we have by the grace of the Lord in the most useful way, the most beneficial way, and that is to revive our relationship with Him.

And we should be grateful. Yes, we’re grateful for the holy name, for Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, for the association of devotees, for Deities, for everything that Srila Prabhupada and our acharyas have given us, everything that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has given us. And we should really take advantage, be very careful and take advantage, not be intoxicated by material life. Just like a drunken person, he doesn’t know what he’s doing, he’s not in his proper senses. And the illusory energy has that inebriating effect, and we become intoxicated and we don’t appreciate what is eternal, and we run after what is temporary.

Once, when I was chanting at that same beach, my mind was a little distracted. And so, I prayed to the holy name. And when our mind is distracted, it’s distracted because of attachment to whatever it’s thinking about. It could be family, it could be money, it could be prestige, it could be position, it could be food, it could be health.

So, I prayed to the holy name, and I imagined the holy name was saying, “What do you want? Do you want me, or the other thing?” And the other thing was something I liked. [laughter] But I thought for a minute, and I considered that the other thing, which I did like, was only going to be with me, at most, as long as I was in this body, and the holy name could be with me, or will be with me, as long as I stick to the lotus feet of the holy name, forever. So, when I thought in those terms, I thought, Well, I’ll take You, because You’re forever. The other thing is at most for this lifetime, and maybe not even.

So, we think in those terms, “What’s the comparison?” But we do have the idea, it may not be conscious, but we do have the idea, which we know is wrong, “I’ll be Krishna conscious later. I’ll get serious about my japa later.” Like Prahlada and his demonic schoolmates. But it’s very common in India, we would say, “I’ll do this later.” And of course, as Prabhupada said, Maharaja Parīkṣit, he had seven days to live. So, he inquired, “What is the duty of a person who is about to die?” And the answer was that he should hear and chant and remember the glories of the Lord, and that will make him fearless. And Srila Prabhupada remarked that Maharaja Parīkṣit had seven days. We don’t know if we have seven minutes. So, this is how we should use our time, the most precious commodity that we have. But we do tend to have that attitude, “I’ll do it later, now’s the time to enjoy. When I’m older, then I’ll get serious.”

And Prahlada told his demonic schoolmates, “If you take your duration of life, say you live a hundred years. So, every day, you have to figure twelve hours goes in sleeping, bathing, dressing, eating, just keeping the body and soul together. So, fifty years is already gone, just maintaining the body. And when you’re young, you waste your time playing, and another ten years are gone. Then you get married and you’re busy maintaining your wife and children and family, or serving your husband and children, and another twenty years are gone. And by then, you’re so old and weak and feeble, it’s hard to practice devotional service. So, if you have the mentality that you’ll do it later, that later will never come, your whole life will slip away.”

Once, Srila Prabhupada was in his room in Brooklyn, he was hearing the sounds coming from Henry Street. He leaned back and he said, “Children are playing, young boys are chasing girls, old men are wrapped in thought, no one is thinking of Krishna.” So, we don’t want to be like that, it’s the tendency, everyone around us is pretty much like that, but we don’t want to be like that. And that’s why our association is so important. We’re associating specifically to focus on the holy name. Not just to meet in a social way, but to really focus on the goal of life, and the means to attain it.

And of course, the devotees of this area are especially fortunate to have devotees like Vaisesika Prabhu, and Amogha Lila Prabhu also has become very inspired, Satya deva Prabhu, all the wonderful devotees, Karuna Prabhu, and the ladies. We should really use it for the best purpose, and be grateful for the fact that we have that opportunity.

Another item that I’ve been asked to discuss a little is Tulasi-devi. Now, Tulasi-devi, of course, is a pure devotee. Vṛndādevī, in this form, is called Tulasi-devi. And Vṛndādevī is a very special devotee. In fact, the Vrindavan forest is named after Vṛndādevī, a forest of tulasi, it’s the actual meaning of Vrindavan. And again, in my situation, I tend to take Her for granted, but this morning, when I wanted to chant in front of Tulasi-devi, there was no Tulasi-devi. But I was just staying at someone’s house. It’s not a reflection on anyone, but it’s a great mercy to be able to have the association of Tulasi-devi, such a pure devotee.

And Tulasi-devi is so important, that I happened to be in Srila Prabhupada’s room when he got a letter from Govinda dasi from Hawaii, and she was the one who first began to grow tulasi in the West, and Prabhupada commented, “This is the perfection of her sadhana, that she has brought Tulasi-devi to the West and made her grow and flourish.”

And once, I was sitting with Srila Prabhupada in his garden in New Dwarka, many of you have probably seen his garden. And I was looking at him, as one would do in his presence, and suddenly, his eyes lit up and he broke into a gigantic smile. And I was wondering, Wow, it was like he was seeing his dearest friend. And then I looked to see who had come, and it was a devotee carrying Tulasi-devi, that was for Tulasi-devi. And then, he remarked that the whole atmosphere has become sanctified just by Tulasi-devi’s presence.

So, chanting before Tulasi-devi is highly recommended. Srila Haridasa Thakura, the nāmācārya, the acharya for the chanting of the holy name, he would chant in front of Tulasi-devi. And I thought I would just read two verses and purports from Caitanya-caritāmṛta, and then we’ll chant together around Tulasi-devi. These are from Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, Chapter Three: “The Glories of Haridāsa Ṭhākura.”

Now, I hope you know the story of Haridasa Thakura and the prostitute. In short, an envious landlord was jealous of Haridasa Thakura’s personality, so he sent a prostitute to seduce him, so that he could catch him engaged with the prostitute and then ruin him, expose him as a pretender.

And Haridasa Thakura, being a highly elevated mahā-bhāgavata, knew what was happening. And as he disclosed later, he could have left the place immediately, but he thought it was his duty to deliver her. So, he tricked her. He said, “Yes, I will enjoy with you, but I have to finish my rounds first.” And thus, he gave her the chance to hear him chant the holy name. And one day passed and she fell asleep, she woke up in the morning, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t finish my rounds today, but come this evening, and after I finish my rounds, we’ll enjoy together.”

So, she came again, heard the holy name from his lotus mouth, and again, he didn’t finish his rounds in time. [laughter] And by the third day, her heart was so influenced by the spiritual purity and desire of nāmācārya Haridasa Thakura, that she changed. She surrendered to him, she admitted her sinful purpose. She surrendered to him and accepted him as her spiritual master. He actually gave her his little hut by the river and the tulasi plant, and she became a great devotee. But part of her success, part of her transformation is that as a Hindu girl, she offered respects to Tulasi-devi when she came to Haridasa Thakura’s hut, she circumambulated tulasi. And that combination of tulasi and the holy name is very powerful.

So, here’s what Caitanya-caritāmṛta says. So, after she surrendered, this is what Haridasa Thakura says:

TEXT 136–137

ṭhākura kahe, — “gharera dravya brāhmaṇe kara dāna
ei ghare āsi’ tumi karaha viśrāma

nirantara nāma lao, kara tulasī sevana
acirāt pābe tabe kṛṣṇera caraṇa”

TRANSLATION

“Chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra continuously and render service to the tulasī plant by watering her and offering prayers to her. In this way you will very soon get the opportunity to be sheltered at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa.”

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we are teaching our followers to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra continuously on beads. Even those who are not accustomed to this practice are advised to chant at least sixteen rounds on their beads.

COMMENT

Once, His Holiness Lokanath Swami asked Srila Prabhupada, “Why have you prescribed sixteen rounds?” And Prabhupada said, “Not sixteen rounds, minimum sixteen rounds. If you can chant sixteen thousand, that’s welcome.”

PURPORT (continued)

We are teaching our followers to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra continuously on beads. Even those who are not accustomed to this practice are advised to chant at least sixteen rounds on their beads so that they may be trained. Otherwise, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommended:

tṛṇād api su-nīcena

taror iva sahiṣṇunā

amāninā māna-dena

kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ

“One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street. One should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.” Sadā means “always.” Haridāsa Ṭhākura says, nirantara nāma lao: “Chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra without stopping.”

COMMENT

That was his instruction to the prostitute.

PURPORT (continued)

Rascals and fools, the lowest of men, who engage in sinful activities, cannot suddenly surrender to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Nevertheless, if they begin chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and rendering service unto the tulasī plant, they will very soon be able to surrender. This is the way to achieve success in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

COMMENT

And then, about Haridasa Thakura himself.

Text 100

nirjana-vane kuṭira kari’ tulasī sevana

rātri-dine tina lakṣa nāma-saṅkīrtana

TRANSLATION

Haridāsa Ṭhākura constructed a cottage in a solitary forest. There he planted a tulasī plant, and in front of the tulasī he would chant the holy name of the Lord 300,000 times daily. He chanted throughout the entire day and night.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Haridāsa Ṭhākura, being the ācārya of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, is called Nāmācārya Haridāsa Ṭhākura. From his personal example we can understand that chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and becoming highly elevated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is very simple.

COMMENT

Simple for the simple. Well, I must not be simple. Prabhupada said I was but I don’t know, maybe that was then. [laughter]

PURPORT (continued)

Without difficulty one can sit down anywhere, especially on the bank of the Ganges, Yamunā or any other sacred body of water.

COMMENT

Such as San Francisco Bay. [laughter] 

PURPORT (continued)

Without difficulty one can sit down anywhere, especially on the bank of the Ganges, Yamunā or any other sacred body of water, devise a sitting place or cottage, plant a tulasī tree, and before the tulasī chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra undisturbed.

Haridāsa Ṭhākura used to chant the holy name on his beads 300,000 times daily. One should not, however, imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura, for no one else can chant the holy name 300,000 times a day. We can follow his example, however, by chanting sixteen rounds of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra on beads every day and offering respect to the tulasī plant. This is not at all difficult for anyone, and the process of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra with a vow before the tulasī plant has such great spiritual potency that we request the members of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement to follow Haridāsa Ṭhākura’s example rigidly. Chanting sixteen rounds does not take much time, nor is offering respects to the tulasī plant difficult. The process has immense spiritual potency. One should not miss this opportunity.

COMMENT

So, nāmācārya Srila Haridasa Thakura ki jaya!