CC Antya 4.71 – Kirtan50 Inaugural Talk

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna. So, quiet please. Shanti, shanti, shanti! We welcome you to the Kirtan 50 Festival, which is a special opportunity for us to immerse ourselves in the chanting of the holy names in the association of good devotees. I have experienced how my consciousness while chanting is uplifted by the presence of other chanters. Just one example. At my ashram in Carpinteria, California, I was chanting, and at that time, His Holiness Ṛtadhvaja Swami was staying with me. And when he joined me in the room to chant japa, I immediately felt my consciousness was uplifted. Then, a little bit later, His Holiness Giridhari Swami joined us, and both Ṛtadhvaja Swami and I felt our consciousness elevated by his presence. And then, His Holiness Jayadvaita Swami joined us, and then Ṛtadhvaja Swami, Giridhari Swami, and I felt our consciousness further uplifted by his presence. And Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura also recommends that we should chant with devotees in the association of devotees who have taste.

So, the opportunity we have here, of course, is to focus on the holy name, our relationship with the holy name, deepen our relationship with the holy name, but that effort is very much enhanced by the presence of the other devotees who have taste for the holy name. I thought I would read one verse from Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, a very important instruction from Lord Chaitanya to Sanatana Gosvami.

jaya jaya śrī-caitanya jaya nityānanda
jayādvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

This is Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, Chapter Four, Text Seventy-One.

TEXT 71

tāra madhye sarva-śreṣṭha nāma-saṅkīrtana

niraparādhe nāma laile pāya prema-dhana

TRANSLATION

 “Of the nine processes of devotional service, the most important is to always chant the holy name of the Lord. If one does so, avoiding the ten kinds of offenses, one very easily obtains the most valuable love of Godhead.”

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī Prabhu gives the following directions in his Bhakti-sandarbha (270):

COMMENT

Today is Srila Jiva Gosvami’s disappearance day. It’s a very auspicious day. I will speak and pray for his mercy, and in particular, to realize the purport of his statement from Sandarbha.

PURPORT (continued)

“Chanting the holy name is the chief means of attaining love of Godhead. This chanting or devotional service does not depend on any paraphernalia, nor on one’s having taken birth in a good family. By humility and meekness one attracts the attention of Kṛṣṇa.

COMMENT

Now, when we chant and try to hear the sound and we find that our mind is wandering, that alone should make us humble. We think we are so great, but we can’t even control our minds. If we’re lucky, we can control it for one mantra. So, here, Jiva Gosvami is emphasizing being meek and humble, which is very important, to have that mood of dependence and calling out for the mercy of the holy name and the spiritual master, and the paramparā.

PURPORT (continued)

By humility and meekness one attracts the attention of Kṛṣṇa. That is the verdict of all the Vedas. Therefore if one becomes very humble and meek, he can easily attain the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa in this Age of Kali. That is the fulfillment of all great sacrifices, penances and austerities because when one achieves ecstatic love of Godhead, he attains the complete perfection of life. Therefore whatever one does in executing devotional service must be accompanied by the chanting of the holy name of the Lord.”

COMMENT

Jiva Gosvami has explained, for example, one of the five most potent items of devotional service, Deity worship, but that should be accompanied by the chanting of the holy name. Everything we should do; all our processes should be accompanied by the chanting of the holy name. Now, Srila Prabhupada is writing.

PURPORT (continued)

The chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa — Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare — has been praised by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in his Nāmāṣṭaka (verse 1):

nikhila-śruti-mauli-ratna-mālā-

dyuti-nīrājita-pāda-paṅkajānta

ayi mukta-kulair upāsyamānaṁ

paritas tvāṁ hari-nāma saṁśrayāmi

O Hari-nāma!

COMMENT

He is addressing the holy name. The Holy name is a person, Krishna or Hare Krishna, Radha and Krishna.

PURPORT (continued)

O Hari-nāma! the tips of the toes of Your lotus feet.

COMMENT

The holy name has lotus feet, it’s a person or two.

PURPORT (continued)

The tips of the toes of Your lotus feet are constantly being worshiped by the glowing radiance emanating from the string of gems known as the Upaniṣads, the crown jewels of all the Vedas. You are eternally adored by liberated souls such as Nārada and Śukadeva. O Hari-nāma! I take complete shelter of You.”

Similarly, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī has praised the chanting of the holy name as follows in his Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta (part one, chapter One, verse 9):

jayati jayati nāmānanda-rūpaṁ murārer

viramita-nija-dharma-dhyāna-pūjādi-yatnam

katham api sakṛd āttaṁ mukti-daṁ prāṇināṁ yat

paramam amṛtam ekaṁ jīvanaṁ bhūṣaṇaṁ me

“All glories, all glories to the all-blissful holy name of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, which causes the devotee to give up all conventional religious duties, meditation and worship. When somehow or other uttered even once by a living entity, the holy name awards him liberation. The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is the highest nectar. It is my very life and my only treasure.”

COMMENT

So, one other point that Srila Prabhupada emphasized is that before chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, we should chant the Pancha-tattva mantra,

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

As he said, chanting the Pancha-tattva mantra will help us to chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. It will make everything clear and give us the strength to chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. So, we will be doing both, we’ll be doing everything, but especially, we’ll be chanting the Pancha-tattva mantra and the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. So, thank you for coming and adding your Krishna consciousness to uplift the general Krishna consciousness of all of us. Hare Krishna.