The following is a transcription of a discourse delivered by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja in Singapore on February 16, 2001 (Bhakta Bandhav Anthology Volume 67)

 

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: You know that there was a son of a brāhmaṇa. He did so many austerities to please Śaṅkara, and anyhow, Dhundhukārī was born. Do you know Dhundhukārī? Dhundhukārī was the brother of Gokarņa. He used to beat his mother and father. One day, his father jumped into a well and died. His mother also did so. These are all the miseries of this world. You cannot imagine.

Now, we are young, and some energy is there. You know, Hitler was so strong. He was conquering here and there. But at last, what happened? He was about to be imprisoned, so he shot himself. There was no one to save him. The world is very dangerous. It’s like a prison. We are in jail. A very strong chain of iron binds us. What is that chain? Attachment to each other. We all die eventually, leaving behind this world and each other. Imagine if our father is dead, our mother is dead, our husband is dead; if all our sons and daughters have died, and no one is there to look after us, and our age is about a hundred, what will happen?

There was a lady in Mathurā. She was very rich, but her husband passed away. Her children also passed away. Some neighbours coveted her wealth. Their comings and goings were motivated by a desire for her wealth. One day in the middle of the night, when no one was around, and only that very wealthy wіdow lady was there, those neighbours came to her house with some crooked people. They struck her with an iron daṇḍa (rod) on her head, and her eyes came out. She could not call out to anyone, and she died.

Can you imagine? The world is like this. You have done some good things in the past, which is why you are somewhat happy. But this happiness will not stay. You cannot remain happy for your whole life. One day, you will have to give up this body either by your wish, or death will come, and you will be bound to give up all these things and leave this world empty-handed. What to speak of empty-handed, even if this hand won’t be there.

Where to go? From where have we come? We should think about this. All our days wіll not be lіke they are now. It may be that all your friends will become your enemies now. We should try to realise all these things, and from the very beginning, we should try to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, knowing that “Kṛṣṇa is always here, my Gurudeva is here, he will save me.” If you have taken shelter at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, He must save us because He has promised:

ye yathā māṁ prapadyante
tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham
mama vartmānuvartante
manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ

Bhagavad-gītā  (4.11)

[As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Pṛthā.]

Try to have good behaviour towards all. Be very humble to all. Do not desire to control anyone. Try to control your mind. Be humble, more than a blade of grass. Be tolerant like trees. Then you can do bhajana. Give honour to all. We are all in the family of Kṛṣṇa anyhow. Try to honour all. See Kṛṣṇa in all others. Then, no envy will come that “he is my enemy, and he is my friend.” No one is a friend; no one is an enemy. Our own activities are our only friend or enemy. We should realise this and go on doing bhajana more and more.

You should do more than what you did yesterday. Don’t be engaged in any worldly thing, never. Always try to chant “Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa,” like Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Even a prostitute who came to Haridāsa Ṭhākura became like him and began chanting three lakhs harināma. She never worried about her maintenance. If we require so much opulence, then we will always be engaged in that. But if there is nothing, then we will always be chantіng.

(Audіo break)

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Guru-niṣṭhā is the backbone of bhakti. If there is no guru-niṣṭhā, everything is in vain, and you cannot be happy. This is true, but you must decide and judge one thing. If the guru is always worried about his maintenance and is attached to his family, and if he is always suffering, can he help his disciples?

na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ
durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ
andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās
te ’pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.5.31)

[Persons who are strongly entrapped by the consciousness of enjoying material life, and who have therefore accepted as their leader or guru a similar blind man attached to external sense objects, cannot understand that the goal of life is to return home, back to Godhead, and engage in the service of Lord Viṣṇu. As blind men guided by another blind man miss the right path and fall into a ditch, materially attached men led by another materially attached man are bound by the ropes of fruitive labour, which are made of very strong cords, and they continue again and again in materialistic life, suffering the threefold miseries.]

A guru should be bona fide. Otherwise, any blind person cannot help any other blind person. He must have some eyes, then he can help. ‘Eyes’ here means that bhakti should be there. And not a third class of bhakti but a high class of bhakti. Some realisation of Kṛṣṇa, some love and affection for Kṛṣṇa should be there. He should be like Vyāsa, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, like others. Then he can help. Guru should be such a high-class guru who can please Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa should obey him.

yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo
yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ‘pi
dhyāyan stuvaṁs tasya yaśas tri-sandhyaṁ
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

Śrī Gurvāṣṭakam (8)

[Solely by the mercy of śrī guru, one can receive the mercy of Bhagavān; without it, one cannot advance. Meditate on and sing śrī guru’s glories at the three sacred junctions of the day. I adore the lotus feet of that śrī gurudeva.]

Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ‘pi — then the mercy of Kṛṣṇa is the mercy of guru. If Kṛṣṇa is unhappy or angry but the guru is somewhat favourable, no harm. Guru can save us. But if a guru is somewhat unhappy, then Kṛṣṇa cannot do anything. We should understand that a guru should be bona fide. He should be surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. He can please Kṛṣṇa. He is always happy. He is not attached to any worldly sense gratification or anything. He is a guru who can help us; otherwise, he cannot.

You know that once, Haridāsa Ṭhākura, who was an associate of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, left his house and came to Benāpola, a forest place. There was so much forest there. In that forest, he planted one tulasī and always chanted harināma. He would chant three lakhs daily, chanting day and night with tears and a melted heart. A prostitute came there, and he sprinkled his mercy on her, and she also became like Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Then he left that place and came near to Śāntipura. From there, he used to go to the house of Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī.

You all know Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. At that time, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was like a baby, five or six years old. Haridāsa Ṭhākura used to go there only for Raghunātha. One day, somehow, some follower of Śrīla Haridāsa Ṭhākura took Haridāsa Ṭhākura to the council of the father of Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. He was a very big landlord in a high position. He was very wealthy, being the officer of a Muslim king.

Haridāsa Ṭhākura went to that council, and upon seeing Haridāsa Ṭhākura, all who were there paid respect to Haridāsa Ṭhākura. He was given a beautiful, prominent seat and sat there. Then there was some discussion. Haridāsa Ṭhākura was always chanting. He would chant not less than three lakhs a day. How much time does it take to chant three lakhs of harināma? Do you know? So much time. It may take all day and night. But yet, he was doing so, sometimes sleeping only one hour, sometimes not sleeping. He was always chanting and rememberіng.

Some names he would chant loudly, some softly, and some names he would chant only іn hіs mіnd. Anyhow, he used to complete three lakhs of harināma daily. He had taken a vow to do this. When he went there, everyone appreciated him and gave him honour. Someone said, “He is chanting the holy name. We know that the holy name is very powerful, very powerful. By chanting the holy name, all worldly suffering will disappear forever.”

Another person said, “We can have salvation forever by chanting.” Both were praising the glory of the holy name. Then, someone asked Haridāsa Ṭhākura, “Is what we are telling okay?”

Haridāsa Ṭhākura humbly told them, “These things are not the true fruit of the holy name.” What is the fruit of chanting harināma? These two things — to remove all sufferings and to have salvation, nirvāṇa (mukti), to mix in Paramātmā — are not really the fruit of chanting harināma. All miseries will disappear from the root by chanting even one semblance of the holy name. All the sufferings of our life — past, present and future — and all kinds of sins can go away forever. They are washed away by chanting harināma.

But this is not the fruit of śuddha-nāma. These other things are the fruit of only one nāmābhāsa. What is nāmābhāsa? The sun іs goіng to rіse, and the sun іs not yet seen. The sun has not risen yet and is not seen in the east. It has not come on the horizon but is about to come. At that time, all kinds of darkness go away. Fear goes away; all types of fear go away. And when the sun comes on the horizon, then light comes. Everyone begins to do their jobs, and there is no fear or darkness.

So, all kinds of ignorance will disappear by chanting only one nāmābhāsa. The pure holy name has not come. This is the effect of only the semblance of the holy name. Śuddha-nāma is going to come. For example, a person gave his dog the name “Kṛṣṇa.” What is this? Nonsense. But anyhow, he is calling, “O Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, come on, come on, come on, come on.” This is not the pure name. What is this? It’s silly, but still, we can take it like nāmābhāsa, no harm.

Like Ajāmila, he gave his son the name “Nārāyaṇa.” When he was calling his son, “O Nārāyaṇa, come on, come on, come on, O Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa,” like this, embracing him, really he was not calling Nārāyaṇa. Who did he call? He was calling his son. But Kṛṣṇa took it, Nārāyaṇa took it like what? “Oh, he is calling Me.” So when Ajāmila first gave this name to his son and chanted this name, nāmābhāsa was there, and all kinds of suffering disappeared. The holy name is so powerful.

What is mukti? What is salvation and impersonal liberation? Thіs іs a bogus thіng. A bhakta does not want to taste this thing. You should not do any prayer for this thing, saying, “I should mix in brahma.” Don’t desire annihilation into brahma. All the Māyāvādīs want to mix in Kṛṣṇa or Nārāyaṇa or brahma. But a bhakta never wants this. We want to taste honey; we don’t want to become honey. Don’t try to mix in brahma. It is a very bad thing.

Haridāsa Ṭhākura said, “You are saying that by chanting nāma, we can annihilate in brahma; we can become brahma. But this is a bogus idea. By chanting the pure name, kṛṣṇa-prema, love and affection can come. It will come very easily. This is the real fruit of śuddha-nāma. But the removal of all suffering forever and annihilation in brahma, this is a bogus idea.”

There was a Cakravartī brāhmaṇa there. He was very wealthy, very beautiful and young. He had a beautiful face and everything. He was very beautiful. He became angry and said, “I don’t believe Haridāsa Ṭhākura. I know that by practising for thousands and thousands of years, for lakhs and lakhs of births, no one can have mukti. So how can it come by only chanting this nāmābhāsa even once, not by chanting the pure name? I don’t believe this.” He cried in the assembly.

Haridāsa Ṭhākura said, “The holy name is very powerful. Unlimited mercy is there. Unlimited power is there in the holy name.”

yad-brahma-sākṣāt-kṛti-niṣṭhayāpi
vināśam āyāti vinā na bhogaiḥ
apaiti nāma! sphuraṇena tat te
prārabdha-karmeti virauti vedaḥ

Śrī Kṛṣṇa-nāmāṣṭakam (4)

[O Nāma, the Vedas loudly declare that even without a devotee undergoing any suffering, his prārabdha-karma, which cannot be eliminated even by resolute meditation on impersonal brahma, is at once mitigated by Your appearance on the tongue.]

The Vedas have told us that the fruits of karma, the impressions of karma, by practising brahma-jñāna, our karma, which is reserved as our aprārabdha-karma (accumulated stock of sins), kūṭa (tendency to perform sins), and everything may go away. But the impressions by which you have taken this birth cannot go away. You must somehow taste the fruits of your prārabdha-karma (fructified karma). By austerities, by donations, by anything, prārabdha-karma will not go away. You will have to taste that.

But by chanting the holy name, even nāmābhāsa, the name is so powerful that it will go away forever. And by chanting śuddha-nāma, what will happen? Kṛṣṇa-prema will come. So nāma is so powerful. All words have some meaning in Hindi, Sanskrit, Bengali, and Gujarati. Vinati, nati, vi-nati. Nati means uncondіtіonal surrender.

he kṛṣṇa karuṇā-sindho
dīna-bandho jagat-pate
gopeśa gopikā-kānta
rādhā-kānta namo ’stu te

[Śrī Kṛṣṇa, You are an ocean of mercy, the friend of the fallen, Lord of the universe, master of the cowherds, beloved of the gopīs, and [above all] the beloved of Śrī Rādhā. I offer praṇāma unto You.]

Aparādha comes from the word rādha (Apagata-rādho yasmād ity aparādhaḥ). What is the meaning of aparādha? The verbal root is the word rādha (affection). What Rādhikā does to Kṛṣṇa, what Rādhikā is doing to Kṛṣṇa, how very lovingly from the core of Her heart She is serving Kṛṣṇa, these activities are called ‘rādha.’ ‘Apa’ means that if it is uprooted by any action, that is called aparādha. If you are criticising, then the holy name cannot do anything. What we try to do with our effort can easily be done by the holy name.

You may think that if you are not working, then how will money come? If you are not doing anything or any job, how will money come, and how will you be happy? But you can see that Nārada never does anything. We are never doing anything, yet we are happier than anyone. In this world, we are really happy. That is why we are called Mahārāja. “Mahān rūpeṇa rājate (he who is radiant with some special splendour).” We are always happy. Why? We have nothing to suffer. We have nothing in our pockets, yet all are serving me. Why? Why do you serve me? You can ask Gupta, his wife, his mother, or others why they gave up their children, father, and mother. These girls have also left everything and are coming with me. Why? I am pocketless, moneyless. I cannot give you money. I may take something from you but not give you anything. Then why are you coming to me? There is a reason. I can make you really happy. Wealth cannot give thіs thіng.

All words in Hindi are like this. So, the holy name is very powerful. Kṛṣṇa has invested His whole power, mercy, and opulence in His name. Don’t have any doubt. Don’t have any doubt. What you cannot do by your practice, job, or anything very easily, іt can come by chantіng the holy name. Brahmā creates this world only by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa, by always chanting the holy name.

Śaṅkara gives so many things to others. How? Only because he is always chanting, “Rāma Rāma Rāma, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa.” That is why he is powerful. So, don’t doubt [the glories of] the holy name. What your service cannot do, this name can do very easily. You know Mīrābāi was the queen of a very high-class king in Rajasthan. She was a queen. But she was not happy. But she began to chant, “Hare Kṛṣṇa.” Mīrābāi sang, “Mere to giridhārī gopāla dūsaro na koī — My Lord is Giridhārī Gopāla and none else.” What happened? The king became upset. Being a queen, she associated with penniless sādhus who were always chanting “Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa.” He told her, “I will kill you if you are with these sādhus.” He strictly prohibited her from associating with them. Then she left home. Then the king followed her, but she told him, “I will not return. I will play with Kṛṣṇa. As I play the vīṇā and sing (kīrtana), Kṛṣṇa will play his flute.” And really, it happened like so.

She came to Vṛndāvana, and from Vṛndāvana, she went to Dvārakā. Then she went into the temple and mixed with the deity of Dvārakādhīśa. She did not mix with it, but what happened? Kṛṣṇa accepted her like a queen and made her a queen in Dvārakā. So, the holy name is very powerful. Don’t doubt [the glories of] the holy name. Kṛṣṇa has given all His things in His name.

You should not have a belief in your activities or what you are doing. It can cheat you. Your friends can cheat you. Your wife and your husband can cheat you. But Kṛṣṇa’s name cannot cheat you, never and never. So always chant, “Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.”

(Audіo break)

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: What happened next? The brāhmaṇa became very angry. He told Haridāsa Ṭhākura, “I am right, you are wrong. If I am right, then your nose should fall off. How? By leprosy. And if you are right, then my nose should fall off.” Everyone there became very angry with the brāhmaṇa, “What did you do? You don’t know Haridāsa Ṭhākura. You have done wrong.” The king immediately told the brāhmaṇa, “Now, you cannot come to my council.”

Haridāsa Ṭhākura said, “Oh, don’t be upset.” He left that council. Then, after three days, what happened? That brāhmaṇa contracted leprosy. His hands and nose became rotten, and leprosy was everywhere. All saw that in only three days, this happened. But Haridāsa Ṭhākura had left that place. Now, he was repentant, but there was no remedy at all.

When Caitanya Mahāprabhu was once coming from Jagannātha Purī, He came to Kuliyā–grāma (Navadvīpa). Then this leper came there and wept loudly, loudly, loudly. He was repentant, “I have done nonsense. I have insulted Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Please be merciful to me.”

Mahāprabhu told Him, “I cannot do anything. Any thorn should be taken out from where it goes in. You have done something wrong there, so you should go to him. If he is merciful, I can do something; otherwise, not.” He was weeping so much. Haridāsa Ṭhākura was praying, “Mahāprabhu should be merciful that his leprosy should go away and he should be like before.” Haridāsa was praying because he was a sādhu. They never take offence. That is why they are mahā-bhāgavatas.

Haridāsa Ṭhākura excused him, and then he became like before. Caitanya Mahāprabhu also showed His mercy, and he became as he was before. So, don’t doubt [the glories of] the holy name. Always chant the holy name. The holy name is husband, the name is beloved, the name is father, the name is mother, the name is relative, the name is friend, the name is everything. You should have stronger faith in the holy name than anyone. Always try to belіeve lіke that. Always chant. In Kali-yuga, especially, in this iron age:

harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi-līlā 17.21)

[“In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realisation than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari.”]

Vālmīki was a very cruel person at a young age. He murdered so many people that all of their sacred threads could fill so many wells. He had murdered so many. When Nārada met him, he told Vālmīki the glories of the holy name. Vālmīki then took shelter of the name, but he could not utter “Rāma Rāma.”

Nārada told him, “You should repeat after me, ‘Rāma Rāma,’” but he could not. Why? Because he was very sinful. A sinful person cannot chant the name of Kṛṣṇa (God). Thus, he could not chant. Then Nārada told him, “Chant ‘ma-ra’ (death) instead. You should chant ‘ma-ra.’” He began to chant, “Marama, Rāma, Rāma, Rāma,” and was quickly liberated from this world. By the power of nāma, Agastya took the water of the endless ocean within him. He breathed in, and all the water from the ocean came into him. The entire ocean was dry. Not one drop of water was left. So, we can put our trust in the holy name. We should believe in the holy name. You should always chant, “Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa.”

And if a bona fide guru is available, offer yourself at his lotus feet and have a relationship with him. He will give you dīkṣā (initiation) and a relation with Kṛṣṇa. And if no bona fide guru is available, then still chant “Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa.” Some effect will be there. Then, maybe a bona fide guru or devotee may meet you after some time. Nārada can come, or Kṛṣṇa Himself will come to you as a devotee. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said that you should chant harināma in Kali-yuga. Don’t give up the holy name. Go on chanting. Don’t be weak. Gaura-premānande!

Source(s): Purebhakti.com, Serve Love – Bhakta Bandhav (Bhakta Bandhav Anthology transcribed and edited by the Bhakta Bandhav Team)

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Unless indicated differently, all verse translations and quotes are from the books by Śrīla Prabhupāda (Vedabase.com)