20110913 Speech on World Holy Name Week.

20110913 His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārājā gave a speech on World Holy Name Week.

Gurumahārājā:  So today is the day of – this week is dedicated as World Hari Nām week (applause)

There is a verse in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. The idea is – in the week we have to – arrival of Prabhupādā in Boston, America for the first time to chant Hare Kṛṣṇā, but to get also people of different religions – if they can’t chant Hare Kṛṣṇā, then Prabhupādā said, “They can chant whichever name of God they have faith in.” Prabhupādā said that Allah ho Akbar means Parabrahman.

TRANSLATION:

Always chanting My glories, endeavouring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.

PURPORT:

The mahātmā cannot be manufactured by rubber-stamping an ordinary man. His symptoms are described here: a mahātmā is always engaged in chanting the glories of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇā, the Personality of Godhead. He has no other business. He is always engaged in the glorification of the Lord. In other words, he is not an impersonalist. When the question of glorification is there, one has to glorify the Supreme Lord, praising His holy name, His eternal form, His transcendental qualities and His uncommon pastimes. One has to glorify all these things; therefore a mahātmā is attached to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

One who is attached to the impersonal feature of the Supreme Lord, the brahma-jyoti, is not described as mahātmā in the Bhagavad-gītā. He is described in a different way in the next verse. The mahātmā is always engaged in different activities of devotional service, as described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, hearing and chanting about Viṣṇu, not a demigod or human being. That is devotion: śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ and smaraṇam, remembering Him. Such a mahātmā has firm determination to achieve at the ultimate end the association of the Supreme Lord in any one of the five transcendental rasas. To achieve that success, he engages all activities – mental, bodily and vocal, everything – in the service of the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇā. That is called full Kṛṣṇā consciousness.

In devotional service there are certain activities which are called determined, such as fasting on certain days, like the eleventh day of the moon, Ekādaśī, and on the appearance day of the Lord. All these rules and regulations are offered by the great ācāryas for those who are actually interested in getting admission into the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the transcendental world. The mahātmās, great souls, strictly observe all these rules and regulations, and therefore they are sure to achieve the desired result.

As described in the second verse of this chapter, not only is this devotional service easy, but it can be performed in a happy mood. One does not need to undergo any severe penance and austerity. He can live this life in devotional service, guided by an expert spiritual master, and in any position, either as a householder or a sannyāsī or a brahmacārī; in any position and anywhere in the world, he can perform this devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and thus become actually mahātmā, a great soul.

Gurumāhārāj:  So here it is described what is a mahātmā. Someone who constantly chants the glories of the supreme Lord. There may be many people who like to praise some local politician, or someone who glorifies some human being. You may be a movie star or a cricket star, but the mahātmā is not one of this people. Mahātmā is someone who glorifies the supreme Lord, and because he glorifies the supreme, therefore he is glorious. Just calling someone a mahātmā doesn’t really work. He should be someone recognized by Kṛṣṇā, otherwise there is no use.

So, like Narand Muni, he would go over the whole universe glorifying the holy name – Hare Kṛṣṇā Hare Kṛṣṇā, Kṛṣṇā Kṛṣṇā Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.... (Repeated by devotees) So everyone has the opportunity to also glorify Kṛṣṇā, and we should do this regularly. Every day we should chant.

One day I was in Calcutta. I was waiting for my flight, and I was chanting my japa on my beads. One sister of the mother Teresa group asked me, “I wonder if I could I ask a question?” I said, “Why not?” She said, “What do you have in your bag? Do you have a little chicken, because it is jumping?  I told her, “No, we have no chicken. We are chanting on a rosary bead. This is called a japa mālā.” Like this people are not accustomed to regularly chanting the glories of the Lord, but this is the process of Kali Yuga – to chant the holy name.

Lord Caitanyā, He popularised this system of kīrtan, but it is mentioned in all the purāṇas, all the Vedas. Lord Śiva, he also glorified chanting the holy name. One of the islands was called Sīmanta Dwip. There Pārvatī – she was chanting, “Gaurāṅga.. Gaurāṅga, Gaurāṅga... Gaurāṅga...Gaurāṅga... (repeated by devotees)

Lord Caitanyā appeared to her. She bowed down again and again. He said, “My dear external energy! What have you called me for?”

She said, “Well, You see, Your pure devotees, they don’t want to associate with me. They call me the witch Māyā. So I am deprived of your devotee’s association. I heard that you are giving all freely love of Kṛṣṇā. Will everyone get Your mercy but me? Can I get your mercy? Please.” And he said, “Taṭastha! So be it. Then you can realize that you are the expansion of Rādhārāṇī. Here in Nabadwip Dhām you will realize your non-difference from Radhārāni. So you can take the taste of the ecstasy of pure love for Kṛṣṇā.” Then Pārvatī took the dust from the lotus feet of Lord Caitanyā and she put it on the part of her hair where ladies put their kuṁkum. So that is called the Sīmanta, and that island is known as the Sīmanta Dwip, and there Pārvatī Devī is worshipping the Lord .

Gaurāṅga.... [Gaurāṅga]

So this chanting of the holy names is pure love of Kṛṣṇā, descended from the spiritual sky. There is verse that states, “golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana” So that means the world of the holy dhāma of Golokā is coming in the form of the Hari Nāma sankirtan [Haribol] So chanting the holy names of Kṛṣṇā can awaken ones dormant love of Kṛṣṇā. This is mentioned in the Caitanya Caritamrita –Kṛṣṇā-prema nitya-siddha ‘sādhya’ kabhu naya

śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya – which means that it’s not - Kṛṣṇā Prema is not something you learn, it is something already in you. Just like a little child has the ability to speak, to walk – only some practice awakens.  So, how do you awaken that love of Kṛṣṇā? By the nine practices of devotional service starting from śravaṇaṁ, kīrtanaṁ, chanting and hearing. So this chanting of the holy names is very very powerful thing.

Shyāma Rasika Prabhu of Coimbatore, he wrote to me a few days ago. He said, he engaged some of the young people to chant 108 times Hare Kṛṣṇā on the 108 steps Hare Kṛṣṇā on 108 steps. Bringing on 10,000 people to chant. So there – he said that some commanded him – “It was like a voice inside me. I kept carrying the chanting.” So I asked the people, “Will you please chant every day?” And 70% agreed to chant. So, Lord Caitanyā in His Śikṣāṣṭakam – He glorifies the holy name. He states that, “For chanting the holy name there is no hard and fast rules, and all the shaktis of Lord Kṛṣṇā are present in His holy name. nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ.... So, by chanting this holy names how much benefit we get, cannot be calculated by anything.

Lord Caitanya, by giving out the mercy very freely – therefore they are described as Parama Karuṇā. Parama Karuṇā means supremely merciful.

Parama karuṇa, pahū dui jana nitāi gauracandra – they are the two Lords – Kṛṣṇā and Balarām. They have nothing to gain. They already have everything, but Lord Nityānanda he was going door to door begging the people, “Please chant Hare Kṛṣṇā.” So amongst all the avatars – amongst all of the avatars - saba avatāra-sāra śiromaṇi kevala ānanda-kanda. They are considered the crown jewel, the best of the best, because the process they give is simply blissful.   

Prabhupādā, when he went to America, he asked the people, “Who likes to sing?” Here anyone likes to sing? [Haribol] Who likes to dance? [Haribol] Who likes to take Prasād? [Haribol] Who likes to hear some classes? [Haribol] So this is the system given by Lord Caitanya. Nothing difficult. Everything blissful. So, by chanting the holy names, Prabhupādā got all the people in the city of New York on lower waste side, at the Tomskin Squre Park to chant. He was alone. He didn’t have a proper mridanga. So he used a bungle drum, and he tapped that.. he hit that and he chanted, Hare Kṛṣṇā Hare Kṛṣṇā, Kṛṣṇā Kṛṣṇā Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.... (repeated by devotees),  and these people, they were dancing and going around in a circle. Then he gave them some prasādam. The special thing was Gulab Jamun. He called that the ISKCON bullet, because it would touch their heart, and many people came to Hare Kṛṣṇā temples to get prasāda. Steve Jobs – the founder of Apple Computer, which is a you can say the second most popular system, especially now we have I-pads, I-phones. How many of you must have I-phones? [laughter] So he in his college years was economically down. He also didn’t have enough to eat properly. He said, the only food that he got was at the Hare Kṛṣṇā hill, and every week he walked all the way to the Hare Krishna temple on Sunday to have the love feast.

So, many people took Prasād as ??38.10-12... Prasād. Prabhupādā would try to give them the process of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇā. So they would also chant. This chanting has a way of transforming one. Sometimes when the people heard the chanting, they covered their ears [laughter] Prabhupādā said, “Pull their hands away.” [laugther] Last time we were in the West, anyway the idea is - if they hear the name they also get purified.

One Christian Nun, she came to me. She said, she was very attached to Lord Jesus Christ. I told her that she could try chanting Hare Kṛṣṇā, because there is only one God, but if she finds it difficult to chant Hare Kṛṣṇā, then she can chant Jesus Christ. So she began to chant in Spanish, “Jesu Christo Jesu Christo Christo Christo Jesu Jesu..” and then she thought, “Well, this is almost the same. No one is watching. Why not try Hare Kṛṣṇā?” and she began to chant, “Hare Kṛṣṇā Hare Kṛṣṇā, Kṛṣṇā Kṛṣṇā Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.... (repeated by devotees). As a result she got more taste. She realized that Kṛṣṇā and Christo are same. While by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇā she got more mercy. So, she started to chant. In fact she is chanting 16 rounds, and now she is taking initiation. [applause]  We didn’t ask her to give up being a Nun. She just had to be a vegetarian and no gambling, no... So all these things she couldn’t do, and every day she chants 16 rounds. So this holy name is very, very powerful. 

One day Thakur Bhaktivinoda, he had a vision. He said the devotees are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇā in a circle, and before his eyes they were transformed into gopīs.... gopiṣ... gopīs ... dancing in a circle around Kṛṣṇā. So, he saw that chanting Hare Kṛṣṇā was non-different from the service of the maid-servant of the maid-servants of Kṛṣṇā. Anyway that’s very transcendental, confidential. So, we went to chant in Śrīraṅgam... in Sringam we went to see the ...there?[45.50] The sanyasi who was stationed there – Śrīraṅgam. I was with the Safari group who sometimes comes here to Tirupati, and they also chanted Hare Kṛṣṇā. So he was very healthy. He said, “You are all representatives of Alwar?[46.55].” [applause] He said, “You are doing what arnals?[47.00] had to do.” He said, “We should chant the names of Lord Kṛṣṇā, but we are not doing, you are doing.”

I heard that later Radhanāth Swami went his college?[46.38] group of 5000 on yatra. I think he came there also, and there the head priest of the Śrīraṅgam temple, Ranganāth temple, and he ...?[48.10-18.16] . ..  and they said, “I wish I could be a member of ISKCON” [Haribol] and the head priest said, “I also think. I also hope to be with ISKCON.” and then they also ...49.08-49.11.. two sampradāyas merge... Śrī Iskcon sampradāya.

Actually all the holy acharyās, they also said to chant Hare Kṛṣṇā in this age of Kali. Even other religions also say that the names of God are holy. In the Bible, in the songs it says, “You should chant with drums and cymbals on the street. You should praise the Lord and high.” In the Koran there are 99 names of the God mentioned. They call this the sundar (beautiful) names. So every religion says, “The names of the Lord are holy.” But for us it is a daily sun, this is daily practice. So, this week we would like to take the names up to the Pope?[51.51] to schools, colleges, streets – everywhere if possible.

In Chennai, there is one devotee. He started chanting Hare Kṛṣṇā, and the holy names have the transforming effect. He was the minister of the Pentecoastal Christian Church and he took shelter from Bhakti Vrajendranandan Mahārāj. He said in his day he used to bring many Hindus and converted them to Christians. So Bhakti Vrajandrenandan Mahārāj said, “You have to now bring many Christians back to the ...” [laughter] Anyway this holy name is so powerful – so we hope that all you think that how more and more can chant? I don’t know here you have a place where you can chant, but that ...54.46... in Māyāpur I used to have ... 108 steps, chant one name on each. So you try to get everyone who is there to chant 108 times – Hare Kṛṣṇā. Then we give them the Hare Kṛṣṇā mantra, Panchatatva mantra, and we ask them to chant every day. So once we got thousands of contracts ...56.00... of people coming from all over the world. So you have send us names. Where we will have their address? If you do something, otherwise you have someone to cultivate them.

I remember I went to - ? [56.53] on the border of Bhutan in ?...  There we [57.00-57.07] ... to grass hut to one bamboo Hare Kṛṣṇā Mantra. He had nailed the Hare Kṛṣṇā mantra to his bamboo. He said, “I was asked to chant 100 times, and I did that for 10 years. Can I get more now? Can I chant more now? He thought he has a passion to chant 108. I thought he could chant. I told him, “Please chant as much as you want.” So now he is also an initiated disciple, and he is head of the Namhatta. He became a sector leader and he had made many devotees and he has made many devotee, he has made many of the people chant. So we take this week to be an opportunity. Why limit it to a week? You tell prabhu to chant all your rounds. Who are visit  ..?[1.00.16].. you can chant? But this week you also reach out and think how new people can be brought into the channel?

So now it is very late. In Māyāpur the Brahmacharis eat Prasād at 8:30. So they tell me I have to stop by 8:30. [laughter] but here there is no clock, and nobody told me how long to speak. I think that I got carried away, but if there are any questions I will try to answer. One or two questions. Question’s on the holy name.

Question: You said Gurumaharaj that golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana. The Hari nam sankiratana itself if the prema dhana or one can be chanting it in different stages of...

Gurumaharaj: The holy name is the prema dhana. Dhana means treasure. So those who have pure Kṛṣṇā prema, they also chant the holy name. Those who have not awakened their love of Kṛṣṇā yet, the holy awakens their dormant love of Kṛṣṇā. [Haribol.] Does that answer your question?

Question : How can we with more feelings constantly chant the glories of the holy name Hare Kṛṣṇā?

Gurumahraj: Well, of course initially maybe by reading some authorative śāstra, but our practices are to realized. So when you chant the holy names, if you feel transcendental ecstasy that will help to increase your faith. So Lord Caitanyā, he came to Śrīvas Pandit and he said that he had a question, and Śrīvas said, “Ok, what is it? What is the question?”

“People say I am sick.”

“What is your symptom?”

He said, “Well, whenever I chant Hare Kṛṣṇā my hairs stand on end, tears come from my eyes, sometimes I uncontrollably laugh, sometimes I faint. Like this, this things happen when I chanting. So people say I have a disease, and Śrīvas Pandit said, “Yes, you have a disease and that I want that disease too.” (laughter)

“You have the disease of Krsnaprema.” Then – even Brahmā and Śiva they want this disease, and all these materialistic people they won’t understand because they don’t feel the same bliss you do. So the reason we don’t appeal this ecstasies is because of offences. Also sometimes we don’t chant enough. If we follow the system of Bhakti Yoga and we chant Hare Kṛṣṇā, then gradually we can come up to the stages.

Ādau śraddhā is the stage of faith. Then sādhu saṅga, and then bhajana Kriyā. In that state we usually take initiation. And then Bhajana Kriyā. In that stage we usually take initiation under the guidance of guru. Anartha nivritti, we get rid of the offences – the unwanted things, and then you become fixed. That is called Niṣṭhā, and then we get a taste. That is called ruchi, and then we become very attached to that, Āsakti, and then finally we get bhava (ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇā). If ones urge to see Kṛṣṇā is so strong, it’s so intense, that is the price to see Kṛṣṇā. Then you get Śrī Kṛṣṇā and you get Kṛṣṇā prema. [Haribol]

So as you increase your levels, your premā also increases. In the meantime – on the lower levels, you can hear from the devotees, you can see the ..??[1.12.55-1.13.00].. but sometimes you can get glimpses of the bliss. Prabhupādā was saying that, “Lord Caitanya gives us little taste every time.” I get children. They don’t like to get all the ... , sabzis, they are devoted to the sweet . So like that you get a little taste of the sweet, normally at the end we get some glimpse ahead. It is by the mercy of Guru and Gaurāṅga. [Haribol]

So thank you all very much. Harinām sankirtan ki [Jay]