SRI HARINAMA CINTAMANI
(THE TRANSCENDENTAL TOUCHSTONE OF THE HOLY NAME)
by SRILA BHAKTIVINODA THAKURA
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION TO THE GLORIES OF THE HOLY NAME
All glories to Sri Gadadhara Pandit and Lord Sri Gauranga; all glories to Lord Nityananda, the life of Srimati Jahnavadevi; all glories to Sri Advaita Acarya and Mother Sita; all glories to Srila Srivasa Pandit and all the devotees of Lord Caitanya.
At Nilacala, within His sacred temple near the ocean shore, the Supreme Personality of Godhead resides in His form of wood known as Darubrahman. The Supreme Lord Hari descended to the material world in this form of Jagannatha to deliver the living entit
ies from their eternal bondage. He grants material benedictions to those who require them and final release from all material attachments to those who are more spiritually advanced. In this same sacred abode, the same Supreme Lord took the role of a re
nounced sannyasi to give His supreme blessing to humanity. Residing in Kasi Misra's home, He propagated the only dharma needed by the fallen souls of this age, and so established the real meaning of religion in Kaliyuga.
There, like a desire tree yielding unlimited treasures, surrounded by His many devotees, Lord Caitanya distributed love of Godhead (Krsnaprema) freely to all people. Ensuring that His teachings would be correctly disseminated, He had certain associates speak on specific subjects while He Himself gave His blissful audience.
Thus He relished Sri Ramananda Raya's revelation of the confidential sweetness of the conjugal love of Sri Sri RadhaKrsna; Sri Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya's explanation of actual liberation; Sri Rupa Goswami's intricate analysis of the various levels of loving exchange with the Lord; and Srila Haridasa Thakura's glorification of the supreme efficacy and excellence of the Holy Name.
One day, after bathing in the ocean, Lord Caitanya met Srila Haridasa Thakura under the Siddha Bakula tree. Greatly pleased at seeing Srila Haridasa, the Lord inquired from him then means by which the conditioned souls can most easily be delivered from sin.
Srila Haridasa fell at the Lord's lotus feet and clasped them tightly.His entire body went into rapture, and he offered humble prayers punctuated by shivering and tears. In a choked voice Srila Haridasa said, "My Lord, Your wonderful pastimes are unfathomable, and I am but unfortunate and illiterate. Your lotus feet are my only resort. What is the use of asking such questions of a worthless person like me?" Srila Haridasa continued: "You are Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has appeared in Navadvipa to save all living entities. O my Lord Gauranga, kindly shelter me in the shade of Your lotus feet, for only this will engladden my heart. Your holy name is unlimited, You are the embodiment of endless excellences, and Your exquisite beauty draws me into a shoreless ocean of joy. Your pastimes are everexpanding; You have manifested Your name, form, qualities and activities in this material world so even a fallen wretch like myself can relish them. It is impossible for one with mundane vision to perceive Your transcendental features with his limited senses, but now You are mercifully revealing Yourself for the highest benefit of humanity; this is indeed the direct display of the internal spiritual potency of the Lord.
"You are the spiritual sun and I am an insignificant spark of Your effulgence. You are my Lord and master and I am Your servitor eternally. The ambrosia emanating from Your lotus feet intoxicates all my senses. My only hope lies in the limitless nectar of Your holy name. I am fallen what can I say of my own volition? I am here just to execute Your orders. I shall be greatly satisfied to speak the words You put into my mouth and I will not consider whether they are right or wrong.
Lord Krsna and His energies Lord Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is beyond anyone's jurisdiction, for He alone is the master (sarvesvara) of all that exists. He completely independent, being selfwilled and selffulfilled. His unrestricted desires are effortlessly satisfied by His inconceivable internal potency that constantly associates with Him. This potency is a feature of His inherent nature and is therefore never independent of Him. [Footnote 1 by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura:] He is known as the nondual Supreme Consciousness by dint of His free will and inconceivable potency. Empirical philosophers (jnanis) attempt to rob this nondual Divinity of His personal will and potency by postulating Him to be the impersonal Brahman. But in fact the impersonal Brahman (Krsna's consciousness minus will and potency) is only the effulgence of the Supreme non-dual Brahman.
Through the eightfold yoga system, yogis can perceive the nondual Supreme Being within their hearts as the localized Supersoul or Paramatma who pervades and witnesses all existence. But in Paramatma is also just a partial appearance of Krsna. Lord Krsna alone is the Absolute Consciousness, for only He displays absolute potency, will and control. [End of footnote 1] Krsna exists within all His energies and is thus not different from them. The Vedas declare Lord Krsna to be the infinite, absolute Vibhu; His energies are His attributes (vaibhava). His vaibhava energies are the root of all existing phenomena: yet even in the midst of unlimited phenomena everexpanding throughout all time, Krsna remains aloof and indivisible in His original form.
The three kinds of vaibhava are Vibhu is perceivable only by the grace of His vaibhava energies, of which there are three kinds. They are, as revealed in the scriptures, the spiritual energy (cid-vaibhava), the material energy (maya or acid-vaibhava), and the marginal energy (jiva-vaibhava).
[Footnote 2 by Bhaktivinoda:] Krsna's cid-vaibhava is a direct transformation of His citsakti, His personal internal potency. The display of cidvaibhava includes His abode, known as the Vaikunthaloka; His innumerable names like Govinda, Hari, etc.; His transcendental forms like the threefold bending form with two hands playing the flute; His divine qualities, so sublimely pleasurable to His devotees;His superexcellent pastimes like the rasa dance in Vrindavana and its corresponding appearance in Nava
dvipa as the the congregational chanting of the holy names. These spiritual opulences are countless. Another feature of the citsakti is the sandhini potency by which all things exist and are held together as an interrelated whole, including the relationships of the jivas to the Lord. Similarly, the citsakti manifests the samvit potency, which reveals knowledge of Krsna, His energies, and one's own identity.
The citsakti also generates the hladini potency, which gives rise to the ecstatic bliss of spiritual relationships, spiritual emotions and their combination in the sweet exchanges of rasa or the mellows of divine love. All of these transformations of the citsakti or Yogamaya (i.e. cidvaibhava and the sandhini, samvit and hladini saktis) are beyond material place, time and qualities, being eternally pure and full of bliss. [End of footnote 2]
The citsakti is known as Visnupada
The citsakti is never affected by the inferior acitsakti. Even when it descends to this material world, citsakti remains untouched by the inebrieties of matter. Forever spiritual, embodying the absolute nature of the Supreme Godhead, the spiritual potency is glorified in the Vedic hymns as being equal to the Lord Himself; thus it is known as Visnupada (intimately connected with Visnu). There is no tinge of material influence in Lord Krsna's energies: they are transcendental and exist in pure goodness (suddha-sattva).
[Footnote 3 by Bhaktivinoda] Sattva, or goodness, is of two kinds: suddha sattva and misra-sattva (mixed goodness). Everything in the category of cid-vaibhava is suddha-sattva, or pure goodness. All sattva in the material nature is mixed, or misra-sattva.
Suddha-sattva is devoid of passion and ignorance. Birth indicates the mode of passion in action. The eternally existent spiritual essence, suddha-sattva, has never been touched by birth, which is a manifestation of passion, nor by annihilation, which occurs in the mode of ignorance.
As the Supreme Lord's separated parts and parcels, the jivas (the living entities, who are individual spirit souls) are originally suddha-sattva, but due to their contact with nescience they have come under the sway of the material modes of passion and ignorance, and hence are now in the mixed or misra-sattva category. Even demigods like Siva, though far superior in many ways to the ordinary jivas, are nevertheless captivated by the material glare due to false identification, and so fall in this category of misra-sattva.
The Supreme Lord is always in pure goodness. He descends to this material world by His inconceivable spiritual potency and is always the controller of the material nature, maya, who is everªready to act as His maidservant. [End of footnote 3] VisnutattvaAll the plenary expansions of the Lord such as Govinda, Vaikunthanatha, MahaVisnu, Garbhodakasayi Visnu and Ksirodaksayi Visnu are in the category of absolute goodness, supreme and divine, and are known as Visnutattva.
The Visnu-tattva forms may reside in any place, either the spiritual abodes of Goloka, Vaikuntha, the Causal ocean, or in this material universe, yet They are always the master of maya and the supreme controller of every other living entity great or small. Their remaining unaffected by the influence of the illusory potency is evidence of their inconceivable spiritual position.
Brahma, Siva and the other demigods are misra-sattva, being influenced by maya. The Visnutattva forms, Their abobes, Their pastimes, and all else in the spiritual sky exist in pure goodness.
Maya-tattva A river called Viraja separates the material universe from the spiritual abode. Everything in the fourteen material planetary systems is acit-vaibhava or the temporary manifestation of matter. This place has been described in the scriptures as Devincal bodies of the living entities, is made up of the five gross elements of earth, water, fire, air and either. Mind, intelligence and false ego are subtle material elements that comprise the psychic bodies of the living entities. The psychic bodies arise from desire. Yet the soul is always purely spiritual and distinct from his subtle body; he is by nature suddha-sattva, as are his original mind, intelligence and ego.
The seven higher planetary systems Bhur, Bhuvar, Svarga, Mahar, Jana, Tapa, and Satya or Brahma and the seven lower planetary systems such as Atala, Sutala and so on are all manifestations of maya (the illusory potency). Cid-vaibhava is the complete whole, and maya is its shadow.
Jivavaibhava consists of both liberated and conditioned souls
The jivas are originally completely spiritual, infinitesimal and endowed with a limited degree of independence. The jivas are countless in number and are in urgent need of spiritual bliss for the attainment of their perfection. In seeking that bliss, those who surrender their lives to Lord Krsna are liberated from birth and death and reside eternally in the Lord's company as His confidential associates.
On the other hand, the jiva-souls who desire self-importance and selfish pleasure become attracted by maya, who awaits them on the other side of the River Viraja. She entices them away from Lord Krsna's service and lures them into the trap of the Deviªdhama, where they are chained to bodies manufactured by material nature. Bound by the reactions of their misdeeds, they wander from birth to birth in gross and subtle forms. Sometimes they are elevated to the heavenly planets and afterwards go to hell.
In this way they travel through all the eight million four hundred thousand species of life, suffering the pains of material existence.
jiva may find himself, Lord Krsna is always prepared to grant the jiva his heart's desire, like a well-wisher who never forsakes his friend.
Krsna's relationship with the jiva is eternal: He uses the jiva as an instrument through whom and to whom He manifests His energies and opulences. The Lord is the controller, the jiva the controlled; the Lord is independent, the jiva dependent; the Lord is master, the jiva the beneficiary of the results of his service to the master.
Pious acts are material and fruitive
The soul greedy for material sense pleasure finds even this easily available by the kindness of the master. The means to attain such gratification is the performance of auspicious activities (subhakarma) recommended in the Vedas. These are: following the duties of the varnasrama system; performing sacrifices such as the fire sacrifice (agnistoma); executing the eight-fold yoga process; offering havana or oblations; keeping vows on full-moon days; giving in charity on auspicious days and other occasions conducive to material benefit.
Although subhakarma is performed with Lord Visnu as the presiding Deity, the performer lacks spiritual intentions. He unfortunately takes complete shelter of material considerations of object, time and place and cannot even intuit his dearth of Krsna consciousness because such ritualistic considerations thwart the mood of spiritual selfexamination and inquiry.
The results of subhakarma are material, for they merely inflame lust for more enjoyment in higher planets. Such sacrifices and their results can never satisfy the soul, the real self, because their cause is illusion. These socalled auspicious activities only avail the jiva temporary heavenly pleasures diametrically opposed to transcendental bliss.
The means of deliverance from material piety
If a person is fortunate enough to get the association of a saintly devotee and learns that he, the jiva, is an eternal servant of Lord Krsna, then he easily surmounts the great obstacle of material nature. This is very rare, being the result of a vast accumulation of piety that can never be acquired by the performance of subhakarma, which gives only insignificant results.
Empirical philosophy (jnanakanda) elevates one to the brahmajyoti
The dry empirical philosophers are more advanced than the karmis, for they understand the material existence to be a condition of suffering and so strive for liberation. The Lord is kind to them also: He has given them the jnana-kanda section of the Vedas so they can pursue impersonal knowledge of the Absolute. Their final goal is absorption into the brahmajyoti.
The brahmajyoti is Krsna's blinding spiritual effulgence and is situated on the bank of the Viraja. All the demons the Supreme Lord kills also merge into Brahman, just beyond the periphery of maya. Both the empiricists and fruitive workers are nondevotees, disinclined to serve Lord Krsna. They can never relish the sweetness of Lord Krsna's service.
Piety leading to devotional service
Sukriti, or pious activity, is of three varieties: karmonmukhi or piety derived from subhakarma, jnanonmukhi or piety derived from the cultivation of knowledge, and bhakty-unmukhi or piety derived from devotional activities. The first two lead, respectively, to enjoyment of the fruits of action and to liberation. The last leads to an appreciation for saintly association. Bhaktyunmukhi is achieved by performing devotional service to the Lord unknowingly, without spiritual knowledge.
Bhakty-unmukhi is the most important kind of sukriti, for it impels the jiva to meet a pure, saintly devotee. By associating with a devotee of Krsna, the jiva's faith becomes firm. Gradually he develops a taste for chanting the holy name, becomes compassionate towards all beings, and is then firmly fixed in Krsna consciousness.
Compassionately, the Lord guides the karmi and jnani to the unknowing performance of devotional service
The Lord is an ocean of magnanimity, and the supreme controller of everyone. He is always keen to serve the conditioned souls, including the karmis and jnanis. Thinking of their welfare, He provides them the opportunity for indirect devotional service.
The karmi who follows varnasramadharma associates with saintly persons and executes his duties for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord Hari. Such activities cleanse his heart and gradually destroy the desire for more fruitive work. In its place the seed of sraddha, or pure faith, is sown within his heart.
The jnani who sincerely seeks transcendental wisdom humbly enters the company of pure devotees and invokes their inherent compassion towards him. By their grace, he easily develops firm faith in the direct process of pure devotional service. In this way, by the jnani's indirect devotion to knowledge, he gets the shelter of the pure devotees.
The Lord says, 'My servant, the jiva, may succumb to the treachery of My illusory potency, but I keep his best interests in My heart. By degrees I inspire him to develop an aversion to sense enjoyment and liberation, and then grant him attraction to devotional service unto Me. I lead the jiva in his pursuit to fulfill his material desires by engaging him in the indirect devotional processes of karma and jnana, and in this way I strengthen his faith and love for Me.'
Lord Krsna is most compassionate. The indirect devotional paths are but a hint of His causeless mercy. Without His loving intervention, how could the jiva ever become purified? The indirect processes have deteriorated badly in Kaliyuga The Satya-yuga sages who took up the process of meditation were personally purified by Krsna and given the treasure of devotional service. In the Treta-yuga, the same spiritual successnlived, always harassed by disease, and are born with a weak body and mind. The observance of varnasramadharma and the cultivation of sankhya philosophy, yoga, and empiricism will not yield the strength humanity needs to redeem itself.
[Footnote 4 by Bhaktivinoda] In Kaliyuga, the indirect devotional paths of jnana and karma are extremely narrow and hazardous. They are intended to lead one to the shrine of devotional service through either the association of saintly persons during philosophical discussions, or by the ritualistic offering to the Supreme Lord of the results of work performed without desire. In Kali-yuga both paths have become contaminated. Genuine saintly persons, now rarely seen, have been displaced by crass, commercial pseudospiritualists. Religious duties are no longer performed for purifying the consciousness but for enjoyment of the material results of the rituals.
Therefore these secondary paths are no longer beneficial. Even the process of Deity worship that gave the highest spiritual success in Dvaparayuga has become impure and degraded. [End of footnote 4] The prime process - chanting the holy name The Lord, considering the jivas' welfare, descended in Kali-yuga along with His holy name to propagate the yugadharma (the religion of the age). By taking up the yugadharma the jiva attains love of Krsna: he has only to remember the Supreme Lord's name (namasmarana or japa) and chant the Lord's name congregationally (namasankirtan).
The holy name is both the means and the end The only method or means (sadhana) in this age is the holy name of the Lord. The only goal (sadhya) to be attained in this age is Krsnaprema. Even in the stage of perfection, the name is not given up but is chanted all the more, for it is intrinsic to the activities of prema. Indeed, the name is not different from the Lord: it is the very embodiment of prema. If the means is the end, then the end and the means never contradict one another.
If process is identical to the objective, then it is easy for the jivas to attain the desired goal of life, Krsnaprema. By the mercy of His holy name, Krsna easily delivers the jivas in the age of Kali.
[Footnote 5 by Bhaktivinoda] In karma and jnana, the sadhana and sadhya are in conflict. The only real goal or sadhya of the Vedas is to attain the mercy of the Lord. As one approaches the goal via the paths of karma and jnana, they vanish,nHaridasa, kindly reveal to Me something of the unlimited glories of the holy name. Please allow Me to savour your words.
ed and eternal name, form, qualities and pastimes. The absence of these four features in anything denies its status as object. For example, Brahman is impersonal and formless; hence it is not an object unto itself, but simply a distinctive trait of the Supreme Lord.
Lord Krsna is the nondual Absolute Object who perfectly manifests Himself through the four features of name, form, qualities and pastimes. Each one of these features is fully potent and able to express Him in totality. They exist and are sustained by the Lord's sandhini potency, and they are eternal and transcendental. As Lord Krsna attracts all living entities, similarly the holy name, which is not different from Him, also attracts everyone.
Krsna's sublime form is as identical to Him as His holy name. Remembering and chanting Krsna's name immediately invokes His beautiful form in the mind, and both dance there harmoniously like inseparable partners.
Krsna's sixtyfour qualities are unlimited and transcendental. Brahma and Siva are expansions of His qualities, but they only partially display the transcendental nature of the Supreme Lord, which is infinite, eternal, unending and absolutely spiritual. Krsna alone has the full sixtyfour qualities of the Supreme Person; even His full expansions like Lord Narayana and avataras like Lord Ramacandra are ornamented with only sixty of them. Demigods up to the level of Siva possess fiftyfive of these qualities, but only in limited measure. Ordinary jivas have just fifty, visible in mere fractional degrees, like small drops. Only Krsna, even amongst all His Visnu expansions, is the master of four exceptional qualities visible in Him alone.
If the Lord's qualities are compared to waves, then His pastimes appear in these waves and continuously form, crest and reshape themselves again and again. Wherever they may be enacted, either in Goloka, Vaikuntha, or Vraja, they are always transcendental. Hence, the Lord's name, form, qualities and pastimes are of the same spiritual substance.
consciousness is e jiva obtains the real boon of spiritual life. The holy names of the Lord that describe His transcendental pastimes and which contain all of the Lord's spiritual excellences are defined as principal names. They are, for example: Govinda, Gopala, Rama, Sri Nandanandana, Radhanatha, Hari, Yasomati Pranadhana, MadanaªMohana, Syamasundara, Madhava, Gopinatha, Vrajagopal, Raksala, Yadava, and so on. Anyone who chants the names of the Lord that depict His eternal pastimes can attain the Lord's supreme abode.
ly. Suddhanama offers the devotee the highest spiritual success, love of Krsna.
ame of Krsna appears and dances on the tongue of the devotee. The holy name, now nectarean in taste, cannot but be relished by the devotee at every moment. Thus spiritually intoxicated, the devotee always feels like dancing. As the holy name dances, the devotee likewise dances, and at that moment the ecstasy of love of Godhead also enters dancing into the devotee's heart. Then the entire world will dance and maya will flee away.
head on the Lord's lotus feet. Weeping, he begged the Lord that he might develop attachment for the holy name.
One who is blessed with love and devotion and who takes pleasure in serving Srila Haridasa Thakura's lotus feet will find the touchstone of the holy name to be as precious as life itself.
and transcendental nature, a mist of ignorance is created that plunges the jiva into darkness. One who is ignorant about Lord Krsna's position becomes confused and begins to worship the demigods. Thus he is entangled in the cycle of fruitive action or karma. That person who has not realized the jiva's transcendental nature suffers from svarupaªbhrama (confusion of identity), and is in material consciousness, deluded and always in ignorance." Srila Haridasa Thakura exclaimed in exhilaration, "Today I am most fortunate, for from my mouth the Supreme Lord Himself,lg entities (jivaaparadha).
These clouds hide the sun of the holy name. If one chants the holy name while maintaining these anarthas, the chanting can at best be only the unclarified name (namabhasa). The holy name is always perfect in itself, but namabhasa obfuscates the jiva's vision of it.
eritable prison house where the jiva is penalized for turning his back on Krsna. It consists of the fourteen planetary systems which together are known as the Devidhama. These planetary systems are the cells within the prison where the recalcitrant jivas are confined. Devidhama is not a place for experiencing happiness and bliss. The material socalled pleasures offered to the jivas here are only temporary, and as such are the cause of further suffering. As is the plan of any penal system, the jivas are gradually reformed through this punitive arrangement.
By the mercy of a Vaisnava devotee of the Lord, an imprisoned jiva may accept the holy name and the attendant sambandha-jnana and finally ascend to pure love of Godhead. Such a fortunate soul will consider even sayujya-mukti or impersonal liberation to be reprehensible. But until he is solidly grounded on the sambandha-jnana understanding, his chanting will be polluted by anarthas. This is namabhasa. In this stage, the jiva cannot chant the pure name of Krsna.
countered.
Namabhasa is greater than the result of studying all the Vedas, of visiting every pilgrimage place, or of performing every possible altruistic and pious work. The four goals offered in Vedas - religiosity, wealth, sense enjoyment and liberation are made freely available by namabhasa chanting. It is endowed with unimaginable power to reclaim any living entity. It bestows unlimited joy and elevates even the derelicts to a very exalted stage of realization. Namabhasa offers eternal residence in the spiritual abode of Vaikuntha, especially in Kaliyuga. This is the declaration of scripture.
of namabhasa chanting; even sanketa chanting is tinged with neglect. Nontheless, the lowest attitude of namabhasa (hela) gives one liberation, what to speak of faithful chanting. Chanting with faith establishes one on the platform of sambandha-jnana, which results in rati or attraction for the holy name. Sraddhanama actually clears away anarthas very easily and quickly.
water. Such a distorted, broken reflection can never result in a complete perception of the original source of light.
When the rays of the holy name reflect off the heart of a Mayavadi, pratibimbanamabhasa appears, bequeathing sayujyaªmukti upon the Mayavadis who chant it. Such chanting, however, will fail to generate the quintessence of chanting - Krsnaprema.
Indeed, this type of namabhasa is a major namaparadha; therefore it cannot really be counted as a namabhasa at all.
Chayanamabhasa or svarupanamabhasa is the real namabhasa, and is subdivided into four categories of attitude, as previously mentioned. The scriptures, while praising namabhasa, profusely condemn pratibimba namabhasa. Chayanamabhasa is the result of chanting the holy name with anarthas born of ignorance. But the chanting of the holy name with anarthas nurtured by wicked and distorted philosophy produces pratibimbanamabhasa, and this is a major obstacle to devotional service and a grave offense.
A Vaisnavaabhasa person, though not honored as a genuine Vaisnava, should still be given the respect due a neophyte devotee as long as he is not contaminated by the Mayavadi philosophy. Such a person can easily become elevated by contactnis sraddha is not real it merely appears to be sraddha. This is defined in the scriptures as pratibimba-sraddha-abhasa. Hence, pratibimba-sraddha-abhasa results in pratibimba-namabhasa. If this sort of namabhasa becomes further aberrated by Mayavadi philosophy, the chanter thinks that the perfect and transcendental name of the Lord is mundane and imperfect, and requires to be perfected by impersonal knowledge. This offense obliterates whatever little bit of genuine sraddha he may have had.
contrition, he can invoke the mercy of the holy name. n pure holy name. O Lord Caitanya, this is Your injunction and whoever follows it is very fortunate. Those who disregard and disobey this instruction are wretches who will suffer for a hundred million births. My Lord, please rescue me from bad association and keep me at Your lotus feet, for I can see no other alternative to your lotus feet." One who takes shelter at the feet of Srila Haridasa Thakura will incessantly chant the holy name and find real satisfaction in life.
Blasphemy of the devotees of the Lord.
2) To consider demigods to be independent of the Supreme Lord, and to similarly think Lord Krsna's name, form, qualities and pastimes are separate from Him.
3) To disobey the spiritual master who reveals the truth about the holy name.
4) To criticize the scriptures that describe the glories of the holy name.
5) To think the excellences and divine qualities of the holy name are imaginary, and to so interpret the scriptural glorification of the holy name.
6) To commit sinful activities on the strength of the n the direct and indigenous quality of any substance, and tathasta, qualities that are ornamental and visible when the substance comes in contact with something else. The devotee's acceptance of Lord Krsna as his only shelter (Krsna eka sarana) is his svarupa-laksana, and all the other qualities are tathasta.
If by some good fortune one associates with a Vaisnava, he may develop a taste for the holy name and takes complete shelter at Krsna's lotus feet. Thus he develops the svarupa-laksana, and then through continued chanting he will gradually develop all the other laksanas or symptoms. The other symptoms are tathasta but nevertheless are essentially present in a Vaisnava.
quickly Lord Krsna will personally liberate him.
criticized because of the traces of almostextirpated sin in his character, that is a grievous offense. If criticism is made against a devotee for sins committed prior to his surrendering to Krsna, that is likewise another serious offense. Such a faultfinder surely invites the wrath of Lord Krsna.
, and the dust from his lotus feet.
How a Vaisnava imbues his potency in others: By remaining in the presence of a Vaisnava for some time, one absorbs the bhakti energy flowing from the body of that saintly person. If one is sufficiently faithful, he can bind that energy within his own heart and experience immediate ecstasy. By just a moment's association with a Vaisnava, bhakti is invoked in the heart of a pious person, who will immediately
be inspired to chant Lord Krsna's name; gradually, the holy name will award him all good qualities.
[Footnote 1 by Bhaktivinoda] The potency or sakti of pure devotion is a blend of hladini (Krsna's pleasuregiving potency) and samvit (Krsna's knowledgegiving potency). Bhakti reposes in the heart of the transcendentalist and uses him as a vehicle for further movement. When a jiva becomes free from envy and is inclined to devotional service, the bhakti potency is then transferred from the pure devotee's heart into that jiva's heart, where it takes shelter of his soul and acheives perfection there.
This is a great mystery. [End of footnote 1] There are four kinds of blasphemy of a devotee The offender criticizes a Vaisnava about his caste, or some unpremeditated accidental fall-down, or the last traces of his previous sins, or his sinful activities prior to his surrendering to Lord Krsna. Such an offender will never develop a taste for chanting the holy name.
One who has taken complete shelter of the pure devotional process is considered a pure Vaisnava. The four abovementioned faults may be present in him, but he is totally free from all other shortcomings. Hence, criticizing him spells doom for the offender. The glories of the holy name are propagated by the Vaisnava, and Lord Krsna does not tolerate any criticism against him. One may discard all other activities like religiosity, yoga, sacrifices, fruitive activities, empirical knowledge and so on; if one simply chants the holy name, that is the quintessence of spiritual culture.
The sadhu takes complete shelter of the holy name Never criticizing demigods or other scriptures, the Vaisnava simply chants the holy name. Regardless of whether such a sadhu is a householder or a sannyasi, one should eagerly take the dust from his lotus feet. The purity of a Vaisnava is judged by how much attraction or rati he has for the name. His purity has nothing whatsoever to do with his official status as a Vaisnava, or his wealth, erudition, youth, pleasing appearance, strength or following.
One who aspires to take shelter of the holy name must shun the propensity to criticize devotees. Pure devotion in the chanting of the holy name depends on association with the pure devotee and his pure devotion. Without this assocation, everything becomes perverted and spoilt. Bhakti immediately recedes at the first indication of sadhuninda, which immediately becomes nama-aparadha. Let the aspirant devotee reject sadhuninda and associate with and serve the pure devotees.
There are two types of bad association, the first being association with women
The proper Vaisnava behavior is to avoid asatsanga or bad company that influences a person to disrespect a sadhu. Bad association is of two kinds. The first is association with a woman, which means either to have illicit connection with a woman other than one's wife, or to be excessively fond of one's own wife. The scriptures permit a husband only a properly regulated relationship with his spouse. Keeping company with a licentious or henpecked man also falls within this first category of asat sanga or bad association.
Non-devotees are of three kinds The second type of bad association is to mix with nondevotees. There are three kinds of non-devotees: the Mayavadi, the dharmadhvaji (pretender), and the nirisvara (atheist).
Mayavadis never accept the Supreme Lord's form as being eternal.
They say the Deity form of the Lord is material, and that the jiva is also a product of maya. A dharmadhvaji is a person who has no devotion or attachment in the heart but makes a show of it externally. He wears the clothes of a devotee to accomplish materialistic ends. A nirisvara is a nonbeliever who rejects God outright. A serious aspirant or sadhaka must shun such bad association. If anyone argues that avoiding such nondevotees is sadhuninda, their company must also be shunned. One has to keep away from such bad association and take complete shelter of the holy name. Only then is love of Godhead ensured.
There are three kinds of devotees; the lowest is the kanistha devotee
The neophyte devotee (kanistha Vaisnava) displays a faith that is formal and worldly. He worships the Deity but has no service attitude towards the devotees of the Lord. He is almost a Vaisnava (Vaisnavapraya), but is not a real Vaisnava yet; hence, he is not able to take full advantage of sadhusanga.
Such a neophyte will have to receive the blessings of a pure devotee to advance further.
The madhyama devotee The madhyama devotee knows well the importance of the Lord's devotees, and remains always in their association. He is convinced of Krsna's position as the Lord, the jivas as His eternal servants, the means of advancement as bhakti and the goal as prema. He is compassionate to the innocent and avoids the company of atheists.
The madhyama stage of devotee marks the beginning of pure Vaisnavism because at this stage one become eligible to chant the pure name. The madhyama devotee knows well the different effects of different types of association. He distinguishes between the Vaisnavas and the non-Vaisnavas, for he is especially required to serve the advanced devotees and avoid asatsanga and sadhu nindha.
Indeed, this is his necessity. If he neglects to differentiate between the grades of devotees and between Vaisnavas and nonVaisnavas, then he stands to commit Vaisnava aparadha.
The uttama devotee A pure devotee of the highest order sees Lord Krsna manifest everywhere and knows that everything rests in Him. He sees Krsna is his very life and soul. He is unconcerned with distinctions of who is a Vaisnava and who is not thus for him there is no regulation to serve a Vaisnava. His whole life revolves around the holy name, which he considers to be the essence of everything.
The scriptures declare that a kanistha devotee, being ignorant of the proper attitudes towards Krsna, the devotees and the holy name, is only capable of namabhasa chanting. A madhyama devotee is worthy of chanting the pure name: therefore he must always carefully avoid offenses to other devotees, so that his chanting will be pure. The uttama Vaisnava can never commit any offense, because he perceives Lord Krsna everywhere.
Every sadhaka should consider these points calmly and reflect upon his real position. First, he must stop sadhuninda.
Then he should chant with firm faith, according to his status as a Vaisnava. He should aspire to become fixed on the madhyama platform through association with equal devotees, service to superior devotees, avoidance of nondevotees, compassion for all living entities and constant chanting of the holy name.
The remedy for sadhuninda If anyone offends a devotee in a moment of delusion or madness, he must fall at the devotee's feet and repent bitterly and, weeping and full of contrition, beg forgiveness. He should declare himself a fallen wretch, in need of that devotee's grace.
A devotee is very merciful; his heart will soften and he will embrace the offender, thus exonerating him from his offenses.
Concluded Thakura Haridasa, "I offer this explanation of the first of ten nama-aparadhas at Your lotus feet."
One who is like a bumble-bee lingering the lotus feet of Srila Haridasa Thakura will find his life and soul in this Harinama Cintamani.
CHAPTER FIVE WORSHIPING THE DEMIGODS INDEPENDENTLY OF KRSNA IS THE SECOND OFFENSE
All glories to Lord Sri Gauranga, the life of Sri Gadadhara Pandit; all glories to Lord Nityananda, the heart of Srimati Jahnavadevi; all glories to Sri Advaita Acarya, the Lord of Mother Sita; all glories to all the devotees of Lord Caitanya.
Srila Haridasa Thakura continued speaking with folded hands: "O Lord of the Universe, now I pray that You may listen to my explanation of the second offense against the holy name." Visnutattva, or the principle of the Supreme Godhead Visnu Lord Visnu is the supreme nondual Absolute Truth. Though He is the ultimate lord of material creation, His own form is transcendental, being always situated in pure goodness. Lord Krsna in Goloka is the original and supreme form of Visnu. Krsna is embellished with sixty-four extraordinary excellences, and He is the shelter of all transcendental mellows. Lord Narayana possesses sixty of those excellences, and to a lesser degree of fullness than Him, so do Lord Visnu and the purusaavataras.
[Footnote 1 by Bhaktivinoda] Lord Narayana, the Lord of Vaikuntha, is Lord Krsna's vilasavigraha or partial expansion.
In Vaikuntha, the Sankarsana form of Narayana expands as MahaªVisnu, Who lies in the Causal Ocean. This is the first purusa expansion; the next is Garbodakasayi Visnu, the source of Brahma.
He enters every universe as the purusaavatar. He further expands as Ksirodakasayi Visnu, the Supersoul within every living entity.
The three purusa expansions are known as Lord Visnu. Ksirodakasayi Visnu is the source of the incarnations like Matsya, Kurma, etc. All these incarnations are different forms of the same Visnu principle and are ornamented with sixty transcendental characteristics. The saktyavesaavataras are jiva-tattva; in them the potency of the Lord has descended. They are Lord's separated expansions or vibhinnamsa and are exemplified as Parasurama, Buddha, Prithu, and so on. [End of footnote 1] The Supreme Lord's separated parts or vibhinnamsa are of two categories. The ordinary jivas possess only fifty of the Lord's transcendental characteristics, and these in lesser degree. But in the second category of jivas, including the demigods, the same fifty characteristics are found in full potency. Additionally, five more qualities are partially evident in Siva. These five qualities are exhibited in full potency only by the Visnu category.
Thus the Visnu forms are adorned to the fullest degree with the fiftyfive qualities of the demigods. They furthermore display an extra five qualities for a total of sixty, which are visible to a degree of absolute fullness in Lord Narayana alone.
Siva and the other demigods are the Supreme Lord's servitors.
Though the demigods are superior jivas, the Supreme Lord Visnu is the master and controller of the jivas and demigods alike.
ree prospers, but by watering the limbs, leaves and branches, the tree withers and dies. Only foolish people who have forgotten all Vedic principles can commit such a mistake. They fail to understand that worship of Lord Visnu is an eternal activity in pure goodness, beyond the three material modes.
Due to the advent of Kali Yuga and the contamination of Mayavada, people disregard the supreme position of Lord Visnu and worship the demigods independently of Him. Individual demigods offer only specific benefits, while the Supreme Lord Visnu alone can offer all benedictions. He is the maintainer of everyone.
If only these greedy materialists could realize the advantage of worshiping Lord Visnu, they would abandon that kind of demigod worship.
Brahma, Ganesa and Surya have been invested with the Supreme Lord's potencies. Hence, they are powerful. The Supreme Lord is one, the rest are His energies.
The householder devotee should abandon outright all materialism in the execution of his duties. He should increase his mood of pure devotion while satisfying his social and religious obligations according to the varnasrama system. He should be convinced that just by worshiping Krsna and His devotees, all results will be attained.
[Footnote 2 by Bhaktivinoda] Human society should conduct itself according to the guidelines of the varnasrama system; such a lifestyle is called sanatanadharma or 'eternal religion'.
India is the land of piety (punyabhumi), and the varnasrama religious system was introduced and implemented there by great sages of yore. In other countries varnasrama is also present in some form, though it never evolved into the perfected socioªreligious system that was established in India. Human nature cannot find full expression nor attain consummation without the social divisions of varna. [End of footnote 2] Even the lowborn outcastes are fully eligible to enter devotional service to Krsna. But they must live their lives free from sin and offenses; they will do that only by submitting to the duties of householder life prescribed at least for the sudra class. Without situating oneself in one of the four varnas, there is no question of dharma or religious life. Even those desiring just their own material welfare respect the customs of varnasramadharma.
nlishes all this simply by chanting the holy name and engaging in devotional service.
Moreover, one attains bhava or spiritual ecstacy by these same devotional practices. With the advent of bhava, one transcends the jurisdiction of rules and regulations.
As long as one needs a regulated, formal social life, he must remain within the bounds of varnasrama. But after the first stirrings of love of Godhead with the attainment of bhava, the jiva's own divine nature becomes apparent: he will then require no further inspiration from the external guidelines of varnasramadharma. The mood of bhava is incomprehensible to materialistic persons because it is transcendentally dynamic, appearing in a person by its own volition regardless of that person's varna or asrama. The Vaisnava householder who follows this path of Krsna conscious varnasramadharma with singlemindedness, shunning the Mayavadi contamination, thus transcends the limits of varna and asrama.
hing more. But such arguments are foolish and nihilistic. The Mayavadi viewpoint stems from madness and a stubborn ignorance of the fact that the Supreme Lord is endowed with omnipotency. 'Omnipotent Brahman' is verily a name for the Supreme Person, Lord Visnu. [End of footnote] The intelligence of the Mayavadi philosopher is extremely demented. Seeing that the material existence is variegated, he concludes that the spiritual existence, being opposite to the material realm, must be void. This incomplete, immature theorizing leads him to imagine Brahman as dry and impersonal. In itsn But anyone who comprehends the transcendental nature of the name, form and qualities of the Supreme Lord, knowing them to be not different from Him, can perceive Lord Krsna in His divine fullness by chanting His holy name purely.
Duality exists only on the material plane here a name is different from the object it identifies. But as this is not the case on the spiritual platform, it is a gross blunder to imagine such a difference between the Lord and His name, form, qualities and so on. The same pitfall entraps those who consider Siva and other demigods to be independent of the Supreme Lord's control.
holy name and chant the name constantly. Thus he attains prema.
His entire success is found in the holy name.
only in that body are spiritual activities possible to perform, unlike any other species.
A demigod or denizen of the heavenly planets is destined only to enjoy the reactions of his past good karma. He cannot voluntarily initiate any spiritual activities. Animals are likewise bound by karmic reactions and are too steeped in gross ignorance to undertake any pious activities independently. The human birth alone is most conducive for spiritual life and service to the Supreme Lord.
debates and mischievious logic. He must evade such pitfalls, surrender to the spiritual master's instructions and receive the proper mantra from him. As for householders, they should take shelter of a bonafide spiritual master and remain within the varnasrama system.
For one who is determined to renounce, a spiritual master in the sannyasa order is best. By receiving spiritual guidance and initiation from a sannyasaguru, the renunciate will very quickly relish the ecstacy of chanting the holy name.nnd the many siksagurus are to be equally respected.
iritual master.
l of Krsnaprema.
he right person. Basically, the spiritual master must be a pure devotee of the Lord.
l his feet and beg shelter from him and in this way act to please him. Simply by behaving thusly, one can easily develop a taste for chanting, which in turn offers all perfection. All this is confirmed in the Vedas. But if one offends the namaguru, the spiritual master who initiates one into the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, he will surely fall into the sinful company of atheists.
[Footnote 4 by Bhaktivinoda] The namaguru teaches scriptural conclusions and reveals the esoteric nature of the holy name, and he initiates the disciple in the mantra consisting of the holy name. The Vaisnava diksaguru is the namaguru, and the diksamantra is namatmika, receiving its life from the holy name.
The mantra loses its meaning and purpose if it is separated from the holy name, and conversely, simply by uttering the holy name of the Lord, the mantra is automatically chanted. [End of footnote 4].
nupreme Lord Krsna's own lips.
This literature establishes and proves the Absolute Truth. It contains transcendental knowledge that is beyond the range of the material senses, and it can be understood by Lord Krsna's grace alone.
The senses are capable of experiencing only material objects; transcendence lies completely beyond their bounds. The science of Krsna consciousness is purely spiritual: hence it is transcendental. That knowledge of transcendence has been mercifully given by Lord Krsna in the Vedic literature for the ultimate benefit of humanity. The word veda specifically refers to scriptural knowledge received through the proper authorized disciplic succession or parampara.
Human beings are born with four natural faults: they commit errors, they are subject to illusion, they have the propensity to cheat, and they have imperfect senses. Everything they do is tainted by these faults. Vedic literature is free from any mistakes or discrepancies. It is the only means to spiritual salvation. The Vedic knowledge was originally revealed by the mercy of Lord Krsna. It was compiled by sages who had received this knowledge while in samadhi, or total spiritual absorbtion, far beyond the range of the four natural human faults.
only Supreme Absolute Truth. The second is that He is omnipotent. The third is that He is Rasamurti, the embodiment of all spiritual mellows. He is the source of bliss for all living entities and He eternally resides in His abode in the spiritual sky. These first three teaching pertain to the Supreme Lord, Krsna.
ch is the means to acheive prayojana, the supreme goal.nyoga, but without understanding its real goal realization of Paramatma.
Nagna spread poison by teaching tantric practices in the mode of ignorance. Carvaka Nastika was an atheist who never accepted the Vedic authority, and Sugata devised his own path of religion in place of the sruti. Gautama propagated logic and did not worship the Supreme Lord.
These mischievious interpretations are in fact offenses against the Vedic literature. Through sophism, such philosophers speak halftruths that are likely to confuse the ordinary listener, though a learned devotee knows their sole object is to defame the sruti. One who develops faith in these theories becomes an offender. Therefore the devotee avoids hearing them. nstandings are applicable, it is wrong to substitute secondary understandings in their place. These principle meanings all indicate the science of Krsna consciousness.
To artificially impose secondary meanings upon the Vedic statements is a sin that distances one from the Absolute Truth.
From beginning to end, the srutisastra expounds the superexcellence of the syllable om. The omkara is a name of Krsna, and by chanting the Lord's name, the jiva attains the Lord's supreme abode. The Vaisnava devotees of the Sri Sampradaya chant om as a holy name of the Lord. The Vedas declare the holy name to be the trancendental form of the Supreme Lord in this material world; even namabhasa, the holy name's indistinct appearance, grants all perfection. Only unfortunate fools will purposefully disregard such Vedic teachings and thus ruin their lives by offenses.
spiritual energy is Lord Krsna's original and primeval energy. Maya (Durga, Kali) is its shadow. Her intention is to rectify the erring jivas who drift away from Krsna and bring them back to Krsna consciousness. Indeed, this is her prime duty to the Lord.
[Footnote 2 by Bhaktivinoda:] Maya showers two kinds of graces niskapata (honest and unrestricted) and sakapata (capricious and illusory). By her niskapata mercy she gives bhakti by way of jnana (bhaktijnanamisra). Her sakapata mercy gives temporary pleasures that overwhelm the jiva, bringing him under the control of illusion. And when she is thoroughly merciless, she casts the jiva into brahmasayuja liberation; thus he is doomed.
H OFFENSE
All glories to Lord Gauranga and Srila Gadadhara Pandita; all glories to Sri Sri Radha Madhava. All glories to the places of Lord Gauranga's pastimes and all the Vaisnava devotees of the Lord.
"O Lord Gauranga! The fifth namaparadha is to think that the glories of the holy name are exaggerated, as for example when one thinks, 'The scriptural presentation of the glories of the Lord's holy name is not entirely true, because hyperbole has been employed to increase the readers' faith in the chanting of the name.'" It is a fact that in the karmakanda and jnanakanda sections of the Vedas, ritualism and philosophical speculation have been overly praised. Such praises are intended to elicit interest in these processes. But the same is not true in the case of the holy name. Therefore to think so is an abominable offense.
ellent qualities of the name contain exaggerations. Whoever commits such an abominable offense rots eternally in hell. Offenders claim that misrepresentations have been made to increase attraction for chanting. They have no idea of the purport of the scriptures and of what is beneficial for humanity, because they take everything backwards.
Because they have no reserve of previous pious activities (bhaktisukrti), they can never develop faith in the scriptural science of devotional service. The chanting of the holy name iszize the glories of the holy name? The follower of karmakanda is supposed to gradually realize that pious fruitive works, being material, give only unimportant fruits. He should then perform his duties free of self interest.
This will purify his heart and help him to see the need for chanting the holy name. A purified heart strives for selfªrealization and is naturally repelled by material activities.
Thus the real success of karma kanda, when performed without material motivation, is attraction for the chanting the holy name of the Lord. Pious results that a brahmana could not accrue anywhere in the entire universe are easily obtained by chanting Krsna's name. The supreme position of the chanting of the holy name cannot be diminished by the envious statements of stubborn karmis and jnanis.
Simply by namabhasa chanting one gains all the results of the paths of karma and jnana. So if mere namabhasa offers such wonderful results, then surely the pure name will offer so much more, unlimitedly. Therefore, whatever results the scriptures say are gained from chanting are easily obtainable by the devotee who is attached to the pure name.
re is no point in objecting to these arrangements. An intelligent person will therefore carefully avoid offending the allpowerful name of the Lord.
rpated. All previous sins are then dissolved, and the heart shines with positive purity. Sinful activities sprout from the seeds of sinful desire in the heart, and the sinful desire seeds are rooted in ignorance; these three (ignorance, the seeds of sin and sin) are the source of all suffering for the conditioned soul. Not being able to bear the sufferings of His dependent parts and parcels, the Lord in His infinite compassion gives them help through the process of bhaktiyoga by which the lust to enjoy the senses is driven from their hearts.
As one practices bhakti, he finds materialistic endeavor to enjoy wealth and women repulsive. He follows the path of righteousness, being satisfied in his service to the Lord. He accepts only what is favorable for executing devotional service and rejects that which is unfavorable. He has absolute conviction in all situations that Lord Krsna is his protector, savior and maintainer. He is free from attachments to the body and the notions of 'me' and 'mine.' In a humble state of mind, he constantly chants the holy name of the Lord. Such a person is never again inclined to sinful activities.
denies the shelter of Lord Krsna's lotus feet, he immediatly falls down. The scriptures testify that whoever simply embraces the Lord's protection is an elevated soul, and his progress will never be impeded by obstacles.
and, disguised in the renunciate's attire, travel from country to country, their hearts smoldering with desires for wealth and women. Such persons are called markata vairagis or 'monkey renunciates'.
These unfortunate fellows dress as sannyasis but nurture the householder mentality. They are nothing more than dead weights upon mother earth and human society and must be avoided. A devotee who has taken shelter of the holy name can live in anynhas not strengthened his chanting to the point of full surrender to the holy name, he must be very vigilant to avoid offenses. He must especially guard against the offense of commiting sin on the strength of chanting. He should continuously chant the holy name and thus attract his spiritual master's mercy, which yields sambandhajnana. This knowledge reveals the science of pure devotion and the pure holy name.
ng. Lord Krsna's name is the jiva's most valuable treasure. Faith means to have complete conviction that chanting Lord Krsna's name will automatically fulfill all duties and complete all pious activities. Those who do not possess such faith are unfit to chant.
carries the chanter across the material ocean of nescience. But as long as one has not developed sufficient sraddha, he is unfit to chant.
One should hear the glories of the holy name from a saintly Vaisnava. Becoming humble by hearing his instructions, he should cast aside material desires and begin to chant. When the Vaisnava spiritual master perceives the proper degree of sraddha in the candidate, he initiates him into the greatest spiritual treasure Krsna's holy name. But to initiate a faithless person is an abominable offense. The guru goes to hell if he gives initiation to a faithless person for remuneration.
If the guru knows that a person who has approached him for initiation is an insincere, faithless pretender, and yet he still heedlessly initiates this unfit person out of consideration for the material gain it may bring him, he is condemned as a namaparadhi. If the guru was unable to make a correct assessment and gave the candidate initiation only to later discover that he is a pretender, he must make immediate redress for his mistake.
be propagated widely among the masses. Those who are faithful will come forward and choose a bona fide spiritual master, receiving instructions and initiation in the name from him. By sincere chanting they will surely obtain love of Godhead, Krsnaprema.
"Prostitutes, criminals, cheaters and other sinful people should first be made to give up their unrighteous, harmful ways.
Sincere faith should then be implanted in their hearts by good association. When their faith in Krsna's holy name matures, only then may they receive initiation. This is the duty of a preacher as he goes from place to place.
chanting the name." s, charity, yoga, the practice of varnasramadharma, pilgrimages, vows, offerings to forefathers, meditation, cultivation of empirical knowledge, propitiation of demigods, penances, austerities, etc. All these activities are means to mundane objectives. But after a long period of practice of subhakarma, the performer gradually obtains the real goal of all his endeavors the shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord. At this juncture, he must abandon the temporary ways of subhakarma, for he now knows the genuine essence of all religious duties bhakti, devotion to the Lord.
Subhakarma is indeed a viable path for conditioned souls to attain the ultimate goal, i.e. love of Godhead. Yet one fact must be clearly stated reaching perfection through subhakarma is a timeconsuming affair. The ultimate objective is Krsnaªprema, which is fully spiritual, but on the subhakarma path, the means to attain it is mundane. Thus there is a gulf of difference between the means and the objective.
[Footnote 1 by Bhaktivinoda] The evolution of the jiva from mundane religiousity to Krsna consciousness is the master plan of Providence, which impels the jiva to aspire for perfection. The conditioned souls cannot exist without contacting matter. All their thoughts and activities are intimately woven into the fabric of materialism. Pious activities (subhakarma) provide a means for the jiva to approach pure devotion through skillful efforts of material contact. Simultaneously, this contact with matter gives rise to discontent and suffering. Therefore, to achieve the bliss of Krsna consciousness, in the end the jiva must give up subhakarma. [End of footnote 1] supreme goal, but some persons understand this to mean that chanting is one of many subhakarmas.
This misconception is similar to Lord Visnu being seen as just another demigod like Siva or Brahma.
The holy name is fully spiritual and transcendental to material nature. It is untainted by matter. Though the jiva is likewise spiritual, he thinks himself material due to gross ignorance. Consequently, he thinks that everything, including the holy name of the Lord, is also material. Thus the chanting of Lord Krsna's holy name came to be categorized as subhakarma, and the jivas with Mayavadi leanings are convinced that this is right and proper. But those who adhere to this view are excluded from the path of devotional service.
e holy name of Krsna.
arthas will multiply due to his committing namaparadha. But with this proper understanding and faith, the pure name manifests very quickly. [End of footnote 2]
the nectar of the holy name.
than sadhanaªbhakti.' y. This helps him to soon sever his links with materialism.
Another effective method for ridding oneself of apathy towards the holy name is to sit in a closed room alone and meditate on the name as did the previous sages. Or one can cover the head and face with a cloth and concentrate on the sound of the holy name. This will immediately fix the mind firmly on the holy name; slowly, one develops attraction for the name, and the offense of apathetic inattentiion will vanish.
ion, success and the cheating propensity. When these attractions cover the heart, the neophyte becomes neglectful of the chanting of the holy name.
zOnly by the grace of the Lord can this be achieved. Thus one should pray to the Lord that he never falls victim to the wiles of the illusion of distraction, and that he can continue to taste the full nectar of the holy name.
eads. Four rounds on the beads makes a granthi. By gradually increasing his chanting, the sadhaka should aspire to chant 16 granthis or one lakha of holy names: this number is considered as nirbandha. If chanting is then even further increased to three lakhas of names, the devotee will always be immersed in the Lord's holy name. All the previous acaryas and mahajanas have followed this instruction of Lord Caitanya and attained perfection. Even now, anyone can attain perfection by proper chanting. Everyone, including the pure devotees, the salvationists, and the materialistic persons are eligible to chant the holy name of the Lord.
Two different moods of Krsnaprema are visible in pure devotees, but the nectar of the holy name is relished in both of these moods, in the happiness of meeting the Lord and in the pangs of separation from the Lord.
One who wears the gem of Harinama Cintamani as a crown upon his head will certeinly find shelter at Srila Haridasa Thakura's lotus feet.
proper cultivation of devotional service. This is a terrible offense that is only gotten rid of when one surrenders to the holy Name.
mpassion for the suffering souls. In times of both joy and sorrow I remain eternally Lord Krsna's servitor. My moments of material enjoyment and my moods of renunciation are experienced only due to the Lord's will.' When these feelings arise spontaneously, one achieves the stage of atmanivedana (surrender of the soul).
ice becomes disgusted with material life; leaving it, he takes full shelter of the holy Name.
anting awards him the divine fruit of bhava, the first stage of prema. Thus the offenseless chanter is promoted from the sadhana or practice stage to bhava, or spontaneous pure devotional service. From bhava comes prema, which, according to the scriptures, is the mature fruit of pure devotion, the pinnaccle of all perfection. Lord Caitanya personally guarantees that if any devotee chants the holy name free from offenses, he will quickly obtain Krsnaprema.
estroyed, they can never reappear. Constant chanting means, apart from a minimal time for rest and other bare physical necessities, that one should chant throughout all hours of the day with intense contrition. No other penance or ritual is as effective as this.
When the offenses are destroyed, the pure holy name blossoms within the heart. The pure name of Krsna delivers bhava and finally prema.
Srila Haridasa Thakura concluded, "O Lord Caitanya, I humbly pray at Your lotus feet that the ten offenses in chanting the holy name of the Lord never find a place in my heart. Please kindly grant that I may remain submerged in the nectar of the pure name." Bhaktivinoda, the servant of the devotees, is able to recite Harinama Cintamani in great delight only on the strength of Srila Haridasa Thakura's causeless mercy.
ce of transcendental mellows, and now you have revealed the glories of the holy name. Kindly tell me something about the different kinds of offenses made in the execution of devotional service to the Deity." Srila Haridasa Thakura replied, "You are asking about a subject that is known to a servant of the Deity. All my time is taken up in serving the holy name. I don't know how to reply, yet I cannot disregard Your instruction. I will speak whatever you make me say." efore the Deity; 21) using obscene language before the Deity; 22) belching or passing air before the Deity; 23) offering substandard paraphernalia in the service of the Deity in spite of having better; 24) eating or drinking unoffered food; 25) not offering seasonal fruits and vegetables; 26) offering the Deity contaminated food, or food first eaten by someone else; 27) sitting with one's back to the Deity; 28) acting immodestly before the Deity, as by sitting directly in front of the Deity; 29) respecting or worshiping someone else before the Deity; 30) not glorifying and offering obeisances to one's spiritual master before the Deity; 31) glorifying oneself before the the Deity; 32) slandering the demigods before the Deity.
ile sitting on the bare floor; to touch the Lord with the left hand while bathing the Deity; to offer old or already offered fruits or flowers; to boast during worshiping; to spit habitualnization may then fully submerge himself in the nectar of chanting the holy name, leaving aside other services.
[Editor's footnote:] Lord Caitanya instructed Srila Raghunatha das Goswami on the worship of Sri GovardhanSila thusly (as recorded in Caitanya Caritamrita, Antya 6.294-304): '"This stone is the transcendental form of Lord Krsna.
Worship the stone with great eagerness. Worship this stone in the mode of goodness like a perfect brahmana, for by such worship you will surely attain ecstatic love of Krsna without delay. For such worship, one needs a jug of water and a few flowers from a Tulasi tree. This is worship in complete goodness when performed in complete purity. With faith and love, you should offer eight soft Tulasi flowers, each with two Tulasi leaves, one on each side of each flower." 'After thus advising him how to worship, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally offered Raghunatha das the Govardhana-Silan footnote]
It is on the strength of Srila Haridas Thakura's instruc tions that a lowly person without means can recite the Harinam Cintamani.
perceive transcendental variegatedness. Rasa is eternal, full of cognizance and everªblissful, eversheltered at Lord Krsna's lotus feet.
The Supreme Absolute Truth exists as saktiman or the Energetic and sakti or the Energy. Qualitatively, saktiman and sakti are the same, though differences between the two are to be appreciated. Saktiman is always the Supreme Controller, willful and independent; sakti always displays His full and supreme potency. His sakti or potency manifests in three ways: the cit potency or the spiritual nature, the jiva, and maya or the material nature.
The cit potency reveals the Supreme Truth, His name, abode, pastimes and beauty. Lord Krsna is that Supreme Truth. His exquisite dark complexion, syama, is His beauty. Goloka is His abode and the place of His pastimes. His name, abode, form,zerated jiva is entitled to render eternal devotional service. The eternally conditioned jiva is engrossed in material activities. He can also be said to be of two types: extroverted and introspective.
The introspective nityabaddha jivas are searching for the Absolute Truth. The extroverted jivas are totally absorbed in the external features of gross matter and thus are far removed from Krsna. They simply want to exploit things meant for Lord Krsna's service for their own enjoyment. The more fortunate and pious jivas amongst the introspective ones come into contact with devotees and in their association take to the chanting the Lord's holy name, which transports them through the portals of the spiritual world. The less fortunate introspective jivas are attracted to the paths of karma and jnana by which they worship various demigods or finally merge into the impersonal Brahman.
as Bhaktiªdevi, who embodies the full mixture of the hladini and samvit potencies. This mixture is called the bhaktisvarupamsakti, the potency of the form of pure devotion. When his latent bliss and knowledge are infused with this bhaktisvarupamsakti, the spontaneous loving attitude required for entering the astaªkaliyalila appears in the heart of the chanter of the holy name.
als - dharma, artha, kama, moksha; but in fact the pinnacle of all these perfections is rasa. The fully realized and perfected beings are entitled to taste that rasa.
the holy name; of them, hearing, chanting and remembering are the best.
Chanting automatically manifests the other limbs of devotional service, like pada-sevanam, dasyam, sakhyam, atma- nivedanam, and so on. Thus the process of Deity worship is automatically accomplished by the devotee surrendered to the holy name. But the devotee attracted to Deity worship will have to acquire attraction for hearing and chanting in order to attain complete perfection in Krsna consciousness.
votee must in the beginning discard the ten offenses and simply absorb himself in the holy name by chanting constantly. He should distinctly pronounce the holy name and meditate upon the transcendental sound vibration. When his chanting is steady, clear and blissful, he will be able to meditate upon the Syamasundara form of the Lord. With chanting beads in hand, he should thus seek out the transcendental form of the holy name, which will appear when his vision is pure.
Another method he may employ to see this form is to sit in front of the Deities, drink the beautiful sight of the Lord with his eyes and meditate upon the holy name. After reaching the stage where the holy name and the form of the Lord become one, he must then absorb the transcendental qualities of Lord Krsna into his meditation. Thus the holy name and the qualities of Krsna merge to become one through constant chanting.
Next, he goes on to practice the remembrance of particular pastimes of the Lord. This remembrance, called mantradhyana mayi upasana, facilitates further absorbtion into the holy name. This lila-smarana or pastime meditation also gradually become one with the holy name, form, and qualities.
At this point, the first rays of namarasa, or the transcendental mellow of the holy name, dawn on the horizon of perception. Chanting the name in great delight, the devotee sees Krsna surrounded by cowherd boys and girls under a desire tree at the Yoga Pitha. Progressively, the devotee's practice of lila-smarana intensifies to the point where he begins to meditate on the most confidential pastimes of the Lord known as the asta-kaliya- lila, or the eightfold pastimes of RadhaKrsna. When he reaches maturity in this meditation, rasa rises in full glory.
ho, in his eternal spiritual form (siddha-svarupa), guides the disciple to a sakhi (confidential gopi) who in turn introduces him into the pastimes of the Lord. Of all the gopis, Srimati Radharani, the daughter of King Vrisabhanu, is the most excellent. She embodys the highest spiritual sentiment, mahabhava.
Serving Krsna under Her leadership is the supreme spiritual experience.
The five main rasas or spiritual mellows are: santa (neutrality), dasya (servitorship), sakhya (friendship), vatsalya (parenthood), and sringara or madhurya (conjugal). Of these, sringara or conjugal is the highest. Devotees eligible to enter the conjugal rasa are the recipients of the special mercy of Sri Krsna Caitanya.
In the conjugal rasa, Lord Krsna has many yutheswaris orxll be revealed by the grace of Krsna. The cultivation of the conjugal loving relationship with the Lord is the highest mode of service; by this, everincreasing Krsnaprema will be experienced. By adopting the bhaumavrajarasa, or the vrajarasa revealed on this material plane in Vrindavandhama, one becomes eligible to enter such conjugal love.
Sri Ramananda Raya said, 'Therefore one should accept the mood of the gopis in their service. In such a transcendental mood, one should always think of the pastimes of Sri Radha and Krsna. After thinking of Sri Sri RadhaKrsna and Their pastimes for a long time and after getting completely free from material contamination, one is transferred to the spiritual world. There the devotees attain an opportunity to serve Sri Radha and Krsna as one of the gopis. Unless one follows in the footsteps of the gopis he can not attain the service of the lotus feet of Krsna, the son of Nanda Maharaja. If one is overcome by knowledge of the Lord's opulence, he can not attain the Lord's lotus feet even though he is engaged in devotional service." (Sri Caitanyaªcaritamrita, Madhya 8.228230) The devotee who is inclined to cultivate the conjugal rasa must accept the form of a gopi under the guidance of a superior vrajagopi. One can become a gopi when eleven transcendental sentiments adorn the heart. They are: 1) sambandha (relationship), 2) vayasa (age), 3) nama (name), 4) rupa (form), 5) yutha-pravesa (entrance into a group), 6) vesa (attire), 7) ajna (instructions), 8) vasasthana (place of residence), 9) seva (service), 10) parakastha (excellence), 11) palyadasi-bhava (the mood of a kept maidservant).
aya says, 'One who is attracted by the ecstatic love of the gopis does not care about the regulative principles of Vedic life or popular opinion. Rather, he completely surrenders unto Krsna and renders service unto Him.' 'In this liberated stage the devotee is attracted by one of the five humors (rasas) in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.
As he continues to serve the Lord in that mood, he attains a spiritual body to serve Krsna in Goloka Vrindavan.' (Sri Caitanyacaritamrita, Madhya 8.220, 8.222) So saying, Srila Ramananda Raya instructs us to first attain the form and mood of a vraja- gopi in order to obtain service in the conjugal relationship.
When a sadhaka devotee, having heard about Lord Krsna's pastimes, is attracted to the conjugal mellow, he should take further instruction on rasa from a realized, saintly spiritual master. This is called the stage of hearing or sravana-dasa.
When the sadhaka devotee anxiously and eagerly accepts the conjugal mellow, varana-dasa commences. Then, by pure remembrance of the sentiments of rasa, he desires to practice them: thus he reaches the third stage, smarana-dasa. When he is able to perfectly invoke these sentiments of rasa, he attains apana- dasa or prapti-dasa. Finally, when he can separate himself from all his temporary material designations and is steadily fixed in that original spiritual identity for which he yearns, he has reached sampati-dasa: the inheritance of his spiritual identity.
understand them, the sadhaka is shown his siddhadeha or spiritual identity, viz. his spiritual name, form, qualities, service and so on. The spiritual master also discloses who the parents of the sadhaka's manjariidentity are, at which house she was born, who her husband is, and so on. At this point, the disciple must spurn all Vedic religious pursuits and simply be a fully surrendered maidservant of Srimati Radharani, the camp leader; thereafter, the guru will reveal in detail the disciple's eternal service to Srimati Radharani in the asta-kaliya-lila. The sadhika (now a female sadhaki) embraces these revelations in varanadasa. He enters into smaranadasa when he actually remembers them for himself. In this way, the sadhaka prepares himself for spiritual birth as a gopi in Vraja.
fruit of their devotion, or else return to a life of anarthas.
The great devotee Syamananda at first was not aware of his own siddharuci or permanent devotional propensity; he was made to embrace the sakhyarasa or the mood of friendship. Later, by the grace of Srila Jiva Goswami, he attained his real position.
If an inappropriate ruci is falsely attached to the sadhaka, it is compared to the gopiidentity's acceptance of a husband. But by the grace of his spiritual master, the sadhaka at last attains Krsna's service in the parakiyarasa or paramour relationship. Rasa comes to a full bloom only in the parakiya mood. The summit of Lord Caitanya's teachings is that the parakiya attitude is the permanent feature of the pastimes of the Lord, both in their appearance [when Krsna descends to Vrajabhumi] and their disappearance [into the invisible Vraja of the transcendental world].
a renounced and simple life. Internally, he keeps the splendorous Editor's note: refer to C.c. Adi 4.50, purport, for further elaboration on this topic. zage of apanadasa via vaidhisadhana
The vaidhibhakta crosschecks all his activities of service to Krsna with scriptural injunction. Thus his beginning faith (sraddha) for the process of devotional service leads him step by step to nistha (firm faith), then to ruci (taste or attraction), then asakti (attachment). When he reaches the first stage of spontaneity and slight bhava, he discards his dependence upon scriptural directives as an impediment to his progress. After this, he is elevated to the stage of apana-dasa, where the difference between devotees following vaidhi and raganuga disappear.
al body is reduced to insignificance. His spiritual identity (svarupa) becomes more and more predominant. Intermittently, it manifests and he experiences sublime ecstasy in rendering devotional service to Sri Sri RadhaKrsna in Vraja.
These experiences develop until he spends long periods of time in Vraja interacting with the residents in his vraja-svarupa, seeing the dhama and the transcendental pastimes within.
The devotee's constant namabhajana inevitably brings about a face to face meeting with Lord Syamasundera. By the Lord's merciful will, all trace of the devotee's subtle body of mind, intelligence and false ego are extinguished with the demise of the gross body of five elements. Thus he enters the sampatiªdasa stage.
This is when the devotee's pure spiritual form fully manifests, free of material coverings. In the mood of pure bhava, he takes up his eternal service to Sri Sri RadhaKrsna in the transcedental dhama. He thus becomes a sadhana-siddha or a perfected soul now reinstated in his svarupa through practice of sadhana and bhajana. He now serves the Lord in the company of the nityasiddhas, the eternal associates of the Lord who were never conditioned.
s not keep the companyznce to him. "O Haridasa! Listen attentively to what I have to say.
The truth about the holy name will be hidden by mischievious rascals who will create a dark shroud of ignorance over the entire world. At that time, these excellent and unrivalled instructions of yours about chanting in the association of saintly persons shall be understood only by a remaining handful of devotees." What did Lord Caitanya mean by 'mischievous rascals'? The prime candidates for this appellation are the various upstart sects like the sahajiyas, aulas, baulas and so on, who propagate bogus mundane doctrines disguised as Mahaprabhu's own teachings; they indeed conceal from the world the pure philosophy of Krsna consciousness expounded by the Lord Himself in His Siksastaka.
The Lord continued, "The true path of the holy name will be followed by saintly souls who are totally detached from material life. They will chant the holy name with bhava and will therefore be known be known as rasikabhaktas. Their bhava will bezy pray that the remnants of this nectar should be distributed profusely, thus spreading divine bliss to everyone.
e to perceive transcendental variegatedness. Rasa is eternal, full of cognizance and everªblissful, eversheltered at Lord Krsna's lotus feet.
The Supreme Absolute Truth exists as saktiman or the Energetic and sakti or the Energy. Qualitatively, saktiman and sakti are the same, though differences between the two are to be appreciated. Saktiman is always the Supreme Controller, willful and independent; sakti always displays His full and supreme potency. His sakti or potency manifests in three ways: the citly liberated jiva is entitled to render eternal devotional service. The eternally conditioned jiva is engrossed in material activities. He can also be said to be of two types: extroverted and introspective.
The introspective nityabaddha jivas are searching for the Absolute Truth. The extroverted jivas are totally absorbed in the external features of gross matter and thus are far removed from Krsna. They simply want to exploit things meant for Lord Krsna's service for their own enjoyment. The more fortunate and pious jivas amongst the introspective ones come into contact with devotees and in their association take to the chanting the Lord's holy name, which transports them through the portals of the spiritual world. The less fortunate introspective jivas are attracted to the paths of karma and jnana by which they worship various demigods or finally merge into the impersonal Brahman.
as Bhaktiªdevi, who embodies the full mixture of the hladini and samvit potencies. This mixture is called the bhaktisvarupamsakti, the potency of the form of pure devotion. When his latent bliss and knowledge are infused with this bhaktisvarupamsakti, the spontaneous loving attitude required for entering the astaªkaliyalila appears in the heart of the chanter of the holy name.
our goals - dharma, artha, kama, moksha; but in fact the pinnacle of all these perfections is rasa. The fully realized and perfected beings are entitled to taste that rasa.
f devotional service reside in the holy name; of them, hearing, chanting and remembering are the best. [End of footnote 1]
Chanting automatically manifests the other limbs of devotional service, like pada-sevanam, dasyam, sakhyam, atma- nivedanam, and so on. Thus the process of Deity worship is automatically accomplished by the devotee surrendered to the holy name. But the devotee attracted to Deity worship will have tolmediate or madhyama devotee is pure and is very firmly situated in faith. The uttama or advanced devotee is completely indifferent to material things and is fully surrendered to Krsna. The pure name avails Himself to those who have exclusive faith in Krsna. [End of footnote 2] When his chanting is steady, clear and blissful, he will be able to meditate upon the Syamasundara form of the Lord. With chanting beads in hand, he should thus seek out the transcendental form of the holy name, which will appear when his vision is pure.
Another method he may employ to see this form is to sit in front of the Deities, drink the beautiful sight of the Lord with his eyes and meditate upon the holy name. After reaching the stage where the holy name and the form of the Lord become one, he must then absorb the transcendental qualities of Lord Krsna into his meditation. Thus the holy name and the qualities of Krsna merge to become one through constant chanting.
Next, he goes on to practice the remembrance of particular pastimes of the Lord. This remembrance, called mantradhyana mayinow the devotee realizes the full grace of his spiritual master, who, in his eternal spiritual form (siddha-svarupa), guides the disciple to a sakhi (confidential gopi) who in turn introduces him into the pastimes of the Lord. Of all the gopis, Srimati Radharani, the daughter of King Vrisabhanu, is the most excellent. She embodys the highest spiritual sentiment, mahabhava.
Serving Krsna under Her leadership is the supreme spiritual experience.
[Footnote 3 by Bhaktivinoda:] The five main rasas or spiritual mellows are: santa (neutrality), dasya (servitorship), sakhya (friendship), vatsalya (parenthood), and sringara or madhurya (conjugal). Of these, sringara or conjugal is the highest. Devotees eligible to enter the conjugal rasa are the recipients of the special mercy of Sri Krsna Caitanya.
In the conjugal rasa, Lord Krsna has many yutheswaris or female group leaders; but everyone prefers Srimati Radharani.
She is the direct manifestation of Lord Krsna's svarupa-sakti or spiritual potency, and all the other vraja-gopis are Her expansions. She is the Absolute embodiment of all the rasas. It is therefore the goal of devotional service to enroll in Her yutha or group. Service to Lord Krsna in Vraja is impossible without first taking shelter of the vrajagopis. One should furthermore aspire to enter Srimati Radharani's camp and serve directly under Lalitadevi. [End of footnote 3] e framed in words. Beyond it, there are even higher stages of Krsna consciousness that are indescribable. These will be revealed by the grace of Krsna. The cultivation of the conjugal loving relationship with the Lord is the highest mode of service; by this, everincreasing Krsnaprema will be experienced. By adopting the bhaumavrajarasa, or the vrajarasa revealed on this material plane in Vrindavandhama, one becomes eligible to enter such conjugal love.
[Editor's footnote:] Sri Ramananda Raya said, 'Therefore one should accept the mood of the gopis in their service. In such a transcendental mood, one should always think of the pastimes of Sri Radha and Krsna. After thinking of Sri Sri RadhaKrsna and Their pastimes for a long time and after getting completely free from material contamination, one is transferred to the spiritual world. There the devotees attain an opportunity to serve Sri Radha and Krsna as one of the gopis. Unless one follows in the footsteps of the gopis he can not attain the service of the lotus feet of Krsna, the son of Nanda Maharaja. If one is overcome by knowledge of the Lord's opulence, he can not attain the Lord's lotus feet even though he is engaged in devotional service." (Sri Caitanyacaritamrita, Madhya 8.228230) [End of editor's footnote] The devotee who is inclined to cultivate the conjugal rasa must accept the form of a gopi under the guidance of a superior vrajagopi. One can become a gopi when eleven transcendental sentiments adorn the heart. They are: 1) sambandha (relationship), 2) vayasa (age), 3) nama (name), 4) rupa (form), 5) yutha-pravesa (entrance into a group), 6) vesa (attire), 7) ajna (instructions), 8) vasasthana (place of residence), 9) seva (service), 10) parakastha (excellence), 11) palyadasi-bhava (the mood of a kept maidservant).
Five stages of consciousness are ascended in bhavasadhana
The cultivation of these eleven gopi sentiments develops through five stages. They are: 1) sravana-dasa (the stage of hearing), 2) varana-dasa (the stage of acceptance), 3) smarana- dasa (the stage of remembering), 4) apana-dasa (stage of application), and 5) sampati-dasa (stage of inheritance).
[Editor's footnote:] Srila Ramananda Raya says, 'One who is attracted by the ecstatic love of the gopis does not care about the regulative principles of Vedic life or popular opinion.
Rather, he completely surrenders unto Krsna and renders service unto Him.' 'In this liberated stage the devotee is attracted by one of the five humors (rasas) in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. As he continues to serve the Lord in that mood, he attains a spiritual body to serve Krsna in Goloka Vrindavan.' (Sri Caitanyacaritamrita, Madhya 8.220, 8.222) Son saying, Srila Ramananda Raya instructs us to first attain the form and mood of a vraja-gopi in order to obtain service in the conjugal relationship. [End of editor's footnote] When a sadhaka devotee, having heard about Lord Krsna's pastimes, is attracted to the conjugal mellow, he should take further instruction on rasa from a realized, saintly spiritual master. This is called the stage of hearing or sravana-dasa.
When the sadhaka devotee anxiously and eagerly accepts the conjugal mellow, varana-dasa commences. Then, by pure remembrance of the sentiments of rasa, he desires to practice them: thus he reaches the third stage, smarana-dasa. When he is able to perfectly invoke these sentiments of rasa, he attains apana- dasa or prapti-dasa. Finally, when he can separate himself from all his temporary material designations and is steadily fixed in that original spiritual identity for which he yearns, he has reached sampati-dasa: the inheritance of his spiritual identity.
[Footnote 4 by Bhaktivinoda] If, after having tested the disciple, the spiritual master determines that he is eligible to perform bhajan and serve in the sringara rasa, he then confidentially informs the disciple about his eternal spiritual form as a manjari in Srimati Radharani's camp, under the supervision of Sri Lalitadevi. The spiritual master teaches the disciple how to develop the eleven sentiments of the gopis, how to meditate on the asta-kaliya-lila, and how to properly be established in both.
So that he may fully understand them, the sadhaka is shown his siddhadeha or spiritual identity, viz. his spiritual name, form, qualities, service and so on. The spiritual master also discloses who the parents of the sadhaka's manjariidentity are, at which house she was born, who her husband is, and so on. At this point, the disciple must spurn all Vedic religious pursuits and simply be a fully surrendered maidservant of Srimati Radharani, the camp leader; thereafter, the guru will reveal in detail the disciple's eternal service to Srimati Radharani in the asta-kaliya-lila. The sadhika (now a female sadhaki) embraces these revelations in varanadasa. He enters into smaranadasa when he actually remembers them for himself. In this way, the sadhaka prepares himself for spiritual birth as a gopi in Vraja.
[End of footnote 4] But in the beginning the spiritual master and disciple must together sort out the disciple's natural inclination (ruci) for rasa. If the disciple finds his natural taste coincides with the identity indicated by the spiritual master, he should so inform his guru and embrace that identity as his life and soul. But if the disciple does not have a natural taste for the selected identity, he must frankly reveal this to his spiritual master, who will give him another identity. If the disciple has a taste for the new identity, he should accept it. His inherent nature will then manifest itself.
[Footnote 5 by Bhaktivinoda] Ruci or taste is the natural devotional propensity born out of bhaktisukriti, or previous devotional service. It may therefore be long standing or only recently developed. But in either case ruci is natural to the soul. When this inclination is determined by the spiritual master, it must be confirmed by the disciple. If the inclination is not fixed, the spiritual master's instructions on rasa will not take effect.
Those who are not attracted to the sringararasa, preferring dasya, sakhya or vatsalya, must likewise receive instructions from the spiritual master on these relationships in order to get the fruit of their devotion, or else return to a life of anarthas.
The great devotee Syamananda at first was not aware of his own siddharuci or permanent devotional propensity; he was made to embrace the sakhyarasa or the mood of friendship. Later, by the grace of Srila Jiva Goswami, he attained his real position.
If an inappropriate ruci is falsely attached to the sadhaka, it is compared to the gopiidentity's acceptance of a husband. But by the grace of his spiritual master, the sadhaka at last attains Krsna's service in the parakiyarasa or paramour relationship. Rasa comes to a full bloom only in the parakiya mood. The summit of Lord Caitanya's teachings is that the parakiya attitude is the permanent feature of the pastimes of the Lord, both in their appearance [when Krsna descends to Vrajabhumi] and their disappearance [into the invisible Vraja of the transcendental world].
Sringararasa is totally devoid of even an iota of materialism. The transcendental jiva, in order to enjoy and exchange pure rasa, becomes a transcendental gopi and renders devotional service to the transcendental personalities of Sri Radha and Sri Krsna in the transcendental realm of Vrindavana. There is not the slightest tinge of the mundane man-woman relationship in Vrndavana. Only the purest essence of conjugal love is manifested in the perfected identity of the soul. And realization of this is available only from a pure devotee spiritual master. Other than by his grace, this inconceivable truth can never be understood. It is beyond the realm of speculation and pedantic scrutiny. Its realization is extremely rare.
Perfection eludes the disciple if he does not elevate himself from the stage of smarana-dasa to apana-dasa. The confidential process of apanadasa is most exalted, devoid of the false posturing of karma, jnana or yoga. Externally, the devotee engages himself fully in the chanting the holy name, leading a renounced and simple life. Internally, he keeps the splendorous flames of rasa burning with pure intensity all the time.
Those sadhakas who are prone to a pompous external display of devotion or who fail to steady and properly direct their internal spiritual aspirations are unable to elevate themselves from the platform of smarana to apana-dasa. Thus the sadhaka may linger, unaccomplished, through many lifetimes of devotional practice.
This path of worship or bhajana is the simplest, but if the purity of the bhajana is in any way disfigured by a tinge of the contaminated desires for recognition, distinction or preference, then the sadhaka is thrown off the path of vraja-sadhana or bhajana in the mood of Vraja. One must approach the spiritual master with simple humility and learn this pure process properly.
By always remembering that he is pure spirit soul, part and parcel of the Absolute Whole, that he has a transcendental original form that is allperfect, that He has forgotten his perfect spiritual state and come under the clutches of maya, that he is offensive to Lord Krsna, being inebriated with the false designations of his gross body, but by the mercy of his spiritual master he can regain knowledge of his real self the method for the reawakening of the disciple's original identity can be quickly accomplished.
There are two methods of sadhanabhakti: one is vaidhi (rules and regulations) and the other is raganuga (spontaneous).
In the beginning, these two methods appear to be contradictory, but upon comprehension of their real purpose, the differences between them are dissolved. The vaidhi method of sadhana arises from respect for the regulations of scripture. Raganugasadhana is born out of an intense attraction for the activities of the residents of Vraja. The first is the usual method, whereas the second is extremely rare and confidential.
The vaidhibhakta crosschecks all his activities of service to Krsna with scriptural injunction. Thus his beginning faith (sraddha) for the process of devotional service leads him step by step to nistha (firm faith), then to ruci (taste or attraction), then asakti (attachment). When he reaches the first stage of spontaneity and slight bhava, he discards his dependence upon scriptural directives as an impediment to his progress. After this, he is elevated to the stage of apana-dasa, where the difference between devotees following vaidhi and raganuga disappear. [End of footnote 5] To the stage of sampatidasa via raganugasadhana
In the smaranadasa stage of raganugasadhana, the eleven sentiments of the gopis are first remembered by the sadhaka; these sentiments must adorn his emotions before he can remember the astakaliyalila.
There are five levels of remembrance in smaranadasa.
Initially, his remembrance will not be steady; this level is called smarana. Sometimes he remembers the sentiments, his position and his service, and at other times he forgets. But by steady practice of smarana, gradually he reaches permanency of remembrance, or dharana. As one meditates on every aspect of the subject of remembrance, part by part, minutely, dharana develops into fixed meditation - this is dhyana. When dhyana becomes continual, is is called anusmriti. Following anusmriti is the fifth level of remembrance, samadhi, when the devotee has no interest in anything other than perfect absorption in the pastimes of Lord Krsna.
From the samadhi level of smarana-dasa, the crucial ascension to apana-dasa or the stage of application takes place. For one who is not adept, elevation through the five stages of smarana-dasa to apana-dasa may require many yugas of effort; for a dexterous sadhaka, reaching apana-dasa is accomplished quickly.
In the apana-dasa stage, identification with the psychophysical body is reduced to insignificance. His spiritual identity (svarupa) becomes more and more predominant. Intermittently, it manifests and he experiences sublime ecstasy in rendering devotional service to Sri Sri RadhaKrsna in Vraja. These experiences develop until he spends long periods of time in Vraja interacting with the residents in his vraja-svarupa, seeing the dhama and the transcendental pastimes within.
The devotee's constant namabhajana inevitably brings about a face to face meeting with Lord Syamasundera. By the Lord's merciful will, all trace of the devotee's subtle body of mind, intelligence and false ego are extinguished with the demise of the gross body of five elements. Thus he enters the sampatiªdasa stage. This is when the devotee's pure spiritual form fully manifests, free of material coverings. In the mood of pure bhava, he takes up his eternal service to Sri Sri RadhaKrsna in the transcedental dhama. He thus becomes a sadhana-siddha or a perfected soul now reinstated in his svarupa through practice of sadhana and bhajana. He now serves the Lord in the company of the nityasiddhas, the eternal associates of the Lord who were never conditioned.
Summary The holy name is the greatest and yet the easiest obtainable spiritual treasure. This treasure is obtained by the jiva who chants with faith and devotion, not caring for karma, jnana and yoga. That jiva quickly and easily ascends to the highest perfection by following the method of namabhajana described above.
This method is the best of methods, better even than other methods of bhakti. The basic requirement for successful accomplishment of namabhajana is that the sadhaka must totally shun bad association and engage in the practice of devotional service in the company of saintly devotees of the Lord. Pure love of Krsna is the expression of unalloyed devotional service.
Only a pure devotee's heart has the inclination and capability of receiving prema; the non-devotee's heart denies it. Prema refuses to enter the heart of one who does not keep the company of pure devotees. The jiva's decision to accept either good or bad association has a powerful and lasting influence on his destiny.
There are three essential traits that must be cultivated to obtain success in chanting the holy name of the Lord: saintly association, isolation from the disturbances of mundane life, and determined, confident enthusiasm.
After saying this, Srila Haridasa Thakura declared himself to be very low and materially engrossed, bereft of good association and always engaged in selfdeception. Although Srila Haridasa is himself a nityasiddha associate of the Lord, he expressed himself in this humble way. Humility is the ornament of prema.
The Lord's special favor upon Srila Haridasa ThakurSrila Haridasa continued, "O Lord, kindly shower upon me Your causeless mercy (ahaitukikripa). I pray that You grant me entry into the realm of bhakti-rasa." Saying this, Srila Haridasa fell unconscious in loving ecstasy, fully selfsurrendered at the Lord's lotus feet.
[Editor's footnote] By saying this, Srila Haridasa implied that he was spiritually unaccomplished and therefore had no hope for the kind of mercy Lord Krsna bestows upon His pure devotees.
In his mood of utter helplessness he simply prayed for Lord Caitanya's unconditional grace. Though Srila Haridasa Thakur is famous for nama-bhajana and his teachings on the glories of the holy name, he is also the recipient of Lord Caitanya's special mercy. [End of editor's footnote] Lord Caitanya was moved by divine loving emotions upon hearing Srila Haridasa's Thakura's plea for mercy. Lifting Srila Haridasa up in His embrace, the Lord then spoke in confidence to him. "O Haridasa! Listen attentively to what I have to say.
The truth about the holy name will be hidden by mischievious rascals who will create a dark shroud of ignorance over the entire world. At that time, these excellent and unrivalled instructions of yours about chanting in the association of saintly persons shall be understood only by a remaining handful of devotees." [Editor's footnote] What did Lord Caitanya mean by 'mischievous rascals'? The prime candidates for this appellation are the various upstart sects like the sahajiyas, aulas, baulas and so on, who propagate bogus mundane doctrines disguised as Mahaprabhu's own teachings; they indeed conceal from the world the pure philosophy of Krsna consciousness expounded by the Lord Himself in His Siksastaka. [End of editor's footnote] The Lord continued, "The true path of the holy name will be followed by saintly souls who are totally detached from material life. They will chant the holy name with bhava and will therefore be known be known as rasikabhaktas. Their bhava will be that of separation; by their chanting they will relish the pastimes of RadhaKrsna and the eight principal gopis.
"The jiva is blessed with pure bhakti only on the strength of his sukriti, or piety and faith. Not everyone is entitled to have such devotion, but in order to instill such devotion in the hearts of the faithful, I have descended to propagate the chanting of the holy name as the religion for this age.
[Editor's footnote:] The chanting of Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare is factually the jiva's inherent and eternal religion. [End of editor's footnote] "My dear Haridasa, in the accomplishment of this mission I depend upon your help, and thus I am hearing from you the glories of the holy name." The Harinama Cintamani, this touchstone of the Lord's holy name, is an unfathomable mine of divine nectar. Whoever tastes it is truly fortunate and is blessed by Krsna; he is a great soul and always blissfully serves Lord Krsna in spontaneous loving devotion. I am a fallen soul; I clasp his feet and humbly pray that the remnants of this nectar should be distributed profusely, thus spreading divine bliss to everyone.
THUS ENDS SRI HARINAMA CINTAMANI
(THE TRANSCENDENTAL TOUCHSTONE OF THE HOLY NAME)
by SRILA BHAKTIVINODA THAKURA
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION TO THE GLORIES OF THE HOLY NAME
All glories to Sri Gadadhara Pandit and Lord Sri Gauranga; all glories to Lord Nityananda, the life of Srimati Jahnavadevi; all glories to Sri Advaita Acarya and Mother Sita; all glories to Srila Srivasa Pandit and all the devotees of Lord Caitanya.
At Nilacala, within His sacred temple near the ocean shore, the Supreme Personality of Godhead resides in His form of wood known as Darubrahman. The Supreme Lord Hari descended to the material world in this form of Jagannatha to deliver the living entit
ies from their eternal bondage. He grants material benedictions to those who require them and final release from all material attachments to those who are more spiritually advanced. In this same sacred abode, the same Supreme Lord took the role of a re
nounced sannyasi to give His supreme blessing to humanity. Residing in Kasi Misra's home, He propagated the only dharma needed by the fallen souls of this age, and so established the real meaning of religion in Kaliyuga.
There, like a desire tree yielding unlimited treasures, surrounded by His many devotees, Lord Caitanya distributed love of Godhead (Krsnaprema) freely to all people. Ensuring that His teachings would be correctly disseminated, He had certain associates speak on specific subjects while He Himself gave His blissful audience.
Thus He relished Sri Ramananda Raya's revelation of the confidential sweetness of the conjugal love of Sri Sri RadhaKrsna; Sri Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya's explanation of actual liberation; Sri Rupa Goswami's intricate analysis of the various levels of loving exchange with the Lord; and Srila Haridasa Thakura's glorification of the supreme efficacy and excellence of the Holy Name.
One day, after bathing in the ocean, Lord Caitanya met Srila Haridasa Thakura under the Siddha Bakula tree. Greatly pleased at seeing Srila Haridasa, the Lord inquired from him then means by which the conditioned souls can most easily be delivered from sin.
Srila Haridasa fell at the Lord's lotus feet and clasped them tightly.His entire body went into rapture, and he offered humble prayers punctuated by shivering and tears. In a choked voice Srila Haridasa said, "My Lord, Your wonderful pastimes are unfathomable, and I am but unfortunate and illiterate. Your lotus feet are my only resort. What is the use of asking such questions of a worthless person like me?" Srila Haridasa continued: "You are Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has appeared in Navadvipa to save all living entities. O my Lord Gauranga, kindly shelter me in the shade of Your lotus feet, for only this will engladden my heart. Your holy name is unlimited, You are the embodiment of endless excellences, and Your exquisite beauty draws me into a shoreless ocean of joy. Your pastimes are everexpanding; You have manifested Your name, form, qualities and activities in this material world so even a fallen wretch like myself can relish them. It is impossible for one with mundane vision to perceive Your transcendental features with his limited senses, but now You are mercifully revealing Yourself for the highest benefit of humanity; this is indeed the direct display of the internal spiritual potency of the Lord.
"You are the spiritual sun and I am an insignificant spark of Your effulgence. You are my Lord and master and I am Your servitor eternally. The ambrosia emanating from Your lotus feet intoxicates all my senses. My only hope lies in the limitless nectar of Your holy name. I am fallen what can I say of my own volition? I am here just to execute Your orders. I shall be greatly satisfied to speak the words You put into my mouth and I will not consider whether they are right or wrong.
Lord Krsna and His energies Lord Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is beyond anyone's jurisdiction, for He alone is the master (sarvesvara) of all that exists. He completely independent, being selfwilled and selffulfilled. His unrestricted desires are effortlessly satisfied by His inconceivable internal potency that constantly associates with Him. This potency is a feature of His inherent nature and is therefore never independent of Him. [Footnote 1 by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura:] He is known as the nondual Supreme Consciousness by dint of His free will and inconceivable potency. Empirical philosophers (jnanis) attempt to rob this nondual Divinity of His personal will and potency by postulating Him to be the impersonal Brahman. But in fact the impersonal Brahman (Krsna's consciousness minus will and potency) is only the effulgence of the Supreme non-dual Brahman.
Through the eightfold yoga system, yogis can perceive the nondual Supreme Being within their hearts as the localized Supersoul or Paramatma who pervades and witnesses all existence. But in Paramatma is also just a partial appearance of Krsna. Lord Krsna alone is the Absolute Consciousness, for only He displays absolute potency, will and control. [End of footnote 1] Krsna exists within all His energies and is thus not different from them. The Vedas declare Lord Krsna to be the infinite, absolute Vibhu; His energies are His attributes (vaibhava). His vaibhava energies are the root of all existing phenomena: yet even in the midst of unlimited phenomena everexpanding throughout all time, Krsna remains aloof and indivisible in His original form.
The three kinds of vaibhava are Vibhu is perceivable only by the grace of His vaibhava energies, of which there are three kinds. They are, as revealed in the scriptures, the spiritual energy (cid-vaibhava), the material energy (maya or acid-vaibhava), and the marginal energy (jiva-vaibhava).
[Footnote 2 by Bhaktivinoda:] Krsna's cid-vaibhava is a direct transformation of His citsakti, His personal internal potency. The display of cidvaibhava includes His abode, known as the Vaikunthaloka; His innumerable names like Govinda, Hari, etc.; His transcendental forms like the threefold bending form with two hands playing the flute; His divine qualities, so sublimely pleasurable to His devotees;His superexcellent pastimes like the rasa dance in Vrindavana and its corresponding appearance in Nava
dvipa as the the congregational chanting of the holy names. These spiritual opulences are countless. Another feature of the citsakti is the sandhini potency by which all things exist and are held together as an interrelated whole, including the relationships of the jivas to the Lord. Similarly, the citsakti manifests the samvit potency, which reveals knowledge of Krsna, His energies, and one's own identity.
The citsakti also generates the hladini potency, which gives rise to the ecstatic bliss of spiritual relationships, spiritual emotions and their combination in the sweet exchanges of rasa or the mellows of divine love. All of these transformations of the citsakti or Yogamaya (i.e. cidvaibhava and the sandhini, samvit and hladini saktis) are beyond material place, time and qualities, being eternally pure and full of bliss. [End of footnote 2]
The citsakti is known as Visnupada
The citsakti is never affected by the inferior acitsakti. Even when it descends to this material world, citsakti remains untouched by the inebrieties of matter. Forever spiritual, embodying the absolute nature of the Supreme Godhead, the spiritual potency is glorified in the Vedic hymns as being equal to the Lord Himself; thus it is known as Visnupada (intimately connected with Visnu). There is no tinge of material influence in Lord Krsna's energies: they are transcendental and exist in pure goodness (suddha-sattva).
[Footnote 3 by Bhaktivinoda] Sattva, or goodness, is of two kinds: suddha sattva and misra-sattva (mixed goodness). Everything in the category of cid-vaibhava is suddha-sattva, or pure goodness. All sattva in the material nature is mixed, or misra-sattva.
Suddha-sattva is devoid of passion and ignorance. Birth indicates the mode of passion in action. The eternally existent spiritual essence, suddha-sattva, has never been touched by birth, which is a manifestation of passion, nor by annihilation, which occurs in the mode of ignorance.
As the Supreme Lord's separated parts and parcels, the jivas (the living entities, who are individual spirit souls) are originally suddha-sattva, but due to their contact with nescience they have come under the sway of the material modes of passion and ignorance, and hence are now in the mixed or misra-sattva category. Even demigods like Siva, though far superior in many ways to the ordinary jivas, are nevertheless captivated by the material glare due to false identification, and so fall in this category of misra-sattva.
The Supreme Lord is always in pure goodness. He descends to this material world by His inconceivable spiritual potency and is always the controller of the material nature, maya, who is everªready to act as His maidservant. [End of footnote 3] VisnutattvaAll the plenary expansions of the Lord such as Govinda, Vaikunthanatha, MahaVisnu, Garbhodakasayi Visnu and Ksirodaksayi Visnu are in the category of absolute goodness, supreme and divine, and are known as Visnutattva.
The Visnu-tattva forms may reside in any place, either the spiritual abodes of Goloka, Vaikuntha, the Causal ocean, or in this material universe, yet They are always the master of maya and the supreme controller of every other living entity great or small. Their remaining unaffected by the influence of the illusory potency is evidence of their inconceivable spiritual position.
Brahma, Siva and the other demigods are misra-sattva, being influenced by maya. The Visnutattva forms, Their abobes, Their pastimes, and all else in the spiritual sky exist in pure goodness.
Maya-tattva A river called Viraja separates the material universe from the spiritual abode. Everything in the fourteen material planetary systems is acit-vaibhava or the temporary manifestation of matter. This place has been described in the scriptures as Devincal bodies of the living entities, is made up of the five gross elements of earth, water, fire, air and either. Mind, intelligence and false ego are subtle material elements that comprise the psychic bodies of the living entities. The psychic bodies arise from desire. Yet the soul is always purely spiritual and distinct from his subtle body; he is by nature suddha-sattva, as are his original mind, intelligence and ego.
The seven higher planetary systems Bhur, Bhuvar, Svarga, Mahar, Jana, Tapa, and Satya or Brahma and the seven lower planetary systems such as Atala, Sutala and so on are all manifestations of maya (the illusory potency). Cid-vaibhava is the complete whole, and maya is its shadow.
Jivavaibhava consists of both liberated and conditioned souls
The jivas are originally completely spiritual, infinitesimal and endowed with a limited degree of independence. The jivas are countless in number and are in urgent need of spiritual bliss for the attainment of their perfection. In seeking that bliss, those who surrender their lives to Lord Krsna are liberated from birth and death and reside eternally in the Lord's company as His confidential associates.
On the other hand, the jiva-souls who desire self-importance and selfish pleasure become attracted by maya, who awaits them on the other side of the River Viraja. She entices them away from Lord Krsna's service and lures them into the trap of the Deviªdhama, where they are chained to bodies manufactured by material nature. Bound by the reactions of their misdeeds, they wander from birth to birth in gross and subtle forms. Sometimes they are elevated to the heavenly planets and afterwards go to hell.
In this way they travel through all the eight million four hundred thousand species of life, suffering the pains of material existence.
jiva may find himself, Lord Krsna is always prepared to grant the jiva his heart's desire, like a well-wisher who never forsakes his friend.
Krsna's relationship with the jiva is eternal: He uses the jiva as an instrument through whom and to whom He manifests His energies and opulences. The Lord is the controller, the jiva the controlled; the Lord is independent, the jiva dependent; the Lord is master, the jiva the beneficiary of the results of his service to the master.
Pious acts are material and fruitive
The soul greedy for material sense pleasure finds even this easily available by the kindness of the master. The means to attain such gratification is the performance of auspicious activities (subhakarma) recommended in the Vedas. These are: following the duties of the varnasrama system; performing sacrifices such as the fire sacrifice (agnistoma); executing the eight-fold yoga process; offering havana or oblations; keeping vows on full-moon days; giving in charity on auspicious days and other occasions conducive to material benefit.
Although subhakarma is performed with Lord Visnu as the presiding Deity, the performer lacks spiritual intentions. He unfortunately takes complete shelter of material considerations of object, time and place and cannot even intuit his dearth of Krsna consciousness because such ritualistic considerations thwart the mood of spiritual selfexamination and inquiry.
The results of subhakarma are material, for they merely inflame lust for more enjoyment in higher planets. Such sacrifices and their results can never satisfy the soul, the real self, because their cause is illusion. These socalled auspicious activities only avail the jiva temporary heavenly pleasures diametrically opposed to transcendental bliss.
The means of deliverance from material piety
If a person is fortunate enough to get the association of a saintly devotee and learns that he, the jiva, is an eternal servant of Lord Krsna, then he easily surmounts the great obstacle of material nature. This is very rare, being the result of a vast accumulation of piety that can never be acquired by the performance of subhakarma, which gives only insignificant results.
Empirical philosophy (jnanakanda) elevates one to the brahmajyoti
The dry empirical philosophers are more advanced than the karmis, for they understand the material existence to be a condition of suffering and so strive for liberation. The Lord is kind to them also: He has given them the jnana-kanda section of the Vedas so they can pursue impersonal knowledge of the Absolute. Their final goal is absorption into the brahmajyoti.
The brahmajyoti is Krsna's blinding spiritual effulgence and is situated on the bank of the Viraja. All the demons the Supreme Lord kills also merge into Brahman, just beyond the periphery of maya. Both the empiricists and fruitive workers are nondevotees, disinclined to serve Lord Krsna. They can never relish the sweetness of Lord Krsna's service.
Piety leading to devotional service
Sukriti, or pious activity, is of three varieties: karmonmukhi or piety derived from subhakarma, jnanonmukhi or piety derived from the cultivation of knowledge, and bhakty-unmukhi or piety derived from devotional activities. The first two lead, respectively, to enjoyment of the fruits of action and to liberation. The last leads to an appreciation for saintly association. Bhaktyunmukhi is achieved by performing devotional service to the Lord unknowingly, without spiritual knowledge.
Bhakty-unmukhi is the most important kind of sukriti, for it impels the jiva to meet a pure, saintly devotee. By associating with a devotee of Krsna, the jiva's faith becomes firm. Gradually he develops a taste for chanting the holy name, becomes compassionate towards all beings, and is then firmly fixed in Krsna consciousness.
Compassionately, the Lord guides the karmi and jnani to the unknowing performance of devotional service
The Lord is an ocean of magnanimity, and the supreme controller of everyone. He is always keen to serve the conditioned souls, including the karmis and jnanis. Thinking of their welfare, He provides them the opportunity for indirect devotional service.
The karmi who follows varnasramadharma associates with saintly persons and executes his duties for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord Hari. Such activities cleanse his heart and gradually destroy the desire for more fruitive work. In its place the seed of sraddha, or pure faith, is sown within his heart.
The jnani who sincerely seeks transcendental wisdom humbly enters the company of pure devotees and invokes their inherent compassion towards him. By their grace, he easily develops firm faith in the direct process of pure devotional service. In this way, by the jnani's indirect devotion to knowledge, he gets the shelter of the pure devotees.
The Lord says, 'My servant, the jiva, may succumb to the treachery of My illusory potency, but I keep his best interests in My heart. By degrees I inspire him to develop an aversion to sense enjoyment and liberation, and then grant him attraction to devotional service unto Me. I lead the jiva in his pursuit to fulfill his material desires by engaging him in the indirect devotional processes of karma and jnana, and in this way I strengthen his faith and love for Me.'
Lord Krsna is most compassionate. The indirect devotional paths are but a hint of His causeless mercy. Without His loving intervention, how could the jiva ever become purified? The indirect processes have deteriorated badly in Kaliyuga The Satya-yuga sages who took up the process of meditation were personally purified by Krsna and given the treasure of devotional service. In the Treta-yuga, the same spiritual successnlived, always harassed by disease, and are born with a weak body and mind. The observance of varnasramadharma and the cultivation of sankhya philosophy, yoga, and empiricism will not yield the strength humanity needs to redeem itself.
[Footnote 4 by Bhaktivinoda] In Kaliyuga, the indirect devotional paths of jnana and karma are extremely narrow and hazardous. They are intended to lead one to the shrine of devotional service through either the association of saintly persons during philosophical discussions, or by the ritualistic offering to the Supreme Lord of the results of work performed without desire. In Kali-yuga both paths have become contaminated. Genuine saintly persons, now rarely seen, have been displaced by crass, commercial pseudospiritualists. Religious duties are no longer performed for purifying the consciousness but for enjoyment of the material results of the rituals.
Therefore these secondary paths are no longer beneficial. Even the process of Deity worship that gave the highest spiritual success in Dvaparayuga has become impure and degraded. [End of footnote 4] The prime process - chanting the holy name The Lord, considering the jivas' welfare, descended in Kali-yuga along with His holy name to propagate the yugadharma (the religion of the age). By taking up the yugadharma the jiva attains love of Krsna: he has only to remember the Supreme Lord's name (namasmarana or japa) and chant the Lord's name congregationally (namasankirtan).
The holy name is both the means and the end The only method or means (sadhana) in this age is the holy name of the Lord. The only goal (sadhya) to be attained in this age is Krsnaprema. Even in the stage of perfection, the name is not given up but is chanted all the more, for it is intrinsic to the activities of prema. Indeed, the name is not different from the Lord: it is the very embodiment of prema. If the means is the end, then the end and the means never contradict one another.
If process is identical to the objective, then it is easy for the jivas to attain the desired goal of life, Krsnaprema. By the mercy of His holy name, Krsna easily delivers the jivas in the age of Kali.
[Footnote 5 by Bhaktivinoda] In karma and jnana, the sadhana and sadhya are in conflict. The only real goal or sadhya of the Vedas is to attain the mercy of the Lord. As one approaches the goal via the paths of karma and jnana, they vanish,nHaridasa, kindly reveal to Me something of the unlimited glories of the holy name. Please allow Me to savour your words.
ed and eternal name, form, qualities and pastimes. The absence of these four features in anything denies its status as object. For example, Brahman is impersonal and formless; hence it is not an object unto itself, but simply a distinctive trait of the Supreme Lord.
Lord Krsna is the nondual Absolute Object who perfectly manifests Himself through the four features of name, form, qualities and pastimes. Each one of these features is fully potent and able to express Him in totality. They exist and are sustained by the Lord's sandhini potency, and they are eternal and transcendental. As Lord Krsna attracts all living entities, similarly the holy name, which is not different from Him, also attracts everyone.
Krsna's sublime form is as identical to Him as His holy name. Remembering and chanting Krsna's name immediately invokes His beautiful form in the mind, and both dance there harmoniously like inseparable partners.
Krsna's sixtyfour qualities are unlimited and transcendental. Brahma and Siva are expansions of His qualities, but they only partially display the transcendental nature of the Supreme Lord, which is infinite, eternal, unending and absolutely spiritual. Krsna alone has the full sixtyfour qualities of the Supreme Person; even His full expansions like Lord Narayana and avataras like Lord Ramacandra are ornamented with only sixty of them. Demigods up to the level of Siva possess fiftyfive of these qualities, but only in limited measure. Ordinary jivas have just fifty, visible in mere fractional degrees, like small drops. Only Krsna, even amongst all His Visnu expansions, is the master of four exceptional qualities visible in Him alone.
If the Lord's qualities are compared to waves, then His pastimes appear in these waves and continuously form, crest and reshape themselves again and again. Wherever they may be enacted, either in Goloka, Vaikuntha, or Vraja, they are always transcendental. Hence, the Lord's name, form, qualities and pastimes are of the same spiritual substance.
consciousness is e jiva obtains the real boon of spiritual life. The holy names of the Lord that describe His transcendental pastimes and which contain all of the Lord's spiritual excellences are defined as principal names. They are, for example: Govinda, Gopala, Rama, Sri Nandanandana, Radhanatha, Hari, Yasomati Pranadhana, MadanaªMohana, Syamasundara, Madhava, Gopinatha, Vrajagopal, Raksala, Yadava, and so on. Anyone who chants the names of the Lord that depict His eternal pastimes can attain the Lord's supreme abode.
ly. Suddhanama offers the devotee the highest spiritual success, love of Krsna.
ame of Krsna appears and dances on the tongue of the devotee. The holy name, now nectarean in taste, cannot but be relished by the devotee at every moment. Thus spiritually intoxicated, the devotee always feels like dancing. As the holy name dances, the devotee likewise dances, and at that moment the ecstasy of love of Godhead also enters dancing into the devotee's heart. Then the entire world will dance and maya will flee away.
head on the Lord's lotus feet. Weeping, he begged the Lord that he might develop attachment for the holy name.
One who is blessed with love and devotion and who takes pleasure in serving Srila Haridasa Thakura's lotus feet will find the touchstone of the holy name to be as precious as life itself.
and transcendental nature, a mist of ignorance is created that plunges the jiva into darkness. One who is ignorant about Lord Krsna's position becomes confused and begins to worship the demigods. Thus he is entangled in the cycle of fruitive action or karma. That person who has not realized the jiva's transcendental nature suffers from svarupaªbhrama (confusion of identity), and is in material consciousness, deluded and always in ignorance." Srila Haridasa Thakura exclaimed in exhilaration, "Today I am most fortunate, for from my mouth the Supreme Lord Himself,lg entities (jivaaparadha).
These clouds hide the sun of the holy name. If one chants the holy name while maintaining these anarthas, the chanting can at best be only the unclarified name (namabhasa). The holy name is always perfect in itself, but namabhasa obfuscates the jiva's vision of it.
eritable prison house where the jiva is penalized for turning his back on Krsna. It consists of the fourteen planetary systems which together are known as the Devidhama. These planetary systems are the cells within the prison where the recalcitrant jivas are confined. Devidhama is not a place for experiencing happiness and bliss. The material socalled pleasures offered to the jivas here are only temporary, and as such are the cause of further suffering. As is the plan of any penal system, the jivas are gradually reformed through this punitive arrangement.
By the mercy of a Vaisnava devotee of the Lord, an imprisoned jiva may accept the holy name and the attendant sambandha-jnana and finally ascend to pure love of Godhead. Such a fortunate soul will consider even sayujya-mukti or impersonal liberation to be reprehensible. But until he is solidly grounded on the sambandha-jnana understanding, his chanting will be polluted by anarthas. This is namabhasa. In this stage, the jiva cannot chant the pure name of Krsna.
countered.
Namabhasa is greater than the result of studying all the Vedas, of visiting every pilgrimage place, or of performing every possible altruistic and pious work. The four goals offered in Vedas - religiosity, wealth, sense enjoyment and liberation are made freely available by namabhasa chanting. It is endowed with unimaginable power to reclaim any living entity. It bestows unlimited joy and elevates even the derelicts to a very exalted stage of realization. Namabhasa offers eternal residence in the spiritual abode of Vaikuntha, especially in Kaliyuga. This is the declaration of scripture.
of namabhasa chanting; even sanketa chanting is tinged with neglect. Nontheless, the lowest attitude of namabhasa (hela) gives one liberation, what to speak of faithful chanting. Chanting with faith establishes one on the platform of sambandha-jnana, which results in rati or attraction for the holy name. Sraddhanama actually clears away anarthas very easily and quickly.
water. Such a distorted, broken reflection can never result in a complete perception of the original source of light.
When the rays of the holy name reflect off the heart of a Mayavadi, pratibimbanamabhasa appears, bequeathing sayujyaªmukti upon the Mayavadis who chant it. Such chanting, however, will fail to generate the quintessence of chanting - Krsnaprema.
Indeed, this type of namabhasa is a major namaparadha; therefore it cannot really be counted as a namabhasa at all.
Chayanamabhasa or svarupanamabhasa is the real namabhasa, and is subdivided into four categories of attitude, as previously mentioned. The scriptures, while praising namabhasa, profusely condemn pratibimba namabhasa. Chayanamabhasa is the result of chanting the holy name with anarthas born of ignorance. But the chanting of the holy name with anarthas nurtured by wicked and distorted philosophy produces pratibimbanamabhasa, and this is a major obstacle to devotional service and a grave offense.
A Vaisnavaabhasa person, though not honored as a genuine Vaisnava, should still be given the respect due a neophyte devotee as long as he is not contaminated by the Mayavadi philosophy. Such a person can easily become elevated by contactnis sraddha is not real it merely appears to be sraddha. This is defined in the scriptures as pratibimba-sraddha-abhasa. Hence, pratibimba-sraddha-abhasa results in pratibimba-namabhasa. If this sort of namabhasa becomes further aberrated by Mayavadi philosophy, the chanter thinks that the perfect and transcendental name of the Lord is mundane and imperfect, and requires to be perfected by impersonal knowledge. This offense obliterates whatever little bit of genuine sraddha he may have had.
contrition, he can invoke the mercy of the holy name. n pure holy name. O Lord Caitanya, this is Your injunction and whoever follows it is very fortunate. Those who disregard and disobey this instruction are wretches who will suffer for a hundred million births. My Lord, please rescue me from bad association and keep me at Your lotus feet, for I can see no other alternative to your lotus feet." One who takes shelter at the feet of Srila Haridasa Thakura will incessantly chant the holy name and find real satisfaction in life.
Blasphemy of the devotees of the Lord.
2) To consider demigods to be independent of the Supreme Lord, and to similarly think Lord Krsna's name, form, qualities and pastimes are separate from Him.
3) To disobey the spiritual master who reveals the truth about the holy name.
4) To criticize the scriptures that describe the glories of the holy name.
5) To think the excellences and divine qualities of the holy name are imaginary, and to so interpret the scriptural glorification of the holy name.
6) To commit sinful activities on the strength of the n the direct and indigenous quality of any substance, and tathasta, qualities that are ornamental and visible when the substance comes in contact with something else. The devotee's acceptance of Lord Krsna as his only shelter (Krsna eka sarana) is his svarupa-laksana, and all the other qualities are tathasta.
If by some good fortune one associates with a Vaisnava, he may develop a taste for the holy name and takes complete shelter at Krsna's lotus feet. Thus he develops the svarupa-laksana, and then through continued chanting he will gradually develop all the other laksanas or symptoms. The other symptoms are tathasta but nevertheless are essentially present in a Vaisnava.
quickly Lord Krsna will personally liberate him.
criticized because of the traces of almostextirpated sin in his character, that is a grievous offense. If criticism is made against a devotee for sins committed prior to his surrendering to Krsna, that is likewise another serious offense. Such a faultfinder surely invites the wrath of Lord Krsna.
, and the dust from his lotus feet.
How a Vaisnava imbues his potency in others: By remaining in the presence of a Vaisnava for some time, one absorbs the bhakti energy flowing from the body of that saintly person. If one is sufficiently faithful, he can bind that energy within his own heart and experience immediate ecstasy. By just a moment's association with a Vaisnava, bhakti is invoked in the heart of a pious person, who will immediately
be inspired to chant Lord Krsna's name; gradually, the holy name will award him all good qualities.
[Footnote 1 by Bhaktivinoda] The potency or sakti of pure devotion is a blend of hladini (Krsna's pleasuregiving potency) and samvit (Krsna's knowledgegiving potency). Bhakti reposes in the heart of the transcendentalist and uses him as a vehicle for further movement. When a jiva becomes free from envy and is inclined to devotional service, the bhakti potency is then transferred from the pure devotee's heart into that jiva's heart, where it takes shelter of his soul and acheives perfection there.
This is a great mystery. [End of footnote 1] There are four kinds of blasphemy of a devotee The offender criticizes a Vaisnava about his caste, or some unpremeditated accidental fall-down, or the last traces of his previous sins, or his sinful activities prior to his surrendering to Lord Krsna. Such an offender will never develop a taste for chanting the holy name.
One who has taken complete shelter of the pure devotional process is considered a pure Vaisnava. The four abovementioned faults may be present in him, but he is totally free from all other shortcomings. Hence, criticizing him spells doom for the offender. The glories of the holy name are propagated by the Vaisnava, and Lord Krsna does not tolerate any criticism against him. One may discard all other activities like religiosity, yoga, sacrifices, fruitive activities, empirical knowledge and so on; if one simply chants the holy name, that is the quintessence of spiritual culture.
The sadhu takes complete shelter of the holy name Never criticizing demigods or other scriptures, the Vaisnava simply chants the holy name. Regardless of whether such a sadhu is a householder or a sannyasi, one should eagerly take the dust from his lotus feet. The purity of a Vaisnava is judged by how much attraction or rati he has for the name. His purity has nothing whatsoever to do with his official status as a Vaisnava, or his wealth, erudition, youth, pleasing appearance, strength or following.
One who aspires to take shelter of the holy name must shun the propensity to criticize devotees. Pure devotion in the chanting of the holy name depends on association with the pure devotee and his pure devotion. Without this assocation, everything becomes perverted and spoilt. Bhakti immediately recedes at the first indication of sadhuninda, which immediately becomes nama-aparadha. Let the aspirant devotee reject sadhuninda and associate with and serve the pure devotees.
There are two types of bad association, the first being association with women
The proper Vaisnava behavior is to avoid asatsanga or bad company that influences a person to disrespect a sadhu. Bad association is of two kinds. The first is association with a woman, which means either to have illicit connection with a woman other than one's wife, or to be excessively fond of one's own wife. The scriptures permit a husband only a properly regulated relationship with his spouse. Keeping company with a licentious or henpecked man also falls within this first category of asat sanga or bad association.
Non-devotees are of three kinds The second type of bad association is to mix with nondevotees. There are three kinds of non-devotees: the Mayavadi, the dharmadhvaji (pretender), and the nirisvara (atheist).
Mayavadis never accept the Supreme Lord's form as being eternal.
They say the Deity form of the Lord is material, and that the jiva is also a product of maya. A dharmadhvaji is a person who has no devotion or attachment in the heart but makes a show of it externally. He wears the clothes of a devotee to accomplish materialistic ends. A nirisvara is a nonbeliever who rejects God outright. A serious aspirant or sadhaka must shun such bad association. If anyone argues that avoiding such nondevotees is sadhuninda, their company must also be shunned. One has to keep away from such bad association and take complete shelter of the holy name. Only then is love of Godhead ensured.
There are three kinds of devotees; the lowest is the kanistha devotee
The neophyte devotee (kanistha Vaisnava) displays a faith that is formal and worldly. He worships the Deity but has no service attitude towards the devotees of the Lord. He is almost a Vaisnava (Vaisnavapraya), but is not a real Vaisnava yet; hence, he is not able to take full advantage of sadhusanga.
Such a neophyte will have to receive the blessings of a pure devotee to advance further.
The madhyama devotee The madhyama devotee knows well the importance of the Lord's devotees, and remains always in their association. He is convinced of Krsna's position as the Lord, the jivas as His eternal servants, the means of advancement as bhakti and the goal as prema. He is compassionate to the innocent and avoids the company of atheists.
The madhyama stage of devotee marks the beginning of pure Vaisnavism because at this stage one become eligible to chant the pure name. The madhyama devotee knows well the different effects of different types of association. He distinguishes between the Vaisnavas and the non-Vaisnavas, for he is especially required to serve the advanced devotees and avoid asatsanga and sadhu nindha.
Indeed, this is his necessity. If he neglects to differentiate between the grades of devotees and between Vaisnavas and nonVaisnavas, then he stands to commit Vaisnava aparadha.
The uttama devotee A pure devotee of the highest order sees Lord Krsna manifest everywhere and knows that everything rests in Him. He sees Krsna is his very life and soul. He is unconcerned with distinctions of who is a Vaisnava and who is not thus for him there is no regulation to serve a Vaisnava. His whole life revolves around the holy name, which he considers to be the essence of everything.
The scriptures declare that a kanistha devotee, being ignorant of the proper attitudes towards Krsna, the devotees and the holy name, is only capable of namabhasa chanting. A madhyama devotee is worthy of chanting the pure name: therefore he must always carefully avoid offenses to other devotees, so that his chanting will be pure. The uttama Vaisnava can never commit any offense, because he perceives Lord Krsna everywhere.
Every sadhaka should consider these points calmly and reflect upon his real position. First, he must stop sadhuninda.
Then he should chant with firm faith, according to his status as a Vaisnava. He should aspire to become fixed on the madhyama platform through association with equal devotees, service to superior devotees, avoidance of nondevotees, compassion for all living entities and constant chanting of the holy name.
The remedy for sadhuninda If anyone offends a devotee in a moment of delusion or madness, he must fall at the devotee's feet and repent bitterly and, weeping and full of contrition, beg forgiveness. He should declare himself a fallen wretch, in need of that devotee's grace.
A devotee is very merciful; his heart will soften and he will embrace the offender, thus exonerating him from his offenses.
Concluded Thakura Haridasa, "I offer this explanation of the first of ten nama-aparadhas at Your lotus feet."
One who is like a bumble-bee lingering the lotus feet of Srila Haridasa Thakura will find his life and soul in this Harinama Cintamani.
CHAPTER FIVE WORSHIPING THE DEMIGODS INDEPENDENTLY OF KRSNA IS THE SECOND OFFENSE
All glories to Lord Sri Gauranga, the life of Sri Gadadhara Pandit; all glories to Lord Nityananda, the heart of Srimati Jahnavadevi; all glories to Sri Advaita Acarya, the Lord of Mother Sita; all glories to all the devotees of Lord Caitanya.
Srila Haridasa Thakura continued speaking with folded hands: "O Lord of the Universe, now I pray that You may listen to my explanation of the second offense against the holy name." Visnutattva, or the principle of the Supreme Godhead Visnu Lord Visnu is the supreme nondual Absolute Truth. Though He is the ultimate lord of material creation, His own form is transcendental, being always situated in pure goodness. Lord Krsna in Goloka is the original and supreme form of Visnu. Krsna is embellished with sixty-four extraordinary excellences, and He is the shelter of all transcendental mellows. Lord Narayana possesses sixty of those excellences, and to a lesser degree of fullness than Him, so do Lord Visnu and the purusaavataras.
[Footnote 1 by Bhaktivinoda] Lord Narayana, the Lord of Vaikuntha, is Lord Krsna's vilasavigraha or partial expansion.
In Vaikuntha, the Sankarsana form of Narayana expands as MahaªVisnu, Who lies in the Causal Ocean. This is the first purusa expansion; the next is Garbodakasayi Visnu, the source of Brahma.
He enters every universe as the purusaavatar. He further expands as Ksirodakasayi Visnu, the Supersoul within every living entity.
The three purusa expansions are known as Lord Visnu. Ksirodakasayi Visnu is the source of the incarnations like Matsya, Kurma, etc. All these incarnations are different forms of the same Visnu principle and are ornamented with sixty transcendental characteristics. The saktyavesaavataras are jiva-tattva; in them the potency of the Lord has descended. They are Lord's separated expansions or vibhinnamsa and are exemplified as Parasurama, Buddha, Prithu, and so on. [End of footnote 1] The Supreme Lord's separated parts or vibhinnamsa are of two categories. The ordinary jivas possess only fifty of the Lord's transcendental characteristics, and these in lesser degree. But in the second category of jivas, including the demigods, the same fifty characteristics are found in full potency. Additionally, five more qualities are partially evident in Siva. These five qualities are exhibited in full potency only by the Visnu category.
Thus the Visnu forms are adorned to the fullest degree with the fiftyfive qualities of the demigods. They furthermore display an extra five qualities for a total of sixty, which are visible to a degree of absolute fullness in Lord Narayana alone.
Siva and the other demigods are the Supreme Lord's servitors.
Though the demigods are superior jivas, the Supreme Lord Visnu is the master and controller of the jivas and demigods alike.
ree prospers, but by watering the limbs, leaves and branches, the tree withers and dies. Only foolish people who have forgotten all Vedic principles can commit such a mistake. They fail to understand that worship of Lord Visnu is an eternal activity in pure goodness, beyond the three material modes.
Due to the advent of Kali Yuga and the contamination of Mayavada, people disregard the supreme position of Lord Visnu and worship the demigods independently of Him. Individual demigods offer only specific benefits, while the Supreme Lord Visnu alone can offer all benedictions. He is the maintainer of everyone.
If only these greedy materialists could realize the advantage of worshiping Lord Visnu, they would abandon that kind of demigod worship.
Brahma, Ganesa and Surya have been invested with the Supreme Lord's potencies. Hence, they are powerful. The Supreme Lord is one, the rest are His energies.
The householder devotee should abandon outright all materialism in the execution of his duties. He should increase his mood of pure devotion while satisfying his social and religious obligations according to the varnasrama system. He should be convinced that just by worshiping Krsna and His devotees, all results will be attained.
[Footnote 2 by Bhaktivinoda] Human society should conduct itself according to the guidelines of the varnasrama system; such a lifestyle is called sanatanadharma or 'eternal religion'.
India is the land of piety (punyabhumi), and the varnasrama religious system was introduced and implemented there by great sages of yore. In other countries varnasrama is also present in some form, though it never evolved into the perfected socioªreligious system that was established in India. Human nature cannot find full expression nor attain consummation without the social divisions of varna. [End of footnote 2] Even the lowborn outcastes are fully eligible to enter devotional service to Krsna. But they must live their lives free from sin and offenses; they will do that only by submitting to the duties of householder life prescribed at least for the sudra class. Without situating oneself in one of the four varnas, there is no question of dharma or religious life. Even those desiring just their own material welfare respect the customs of varnasramadharma.
nlishes all this simply by chanting the holy name and engaging in devotional service.
Moreover, one attains bhava or spiritual ecstacy by these same devotional practices. With the advent of bhava, one transcends the jurisdiction of rules and regulations.
As long as one needs a regulated, formal social life, he must remain within the bounds of varnasrama. But after the first stirrings of love of Godhead with the attainment of bhava, the jiva's own divine nature becomes apparent: he will then require no further inspiration from the external guidelines of varnasramadharma. The mood of bhava is incomprehensible to materialistic persons because it is transcendentally dynamic, appearing in a person by its own volition regardless of that person's varna or asrama. The Vaisnava householder who follows this path of Krsna conscious varnasramadharma with singlemindedness, shunning the Mayavadi contamination, thus transcends the limits of varna and asrama.
hing more. But such arguments are foolish and nihilistic. The Mayavadi viewpoint stems from madness and a stubborn ignorance of the fact that the Supreme Lord is endowed with omnipotency. 'Omnipotent Brahman' is verily a name for the Supreme Person, Lord Visnu. [End of footnote] The intelligence of the Mayavadi philosopher is extremely demented. Seeing that the material existence is variegated, he concludes that the spiritual existence, being opposite to the material realm, must be void. This incomplete, immature theorizing leads him to imagine Brahman as dry and impersonal. In itsn But anyone who comprehends the transcendental nature of the name, form and qualities of the Supreme Lord, knowing them to be not different from Him, can perceive Lord Krsna in His divine fullness by chanting His holy name purely.
Duality exists only on the material plane here a name is different from the object it identifies. But as this is not the case on the spiritual platform, it is a gross blunder to imagine such a difference between the Lord and His name, form, qualities and so on. The same pitfall entraps those who consider Siva and other demigods to be independent of the Supreme Lord's control.
holy name and chant the name constantly. Thus he attains prema.
His entire success is found in the holy name.
only in that body are spiritual activities possible to perform, unlike any other species.
A demigod or denizen of the heavenly planets is destined only to enjoy the reactions of his past good karma. He cannot voluntarily initiate any spiritual activities. Animals are likewise bound by karmic reactions and are too steeped in gross ignorance to undertake any pious activities independently. The human birth alone is most conducive for spiritual life and service to the Supreme Lord.
debates and mischievious logic. He must evade such pitfalls, surrender to the spiritual master's instructions and receive the proper mantra from him. As for householders, they should take shelter of a bonafide spiritual master and remain within the varnasrama system.
For one who is determined to renounce, a spiritual master in the sannyasa order is best. By receiving spiritual guidance and initiation from a sannyasaguru, the renunciate will very quickly relish the ecstacy of chanting the holy name.nnd the many siksagurus are to be equally respected.
iritual master.
l of Krsnaprema.
he right person. Basically, the spiritual master must be a pure devotee of the Lord.
l his feet and beg shelter from him and in this way act to please him. Simply by behaving thusly, one can easily develop a taste for chanting, which in turn offers all perfection. All this is confirmed in the Vedas. But if one offends the namaguru, the spiritual master who initiates one into the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, he will surely fall into the sinful company of atheists.
[Footnote 4 by Bhaktivinoda] The namaguru teaches scriptural conclusions and reveals the esoteric nature of the holy name, and he initiates the disciple in the mantra consisting of the holy name. The Vaisnava diksaguru is the namaguru, and the diksamantra is namatmika, receiving its life from the holy name.
The mantra loses its meaning and purpose if it is separated from the holy name, and conversely, simply by uttering the holy name of the Lord, the mantra is automatically chanted. [End of footnote 4].
nupreme Lord Krsna's own lips.
This literature establishes and proves the Absolute Truth. It contains transcendental knowledge that is beyond the range of the material senses, and it can be understood by Lord Krsna's grace alone.
The senses are capable of experiencing only material objects; transcendence lies completely beyond their bounds. The science of Krsna consciousness is purely spiritual: hence it is transcendental. That knowledge of transcendence has been mercifully given by Lord Krsna in the Vedic literature for the ultimate benefit of humanity. The word veda specifically refers to scriptural knowledge received through the proper authorized disciplic succession or parampara.
Human beings are born with four natural faults: they commit errors, they are subject to illusion, they have the propensity to cheat, and they have imperfect senses. Everything they do is tainted by these faults. Vedic literature is free from any mistakes or discrepancies. It is the only means to spiritual salvation. The Vedic knowledge was originally revealed by the mercy of Lord Krsna. It was compiled by sages who had received this knowledge while in samadhi, or total spiritual absorbtion, far beyond the range of the four natural human faults.
only Supreme Absolute Truth. The second is that He is omnipotent. The third is that He is Rasamurti, the embodiment of all spiritual mellows. He is the source of bliss for all living entities and He eternally resides in His abode in the spiritual sky. These first three teaching pertain to the Supreme Lord, Krsna.
ch is the means to acheive prayojana, the supreme goal.nyoga, but without understanding its real goal realization of Paramatma.
Nagna spread poison by teaching tantric practices in the mode of ignorance. Carvaka Nastika was an atheist who never accepted the Vedic authority, and Sugata devised his own path of religion in place of the sruti. Gautama propagated logic and did not worship the Supreme Lord.
These mischievious interpretations are in fact offenses against the Vedic literature. Through sophism, such philosophers speak halftruths that are likely to confuse the ordinary listener, though a learned devotee knows their sole object is to defame the sruti. One who develops faith in these theories becomes an offender. Therefore the devotee avoids hearing them. nstandings are applicable, it is wrong to substitute secondary understandings in their place. These principle meanings all indicate the science of Krsna consciousness.
To artificially impose secondary meanings upon the Vedic statements is a sin that distances one from the Absolute Truth.
From beginning to end, the srutisastra expounds the superexcellence of the syllable om. The omkara is a name of Krsna, and by chanting the Lord's name, the jiva attains the Lord's supreme abode. The Vaisnava devotees of the Sri Sampradaya chant om as a holy name of the Lord. The Vedas declare the holy name to be the trancendental form of the Supreme Lord in this material world; even namabhasa, the holy name's indistinct appearance, grants all perfection. Only unfortunate fools will purposefully disregard such Vedic teachings and thus ruin their lives by offenses.
spiritual energy is Lord Krsna's original and primeval energy. Maya (Durga, Kali) is its shadow. Her intention is to rectify the erring jivas who drift away from Krsna and bring them back to Krsna consciousness. Indeed, this is her prime duty to the Lord.
[Footnote 2 by Bhaktivinoda:] Maya showers two kinds of graces niskapata (honest and unrestricted) and sakapata (capricious and illusory). By her niskapata mercy she gives bhakti by way of jnana (bhaktijnanamisra). Her sakapata mercy gives temporary pleasures that overwhelm the jiva, bringing him under the control of illusion. And when she is thoroughly merciless, she casts the jiva into brahmasayuja liberation; thus he is doomed.
H OFFENSE
All glories to Lord Gauranga and Srila Gadadhara Pandita; all glories to Sri Sri Radha Madhava. All glories to the places of Lord Gauranga's pastimes and all the Vaisnava devotees of the Lord.
"O Lord Gauranga! The fifth namaparadha is to think that the glories of the holy name are exaggerated, as for example when one thinks, 'The scriptural presentation of the glories of the Lord's holy name is not entirely true, because hyperbole has been employed to increase the readers' faith in the chanting of the name.'" It is a fact that in the karmakanda and jnanakanda sections of the Vedas, ritualism and philosophical speculation have been overly praised. Such praises are intended to elicit interest in these processes. But the same is not true in the case of the holy name. Therefore to think so is an abominable offense.
ellent qualities of the name contain exaggerations. Whoever commits such an abominable offense rots eternally in hell. Offenders claim that misrepresentations have been made to increase attraction for chanting. They have no idea of the purport of the scriptures and of what is beneficial for humanity, because they take everything backwards.
Because they have no reserve of previous pious activities (bhaktisukrti), they can never develop faith in the scriptural science of devotional service. The chanting of the holy name iszize the glories of the holy name? The follower of karmakanda is supposed to gradually realize that pious fruitive works, being material, give only unimportant fruits. He should then perform his duties free of self interest.
This will purify his heart and help him to see the need for chanting the holy name. A purified heart strives for selfªrealization and is naturally repelled by material activities.
Thus the real success of karma kanda, when performed without material motivation, is attraction for the chanting the holy name of the Lord. Pious results that a brahmana could not accrue anywhere in the entire universe are easily obtained by chanting Krsna's name. The supreme position of the chanting of the holy name cannot be diminished by the envious statements of stubborn karmis and jnanis.
Simply by namabhasa chanting one gains all the results of the paths of karma and jnana. So if mere namabhasa offers such wonderful results, then surely the pure name will offer so much more, unlimitedly. Therefore, whatever results the scriptures say are gained from chanting are easily obtainable by the devotee who is attached to the pure name.
re is no point in objecting to these arrangements. An intelligent person will therefore carefully avoid offending the allpowerful name of the Lord.
rpated. All previous sins are then dissolved, and the heart shines with positive purity. Sinful activities sprout from the seeds of sinful desire in the heart, and the sinful desire seeds are rooted in ignorance; these three (ignorance, the seeds of sin and sin) are the source of all suffering for the conditioned soul. Not being able to bear the sufferings of His dependent parts and parcels, the Lord in His infinite compassion gives them help through the process of bhaktiyoga by which the lust to enjoy the senses is driven from their hearts.
As one practices bhakti, he finds materialistic endeavor to enjoy wealth and women repulsive. He follows the path of righteousness, being satisfied in his service to the Lord. He accepts only what is favorable for executing devotional service and rejects that which is unfavorable. He has absolute conviction in all situations that Lord Krsna is his protector, savior and maintainer. He is free from attachments to the body and the notions of 'me' and 'mine.' In a humble state of mind, he constantly chants the holy name of the Lord. Such a person is never again inclined to sinful activities.
denies the shelter of Lord Krsna's lotus feet, he immediatly falls down. The scriptures testify that whoever simply embraces the Lord's protection is an elevated soul, and his progress will never be impeded by obstacles.
and, disguised in the renunciate's attire, travel from country to country, their hearts smoldering with desires for wealth and women. Such persons are called markata vairagis or 'monkey renunciates'.
These unfortunate fellows dress as sannyasis but nurture the householder mentality. They are nothing more than dead weights upon mother earth and human society and must be avoided. A devotee who has taken shelter of the holy name can live in anynhas not strengthened his chanting to the point of full surrender to the holy name, he must be very vigilant to avoid offenses. He must especially guard against the offense of commiting sin on the strength of chanting. He should continuously chant the holy name and thus attract his spiritual master's mercy, which yields sambandhajnana. This knowledge reveals the science of pure devotion and the pure holy name.
ng. Lord Krsna's name is the jiva's most valuable treasure. Faith means to have complete conviction that chanting Lord Krsna's name will automatically fulfill all duties and complete all pious activities. Those who do not possess such faith are unfit to chant.
carries the chanter across the material ocean of nescience. But as long as one has not developed sufficient sraddha, he is unfit to chant.
One should hear the glories of the holy name from a saintly Vaisnava. Becoming humble by hearing his instructions, he should cast aside material desires and begin to chant. When the Vaisnava spiritual master perceives the proper degree of sraddha in the candidate, he initiates him into the greatest spiritual treasure Krsna's holy name. But to initiate a faithless person is an abominable offense. The guru goes to hell if he gives initiation to a faithless person for remuneration.
If the guru knows that a person who has approached him for initiation is an insincere, faithless pretender, and yet he still heedlessly initiates this unfit person out of consideration for the material gain it may bring him, he is condemned as a namaparadhi. If the guru was unable to make a correct assessment and gave the candidate initiation only to later discover that he is a pretender, he must make immediate redress for his mistake.
be propagated widely among the masses. Those who are faithful will come forward and choose a bona fide spiritual master, receiving instructions and initiation in the name from him. By sincere chanting they will surely obtain love of Godhead, Krsnaprema.
"Prostitutes, criminals, cheaters and other sinful people should first be made to give up their unrighteous, harmful ways.
Sincere faith should then be implanted in their hearts by good association. When their faith in Krsna's holy name matures, only then may they receive initiation. This is the duty of a preacher as he goes from place to place.
chanting the name." s, charity, yoga, the practice of varnasramadharma, pilgrimages, vows, offerings to forefathers, meditation, cultivation of empirical knowledge, propitiation of demigods, penances, austerities, etc. All these activities are means to mundane objectives. But after a long period of practice of subhakarma, the performer gradually obtains the real goal of all his endeavors the shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord. At this juncture, he must abandon the temporary ways of subhakarma, for he now knows the genuine essence of all religious duties bhakti, devotion to the Lord.
Subhakarma is indeed a viable path for conditioned souls to attain the ultimate goal, i.e. love of Godhead. Yet one fact must be clearly stated reaching perfection through subhakarma is a timeconsuming affair. The ultimate objective is Krsnaªprema, which is fully spiritual, but on the subhakarma path, the means to attain it is mundane. Thus there is a gulf of difference between the means and the objective.
[Footnote 1 by Bhaktivinoda] The evolution of the jiva from mundane religiousity to Krsna consciousness is the master plan of Providence, which impels the jiva to aspire for perfection. The conditioned souls cannot exist without contacting matter. All their thoughts and activities are intimately woven into the fabric of materialism. Pious activities (subhakarma) provide a means for the jiva to approach pure devotion through skillful efforts of material contact. Simultaneously, this contact with matter gives rise to discontent and suffering. Therefore, to achieve the bliss of Krsna consciousness, in the end the jiva must give up subhakarma. [End of footnote 1] supreme goal, but some persons understand this to mean that chanting is one of many subhakarmas.
This misconception is similar to Lord Visnu being seen as just another demigod like Siva or Brahma.
The holy name is fully spiritual and transcendental to material nature. It is untainted by matter. Though the jiva is likewise spiritual, he thinks himself material due to gross ignorance. Consequently, he thinks that everything, including the holy name of the Lord, is also material. Thus the chanting of Lord Krsna's holy name came to be categorized as subhakarma, and the jivas with Mayavadi leanings are convinced that this is right and proper. But those who adhere to this view are excluded from the path of devotional service.
e holy name of Krsna.
arthas will multiply due to his committing namaparadha. But with this proper understanding and faith, the pure name manifests very quickly. [End of footnote 2]
the nectar of the holy name.
than sadhanaªbhakti.' y. This helps him to soon sever his links with materialism.
Another effective method for ridding oneself of apathy towards the holy name is to sit in a closed room alone and meditate on the name as did the previous sages. Or one can cover the head and face with a cloth and concentrate on the sound of the holy name. This will immediately fix the mind firmly on the holy name; slowly, one develops attraction for the name, and the offense of apathetic inattentiion will vanish.
ion, success and the cheating propensity. When these attractions cover the heart, the neophyte becomes neglectful of the chanting of the holy name.
zOnly by the grace of the Lord can this be achieved. Thus one should pray to the Lord that he never falls victim to the wiles of the illusion of distraction, and that he can continue to taste the full nectar of the holy name.
eads. Four rounds on the beads makes a granthi. By gradually increasing his chanting, the sadhaka should aspire to chant 16 granthis or one lakha of holy names: this number is considered as nirbandha. If chanting is then even further increased to three lakhas of names, the devotee will always be immersed in the Lord's holy name. All the previous acaryas and mahajanas have followed this instruction of Lord Caitanya and attained perfection. Even now, anyone can attain perfection by proper chanting. Everyone, including the pure devotees, the salvationists, and the materialistic persons are eligible to chant the holy name of the Lord.
Two different moods of Krsnaprema are visible in pure devotees, but the nectar of the holy name is relished in both of these moods, in the happiness of meeting the Lord and in the pangs of separation from the Lord.
One who wears the gem of Harinama Cintamani as a crown upon his head will certeinly find shelter at Srila Haridasa Thakura's lotus feet.
proper cultivation of devotional service. This is a terrible offense that is only gotten rid of when one surrenders to the holy Name.
mpassion for the suffering souls. In times of both joy and sorrow I remain eternally Lord Krsna's servitor. My moments of material enjoyment and my moods of renunciation are experienced only due to the Lord's will.' When these feelings arise spontaneously, one achieves the stage of atmanivedana (surrender of the soul).
ice becomes disgusted with material life; leaving it, he takes full shelter of the holy Name.
anting awards him the divine fruit of bhava, the first stage of prema. Thus the offenseless chanter is promoted from the sadhana or practice stage to bhava, or spontaneous pure devotional service. From bhava comes prema, which, according to the scriptures, is the mature fruit of pure devotion, the pinnaccle of all perfection. Lord Caitanya personally guarantees that if any devotee chants the holy name free from offenses, he will quickly obtain Krsnaprema.
estroyed, they can never reappear. Constant chanting means, apart from a minimal time for rest and other bare physical necessities, that one should chant throughout all hours of the day with intense contrition. No other penance or ritual is as effective as this.
When the offenses are destroyed, the pure holy name blossoms within the heart. The pure name of Krsna delivers bhava and finally prema.
Srila Haridasa Thakura concluded, "O Lord Caitanya, I humbly pray at Your lotus feet that the ten offenses in chanting the holy name of the Lord never find a place in my heart. Please kindly grant that I may remain submerged in the nectar of the pure name." Bhaktivinoda, the servant of the devotees, is able to recite Harinama Cintamani in great delight only on the strength of Srila Haridasa Thakura's causeless mercy.
ce of transcendental mellows, and now you have revealed the glories of the holy name. Kindly tell me something about the different kinds of offenses made in the execution of devotional service to the Deity." Srila Haridasa Thakura replied, "You are asking about a subject that is known to a servant of the Deity. All my time is taken up in serving the holy name. I don't know how to reply, yet I cannot disregard Your instruction. I will speak whatever you make me say." efore the Deity; 21) using obscene language before the Deity; 22) belching or passing air before the Deity; 23) offering substandard paraphernalia in the service of the Deity in spite of having better; 24) eating or drinking unoffered food; 25) not offering seasonal fruits and vegetables; 26) offering the Deity contaminated food, or food first eaten by someone else; 27) sitting with one's back to the Deity; 28) acting immodestly before the Deity, as by sitting directly in front of the Deity; 29) respecting or worshiping someone else before the Deity; 30) not glorifying and offering obeisances to one's spiritual master before the Deity; 31) glorifying oneself before the the Deity; 32) slandering the demigods before the Deity.
ile sitting on the bare floor; to touch the Lord with the left hand while bathing the Deity; to offer old or already offered fruits or flowers; to boast during worshiping; to spit habitualnization may then fully submerge himself in the nectar of chanting the holy name, leaving aside other services.
[Editor's footnote:] Lord Caitanya instructed Srila Raghunatha das Goswami on the worship of Sri GovardhanSila thusly (as recorded in Caitanya Caritamrita, Antya 6.294-304): '"This stone is the transcendental form of Lord Krsna.
Worship the stone with great eagerness. Worship this stone in the mode of goodness like a perfect brahmana, for by such worship you will surely attain ecstatic love of Krsna without delay. For such worship, one needs a jug of water and a few flowers from a Tulasi tree. This is worship in complete goodness when performed in complete purity. With faith and love, you should offer eight soft Tulasi flowers, each with two Tulasi leaves, one on each side of each flower." 'After thus advising him how to worship, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally offered Raghunatha das the Govardhana-Silan footnote]
It is on the strength of Srila Haridas Thakura's instruc tions that a lowly person without means can recite the Harinam Cintamani.
perceive transcendental variegatedness. Rasa is eternal, full of cognizance and everªblissful, eversheltered at Lord Krsna's lotus feet.
The Supreme Absolute Truth exists as saktiman or the Energetic and sakti or the Energy. Qualitatively, saktiman and sakti are the same, though differences between the two are to be appreciated. Saktiman is always the Supreme Controller, willful and independent; sakti always displays His full and supreme potency. His sakti or potency manifests in three ways: the cit potency or the spiritual nature, the jiva, and maya or the material nature.
The cit potency reveals the Supreme Truth, His name, abode, pastimes and beauty. Lord Krsna is that Supreme Truth. His exquisite dark complexion, syama, is His beauty. Goloka is His abode and the place of His pastimes. His name, abode, form,zerated jiva is entitled to render eternal devotional service. The eternally conditioned jiva is engrossed in material activities. He can also be said to be of two types: extroverted and introspective.
The introspective nityabaddha jivas are searching for the Absolute Truth. The extroverted jivas are totally absorbed in the external features of gross matter and thus are far removed from Krsna. They simply want to exploit things meant for Lord Krsna's service for their own enjoyment. The more fortunate and pious jivas amongst the introspective ones come into contact with devotees and in their association take to the chanting the Lord's holy name, which transports them through the portals of the spiritual world. The less fortunate introspective jivas are attracted to the paths of karma and jnana by which they worship various demigods or finally merge into the impersonal Brahman.
as Bhaktiªdevi, who embodies the full mixture of the hladini and samvit potencies. This mixture is called the bhaktisvarupamsakti, the potency of the form of pure devotion. When his latent bliss and knowledge are infused with this bhaktisvarupamsakti, the spontaneous loving attitude required for entering the astaªkaliyalila appears in the heart of the chanter of the holy name.
als - dharma, artha, kama, moksha; but in fact the pinnacle of all these perfections is rasa. The fully realized and perfected beings are entitled to taste that rasa.
the holy name; of them, hearing, chanting and remembering are the best.
Chanting automatically manifests the other limbs of devotional service, like pada-sevanam, dasyam, sakhyam, atma- nivedanam, and so on. Thus the process of Deity worship is automatically accomplished by the devotee surrendered to the holy name. But the devotee attracted to Deity worship will have to acquire attraction for hearing and chanting in order to attain complete perfection in Krsna consciousness.
votee must in the beginning discard the ten offenses and simply absorb himself in the holy name by chanting constantly. He should distinctly pronounce the holy name and meditate upon the transcendental sound vibration. When his chanting is steady, clear and blissful, he will be able to meditate upon the Syamasundara form of the Lord. With chanting beads in hand, he should thus seek out the transcendental form of the holy name, which will appear when his vision is pure.
Another method he may employ to see this form is to sit in front of the Deities, drink the beautiful sight of the Lord with his eyes and meditate upon the holy name. After reaching the stage where the holy name and the form of the Lord become one, he must then absorb the transcendental qualities of Lord Krsna into his meditation. Thus the holy name and the qualities of Krsna merge to become one through constant chanting.
Next, he goes on to practice the remembrance of particular pastimes of the Lord. This remembrance, called mantradhyana mayi upasana, facilitates further absorbtion into the holy name. This lila-smarana or pastime meditation also gradually become one with the holy name, form, and qualities.
At this point, the first rays of namarasa, or the transcendental mellow of the holy name, dawn on the horizon of perception. Chanting the name in great delight, the devotee sees Krsna surrounded by cowherd boys and girls under a desire tree at the Yoga Pitha. Progressively, the devotee's practice of lila-smarana intensifies to the point where he begins to meditate on the most confidential pastimes of the Lord known as the asta-kaliya- lila, or the eightfold pastimes of RadhaKrsna. When he reaches maturity in this meditation, rasa rises in full glory.
ho, in his eternal spiritual form (siddha-svarupa), guides the disciple to a sakhi (confidential gopi) who in turn introduces him into the pastimes of the Lord. Of all the gopis, Srimati Radharani, the daughter of King Vrisabhanu, is the most excellent. She embodys the highest spiritual sentiment, mahabhava.
Serving Krsna under Her leadership is the supreme spiritual experience.
The five main rasas or spiritual mellows are: santa (neutrality), dasya (servitorship), sakhya (friendship), vatsalya (parenthood), and sringara or madhurya (conjugal). Of these, sringara or conjugal is the highest. Devotees eligible to enter the conjugal rasa are the recipients of the special mercy of Sri Krsna Caitanya.
In the conjugal rasa, Lord Krsna has many yutheswaris orxll be revealed by the grace of Krsna. The cultivation of the conjugal loving relationship with the Lord is the highest mode of service; by this, everincreasing Krsnaprema will be experienced. By adopting the bhaumavrajarasa, or the vrajarasa revealed on this material plane in Vrindavandhama, one becomes eligible to enter such conjugal love.
Sri Ramananda Raya said, 'Therefore one should accept the mood of the gopis in their service. In such a transcendental mood, one should always think of the pastimes of Sri Radha and Krsna. After thinking of Sri Sri RadhaKrsna and Their pastimes for a long time and after getting completely free from material contamination, one is transferred to the spiritual world. There the devotees attain an opportunity to serve Sri Radha and Krsna as one of the gopis. Unless one follows in the footsteps of the gopis he can not attain the service of the lotus feet of Krsna, the son of Nanda Maharaja. If one is overcome by knowledge of the Lord's opulence, he can not attain the Lord's lotus feet even though he is engaged in devotional service." (Sri Caitanyaªcaritamrita, Madhya 8.228230) The devotee who is inclined to cultivate the conjugal rasa must accept the form of a gopi under the guidance of a superior vrajagopi. One can become a gopi when eleven transcendental sentiments adorn the heart. They are: 1) sambandha (relationship), 2) vayasa (age), 3) nama (name), 4) rupa (form), 5) yutha-pravesa (entrance into a group), 6) vesa (attire), 7) ajna (instructions), 8) vasasthana (place of residence), 9) seva (service), 10) parakastha (excellence), 11) palyadasi-bhava (the mood of a kept maidservant).
aya says, 'One who is attracted by the ecstatic love of the gopis does not care about the regulative principles of Vedic life or popular opinion. Rather, he completely surrenders unto Krsna and renders service unto Him.' 'In this liberated stage the devotee is attracted by one of the five humors (rasas) in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.
As he continues to serve the Lord in that mood, he attains a spiritual body to serve Krsna in Goloka Vrindavan.' (Sri Caitanyacaritamrita, Madhya 8.220, 8.222) So saying, Srila Ramananda Raya instructs us to first attain the form and mood of a vraja- gopi in order to obtain service in the conjugal relationship.
When a sadhaka devotee, having heard about Lord Krsna's pastimes, is attracted to the conjugal mellow, he should take further instruction on rasa from a realized, saintly spiritual master. This is called the stage of hearing or sravana-dasa.
When the sadhaka devotee anxiously and eagerly accepts the conjugal mellow, varana-dasa commences. Then, by pure remembrance of the sentiments of rasa, he desires to practice them: thus he reaches the third stage, smarana-dasa. When he is able to perfectly invoke these sentiments of rasa, he attains apana- dasa or prapti-dasa. Finally, when he can separate himself from all his temporary material designations and is steadily fixed in that original spiritual identity for which he yearns, he has reached sampati-dasa: the inheritance of his spiritual identity.
understand them, the sadhaka is shown his siddhadeha or spiritual identity, viz. his spiritual name, form, qualities, service and so on. The spiritual master also discloses who the parents of the sadhaka's manjariidentity are, at which house she was born, who her husband is, and so on. At this point, the disciple must spurn all Vedic religious pursuits and simply be a fully surrendered maidservant of Srimati Radharani, the camp leader; thereafter, the guru will reveal in detail the disciple's eternal service to Srimati Radharani in the asta-kaliya-lila. The sadhika (now a female sadhaki) embraces these revelations in varanadasa. He enters into smaranadasa when he actually remembers them for himself. In this way, the sadhaka prepares himself for spiritual birth as a gopi in Vraja.
fruit of their devotion, or else return to a life of anarthas.
The great devotee Syamananda at first was not aware of his own siddharuci or permanent devotional propensity; he was made to embrace the sakhyarasa or the mood of friendship. Later, by the grace of Srila Jiva Goswami, he attained his real position.
If an inappropriate ruci is falsely attached to the sadhaka, it is compared to the gopiidentity's acceptance of a husband. But by the grace of his spiritual master, the sadhaka at last attains Krsna's service in the parakiyarasa or paramour relationship. Rasa comes to a full bloom only in the parakiya mood. The summit of Lord Caitanya's teachings is that the parakiya attitude is the permanent feature of the pastimes of the Lord, both in their appearance [when Krsna descends to Vrajabhumi] and their disappearance [into the invisible Vraja of the transcendental world].
a renounced and simple life. Internally, he keeps the splendorous Editor's note: refer to C.c. Adi 4.50, purport, for further elaboration on this topic. zage of apanadasa via vaidhisadhana
The vaidhibhakta crosschecks all his activities of service to Krsna with scriptural injunction. Thus his beginning faith (sraddha) for the process of devotional service leads him step by step to nistha (firm faith), then to ruci (taste or attraction), then asakti (attachment). When he reaches the first stage of spontaneity and slight bhava, he discards his dependence upon scriptural directives as an impediment to his progress. After this, he is elevated to the stage of apana-dasa, where the difference between devotees following vaidhi and raganuga disappear.
al body is reduced to insignificance. His spiritual identity (svarupa) becomes more and more predominant. Intermittently, it manifests and he experiences sublime ecstasy in rendering devotional service to Sri Sri RadhaKrsna in Vraja.
These experiences develop until he spends long periods of time in Vraja interacting with the residents in his vraja-svarupa, seeing the dhama and the transcendental pastimes within.
The devotee's constant namabhajana inevitably brings about a face to face meeting with Lord Syamasundera. By the Lord's merciful will, all trace of the devotee's subtle body of mind, intelligence and false ego are extinguished with the demise of the gross body of five elements. Thus he enters the sampatiªdasa stage.
This is when the devotee's pure spiritual form fully manifests, free of material coverings. In the mood of pure bhava, he takes up his eternal service to Sri Sri RadhaKrsna in the transcedental dhama. He thus becomes a sadhana-siddha or a perfected soul now reinstated in his svarupa through practice of sadhana and bhajana. He now serves the Lord in the company of the nityasiddhas, the eternal associates of the Lord who were never conditioned.
s not keep the companyznce to him. "O Haridasa! Listen attentively to what I have to say.
The truth about the holy name will be hidden by mischievious rascals who will create a dark shroud of ignorance over the entire world. At that time, these excellent and unrivalled instructions of yours about chanting in the association of saintly persons shall be understood only by a remaining handful of devotees." What did Lord Caitanya mean by 'mischievous rascals'? The prime candidates for this appellation are the various upstart sects like the sahajiyas, aulas, baulas and so on, who propagate bogus mundane doctrines disguised as Mahaprabhu's own teachings; they indeed conceal from the world the pure philosophy of Krsna consciousness expounded by the Lord Himself in His Siksastaka.
The Lord continued, "The true path of the holy name will be followed by saintly souls who are totally detached from material life. They will chant the holy name with bhava and will therefore be known be known as rasikabhaktas. Their bhava will bezy pray that the remnants of this nectar should be distributed profusely, thus spreading divine bliss to everyone.
e to perceive transcendental variegatedness. Rasa is eternal, full of cognizance and everªblissful, eversheltered at Lord Krsna's lotus feet.
The Supreme Absolute Truth exists as saktiman or the Energetic and sakti or the Energy. Qualitatively, saktiman and sakti are the same, though differences between the two are to be appreciated. Saktiman is always the Supreme Controller, willful and independent; sakti always displays His full and supreme potency. His sakti or potency manifests in three ways: the citly liberated jiva is entitled to render eternal devotional service. The eternally conditioned jiva is engrossed in material activities. He can also be said to be of two types: extroverted and introspective.
The introspective nityabaddha jivas are searching for the Absolute Truth. The extroverted jivas are totally absorbed in the external features of gross matter and thus are far removed from Krsna. They simply want to exploit things meant for Lord Krsna's service for their own enjoyment. The more fortunate and pious jivas amongst the introspective ones come into contact with devotees and in their association take to the chanting the Lord's holy name, which transports them through the portals of the spiritual world. The less fortunate introspective jivas are attracted to the paths of karma and jnana by which they worship various demigods or finally merge into the impersonal Brahman.
as Bhaktiªdevi, who embodies the full mixture of the hladini and samvit potencies. This mixture is called the bhaktisvarupamsakti, the potency of the form of pure devotion. When his latent bliss and knowledge are infused with this bhaktisvarupamsakti, the spontaneous loving attitude required for entering the astaªkaliyalila appears in the heart of the chanter of the holy name.
our goals - dharma, artha, kama, moksha; but in fact the pinnacle of all these perfections is rasa. The fully realized and perfected beings are entitled to taste that rasa.
f devotional service reside in the holy name; of them, hearing, chanting and remembering are the best. [End of footnote 1]
Chanting automatically manifests the other limbs of devotional service, like pada-sevanam, dasyam, sakhyam, atma- nivedanam, and so on. Thus the process of Deity worship is automatically accomplished by the devotee surrendered to the holy name. But the devotee attracted to Deity worship will have tolmediate or madhyama devotee is pure and is very firmly situated in faith. The uttama or advanced devotee is completely indifferent to material things and is fully surrendered to Krsna. The pure name avails Himself to those who have exclusive faith in Krsna. [End of footnote 2] When his chanting is steady, clear and blissful, he will be able to meditate upon the Syamasundara form of the Lord. With chanting beads in hand, he should thus seek out the transcendental form of the holy name, which will appear when his vision is pure.
Another method he may employ to see this form is to sit in front of the Deities, drink the beautiful sight of the Lord with his eyes and meditate upon the holy name. After reaching the stage where the holy name and the form of the Lord become one, he must then absorb the transcendental qualities of Lord Krsna into his meditation. Thus the holy name and the qualities of Krsna merge to become one through constant chanting.
Next, he goes on to practice the remembrance of particular pastimes of the Lord. This remembrance, called mantradhyana mayinow the devotee realizes the full grace of his spiritual master, who, in his eternal spiritual form (siddha-svarupa), guides the disciple to a sakhi (confidential gopi) who in turn introduces him into the pastimes of the Lord. Of all the gopis, Srimati Radharani, the daughter of King Vrisabhanu, is the most excellent. She embodys the highest spiritual sentiment, mahabhava.
Serving Krsna under Her leadership is the supreme spiritual experience.
[Footnote 3 by Bhaktivinoda:] The five main rasas or spiritual mellows are: santa (neutrality), dasya (servitorship), sakhya (friendship), vatsalya (parenthood), and sringara or madhurya (conjugal). Of these, sringara or conjugal is the highest. Devotees eligible to enter the conjugal rasa are the recipients of the special mercy of Sri Krsna Caitanya.
In the conjugal rasa, Lord Krsna has many yutheswaris or female group leaders; but everyone prefers Srimati Radharani.
She is the direct manifestation of Lord Krsna's svarupa-sakti or spiritual potency, and all the other vraja-gopis are Her expansions. She is the Absolute embodiment of all the rasas. It is therefore the goal of devotional service to enroll in Her yutha or group. Service to Lord Krsna in Vraja is impossible without first taking shelter of the vrajagopis. One should furthermore aspire to enter Srimati Radharani's camp and serve directly under Lalitadevi. [End of footnote 3] e framed in words. Beyond it, there are even higher stages of Krsna consciousness that are indescribable. These will be revealed by the grace of Krsna. The cultivation of the conjugal loving relationship with the Lord is the highest mode of service; by this, everincreasing Krsnaprema will be experienced. By adopting the bhaumavrajarasa, or the vrajarasa revealed on this material plane in Vrindavandhama, one becomes eligible to enter such conjugal love.
[Editor's footnote:] Sri Ramananda Raya said, 'Therefore one should accept the mood of the gopis in their service. In such a transcendental mood, one should always think of the pastimes of Sri Radha and Krsna. After thinking of Sri Sri RadhaKrsna and Their pastimes for a long time and after getting completely free from material contamination, one is transferred to the spiritual world. There the devotees attain an opportunity to serve Sri Radha and Krsna as one of the gopis. Unless one follows in the footsteps of the gopis he can not attain the service of the lotus feet of Krsna, the son of Nanda Maharaja. If one is overcome by knowledge of the Lord's opulence, he can not attain the Lord's lotus feet even though he is engaged in devotional service." (Sri Caitanyacaritamrita, Madhya 8.228230) [End of editor's footnote] The devotee who is inclined to cultivate the conjugal rasa must accept the form of a gopi under the guidance of a superior vrajagopi. One can become a gopi when eleven transcendental sentiments adorn the heart. They are: 1) sambandha (relationship), 2) vayasa (age), 3) nama (name), 4) rupa (form), 5) yutha-pravesa (entrance into a group), 6) vesa (attire), 7) ajna (instructions), 8) vasasthana (place of residence), 9) seva (service), 10) parakastha (excellence), 11) palyadasi-bhava (the mood of a kept maidservant).
Five stages of consciousness are ascended in bhavasadhana
The cultivation of these eleven gopi sentiments develops through five stages. They are: 1) sravana-dasa (the stage of hearing), 2) varana-dasa (the stage of acceptance), 3) smarana- dasa (the stage of remembering), 4) apana-dasa (stage of application), and 5) sampati-dasa (stage of inheritance).
[Editor's footnote:] Srila Ramananda Raya says, 'One who is attracted by the ecstatic love of the gopis does not care about the regulative principles of Vedic life or popular opinion.
Rather, he completely surrenders unto Krsna and renders service unto Him.' 'In this liberated stage the devotee is attracted by one of the five humors (rasas) in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. As he continues to serve the Lord in that mood, he attains a spiritual body to serve Krsna in Goloka Vrindavan.' (Sri Caitanyacaritamrita, Madhya 8.220, 8.222) Son saying, Srila Ramananda Raya instructs us to first attain the form and mood of a vraja-gopi in order to obtain service in the conjugal relationship. [End of editor's footnote] When a sadhaka devotee, having heard about Lord Krsna's pastimes, is attracted to the conjugal mellow, he should take further instruction on rasa from a realized, saintly spiritual master. This is called the stage of hearing or sravana-dasa.
When the sadhaka devotee anxiously and eagerly accepts the conjugal mellow, varana-dasa commences. Then, by pure remembrance of the sentiments of rasa, he desires to practice them: thus he reaches the third stage, smarana-dasa. When he is able to perfectly invoke these sentiments of rasa, he attains apana- dasa or prapti-dasa. Finally, when he can separate himself from all his temporary material designations and is steadily fixed in that original spiritual identity for which he yearns, he has reached sampati-dasa: the inheritance of his spiritual identity.
[Footnote 4 by Bhaktivinoda] If, after having tested the disciple, the spiritual master determines that he is eligible to perform bhajan and serve in the sringara rasa, he then confidentially informs the disciple about his eternal spiritual form as a manjari in Srimati Radharani's camp, under the supervision of Sri Lalitadevi. The spiritual master teaches the disciple how to develop the eleven sentiments of the gopis, how to meditate on the asta-kaliya-lila, and how to properly be established in both.
So that he may fully understand them, the sadhaka is shown his siddhadeha or spiritual identity, viz. his spiritual name, form, qualities, service and so on. The spiritual master also discloses who the parents of the sadhaka's manjariidentity are, at which house she was born, who her husband is, and so on. At this point, the disciple must spurn all Vedic religious pursuits and simply be a fully surrendered maidservant of Srimati Radharani, the camp leader; thereafter, the guru will reveal in detail the disciple's eternal service to Srimati Radharani in the asta-kaliya-lila. The sadhika (now a female sadhaki) embraces these revelations in varanadasa. He enters into smaranadasa when he actually remembers them for himself. In this way, the sadhaka prepares himself for spiritual birth as a gopi in Vraja.
[End of footnote 4] But in the beginning the spiritual master and disciple must together sort out the disciple's natural inclination (ruci) for rasa. If the disciple finds his natural taste coincides with the identity indicated by the spiritual master, he should so inform his guru and embrace that identity as his life and soul. But if the disciple does not have a natural taste for the selected identity, he must frankly reveal this to his spiritual master, who will give him another identity. If the disciple has a taste for the new identity, he should accept it. His inherent nature will then manifest itself.
[Footnote 5 by Bhaktivinoda] Ruci or taste is the natural devotional propensity born out of bhaktisukriti, or previous devotional service. It may therefore be long standing or only recently developed. But in either case ruci is natural to the soul. When this inclination is determined by the spiritual master, it must be confirmed by the disciple. If the inclination is not fixed, the spiritual master's instructions on rasa will not take effect.
Those who are not attracted to the sringararasa, preferring dasya, sakhya or vatsalya, must likewise receive instructions from the spiritual master on these relationships in order to get the fruit of their devotion, or else return to a life of anarthas.
The great devotee Syamananda at first was not aware of his own siddharuci or permanent devotional propensity; he was made to embrace the sakhyarasa or the mood of friendship. Later, by the grace of Srila Jiva Goswami, he attained his real position.
If an inappropriate ruci is falsely attached to the sadhaka, it is compared to the gopiidentity's acceptance of a husband. But by the grace of his spiritual master, the sadhaka at last attains Krsna's service in the parakiyarasa or paramour relationship. Rasa comes to a full bloom only in the parakiya mood. The summit of Lord Caitanya's teachings is that the parakiya attitude is the permanent feature of the pastimes of the Lord, both in their appearance [when Krsna descends to Vrajabhumi] and their disappearance [into the invisible Vraja of the transcendental world].
Sringararasa is totally devoid of even an iota of materialism. The transcendental jiva, in order to enjoy and exchange pure rasa, becomes a transcendental gopi and renders devotional service to the transcendental personalities of Sri Radha and Sri Krsna in the transcendental realm of Vrindavana. There is not the slightest tinge of the mundane man-woman relationship in Vrndavana. Only the purest essence of conjugal love is manifested in the perfected identity of the soul. And realization of this is available only from a pure devotee spiritual master. Other than by his grace, this inconceivable truth can never be understood. It is beyond the realm of speculation and pedantic scrutiny. Its realization is extremely rare.
Perfection eludes the disciple if he does not elevate himself from the stage of smarana-dasa to apana-dasa. The confidential process of apanadasa is most exalted, devoid of the false posturing of karma, jnana or yoga. Externally, the devotee engages himself fully in the chanting the holy name, leading a renounced and simple life. Internally, he keeps the splendorous flames of rasa burning with pure intensity all the time.
Those sadhakas who are prone to a pompous external display of devotion or who fail to steady and properly direct their internal spiritual aspirations are unable to elevate themselves from the platform of smarana to apana-dasa. Thus the sadhaka may linger, unaccomplished, through many lifetimes of devotional practice.
This path of worship or bhajana is the simplest, but if the purity of the bhajana is in any way disfigured by a tinge of the contaminated desires for recognition, distinction or preference, then the sadhaka is thrown off the path of vraja-sadhana or bhajana in the mood of Vraja. One must approach the spiritual master with simple humility and learn this pure process properly.
By always remembering that he is pure spirit soul, part and parcel of the Absolute Whole, that he has a transcendental original form that is allperfect, that He has forgotten his perfect spiritual state and come under the clutches of maya, that he is offensive to Lord Krsna, being inebriated with the false designations of his gross body, but by the mercy of his spiritual master he can regain knowledge of his real self the method for the reawakening of the disciple's original identity can be quickly accomplished.
There are two methods of sadhanabhakti: one is vaidhi (rules and regulations) and the other is raganuga (spontaneous).
In the beginning, these two methods appear to be contradictory, but upon comprehension of their real purpose, the differences between them are dissolved. The vaidhi method of sadhana arises from respect for the regulations of scripture. Raganugasadhana is born out of an intense attraction for the activities of the residents of Vraja. The first is the usual method, whereas the second is extremely rare and confidential.
The vaidhibhakta crosschecks all his activities of service to Krsna with scriptural injunction. Thus his beginning faith (sraddha) for the process of devotional service leads him step by step to nistha (firm faith), then to ruci (taste or attraction), then asakti (attachment). When he reaches the first stage of spontaneity and slight bhava, he discards his dependence upon scriptural directives as an impediment to his progress. After this, he is elevated to the stage of apana-dasa, where the difference between devotees following vaidhi and raganuga disappear. [End of footnote 5] To the stage of sampatidasa via raganugasadhana
In the smaranadasa stage of raganugasadhana, the eleven sentiments of the gopis are first remembered by the sadhaka; these sentiments must adorn his emotions before he can remember the astakaliyalila.
There are five levels of remembrance in smaranadasa.
Initially, his remembrance will not be steady; this level is called smarana. Sometimes he remembers the sentiments, his position and his service, and at other times he forgets. But by steady practice of smarana, gradually he reaches permanency of remembrance, or dharana. As one meditates on every aspect of the subject of remembrance, part by part, minutely, dharana develops into fixed meditation - this is dhyana. When dhyana becomes continual, is is called anusmriti. Following anusmriti is the fifth level of remembrance, samadhi, when the devotee has no interest in anything other than perfect absorption in the pastimes of Lord Krsna.
From the samadhi level of smarana-dasa, the crucial ascension to apana-dasa or the stage of application takes place. For one who is not adept, elevation through the five stages of smarana-dasa to apana-dasa may require many yugas of effort; for a dexterous sadhaka, reaching apana-dasa is accomplished quickly.
In the apana-dasa stage, identification with the psychophysical body is reduced to insignificance. His spiritual identity (svarupa) becomes more and more predominant. Intermittently, it manifests and he experiences sublime ecstasy in rendering devotional service to Sri Sri RadhaKrsna in Vraja. These experiences develop until he spends long periods of time in Vraja interacting with the residents in his vraja-svarupa, seeing the dhama and the transcendental pastimes within.
The devotee's constant namabhajana inevitably brings about a face to face meeting with Lord Syamasundera. By the Lord's merciful will, all trace of the devotee's subtle body of mind, intelligence and false ego are extinguished with the demise of the gross body of five elements. Thus he enters the sampatiªdasa stage. This is when the devotee's pure spiritual form fully manifests, free of material coverings. In the mood of pure bhava, he takes up his eternal service to Sri Sri RadhaKrsna in the transcedental dhama. He thus becomes a sadhana-siddha or a perfected soul now reinstated in his svarupa through practice of sadhana and bhajana. He now serves the Lord in the company of the nityasiddhas, the eternal associates of the Lord who were never conditioned.
Summary The holy name is the greatest and yet the easiest obtainable spiritual treasure. This treasure is obtained by the jiva who chants with faith and devotion, not caring for karma, jnana and yoga. That jiva quickly and easily ascends to the highest perfection by following the method of namabhajana described above.
This method is the best of methods, better even than other methods of bhakti. The basic requirement for successful accomplishment of namabhajana is that the sadhaka must totally shun bad association and engage in the practice of devotional service in the company of saintly devotees of the Lord. Pure love of Krsna is the expression of unalloyed devotional service.
Only a pure devotee's heart has the inclination and capability of receiving prema; the non-devotee's heart denies it. Prema refuses to enter the heart of one who does not keep the company of pure devotees. The jiva's decision to accept either good or bad association has a powerful and lasting influence on his destiny.
There are three essential traits that must be cultivated to obtain success in chanting the holy name of the Lord: saintly association, isolation from the disturbances of mundane life, and determined, confident enthusiasm.
After saying this, Srila Haridasa Thakura declared himself to be very low and materially engrossed, bereft of good association and always engaged in selfdeception. Although Srila Haridasa is himself a nityasiddha associate of the Lord, he expressed himself in this humble way. Humility is the ornament of prema.
The Lord's special favor upon Srila Haridasa ThakurSrila Haridasa continued, "O Lord, kindly shower upon me Your causeless mercy (ahaitukikripa). I pray that You grant me entry into the realm of bhakti-rasa." Saying this, Srila Haridasa fell unconscious in loving ecstasy, fully selfsurrendered at the Lord's lotus feet.
[Editor's footnote] By saying this, Srila Haridasa implied that he was spiritually unaccomplished and therefore had no hope for the kind of mercy Lord Krsna bestows upon His pure devotees.
In his mood of utter helplessness he simply prayed for Lord Caitanya's unconditional grace. Though Srila Haridasa Thakur is famous for nama-bhajana and his teachings on the glories of the holy name, he is also the recipient of Lord Caitanya's special mercy. [End of editor's footnote] Lord Caitanya was moved by divine loving emotions upon hearing Srila Haridasa's Thakura's plea for mercy. Lifting Srila Haridasa up in His embrace, the Lord then spoke in confidence to him. "O Haridasa! Listen attentively to what I have to say.
The truth about the holy name will be hidden by mischievious rascals who will create a dark shroud of ignorance over the entire world. At that time, these excellent and unrivalled instructions of yours about chanting in the association of saintly persons shall be understood only by a remaining handful of devotees." [Editor's footnote] What did Lord Caitanya mean by 'mischievous rascals'? The prime candidates for this appellation are the various upstart sects like the sahajiyas, aulas, baulas and so on, who propagate bogus mundane doctrines disguised as Mahaprabhu's own teachings; they indeed conceal from the world the pure philosophy of Krsna consciousness expounded by the Lord Himself in His Siksastaka. [End of editor's footnote] The Lord continued, "The true path of the holy name will be followed by saintly souls who are totally detached from material life. They will chant the holy name with bhava and will therefore be known be known as rasikabhaktas. Their bhava will be that of separation; by their chanting they will relish the pastimes of RadhaKrsna and the eight principal gopis.
"The jiva is blessed with pure bhakti only on the strength of his sukriti, or piety and faith. Not everyone is entitled to have such devotion, but in order to instill such devotion in the hearts of the faithful, I have descended to propagate the chanting of the holy name as the religion for this age.
[Editor's footnote:] The chanting of Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare is factually the jiva's inherent and eternal religion. [End of editor's footnote] "My dear Haridasa, in the accomplishment of this mission I depend upon your help, and thus I am hearing from you the glories of the holy name." The Harinama Cintamani, this touchstone of the Lord's holy name, is an unfathomable mine of divine nectar. Whoever tastes it is truly fortunate and is blessed by Krsna; he is a great soul and always blissfully serves Lord Krsna in spontaneous loving devotion. I am a fallen soul; I clasp his feet and humbly pray that the remnants of this nectar should be distributed profusely, thus spreading divine bliss to everyone.
THUS ENDS SRI HARINAMA CINTAMANI