Lord Caitanya and His associates chanting the Holy Names
Image credits: ISKCON.
In the Age of Kali, the present age we are living, it is recommended in the authoritative Vedic literatures to chant the holy names of the Lord. We are presently living through a most fallen galactic age where there is widespread quarrel, hypocrisy and sinful activities. Lord Caitanya, the most munificent incarnation for this age, has especially advented Himself in the world in order to teach by His personal example how to chant the holy names of the Lord and how to live the life of a devotee.
The chanting of the holy names of the Lord is recommended because, in this present age, we are engaged in adverse occupational activities that are not related to the devotional service of the Lord and we have almost no time to pursue activities that can revive our dormant divine consciousness, what to say of following the path of yoga and its stringent rules and regulations carefully. Therefore, the Lord has invested all His potencies in the Holy Names and made it easier for us to achieve all perfection simply by this method.
In the Srimad Bhagavatam (Canto 11 Chapter 5 Text 36), which has been compiled by the literary incarnation of God, Srila Vyasadeva, it is stated: -
kaliṁ sabhājayanty āryā guṇa jñāḥ sāra-bhāginaḥ yatra saṅkīrtanenaiva sarva-svārtho’bhilabhyate
Those who are actually advanced in knowledge are able to appreciate the essential value of this Age of Kali. Such enlightened persons worship Kali-yuga because in this fallen age all perfection of life can easily be achieved by the performance of saṅkīrtana.
This famous literature goes on to say that: -
samudrāvaraṇāṁ jitvā māṁ viśanty abdhim ojasā kiyad ātma-jayasyaitan muktir ātma-jaye phalam
[Sukadeva Goswami to Maharaj Parikshit] “My dear King, My dear King, although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, there is still one good quality about this age: Simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom.
In all religious literatures, it has been recommended to chant the Holy Names of the Lord, for instance it has been said in the Bible, “Hallowed be thy name” (Mathew 6:9), which means that the name of the Lord is holy. Therefore all religions worship the name of the Lord as holy.
In the Hare Krishna tradition, where the holy name is revered, there is a wealth of information about how to chant the holy names. When it comes to the Hare Krishna mantra, which has been popularized all over the world by the Hare Krishna movement, it has been said that the holy names of the Lord are purely spiritual in nature and by chanting it, one can establish a connection to the spiritual realm. The word ‘Hare’ means the feminine aspect of God, or the blissful counterpart of God, the word ‘Krishna’ stands for the eternal Supreme Lord and the word Rama stands for divine spiritual knowledge. Therefore, by regularly chanting the holy names one can experience eternity, knowledge and bliss.
Ultimately, when one practises the chanting of the holy names, one is practising remembrance of the name, form, pastimes and qualities of the Supreme Lord, and this has a very purifying effect on one’s consciousness. This enables one to progress quickly in spiritual life and with the guidance of one’s Guru, one can obtain all perfection.
The Srimad Bhagavatam (4.24.69) goes on further to say: -
“Simply by offering prayers to the Supreme Lord one can become perfect… one can execute devotional service anywhere and everywhere in the material existence simply by offering prayers unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra is also a prayer, for a prayer addresses the Supreme Personality of Godhead by His name and invokes good fortune by petitioning the Lord to allow one to engage in His devotional service. The Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra also says, “My dear Lord Krishna, My dear Rama, O energy of the Lord, Hare, kindly engage me in your service.”
We should chant the holy names in the mood of service to Lord Sri Krishna, to Srimati Radharani and to Sri Balarama, for verily the holy names are personnified. We should always remember this and avoid the 10 offences while chanting the holy names. These are linked as follows: ISKCON Desire Tree (10 Offences) – see below . Also, prior to chanting one should remember one’s Gurus (the initiating Guru and the jagad Guru or Founder-Acharya Srila Prabhupada) by chanting their pranam mantra or mantra through which one pays obeisances to Gurus. One should also chant the Pancha tattva mantra of Lord Caitanya which is as follows: -
Jaya Sri Krishna Caitanya Prabhu Nityananda Sri Advaita Gadhadhara Srivasadi Gaura Bhakta Vrinda
The Holy Name cleanses the heart of impurities and brings love for Lord Sri Krishna. This love was originally in our hearts but was converted to lust (the tendency to enjoy this material world) when were deflected to this material world by the delusive potency of Maya because we have sought to enjoy independently from the Lord in a rebellious mentality. This is how we came to be in this material world since, in here, all the jivas (or fallen conditioned souls) have an intelligence which works against them and hence one cannot comprehend one’s predicament. By chanting the Holy Names, one’s intelligence becomes purified and one can see clearly one’s position as servitor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and act in that capacity under the direction of one’s Gurus.
The Harinama Cintamani is a superexcellent book which will enable the reader to gain complete understanding in the matter of chanting and hence it is an important book. An excerpt is provided below (Chapter 2): -
“The Holy Name is cintamani,the object that gives everything one desires. To the materialists it gives dharma, artha, kama and moksha, and to the non-fruitive devotees it gives pure unalloyed love of Krishna. The name is unlimited, beginningless, fully conscious, and inseparable from the chief consciousness, Krishna… The name is eternally free from material contamination and spiritually situated in a state of pure goodness (suddha-sattva) like Krishna. Though descending into the material world, the name remains pure, eternal, and the embodiment of the highest sweetness (rasa).
References: -
2) Sri Namamrita – The Nectar of the Holy Name
3) Sri Harinama Cintamani – by Thakura Bhaktivinoda
By Krishna Leela Prakash. This Rama Nawmi (25 March 2023)
The Jagad-Guru: His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami