Chant_Hare_Krsna 0 Report post Posted October 30, 2004 Part One <style> h1 {color: red} </style> <h1>The Holy Name: The Universal and Supreme Religion for this Age</h1> 1. The Prime Religious Practice for the Kali-yuga Is the Chanting of the Holy name The chanting of the holy name is the most sublime religion for the Kali-yuga: The Hare Krsna mantra is specifically mentioned in many Upanisads, such as the Kali-santarana Upanisad, where it is said: hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare itisodasakam namnam kali -kalmasa-nasanam natah parataropayah sarva-vedesu drsyate "After searching through all the Vedic literature one cannot find a method of religion more sublime for this age than the chanting of Hare Krsna." ¯Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 3.40 In Kali-yuga, simply by chanting the holy name one can attain the goal of life: [Karabhajana Rsi to Maharaja Nimi]: " 'Those who are advanced and highly qualified and are interested in the essence of life know the good qualitles of Kali-yuga. Such people worship the age of Kali because in this age, simply by chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, one can advance in spiritual knowledge and attain life's goal.' " This is a quotation from Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.5.36) spoken by the great sage Karabhajana Rsi, one of the nine Yogendras. The sage was informing Maharaja Nimi about the people's duty to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to different processes in different yugas. ¯Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 20.347 In Kali-yuga, one can attain liberation and return to the spiritual kingdom by chanting the holy name: [sukadeva Gosvami to Maharaja Pariksit]: " 'My dear King, although Kali-yuga is full of faults, there is still one good quality about this age. It is that simply by chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom.' " ¯Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.3.5 ¯ [cited: Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 20.344] Sankirtana is the present yuga-dharma: [Lord Caitanya to Sanatana Gosvami]: "…In the Kali-yuga the occupational duty of the people is to chant congregationally the holy name of Krsna." In Kali-yuga one worships Lord Krsna by chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. ¯Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 20.339 The only religious principle in the age of Kali is the chanting of the holy name: [isvara Puri to Lord Caitanya]: " 'In this age of Kali there is no other religious principle than the chanting of the holy name, which is the essence of all Vedic hymns. This is the purport of all scriptures.' " ¯Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 7.74 In Kali-yuga, chanting of the holy name is the most feasible means of salvation: In great jubilation, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "My clear Svarupa Damodara and Ramananda Raya, know from Me that chanting of the holy names is the most feasible means of salvation in this age of Kali." ¯Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Antya-lila 20.8 The universal religious practice for the Kali-yuga is the chanting of the holy name: The religious practice for the age of Kali is to broadcast the glories of the holy name. Only for this purpose has the Lord, in a yellow color, descended as Lord Caitanya. In this age of Kali the practical system of religion for everyone is the chanting of the name of Godhead. This was introduced in this age by Lord Caitanya. Bhakti-yoga actually begins with the chanting of the holy name, as confirmed by Madhvacarya in his commentary on the Mundaka Upanisad. He quotes this verse from the Narayana-samhita: dvapariyair janair visnuh pancaratrais tu kevalaih kalau tu nama-matrena pujyate bhagavan harih "In the Dvapara-yuga people should worship Lord Visnu only by the regulative principles of the Narada-pancaratra and other such authorized books. In the age of Kali, however, people should simply chant the holy names of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." ¯Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 3.40 The Srimad-Bhagavatam advocates nama-sankirtana as the essence of religion in the age of Kali: In Srimad-Bhagavatam it is repeatedly and clearly said that the essence of religion in the age of Kali is the chanting of the holy name of Krsna. ¯Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 3.50 Rather than inventing one's own religious process, one should accept the approved method of religion for this age-hari-nama-sankirtana: [sarvabhauma Bhattacarya to King Prataparudra]: Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya replied, "This sweet transcendental sound is a special creation of the Lord known as prema-sankirtana, congregational chanting in love of Godhead. In this age of Kali, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has descended to preach the religion of Krsna consciousness. Therefore the chanting of the holy names of Lord Krsna is the religious principle for this age. Anyone who worships Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu by congregational chanting should be understood to be very intelligent. One who does not do so must be considered a victim of this age and bereft of all intelligence." Rascals propose that anyone can invent his own religious process, and this proposition is condemned herein. If one actually wants to become religious, he must take up the chanting of the Hare Krsna rnaha-mantra... Dharma, or religion, cannot be manufactured by a human being. Religion is the law or code of the Lord... Dharma refers to the science of bhakti-yoga, which begins by the novice's chanting the holy name of the Lord (tan-nama-grahanadibhih). In this age of Kali it is recommended in Caitanya-caritamrta, kali-kale dharma-krsna-nama-sankirtana. In the age of Kali the chanting of the holy name of the Lord is the method of religion approved by all Vedic scriptures. ¯Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 11.97-99 Chanting the holy name is the sum and substance of sanatana-dharma: In this age of Kali, there are no genuine religious principles. There are only the Vaisnava devotees and the Vaisnava devotional scriptures. This is the sum and substance of everything. In this age a person should not envy Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement but should chant the holy names of Hari and Krsna, the maha-mantra. That is the sum and substance of eternal religion, known as sanatana-dharma. ¯Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 9.362 In Kali-yuga Krsna has incarnated as the holy name in order to deliver the sinful, who are suffering greatly: As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (4.7): yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata abhyutthanam adharmasya tadatmanam srjamy aham "Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion-at that time I descend Myself." In the present age, Kali-yuga, people are very much sinful and are consequently suffering greatly. Therefore Krsna has incarnated in the form of His name, as found in the maha-mantra: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. ¯Teachings of Queen Kunti Because Kali-yuga is such a degraded and miserable age, Lord Caitanya advises everyone simply to chant Hare Krsna: According to the Vedic conception, there must be men in society who are factually brahmanas, capable of expounding the real truth. If everyone becomes a sudra, the Absolute Truth cannot be understood. It is said that at the present moment in Kali-yuga everyone is a sudra (kalau sudra-sambhavah), and it is very difficult in this age to find qualified brahmanas, for they are very rare. There is practically not a single qualified brahmana in this age. prayenalpayusah sabhya kalav asmin yuge janah mandah sumanda-matayo manda-bhagya hy upadrutah "O learned one, in this iron age of Kali men have but short lives. They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always disturbed." (S.B. 1.1.10) The people in this age are very short-lived and slow in understanding spiritual life. Actually, human life is meant for understanding spiritual values, but because everyone in this age is a sudra, no one is interested. People have forgotten life's real purpose. The word manda means both slow and bad, and everyone in this age is either bad or slow or a combination of both. People are unfortunate and disturbed by so many things. According to Srimad-Bhagavatam there will eventually be no rain and consequently a scarcity of food. The governments will also levy very heavy taxes. The characteristics of this age predicted by Srimad-Bhagavatam are already being experienced to some degree. Since Kali-yuga is a very miserable age, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is Sri Krsna Himself, advises everyone simply to chant Hare Krsna. harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha [Adi 17.21] "In this age of Kali there is no alternative, there is no alternative, there is no alternative for spiritual progress than the holy name, the holy name, the holy name of the Lord." (Brhan-naradiya Purana) This process is not Caitanya Mahaprabhu's invention, but is advised by the sastras, the Puranas. The process for this Kali-yuga is very simple. One need only chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. ¯Teachings of Lord Kapila, the Son of Devahuti Although God has given us all facilities to live peacefully on this earth, cultivate Krsna consciousness, and finally to come to Him, in this age we're unfortunate. We are short-lived, and there are so many people without food, shelter, married life or defense from the onslaughts of nature. This is due to the influence of this age of Kali. Therefore Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, seeing the dreadful situation in this age, emphasized the absolute necessity for cultivating spiritual life. And how should we do it? Caitanya Mahaprabhu gives the formula: harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha [Adi 17.21] "Just always chant Hare Krsna." Never mind whether you are in a factory or in hell, in a shack or in a skyscraper-it doesn't matter. Just go on chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. There is no expense, there is no impediment, there is no caste, there is no creed, there is no color-anyone can do it. Just chant and hear. ¯On the Way to Krsna Everywhere in this age of iron everything is degraded, degraded in this sense: prayenalpayusah sabhya kalav asmin yuge janah [s.B. 1.1.10]. In this age of Kali the duration of life is diminished, and men are not moved to understand self-realization, and if they are, they are invariably misled by so many deceitful leaders. The age is very corrupt. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu's process of chanting Hare Krsna is the best and the simplest method. harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha [Adi 17.21] "In this age of Kali there is no other religion than glorifying the Lord by utterance of His holy name, and that is the injunction of all the revealed scriptures. There is no other way, there is no other way, there is no other way." This verse appears in the Brhan-naradiya Purana. Harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam. Simply chant Hare Krsna. There is no other alternative. Kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha. In this age of Kali, there is no other alternative for self-realization. So we have to accept it. There is another similar verse in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. In the Twelfth Canto, Third Chapter (12.3.51), Pariksit Maharaja was informed by Sukadeva Gosvami of the faults of this age, and now all the symptoms of the age of Kali are apparent. In the conclusive portion, however, Sukadeva Gosvami said, kaler dosa-nidhe rajann asti hy eko mahan gunah: "My dear king, this age, Kali, is full of faulty things, but there is one good opportunity." What is that? Kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet: "Simply by chanting this Hare Krsna mantra one can become liberated and go back to Godhead." ¯The Science of Self-Realization The lack of religious principles in Kali-yuga is more than compensated by the process of chanting the holy name: It is said that this age of Kali is three-fourths devoid of religious principles. Hardly one-fourth of the principles of religion are still observed in this age. But by the mercy of Lord Krsna, this vacancy of Kali-yuga has not only been completely filled, but the religious process has been made so easy that simply by rendering transcendental loving service unto Lord Krsna by chanting His holy names, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, one can achieve the highest result of religion, namely, being transferred to the highest planet within the spiritual world, Goloka Vrndavana. ¯Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Chanting of the holy names of the Lord is the common platform for the universal religion of mankind in the Kali-yuga: In this present age quarrels take place even over trifles, and therefore the sastras have recommended for this age a common platform for realization, namely chanting the holy names of the Lord. People can hold meetings to glorify the Lord in their respective languages and with melodious songs, and if such perfommances are executed in an offenseless manner, it is certain that the participants will gradually attain spiritual perfection without having to undergo more rigorous methods. At such meetings everyone, the learned and the foolish, the rich and the poor, the Hindus and the Muslims, the Englishmen and the Indians, and the candalas and the brahmanas, can all hear the transcendental sounds and thus cleanse the dust of material association from the mirror of the heart. To confirm the Lord's mission, all the people of the world will accept the holy name of the Lord as the common platform for the universal religion of mankind. ¯Srimad-Bhagavatam 1, Intro. In the age of logic, argument and disagreement, the chanting of Hare Krsna is the only means of self-realization: In three out of the four millenniums (namely Satya-yuga, Treta-yuga and Dvapara-yuga) people had the honor to be able to understand transcendence through the path of disciplic succession. However, in the present age, people have no interest in the disciplic succession. Instead, they have invented many paths of logic and argument. This individual attempt to understand the supreme transcendence (called the ascending process) is not approved by the Vedas. The Absolute Truth must descend from the absolute platform. He is not to be understood by the ascending process. The holy name of the Lord-Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare-is a transcendental vibration because it comes from the transcendental platform, the supreme abode of Krsna. Because there is no difference between Krsna and His name, the holy name of Krsna is as pure, perfect and liberated as Krsna Himself. Academic scholars have no entrance by means of logic and other argument into the understanding of the transcendental nature of the holy name of God. The single path in understanding the transcendental nature of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is the chanting of these names with faith and adherence. Such chanting will release one from designated conditions arising from the gross and subtle bodies. In this age of logic, argument and disagreement, the chanting of Hare Krsna is the only means for self-realization. ¯Teachings of Lord Caitanya The Hare Krsna mantra is especially suited to deliver us from the dangers of the Kali-yuga: Only the dvijas (the brahmanas) and the devas (the demigods) can be delivered from material existence by the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Whatever is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead is a mantra and is suitable for delivering the conditioned souls from mental speculation. The conditioned souls are engaged in a struggle for existence (manah sasthanindriyani prakrti-sthani karsati [bg. 15.7]). Deliverance from this struggle constitutes the highest benefit, but unless one gets a mantra from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, deliverance is impossible. The beginning mantra is the Gayatri mantra. Therefore, after purification, when one is qualified to become a brahmana (dvija), he is offered the Gayatri mantra. Simply by chanting the Gayatri mantra, one can be delivered. This mantra, however, is suitable only for the brahmanas and demigods. In Kali-yuga, we are all in a very difficult position, in which we need a suitable mantra that can deliver us from the dangers of this age. Therefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His incarnation as Lord Caitanya, gives us the Hare Krsna mantra... In His Siksastaka, Lord Caitanya says, param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam: "All glories to the chanting of sri-krsna-sankirtana!" The maha-mantra-Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare-is directly chanted by the Lord Himself, who gives us this mantra for deliverance. We cannot invent any means to be delivered from the dangers of material existence... Sparks are beautiful as long as they are in the fire. Similarly, we have to remain in the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and always engage in devotional service, for then we shall always be brilliant and illuminating. As soon as we fall from the service of the Lord, our brilliance and illumination will immediately be extinguished, or at least stopped for some time. When we living entities, who are like sparks of the original fire, the Supreme Lord, fall into a material condition, we must take the mantra from the Supreme Personality of Godhead as it is offered by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. By chanting this Hare Krsna mantra, we shall be delivered from all the difficulties of this material world. ¯Srimad-Bhagavatam 8.6.15 2. In the Kali-yuga, Lord Krsna Is Worshiped by Chanting of the Holy Name In the Kali-yuga, one can satisfy and worship the Lord simply by chanting His holy name: Sri Madhvacarya has brought our attention to this quotation from the Narayana-samhita: dvapariyair janair visnuh pancaratrais tu kevalaih kalau tu nama-matrena pujyate bhagavan harih "In the Dvapara-yuga one could satisfy Krsna or Visnu only by worshiping opulently according to the pancaratriki system, but in the age of Kali one can satisfy and worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead Hari simply by chanting His holy name." ¯Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Antya-lila 7.12 In this age of Kali, real religious propapada should induce people to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra... Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati thakura comments in this regard in his Anubhasya, wherein he quotes a verse from Narayana-samhita: dvapariyair janair visnuh pancaratrais tu kevalaih kalau tu nama-matrena pujyate bhagavan harih "In Dvapara-yuga, devotees of Lord Visnu and Krsna rendered devotional service according to the principles of pancaratrika. In this age of Kali, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is worshiped simply by the chanting of His holy names." ¯Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 25.9 Learned scholars in the age of Kali worship Lord Krsna through nama-sankirtana: "By performing the sacrifice of congregational chanting of the holy name, learned scholars in the age of Kali worship Lord Krsna…" ¯Stava-mala of Rupa Gosvami ¯[cited: Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 3.58] In Kali-yuga, the process of worshiping Krsna is the sacrifice of chanting the holy name: [Lord Caitanya to Svarupa Damodara & Ramananda Raya]: "In this age of Kali, the process of worshiping Krsna is to perform sacrifice by chanting the holy name of the Lord. One who does so is certainly very intelligent, and he attains shelter at the lotus feet of Krsna." ¯Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Antya-lila 20.9 3. The Yuga-dharma Is Personally Introduced by Lord Krsna in His Incarnation as Lord Caitanya Krsna personally inaugurates the religion of the age-nama-sankirtana-as Lord Caltanya: [Lord Krsna, thinking to Himself]: "I shall personally inaugurate the religion of the age-nama-sankirtana, the congregational chanting of the holy name. I shall make the world dance in ecstasy, realizing the four mellows of loving devotional service." ¯Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 3.19 The Kali-yuga dharma, chanting the holy name, is introduced by Lord Caitanya: [Karabhajana Rsi to Maharaja Nimi]: "Accompanied by His personal devotees, Lord Krsna, assuming a golden color, introduces the hari-nama-sankirtana, the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra, in the age of Kali. By this process, He delivers love for Krsna to the general populace. Lord Krsna, the son of Nanda Maharaja, personally introduces the occupational duty of the age of Kali. He personally chants and dances in ecstatic love, and thus the entire world chants congregationally." ¯Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 20.340-41 Krsna came again as Lord Caitanya to teach us the path by which to cross the ocean of Kali-yuga: Just before the beginning of Kali-yuga-or, in other words, at the end of Dvapara-yuga-Lord Sri Krsna appeared and left His instructions in the form of Bhagavad-gita, in which He asked all living entities to surrender unto Him. Since the beginning of Kali-yuga, however, people have practically been unable to surrender to the lotus feet of Krsna, and therefore, after some five thousand years, Krsna came again as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu just to teach the entire world how to surrender unto Him, unto Sri Krsna, and thus be purified... Kali-yuga is full of contamination. This is described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.3.51): kaler dosa-nidhe rajann asti hy eko mahan gunah kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet This age of Kali is full of unlimited faults. Indeed, it is just like an ocean of faults (dosa-nidhi). But there is one chance, one opportunity. Kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet: simply by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, one can be freed from the contamination of Kali-yuga and, in his original spiritual body, can return home, back to Godhead. This is the opportunity of Kali-yuga. When Krsna appeared, He gave His orders, and when Krsna Himself appeared as a devotee, as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He showed us the path by which to cross the ocean of Kali-yuga. That is the path of the Hare Krsna movement. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared, He ushered in the era for the sankirtana movement. It is also said that for ten thousand years this era will continue. This means that simply by accepting the sankirtana movement and chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, the fallen souls of this Kali-yuga will be delivered. After the Battle of Kuruksetra, at which Bhagavad-gita was spoken, Kali-yuga continues for 432,000 years, of which only 5,000 years have passed. Thus there is still a balance of 427,000 years to come. Of these 427,000 years, the 10,000 years of the sankirtana movement inaugurated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu 500 years ago provide the opportunity for the fallen souls of Kali-yuga to take to the Krsna consciousness movement, chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra and thus be delivered from the clutches of material existence and return home, back to Godhead. Chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra is potent always, but it is especially potent in this age of Kali. Therefore Sukadeva Gosvami, while instructing Maharaja Pariksit, stressed this chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra. kaler dosa-nidhe rajann asti hy eko mahan gunah kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet "My dear King, although Kali-yuga is full of faults, there is still one good quality about this age. It is that simply by chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom." (S.B. 12.3.51) Those who have accepted the task of spreading the Hare Krsna maha-mantra in full Krsna consciousness should take this opportunity to deliver people very easily from the clutches of material existence. Our duty, therefore, is to follow the instructions of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and preach the Krsna consciousness movement all over the world very sincerely. This is the best welfare activity for the peace and prosperity of human society. ¯Srimad-Bhagavatam 8.5.23 The chanting of the holy name is Lord Caitanya's special concession to the animallike human beings of this age: Love of Krsna is not an easy thing to obtain, because by this love one can purchase Krsna, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu distributed this love of Krsna to anyone and everyone, even to the two drunkards Jagai and Madhai. Narottama dasa thakura has therefore sung: dina-hina yata chilo hari-name uddharilo, ta'ra saksi jagai-madhai "Caitanya Mahaprabhu is so magnanimous that He delivered all kinds of sinful men simply by allowing them to chant the Hare Krsna mantra. The evidence of this is Jagai and Madhai." At that time, of course, there were two Jagais and Madhais, but at the present moment, by the grace of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His process of teaching, so many Jagais and Madhais are being delivered. If Caitanya Mahaprabhu is pleased, He can give krsna-prema, love of Krsna, to anyone, regardless of that person's qualification. If a person is giving charity, he can select anyone to take it. Without the mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, understanding Krsna is very, very difficult. Manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye (Bg. 7.3): out of many millions of people, hardly one tries to make his life spiritually successful. People simply work like animals, not knowing how to make a success of human life. One's human life is successful when one understands Krsna; otherwise one remains an animal. Anyone who is not Krsna conscious, who does not know who Krsna is, is no better than an animal. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave this concession to the fallen souls of this age: "Simply chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra and you will be delivered." This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's special concession (kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet, S.B. 12.3.51). ¯Teachings of Queen Kunti Lord Sri Krsna personally came as Lord Caitanya in order to distribute the process of chanting-the easiest means, in this age, to the highest perfection of life: Out of many thousands of persons who are in self-knowledge as to what and who they are, only one or two may be actually liberated. And out of many thousands who are liberated, only one or two may understand what and who Krsna is. So understanding Krsna is not such an easy job. Thus in this age of Kali, an age characterized by ignorance and chaos, liberation is out of the reach of practically everyone. One has to go through the whole ordeal of becoming civilized, then religious, and then one has to perform charities and sacrifices and come to the platform of knowledge, then to the stage of liberation, and finally, after liberation, to the understanding of what Krsna is... Practically speaking, this process is not very easy in this age of Kali. In Srimad-Bhagavatam a description is given of the people of this age. Their duration of life is said to be very short, they tend to be phlegmatic and slow and to sleep a great deal, and when they're not sleeping, they are busy earning money. At the most they only have two hours a day for spiritual activities, so what is the hope for spiritual understanding? It is also stated that even if one is anxious to make spiritual progress, there are many pseudospiritual societies to take advantage of him. People are also characterized in this age as being unfortunate. They have a great deal of difficulty meeting the primary demands of life-eating, defending, mating, and sleeping-necessities which are met even by the animals. Even if people are meeting these necessities in this age, they are always anxious about war, either defending themselves from aggressors or having to go to war themselves. In addition to this, there are always disturbing diseases and economic problems in Kali-yuga. Therefore Lord Sri Krsna considered that in this age it is impossible for people to come to the perfectional stage of liberation by following the prescribed rules and regulations. Thus out of His causeless mercy, Sri Krsna came as Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and distributed the means to the highest perfection of life and spiritual ecstasy by the chanting of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. This process of chanting is most practical, and it does not depend on whether one is liberated or not, or whether one's condition is conducive to spiritual life or not-whoever takes to this process becomes immediately purified. Therefore it is called pavitram (pure). Furthermore, for one who takes to this Krsna consciousness process, the seeds of latent reactions to his sinful actions are all nullified. Just as a fire turns whatever we put into it to ashes, this process turns to ashes all the sinful reactions of our past lives. ¯Raja-vidya: The King of Knowledge 4. In the Kali-yuga, Chanting Yields the Results of Other Religious Practices Performed in Previous Ages By chanting the holy name in the Kali-yuga, one can obtain the results of various spiritual activities performed in the previous three ages: [sukadeva Gosvami to Maharaja Pariksit]: "'Whatever result was obtained in Satya-yuga by meditating on Visnu, in Treta-yuga by performing sacrifices and in Dvapara-yuga by seeing the Lord's lotus feet can also be obtained in Kali-yuga simply by chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.'" ¯Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.3.52 ¯ [cited: Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 20.345] "'Whatever is achieved by meditation in Satya-yuga, by the performance of yajna in Treta-yuga or by the worship of Krsna's lotus feet in Dvapara-yuga is also obtdned in the age of Kali simply by chanting and glorifying Lord Kesava.'" Visnu Purana 6.2.17, ¯Padma Purana (Uttara-khanda 72.25), ¯and Brhan-naradiya Purana 38.97 ¯ [cited: Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 20.346] [Lord Caitanya to Sanatana Gosvami]: "In the other three yugas-Satya, Treta and Dvapara-people perform different types of spiritual activities. Whatever results they achieve in that way, they can achieve in Kali-yuga simply by chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra." ¯Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 20.343 In this age, hari-kirtana is the only practical means of self-realization: If one actually wants to solve the problems of life in this age, then he has to take to this process of kirtana. That is the recommended process. harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha [Adi 17.21] In this age, Kali-yuga, one cannot execute any process of self-realization or perfection of life other than kirtana. Kirtana is essential in this age. In all Vedic literatures it is confirmed that one must meditate on the Supreme Absolute Truth, Visnu, not on anything else. But there are different processes of meditation recommended for different ages. The process of mystic yogic meditation was possible in Satya-yuga, when men lived for many thousands of years. Now people will not believe this, but in a previous age there were people who lived for one hundred thousand years. That age was called Satya-yuga, and the meditation of mystic yoga was possible at that time. In that age the great yogi Valmiki Muni meditated for sixty thousand years. So that is a long-term process, which is not possible to execute in this age. If one wishes to conduct a farce, that is another matter. But if one actually wants to practice such meditation, it takes an extremely long time to perfect. In the next age, Treta-yuga, the process of realization was to perform the various ritualistic sacrifices recommended in the Vedas. In the next age, Dvapara-yuga, the process was temple worship. In this present age the same result can be achieved by the process of hari-kirtana, glorification of Hari, Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. ¯The Science of Self-Realization In the age of quarrel, chanting of the holy name is the only recommended means of self-realization: The yoga system, as it was recommended in the Satya-yuga, the Golden Age, was to always meditate on Visnu. In the Treta-yuga one could practice yoga by performing great sacrifices, and in the next age, Dvapara-yuga, one could achieve perfection by temple worship. The present age is called Kali-yuga. Kali-yuga means the age of quarrel and disagreement. No one agrees with anyone else. Everyone has his own theory; everyone has his own philosophy. If I don't agree with you, you fight me. This is the symptom of Kali-yuga. The only method recommended in this age is chanting the holy name. Simply by chanting the holy name of God, one can attain that perfect self-realization which was attained by the yoga system in the Satya-yuga, by performance of great sacrifices in the Treta-yuga, and by large-scale temple worship in the Dvapara-yuga. That perfection can be attained by the simple method of hari-kirtana. Hari means the Supreme Personality of Godhead; kirtana means to glorify. ¯Krsna Consciousness: The Topmost Yoga System 5. Sankirtana-yajna Is the Only Recommended Yajna for this Age General Instructions Lord Caitanya introduced the sankirtana-yajna for the deliverance of all men in this age of Kali: [Lord Krsna to Arjuna]: In the beginning of creation, the Lord of all creatures sent forth generations of men and demigods, along with sacrifices for Visnu, and blessed them by saying, "Be thou happy by this yajna [sacrifice] because its performance will bestow upon you all desirable things." The Lord created this material world for the conditioned souls to learn how to perform yajnas (sacrifice) for the satisfaction of Visnu, so that while in the material world they can live very comfortably without anxiety. Then after finishing the present material body, they can enter into the kingdom of God. That is the whole program for the conditioned soul. By performance of yajna, the conditioned souls gradually become Krsna conscious and become godly in all respects. In this age of Kali, the sankirtana-yajna (the chanting of the names of God) is recommended by the Vedic scriptures, and this transcendental system was introduced by Lord Caitanya for the deliverance of all men in this age. Sankirtana-yajna and Krsna consciousness go well together. Lord Krsna in His devotional form (as Lord Caitanya) is mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam as follows, with special reference to the sankirtana-yajna: krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam sangopangastra-parsadam yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi sumedhasah "In this age of Kali, people who are endowed with sufficient intelligence will worship the Lord, who is accompanied by His associates, by performance of sankirtana-yajna." (S.B. 11.5.32) Other yajnas prescribed in the Vedic literatures are not easy to perform in this age of Kali, but the sankirtana-yajna is easy and sublime for all purposes. ¯Bhagavad-gita As It Is 3.10 Of all sacrifices, chanting of the holy name is the simplest and purest: [Lord Krsna to Arjuna]: … Of sacrifices I am the chanting of the holy names [japa]… Of all the sacrifices, the chanting of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is the purest representation of Krsna. Sometimes animal sacrifices are recommended, but in the sacrifice of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, there is no question of violence. It is the simplest and the purest. ¯Bhagavad-gita As It Is 10.25 In the age of Kali, the greatest common formula of sacrifice is the sankirtana-yajna: [King Pariksit to the personality of Kali]: Therefore, O friend of irreligion, you do not deserve to remain in a place where experts perform sacrifices according to truth and religious principles for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yajnesvara, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the beneficiary of all kinds of sacrificial ceremonies. Such sacrificial ceremonies are prescribed differently in the scriptures for different ages. In other words, sacrifice means to accept the supremacy of the Lord and thereby perform acts by which the Lord may be satisfied in all respects... In this age of Kali, the greatest common formula of sacrifice is the sankirtana-yajna. That is the opinion of the experts who know how to propagate the process of yajna. Lord Caitanya preached this method of yajna, and it is understood from this verse that the sacrificial method of sankirtana-yajna may be performed anywhere and everywhere in order to drive away the personality of Kali and save human society from falling prey to the influence of the age. ¯Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.17.33 In the age of Kali, the only fruitful sacrifice is the sacrifice of the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord: The sacrificial fire kindled by the sages of Naimisaranya was certainly full of smoke and doubts because of so many flaws. The first flaw is that there is an acute scarcity of expert brahmanas able to carry out such performances successfully in this age of Kali. Any discrepancy in such sacrifices spoils the whole show, and the result is uncertain, like agricultural enterprises. The good result of tilling the paddy field depends on providential rain, and therefore the result is uncertain. Similarly, performance of any kind of sacrifice in this age of Kali is also uncertain. Unscrupulous greedy brahmanas of the age of Kali induce the innocent public to such uncertain sacrificial shows without disclosing the scriptural injunction that in the age of Kali there is no fruitful sacrificial performance but the sacrifice of the congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord. ¯Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.18.12 Sankirtana-yajna is the proper yajna for the Kali-yuga: When learned sages and brahmanas assemble to chant Vedic mantras, some of them also engage in arguing about the conclusion of the scriptures. Thus some of the sages and brahmanas were arguing, and some of them were chanting the Vedic mantras, so the entire atmosphere was surcharged with transcendental sound vibration. This transcendental sound vibration has been simplified in the transcendental vibration Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. In this age, no one is expected to be highly educated in the Vedic ways of understanding because people are very slow, lazy and unfortunate. Therefore Lord Caitanya has recommended the sound vibration Hare Krsna, and in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.5.32) it is also recommended: yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi sumedhasah. At the present moment it is impossible to gather sacrificial necessities because of the poverty of the population and their lack of knowledge in Vedic mantras. Therefore for this age it is recommended that people gather together and chant the Hare Krsna mantra to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is accompanied by His associates. Indirectly this indicates Lord Caitanya, who is accompanied by His associates Nityananda, Advaita and others. That is the process of performing yajna in this age. ¯Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.4.6 Because Krsna is everything, one who chants Hare Krsna is performing all kinds of yajnas: [The brahmanas at Daksa's sacrifice to Lord Visnu]: The brahmanas said: Dear Lord, You are sacrifice personified. You are the offering of clarified butter, You are the fire, You are the chanting of Vedic hymns by which the sacrifice is conducted, You are the fuel, You are the flame, You are the kusa grass, ant You are the sacrificial pots. You are the priests who perform the yajna, You are the demigods headed by Indra, and You are the sacrificial animal. Everything that is sacrificed is You or Your energy. In this statement Lord Visnu's all-pervasiveness is partially explained. It is said in the Visnu Purana that as a fire situated in one place emanates its heat and illumination everywhere, so whatever we see within the material or spiritual worlds is nothing but a manifestation of different energies emanating from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The brahmanas' statement is that Lord Visnu is everything-the fire, the offering, the clarified butter, the utensils, the place of sacrifice and the kusa. He is everything. It is confirmed herein that the performance of sankirtana-yajna in this age is as good as all other yajnas in all other ages. If one performs sankirtana-yajna by chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, there is no need to arrange elaborate paraphernalia for the prescribed sacrificial ceremonies recommended in the Vedas. In the chant of the holy names, Hare and Krsna, Hare means the energy of Krsna, and Krsna is the visnu-tattva. Combined together they are everything. In this age, persons are harassed by the influence of Kali-yuga and cannot arrange for all the requisite paraphernalia for performing sacrifice as recommended in the Vedas. But if one simply chants Hare Krsna, it is to be understood that he is performing all kinds of yajna because there is nothing within our vision except Hare (the energy of Krsna) and Krsna. ¯Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.7.45 In this age, sankirtana-yajna, chanting of the holy name of the Lord, is more important than Vedic ritualistic sacrifices: [Yamaraja to the Yamadutas]: Because they are bewildered by the illusory energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Yajnavalkya, Jaimini and other compilers of the religious scriptures cannot know the secret, confidential religious system of the twelve mahajanas. They cannot understand the transcendental value of performing devotional service or chanting the Hare Krsna mantra. Because their minds are attracted to the ritualistic ceremonies mentioned in the Vedas-especially the Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Rg Veda-their intelligence has become dull. They are busy collecting the ingredients for ritualistic ceremonies that yield only temporary benefits, such as elevation to Svargaloka for material happiness. They are not attracted to the sankirtana movement; instead they are interested in dharma, artha, kama and moksa. Since one may easily achieve the highest success by chanting the holy name of the Lord, one may ask why there are so many Vedic ritualistic ceremonies and why people are attracted to them. This verse answers that question. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (15.15), vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah: the real purpose of studying the Vedas is to approach the lotus feet of Lord Krsna. Unfortunately, unintelligent people bewildered by the grandeur of Vedic yajnas want to see gorgeous sacrifices performed. They want Vedic mantras chanted and huge amounts of money spent for such ceremonies. Sometimes we have to observe the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies to please such unintelligent men. Recently, when we established a large Krsna-Balarama temple in Vrndavana, we were obliged to have Vedic ceremonies enacted by brahmanas because the inhabitants of Vrndavana, especially the smarta-brahmanas, would not accept Europeans and Americans as bona fide brahmanas. Thus we had to engage brahmanas to perform costly yajnas. In spite of these yajnas, the members of our Society performed sankirtana loudly with mrdangas, and I considered the sankirtana more important than the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies. Both the ceremonies and the sankirtana were going on simultaneously. The ceremonies were meant for persons interested in Vedic rituals for elevation to heavenly planets (jadi-krta-matir madhu-puspitayam), whereas the sankirtana was meant for pure devotees interested in pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We would simply have performed sankirtana, but then the inhabitants of Vrndavana would not have taken the installation ceremony seriously. As explained here, the Vedic performances are meant for those whose intelligence has been dulled by the flowery language of the Vedas, which describe fruitive activities intended to elevate one to the higher planets. Especially in this age of Kali, sankirtana alone is sufficient. If the members of our temples in the different parts of the world simply continue sankirtana before the Deity, especially before Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, they will remain perfect. There is no need of any other performances. ¯Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.3.25 [sukracarya to Lord Visnu]: There may be discrepancies in pronouncing the mantras and observing the regulative principles, and, moreover, there may be discrepancies in regard to time, place, person and paraphernalia. But when Your Lordship's holy name is chanted, everything becomes faultless. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has recommended: harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha [Adi 17.21] "In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way." (Brhan-naradiya Purana 38.126) In this age of Kali, it is extremely difficult to perform Vedic ritualistic ceremonies or sacrifices perfectly. Hardly anyone can chant the Vedic mantras with perfect pronunciation or accumulate the paraphernalia for Vedic performances. Therefore the sacrifice recommended in this age is sankirtana, constant chanting of the holy name of the Lord. Yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi sumedhasah (Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.5.32). Instead of wasting time performing Vedic sacrifices, those who are intelligent, those who possess good brain substance, should take to the chanting of the Lord's holy name and thus perform sacrifice perfectly. I have seen that many religious leaders are addicted to performing yajnas and spending hundreds and thousands of rupees for imperfect sacrificial performances. This is a lesson for those who unnecessarily execute such imperfect sacrifices. We should take the advice of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi sumedhasah). Although Sukracarya was a strict brahmana addicted to ritualistic activities, he also admitted, nischidram anusankirtanam tava: "My Lord, constant chanting of the holy name of Your Lordship makes everything perfect." In Kali-yuga the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies cannot be performed as perfectly as before. Therefore Srila Jiva Gosvami has recommended that although one should take care to follow all the principles in every kind of spiritual activity, especially in worship of the Deity, there is still a chance of discrepancies, and one should compensate for this by chanting the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In our Krsna consciousness movement we therefore give special stress to the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra in all activities. ¯Srimad-Bhagavatam 8.23.16 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
