Religious training for Ksatriyas

[Guest guest]

On 13 Apr 1999, Janesvara Dasa wrote:

> "Oh my Lord, Your Holy Name alone can render all benediction to living

beings

> and thus You have hundreds and millions of Names like Krsna, Govinda and

> Christ. In these transcendental Names You have invested all....etc."

 

Hmmm, weren't you saying something about changing translations?

Can you provide any evidence that suggests that the "and Christ"

part can actually be attributed to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, or is

this just your speculation?

 

> I was hoping others could provide me with some other Names of God which I

> could add to the list from time to time. I know of the many, many other

> Sanskrit Names for God like Krsna, etc. (which I personally prefer) but I

> would like some more Names of God like Christ and other languages, too.

There

> must be many. I think it is important that the Names refer directly to God,

> the Supreme Being, etc. I am not certain that the Names of the Lords pure

> devotees (like Jesus, Mohammed, etc.), while certainly wonderful, are of

> similar potency or applicable?

 

Then why did you include "Christ"? "Christos" is a Greek word

meaning anointed; thus it primarily refers to a devotee, not the

Supreme Deity.

 

Of course, all names (even "Paul" and "Steve") refer ultimately to

Krishna. Srila Prabhupada taught this -- see the Lilamrita where

he was in a US hospital for the first time. However, that doesn't

justify chanting "Hare Paul" or any other concoction. But if you

really want to add "and Christ" to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's prayer,

then you cannot justify skipping "and Paul, George, Ringo, etc.,"

since all of those names ultimately refer to Krishna.

 

> I often think about how I could interest Christians and other religions to

> chant the Holy Names of their own nomenclatures. This would certainly be

> non-sectarian and very effective, in my humble opinion.

 

Why bother? It takes as much effort to ask a non-practicing Christian

to chant "Jehovah" as it does to ask one to chant "Hare Krishna",

and only the Hare Krishna mahA-mantra is the one recommended by

Lord Brahmaa for crossing the ocean of Kali-Yuga. [Of course, a

practicing Christian should be encouraged in his own way, but those

are truly rare. All the above applies equally to followers of

other religions as well.]

 

Yours,

 

Vijay S. Pai