chanting nitai gaura on beads

[Guest guest]

QUESTION: Some persons are instructing us to chant rounds of

Gauranga's or Nityananda's names on our beads. Can we do this? What did

Srila Prabhupada instruct in this regard?

 

ANSWER:

 

Srila Prabhupada has instructed that we should follow the previous acaryas

and since the adviced us to chant the Panca Tattva mantra before Hare

Krishna and then to chant Hare Krishna Maha Mantra. Hari Sauri Prabhu

located this quotation from Srila Prabhupada in this regard:

 

--------

September 6, 1976, Vrindavana

Conversation in Garden [excerpt from T. Diary Vol. 4 -- see also recording

of conversation in Folio]

 

"Svayambhur wanted more clarification on what Srila Prabhupada had said

about the chanting of nitai-gaura being a deviation. In his mind there was

some contradiction, and he put it to Prabhupada to resolve. "Prabhupada, you

wrote in the Caitanya-caritamrta that the Caitanya maha-mantra,

sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu nityananda. ... there is no offence to that. And

so therefore in the Kali-yuga it is actually more beneficial ..."

Prabhupada repeated his comments made to Harikesa Maharaja. "Offence is that

what is spoken by the acaryas, if you do not follow, that is offence. Guror

avajna. To chant Gaura-Nitai is no offence. But if our previous gurus have

chanted sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu nityananda sri-advaita-why should we go

beyond that? That is guror avajna. Even there is no aparadha, because guru,

Kaviraja Gosvami, has sung like that and my guru has sung, we should follow

that. We should not make any deviation. That is guror avajna,

sruti-sastra-nindanam; namno balad yasya hi papa-buddhih. So it comes to be

one of the items of the dasa-vidha-aparadha [ten offences in chanting].

Guror avajna.

"Is it more beneficial for people to hear the Panca-tattva mantra than the

Hare Krsna maha-mantra?" Svayambhur asked.

"Oh yes," Prabhupada told us. "You are going to Hare Krsna through

Nitai-Gaura. Nitaiyer karuna habe braje radha-krsna pabe." But he added,

"The principle is don't try to manufacture. Because you are not experienced,

so what nonsense you will manufacture, that will be offensive. Better go on,

the simple thing."

Svayambhur said that he knew someone who chants the Panca-tattva mantra on

his beads.

Prabhupada raised his eyebrows. "Who?"

"That boy Richard in Radha-kunda."

He was referring to a tall thin New Yorker, liked by Srila Prabhupada and

many devotees for his humble attitude, who has been living in Radha-kunda

for quite a long time.

Prabhupada shook his head in disapproval and sympathy. "Rascal. That is his

bad association. Therefore I say don't follow these so-called Radha-kunda

babajis. Nara-kunda babaji. And they smoke bidi. I have seen. Richard is

still there?"

-----

 

So this clearly shows that Srila Prabhupada didn't approve of chanting

Nityananda or Gauranga's names on the beads. Srila Prabhupada wanted us to

follow our previous acaryas.

 

Singing or chanting the names of Lord Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu and

Lord Nityananda are certainly glorified in our sastra. Still someone might

speculate and invent some new program based around these names.

 

Yours in service,

 

 

Jayapataka Swami