Srila Prabhupada speaks on: Chant Hare Krishna-No Loss

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" Chant Hare Krishna-No Loss "

Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.2.8 Vrndavana, September 11, 1975 listen

 

Prabhupada:

etenaiva hy aghono 'syakrtam syad agha-niskrtamyada narayanayetijagada catur-aksaram [sB 6.2.8]

Now, the question may be... The Visnuduta asked the Yamaduta, " You don't touch him. Don't try to take him away. He is now clean of all sinful reaction. You cannot touch him. " Yamaduta is meant for the unclean, sinful men, not for the pious, clean men. Criminal department is meant for the unclean, not for the honest gentlemen. Similarly Yamaraja is meant for punishing the sinful men. So apparently he was sinful man. He did everything. But the Visnuduta came to deliver him.

So the question is that " When this man became sinless? " So that answer is given here, etenaiva: " This chanting of Narayana, by this process, " eva, " indeed, he, also, " aghonah-agha means sinful " -- asya, " of this Ajamila, " krtam syad agha-niskrtam, " he is now cleansed of all sinful reaction. " When he became? Yada, " from that time. " Yada, narayana, " 'O Narayana,' " ayeti, ayeti, " 'Come here please...' " He was affectionate to his youngest son, little son, child. Generally father-mother becomes very much attached. So this child was named Narayana. So constantly he was chanting, " Narayana, please come here. " (aside:) What is that?

Devotee: (loud chirping of bird) (someone claps)

Prabhupada: That's all right. " Narayana, please come here. Take your meal. Narayana, please sit down here. Narayana, take your meals, " like that. So although he was addressing his son, he did not know that this chanting of Narayana is going to his credit, although he did not know. This is called ajnata-sukrti. He did not know what is the use of chanting Narayana, these four alphabet, catur-aksaram. But some way or other, he was chanting.

So Narayana is so kind that although he did not mean real Narayana -- he was meaning his son -- but the affection was there for Narayana. So Narayana is so kind that consciously or unconsciously, if you chant the holy name of the Lord, it goes to your credit. Just like sometimes when you walk in the street, people say " Hare Krsna! " So this is also going to their credit. When they offer their respect to a Vaisnava, that goes to their credit. When one comes in this temple, offers his obeisances, it goes to their credit, because Krsna says, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [bg. 18.65]. So some way or other, with some purpose even it is so... Generally people come with a purpose, that " I shall go to the temple, offer my respect to the Deity, and I shall ask this benediction. " That is also good, even if he has come with a motive. So Narayana or Krsna is so kind. Kamad bhayat lobhat... Or if one chants Narayana name with suddha, then what to speak?

So this Krsna consciousness movement is so nice that even people joke with us, " Hare Krsna, " it goes to his credit, even joking. When this Hare Krsna movement was started by Caitanya Mahaprabhu, at that time India was under Pathan rule, Muhammadan kingdom. So the constables, they were requested to " Arrest these chanters. " The brahmanas, the smarta brahmanas, because Caitanya Mahaprabhu preached that " Simply by chanting Hare Krsna mantra you will be liberated, " so the smarta brahmanas, they thought it very dangerous because their profession will be lost. So they protested to the magistrate, Muhammadan magistrate, Chand Kazi, that " This Caitanya, the Nimai Pandit, He has inaugurated one movement that 'Simply by chanting one will become liberated.' This is not according to our Hindu scripture. So you may be Muhammadan, but you are our ruler. You should give us some protection. Otherwise this Nimai Pandit will ruin our Hindu religion. " This was the complaint. So after all, he is the magistrate. He took some action, and he forbade through the constables that " You cannot chant. " Caitanya Mahaprabhu, when He was informed by His followers that " We have been ordered by the magistrate to stop... " Just like in foreign countries we are being very occasionally arrested by the police, taken to the jail. So many obstacles are there. But our students are so adamant, they don't stop. They prefer to go to jail, but they will never stop. They are so much determined. So this persecution of devotees, it is from the very beginning. Prahlada Maharaja, he was five-years-old boy, and he was simply chanting " Narayana. " So his father became enemy, what to speak of others, his father. He was atheist. He did not believe in God. So he asked his son, " Why you are chanting 'Narayana'? " " Narayana is God, the Supreme Lord. " " Eh? Supreme Lord? I am Supreme Lord. You chant my name. " The boy will not hear. So there was enmity. He was persecuted. So not in this age, devotees are supposed to be persecuted all the time. Christ was crucified. So this is the position of the devotee in the material world, that they become very easily enemy of the demons. But the devotees are not afraid of the demons.

So the purport is that yada narayana ayeti jagada catur-aksaram. So Ajamila was benefited, although he did not know the distinction between pious and impious activities on account of too much attachment with this material world. He was the husband of a prostitute, and he got some children. So to maintain the family and children he used to adopt any means. Never mind. He did not know what is sinful and what is not sinful. But his only credit was that he was chanting " Narayana. " He was chanting " Narayana. " It does not mean knowingly we shall commit sinful activities and chant " Narayana. " It is not meant, that. He did not know what is sin, what is not sin, what is Narayana, but circumstantially he was doing all the sinful activities; at the same time he was chanting " Narayana. " This is by accident. He did not know that " I am becoming sinless by chanting Narayana. " He did not have that concept. Knowingly... Namnad balad yasya hi papa-buddhih. If somebody chants the name of Narayana knowingly, that " I am chanting the name of Narayana; therefore let me do, act some sinful activity, " it will be counteracted. They are very sinful. They are not excused. But he was innocent. He did not know that what is the effect of sinful activities, neither he knew what is sinful activity, neither he knew what is Narayana. Therefore it was going to his credit. The Visnuduta informed the Yamaduta that " He is already cleansed. Don't worry about him, " because he was chanting narayanayeti. Narayanayeti: " Narayana, my dear son, please come here. " He was very much attached. Yada narayaneti jagada. He uttered catur-aksaram, four words, four alphabets only, catur-aksaram.

So Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has given in this connection many, many quotation from the sastra how one can become free from all sinful reaction by chanting the holy name of the Lord, importance of chanting the holy name. So we are also preaching the same thing under the direction of higher authorities, Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

harer nama harer nama harer nama iva kevalamkalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha [Cc. Adi 17.21]

In this age people are generally, seventy-five or eighty percent or ninety percent, they are all sinful. Mandah sumanda-matayo manda-bhagya hy upadrutah [sB 1.1.10]. This is the position of the people in this age. They are mandah, all bad, all bad. You cannot distinguish who is bad and who is good. All bad and very slow. They do not know what is the value of life, how to make this human form of life successful. Mandah. Just like we are chanting all over the whole world that " Chant Hare Krsna mantra and you will be happy. " Still, they are not very much interested. Mandah, slow: " All right, I shall do it at the time of death. Now let me enjoy. " Mandah. And manda-matayo. And if one is interested for spiritual advancement of life, he will go to some rascal, some avatara, some yogi, some bluffer, some magician, as spiritual salvation. Mandah manda-matayo. Why they are attracted by these rascals? Manda-bhagya, unfortunate. Krsna says directly, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [bg. 18.66]. They will not hear Krsna. They will hear these rascals, so-called yogis, so-called avataras, so-called mahatmas. Manda-bhagyah. Therefore upadrutah. They are always, constantly, disturbed. This is the position.

So therefore this age, Kali-yuga, is the ocean of faulty things. Dosa-nidhi. Nidhi means ocean. And you will find... Just like unfathomed water in the ocean, Pacific Ocean, similarly, this Kali-yuga is the ocean of unfathomed sinful activities. Kalau dosa-nidhe. But Sukadeva Gosvami said to Pariksit Maharaja, kalau dosa-nidhe rajan hy asti eko mahan gunah. In this age this ocean of faults, there is a very valuable thing. That is special concession to these fallen souls of this age. Because Krsna is so kind, He is always anxious to deliver us. Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata, tadatmanam srjamyaham [bg. 4.7]. He is father. He is the seed-giving father of all living entities. We are part and parcel of Krsna, mamaivamsah. So He is very unhappy. Of course, He cannot be unhappy. Anandamayo 'bhyasat (Vedanta-sutra 1.1.12). But at least, because we are His sons and we are rotting in this material world for sense gratification, in this way He is very sorry. Therefore He comes and teaches us, sarva-dharman parityajya mam: [bg. 18.66] " You rascal, why you are going here and there? Just surrender unto Me. I will give you... " But still, the rascals will not take.

na mam duskrtino mudhahprapadyante naradhamahmayayapahrta-jnanaasuri-bhavam asritah [bg. 7.15]

Because they have been trained up with the atheistic temperament they will never surrender. They will go on committing sinful life, duskrtina. They do not know what is the value of life, mudha. And in spite of getting this human form of life, still, they remain mudha. Therefore naradhama, lowest of the mankind. " No. They are passing M.A., B.A. examination, and so many titles, academic career. " Mayayapahrta-jnanah. This kind of knowledge has no value. The value is already taken away. Therefore you will find highly educated person: he is committing sinful life, organized. Mayayapahrta-jnana. He does not know how to live. Why? The basic principle is asuri-bhavam asritah. Because they have taken the atheistic way of life, therefore they are suffering.

So this is the position of this age, and the one benefit is that kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet. If you chant this Hare Krsna mantra... Particularly says, kirtanad eva krsnasya [sB 12.3.51]. Krsna and Rama. Krsna means including Rama and other incarnations. This is the statement in the sastra.

ramadi-murtisu kala-niyamena tisthannanavataram akarod bhuvanesu kintukrsnah svayam samabhavat paramah puman yogovindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami [bs. 5.39]

Krsna has so many expansion, ramadi-murtisu: Rama, Nrsimha, Varaha, ity adi. So Krsna is existing with innumerable expansion of His form. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam adyam purana-purusam nava-yauvanam [bs. 5.33]. So Hare Krsna and Hare Rama. Therefore it is enjoined by the sastra, " Chant these two names: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. " So Rama and Krsna is the Supreme Lord, and Hare means Hara. So Hara means the potency, pleasure potency of the Supreme Lord, Hara. It is addressed as Hare. So Hare Krsna means Radha-Krsna, and Hare Rama means Sita-Rama. So either you chant Hare Krsna or Sita-Rama, it is the same. And this is the only way. This is only. There is no difficulty. So however your condition may be fallen, take this instruction of the sastras and chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

Thank you very much. (end)

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.2.8 -- Vrndavana, September 11, 1975

 

 

© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission.

 

-- At the present moment we are the slaves of our senses. When our senses dictate, " Give me this or give me that " , we dutifully accommodate them. What we fail to realize is that the senses are not us and that satisfying them therefore does not satisfy us. If we want actual happiness, we should limit the senses to what they actually need not giving them everything for which they feel greed. In this way we can channel the major portion of our serving propensity towards the Supreme Person, the source of all existence. When we water the root of a tree all the leaves and branches. Similarly when we serve the Original Person we become fully satisfied and we give full satisfaction to all living beings.

Chant:Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare HareHare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare