Message from Krsna

[gHari]

Srila Prabhupada and Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami say it much better in Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 8.29-31:

hena kRSNa-nAma yadi laya bahu-bAra

tabu yadi prema nahe, nahe azrudhAra

tabe jAni, aparAdha tAhAte pracura

kRSNa-nAma-bIja tAhe nA kare aGkura

 

hena--such; kRSNa-nAma--holy name of the Lord; yadi--if; laya--one takes; bahu-bAra--again and again; tabu--still; yadi--if; prema--love of Godhead; nahe--is not visible; nahe azru-dhAra--there are no tears in the eyes; tabe--then; jAni--I understand; aparAdha--offense; tAhAte--there (in that process); pracura--enough; kRSNa-nAma--the holy name of KRSNa; bIja--seed; tAhe--in those activities; nA--does not; kare--do; aGkura--sprout.

 

If one chants the exalted holy name of the Lord again and again and yet his love for the Supreme Lord does not develop and tears do not appear in his eyes, it is evident that because of his offenses in chanting, the seed of the holy name of KRSNa does not sprout.

 

caitanya-nityAnande nAhi esaba vicAra

nAma laite prema dena, vahe azrudhAra

 

caitanya-nityAnande--when chanting the holy names of Lord Caitanya and NityAnanda; nAhi--there are not; esaba--all these; vicara--considerations; nAma--the holy name; laite--simply by chanting; prema--love of Godhead; dena--they give; vahe--there is a flow; azru-dhAra--tears in the eyes.

 

But if one only chants, with some slight faith, the holy names of Lord Caitanya and NityAnanda, very quickly he is cleansed of all offenses. Thus as soon as he chants the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, he feels the ecstasy of love for God.

 

PURPORT

SrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura remarks in this connection that if one takes shelter of Lord SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu and NityAnanda, follows Their instructions to become more tolerant than the tree and humbler than the grass, and in this way chants the holy name of the Lord, very soon he achieves the platform of transcendental loving service to the Lord, and tears appear in his eyes. There are offenses to be considered in chanting the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, but there are no such considerations in chanting the names of Gaura-NityAnanda. Therefore, if one chants the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra but his life is still full of sinful activities, it will be very difficult for him to achieve the platform of loving service to the Lord. But if in spite of being an offender one chants the holy names of Gaura-NityAnanda, he is very quickly freed from the reactions to his offenses. Therefore, one should first approach Lord Caitanya and NityAnanda, or worship Guru-GaurAGga, and then come to the stage of worshiping RAdhA-KRSNa. In our KRSNa consciousness movement, our students are first advised to worship Guru-GaurAGga, and then, when they are somewhat advanced, the RAdhA-KRSNa Deity is installed, and they are engaged in the worship of the Lord.

 

One should first take shelter of Gaura-NityAnanda in order to reach, ultimately, RAdhA-KRSNa. SrIla Narottama dAsa ThAkura sings in this connection:

<center>

gaurAGga balite ha'be pulaka zarIra

hari hari balite nayane ba'be nIra

Ara kabe nitAi-cAGdera karuNA karibe

saMsAra-vAsanA mora kabe tuccha habe

viSaya chADiyA kabe zuddha habe mana

kabe hAma heraba zrI-vRndAvana</center>

In the beginning one should very regularly chant SrI Gaurasundara's holy name and then chant the holy name of Lord NityAnanda. Thus one's heart will be cleansed of impure desires for material enjoyment. Then one can approach VRndAvana-dhAma to worship Lord KRSNa. Unless one is favored by Lord Caitanya and NityAnanda, there is no need to go to VRndAvana, for unless one's mind is purified, he cannot see VRndAvana, even if he goes there. Actually going to VRndAvana involves taking shelter of the six GosvAmIs by reading the Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu, Vidagdha-mAdhava, Lalita-mAdhava and the other books that they have given. In this way one can understand the transcendental loving affairs between RAdhA and KRSNa. Kabe hAma bujhaba se yugala-pirIti. The conjugal love between RAdhA and KRSNa is not an ordinary human affair; it is fully transcendental. In order to understand RAdhA and KRSNa, worship Them and engage in Their loving service, one must be guided by SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, NityAnanda Prabhu and the six GosvAmIs, Lord Caitanya's direct disciples.

 

For an ordinary man, worship of SrI Caitanya and NityAnanda Prabhu or the PaJca-tattva is easier than worship of RAdhA and KRSNa. Unless one is very fortunate, he should not be induced to worship RAdhA-KRSNa directly. A neophyte student who is not sufficiently educated or enlightened should not indulge in the worship of SrI RAdhA and KRSNa or the chanting of the Hare KRSNa mantra. Even if he does so, he cannot get the desired result. One should therefore chant the names of NitAi-Gaura and worship Them without false prestige. Since everyone within this material world is more or less influenced by sinful activities, in the beginning it is essential that one take to the worship of Guru-GaurAGga and ask their favor, for thus despite all his disqualifications one will very soon become qualified to worship the RAdhA-KRSNa vigraha.

 

It should be noted in this connection that the holy names of Lord KRSNa and Gaurasundara are both identical with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore one should not consider one name to be more potent than the other. Considering the position of the people of this age, however, the chanting of SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu's name is more essential than the chanting of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra because SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is the most magnanimous incarnation and His mercy is very easily achieved. Therefore one must first take shelter of SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu by chanting zrI-kRSNa-caitanya prabhu-nityAnanda zrI-advaita gadAdhara zrIvAsAdi-gaura-bhakta-vRnda. By serving Gaura-NityAnanda one is freed from the entanglements of material existence and thus becomes qualified to worship the RAdhA-KRSNa Deity.