For spiritual progress in this Age of Kali..

Govindaram · December 29, 2003

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CC Adi 7.62: The leader of all the Mayavadi sannyasis present was named Prakasananda Sarasvati, and after standing up he addressed Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu as follows with great respect.

CC Adi 7.63: "Please come here. Please come here, Your Holiness. Why do You sit in that unclean place? What has caused Your lamentation?"

CC Adi 7.64:  The Lord replied,  "I belong to a lower order of sannyasis. Therefore I do not deserve to sit with you."

CC Adi 7.65: Prakasananda Sarasvati, however, caught Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally by the hand and seated Him with great respect in the midst of the assembly.

CC Adi 7.66: Prakasananda Sarasvati then said, "I understand that Your name is Sri Krsna Caitanya. You are a disciple of Sri Kesava Bharati, and therefore You are glorious.

CC Adi 7.67: "You belong to our Sankara-sampradaya and live in our village, Varanasi. Why then do You not associate with us? Why is it that You avoid even seeing us?

CC Adi 7.68: "You are a sannyasi. Why then do You indulge in chanting and dancing, engaging in Your sankirtana movement in the company of fanatics?

CC Adi 7.69: "Meditation and the study of Vedanta are the sole duties of a sannyasi. Why do You abandon these to dance with fanatics?

CC Adi 7.70: "You look as brilliant as if You were Narayan?a Himself. Will You kindly explain the reason that You have adopted the behavior of lower-class people?"

CC Adi 7.71:  Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied  to Prakasananda Sarasvati, "My dear sir, kindly hear the reason.  My spiritual master considered Me a fool  , and therefore he chastised Me.

CC Adi 7.72: "'You are a fool,' he said. 'You are not qualified to study Vedanta philosophy, and therefore You must always chant the holy name of Krsna. This is the essence of all mantras, or Vedic hymns.

CC Adi 7.73: "Simply by chanting the holy name of Krsna one can obtain freedom from material existence. Indeed, simply by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra one will be able to see the lotus feet of the Lord.

CC Adi 7.74: "'In this Age of Kali there is no religious principle other than the chanting of the holy name, which is the essence of all Vedic hymns. This is the purport of all scriptures.'

CC Adi 7.75: "After describing the potency of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, My spiritual master taught Me another verse, advising Me to always keep it within My throat.

CC Adi 7.76: " 'For spiritual progress in this Age of Kali, there is no alternative, there is no alternative, there is no alternative to the holy name, the holy name, the holy name of the Lord. '

CC Adi 7.77: "Since I received this order from My spiritual master, I always chant the holy name, but I thought that by chanting and chanting the holy name I had been bewildered.

CC Adi 7.78: "While chanting the holy name of the Lord in pure ecstasy, I lose myself, and thus I laugh, cry, dance and sing just like a madman.

CC Adi 7.79: "Collecting My patience, therefore, I began to consider that chanting the holy name of Krsna had covered all My spiritual knowledge.

CC Adi 7.80: "I saw that I had become mad by chanting the holy name, and I immediately submitted this at the lotus feet of my spiritual master.

CC Adi 7.81: "'My dear lord, what kind of mantra have you given Me? I have become mad simply by chanting this maha-mantra!

CC Adi 7.82: "'Chanting the holy name in ecstasy causes Me to dance, laugh and cry.' When My spiritual master heard all this, he smiled and then began to speak.

CC Adi 7.83: "'It is the nature of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra that anyone who chants it immediately develops his loving ecstasy for Krsna.

CC Adi 7.84: "'Religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and liberation are known as the four goals of life, but before love of Godhead, the fifth and highest goal, these appear as insignificant as straw in the street.

CC Adi 7.85: "'For a devotee who has actually developed bhava, the pleasure derived from dharma, artha, kama and moks?a appears like a drop in the presence of the sea.

CC Adi 7.86: "'The conclusion of all revealed scriptures is that one should awaken his dormant love of Godhead. You are greatly fortunate to have already done so.

CC Adi 7.87: "'It is a characteristic of love of Godhead that by nature it induces transcendental symptoms in one's body and makes one more and more greedy to achieve the shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord.

CC Adi 7.88: "'When one actually develops love of Godhead, he naturally sometimes cries, sometimes laughs, sometimes chants and sometimes runs here and there just like a madman.

CC Adi 7.89-90: "'Perspiration, trembling, standing on end of one's bodily hairs, tears, faltering voice, fading complexion, madness, melancholy, patience, pride, joy and humility; these are various natural symptoms of ecstatic love of Godhead, which causes a devotee to dance and float in an ocean of transcendental bliss while chanting the Hare Krsna mantra.

CC Adi 7.91: "'It is very good, my dear child, that You have attained the supreme goal of life by developing love of Godhead. Thus You have pleased me very much, and I am very much obliged to You.

CC Adi 7.92: "'My dear child, continue dancing, chanting and performing sankirtana in association with devotees. Furthermore, go out and preach the value of chanting krsna-nama, for by this process You will be able to deliver all fallen souls.'

CC Adi 7.93: "Saying this, My spiritual master taught Me a verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam. It is the essence of all the Bhagavatam's instructions; therefore he recited this verse again and again.

Govindaram · December 29, 2003

Adi 7.76

harer nama harer nama

harer namaiva kevalam

kalau nasty eva nasty eva

nasty eva gatir anyatha

SYNONYMS

hareh nama - the holy name of the Lord; hareh nama - the holy name of the Lord; hareh nama - the holy name of the Lord; eva - certainly; kevalam - only; kalau - in this Age of Kali; na asti - there is none; eva - certainly; na asti - there is none; eva - certainly; na asti - there is none; eva - certainly; gatih - progress; anyatha - otherwise.

TRANSLATION

"'For spiritual progress in this Age of Kali, there is no alternative, there is no alternative, there is no alternative to the holy name, the holy name, the holy name of the Lord.'

http://caitanyacaritamrta.com/adi/7/76

Govindaram · December 29, 2003

11.2.40

evam-vratah sva-priya-nama-kirtya

jatanurago druta-citta uccaih

hasaty atho roditi rauti gayaty

unmada-van nrtyati loka-bahyah

SYNONYMS

evam--vratah-when one thus engages in the vow to chant and dance; sva-own; priya--very dear; nama--holy name; kirtya--by chanting; jata--in this way develops; anuragah--attachment; druta cittah--with a melted heart; uccaih--loudly; hasati--laughs; atho--also; roditi--cries; rauti--becomes agitated; gayati--chants; unmada-vat--like a madman; nrtyati--dancing; loka-bahyah--without caring for outsiders.

TRANSLATION

By chanting the holy name of the Supreme Lord, one comes to the stage of love of Godhead. Then the devotee is fixed in his vow as an eternal servant of the Lord, and he gradually becomes very much attached to a particular name and form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As his heart melts with ecstatic love, he laughs very loudly or cries or shouts. Sometimes he sings and dances like a madman, for he is indifferent to public opinion.

http://vedabase.net/sb/11/2/40

ancient_paztriot · December 29, 2003

This quote concerning the power and relevance of the holy name occurs to me more often the older I get.

I get more profound insights into it's meaning as time rolls on. Most of that perception comes from my pessimism: "Well, aren't you running behind? Remember where you thought you'd be? Has your knowledge of Krsna made you transcendental? What kind of seer are you?"

I know what to do. I just can't do it.

P.S. Obviously, Prabhupada was able to "surrender to THE name".

Govindaram · January 3, 2004

Could't forget this verce..

trnad api su-nicena

taror iva sahisnuna

amanina mana-dena

kirtaniyah sada harih

SYNONYMS

trnad api--than downtrodden grass; su-nicena--being lower; taroh--than a tree; iva--ike; sahisnuna--with tolerance; amanina--without being puffed up by false pride; mana-dena--giving respect to all; kirtaniyah--to be chanted; sada-- always; harih--the holy name of the Lord.

TRANSLATION

"'One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honor but is always prepared to give all respect to others can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord.'

http://caitanyacaritamrta.com/antya/20/21