CONTENTS:
- The Holy Name, Part 1;
- Srila Prabhupada's Appreciation;
- Guru Maharaja’s Instructions;
1. THE HOLY NAME PART 1
CC Adi 17.21
harer nama harer nama
harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyatha
Besides this Hare Krishna Maha mantra in the age of Kali there is no other way, there is no other way, there is no other way for spiritual advancement. So that’s why it is very important that we understand the importance of the Holy Name because this is where our spiritual life is resting on. We have taken shelter of the Holy Name. The Holy Name is everything to us. This Holy Name is non different from Krishna. Krishna Himself has manifested Himself as the Holy Name.
Siksastakam verse 2
namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-saktis
tatrarpita niyamitah smarane na kalah
Nija means his own, sarva means all and sakti means potency. Krishna has invested all His potency in the Holy Name. So, if Krishna’s potency is in the Holy Name is there any difference between the Holy Name and Krishna? No, the Holy Name is Krishna Himself.
Padma Purana
Nama cintamanih krsnas
Caitanya-rasa-vigrahah
Purnah suddho nitya-mukto
‘bhinnatvan nama -naminoh
‘bhinna means non-different, nama -naminoh. The Holy Name and the owner of the Holy Name, who is the owner of the Holy Name? Krishna. The name and the owner of the name there is no difference. The person and the name are non-different. In this reference Prabhupada is saying that, in the material nature the name and the object or the personality are different but in the spiritual world, spiritual domain and spiritual context, they are non-different. Nama and Nami is the same so Krishna and His Name are non-different, same. It has also been emphasised in that concept that Krishna has invested all His potency in the Holy Name. Actually, there is no difference. The potency in the Holy Name is already there. Krishna’s entire potency is already there because the Name is non-different from Krishna. As I mentioned earlier that it is very difficult to call an important person by his name. Just we notice in our regular day to day dealings do we call our superiors by their names? Does the son call his father by the name? No. Do we call an important person by his name? Like when we address a senior devotee or a sanyas how do you call him? His Grace, His Holiness not just direct names. In the Vedic culture, a wife never utters her husband’s name. It’s a way of expressing one’s reverence to a superior. Now when we are dealing with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Generally, how do we do when we address an exalted personality how do we say? om visnu pada paramahamsa parivrajakacarya astottara-sata srisrimad, so that is the human culture, civilized human culture. But here we have the prerogative to call the Supreme Personality of Godhead by His name. Why are we able to do that? Why do we dare to do that? Because the Lord Himself said, “Call Me by My name.” Sometimes I notice like the airline companies have your name when you are a frequent flyer they treat you quite respectfully because you are a frequent flyer and they ask “should I call you by your first name or Mr such and such?” I say “Okay, you can call me by my first name.” But they ask can I call you by your first name? Here we can see such a wonderful opportunity we have, to call Krishna by His name.
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
See one Indian middle-aged gentleman who appeared to be like a very wealthy businessman so he asked Srila Prabhupada in a very challenging way, “Why are you building new temples when there are so many old temples needing renovation and repair?”
So Srila Prabhupada didn’t answer the question directly.
Srila Prabhupada asked that man, “Who is that lady sitting next to you?”
So that man said, “Well, she is my wife.”
Prabhupada asked him, “Why did you get married?” So, the man got completely flabbergasted so he could not answer.
Then Prabhupada provided the answer he said, “You got married because you wanted to
have children, one gets married, one accepts a wife in order to get children. But why get
children when there are so many children loitering in the streets?”
Then Prabhupada explained, “Just as you want to have your own child, similarly a devotee wants to build his temple and install Krishna and, in this way, offer the temple to Krishna
(Memories of Srila Prabhupada by HH Bhakti Charu Swami)
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
This pandemic, it’s a very difficult situation, only today I was reflecting on that. What do we usually pray to what do we expect that we can leave our body being surrounded by devotees, but in a situation like this we may not have the devotee association? We may be in a hospital no devotee will be allowed to come near us because of this contagious nature of this disease and we won’t be able to hear about Krishna, we won’t be able to think about Krishna, we won’t be able to remember Krishna. We won’t be able to remember Krishna meaning like others will not be able to remind us about Krishna so we have to depend upon Krishna ourselves. We have to pray to Krishna with all our hearts that, “Krishna please please don’t allow me to forget you, please let me remember you at the most difficult time when I am going to leave my body. And now the situation is as such that I have become bereft of the association of devotees. You have mentioned that the association of devotees is the spiritual sky. Association of devotees is Your internal potency so now I have become unable to have that association so please let me remember You on my own and I depend upon You. Please don’t allow me to forget You, please this is my only prayer.” So, these difficulties are coming to make us more Krishna Conscious, these difficulties are coming to remind us that we have to use all our means, resources and ability to become Krishna Conscious, to remember Krishna all the time and never forget Him. This is the time we are going to face that challenge. Remember Krishna all the time and never forget Him.
(Excerpt from Uddhava Gita Seminar series given by HH Bhakti Charu Swami on 27 March 2020 on at ISKCON Ujjain)
(The content of this E-magazine is based on a lecture given by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami on 19th June 2017)
(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Dasi)