The Five Parenting Guidelines

These guidelines or "Pancha Kutumba Sadhana" describe the principles that guide fathers and mothers in setting strong religious examples that nurture children and teach them to follow the path of dharma and thus pass Hinduism to the next generation. The 5 guidelines are as follows:

Dharmachara: Good Conduct
Dharma Svagriha: Home Worship
Dharma Sambhashana: Talking About Religion
Dharma Svadhyaya: Continuing Self-Study
Dharma Sanga: Following a Spiritual Preceptor

Note: This series is specially created for children with help from the Himalayan Academy and Kauai's Hindu Monastery in Hawaii. Written by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami and illustrated by A Manivel, these first appeared in the book Dancing with Siva.

Dharmachara: Good Conduct

1. Dharmachara: Good Conduct

Loving fathers and mothers, knowing they are the greatest influence in a child's life, should behave the way their dear children should when adults. They never anger or argue before young ones. Father in a dhoti, mother in a sari at home, all sing to God, Gods and guru.

Dharma Svagriha: Home Worship

2. Dharma Svagriha: Home Worship

Loving fathers and mothers should establish a separate shrine room in the home for God, Gods and guardian devas of the family. Ideally it should be large enough for all the dear children. It is a sacred place for scriptural study, a refuge from the karmic storms of life.

Dharma Sambhashana: Talking About Religion

3. Dharma Sambhashana: Talking About Religion

Loving fathers and mothers should speak Vedic precepts while driving, eating and playing. This helps dear children understand experiences in right perspective. Parents know many worldly voices are blaring, and their dharmic voice must be stronger.

Dharma Svadhyaya: Continuing Self-Study

4. Dharma Svadhyaya: Continuing Self-Study

Loving fathers and mothers should keep themselves informed by studying the Vedas, Agamas and sacred literature, listening to swamis and panditas. Youth face a world they will one day own, thus parents prepare their dear children to guide their own future progeny.

Dharma Sanga: Following a Spiritual Preceptor

5. Dharma Sanga: Following a Spiritual Preceptor

Loving fathers and mothers should choose a preceptor, a traditional satguru, and lineage to follow. They support their lineage with all their heart, energy and service. He in turn provides them clear guidance for a successful life, material and religious.

The Four Ages of Man - The 4 Stages of Life in Hinduism

Shakespeare divided life into "seven ages". In Hinduism, human life is believed to comprise four stages. These are called "ashramas" and every man should ideally go through each of these stages:

The First Ashrama - "Brahmacharya" or the Student Stage
The Second Ashrama - "Grihastha" or the Householder Stage
The Third Ashrama - "Vanaprastha" or the Hermit Stage
The Fourth Ashrama - "Sannyasa" or the Wandering Ascetic Stage

Brahmacharya - The Celibate Student:

This is a period of formal education. It lasts until the age of 25, during which, the young male leaves home to stay with a guru and attain both spiritual and practical knowledge. During this period, he is called a brahmachari, and is prepared for his future profession, as well as for his family, and social and religious life ahead.

Grihastha - The Married Family Man:

This period begins when a man gets married, and undertakes the responsibility for earning a living and supporting his family. At this stage, Hinduism supports the pursuit of wealth (artha) as a necessity, and indulgence in sexual pleasure (kama), under certain defined social and cosmic norms. This ashrama lasts until around the age of 50. According to the Laws of Manu, when a person's skin wrinkles and his hair greys, he should go out into the forest. However, in real life, most Hindus are so much in love with this second ashrama that the Grihastha stage lasts a lifetime!

Vanaprastha - The Hermit in Retreat:

This stage of a man begins when his duty as a householder comes to an end: He has become a grandfather, his children are grown up, and have established lives of their own. At this age, he should renounce all physical, material and sexual pleasures, retire from his social and professional life, leave his home, and go to live in a forest hut, spending his time in prayers. He is allowed to take his wife along, but is supposed to maintain little contact with the family. This kind of life is indeed very harsh and cruel for an aged person. No wonder, this third ashrama is now nearly obsolete.

Sannyasa - The Wandering Recluse:

At this stage, a man is supposed to be totally devoted to God. He is a sannyasi, he has no home, no other attachment; he has renounced all desires, fears and hopes, duties and responsibilities. He is virtually merged with God, all his worldly ties are broken, and his sole concern becomes attaining moksha, or release from the circle of birth and death. (Suffice it to say, very few Hindu men can go up to this stage of becoming a complete ascetic.) When he dies, the funeral ceremonies (Pretakarma) are performed by his son and heir.

What About Women?:

Although these ashramas are predominantly designed for the male, females too have a vital role to play in each one of them. So women are not actually excluded because they are always supposed to have an active social and religious life at home. However, a woman's role is of a dependent nature since, traditionally, they need the protection of a responsible male at every stage of life.

History of Ashramas:

This system of ashramas is believed to be prevalent since the 5th century BCE in Hindu society. However, historians say that these stages of life were always viewed more as 'ideals' than as common practice. According to one scholar, even in its very beginnings, after the first ashrama, a young adult could choose which of the other ashramas he would wish to pursue for the rest of his life. Today, it is not expected that a Hindu male should go through the four stages, but it still stands as an important "pillar" of Hindu socio-religious tradition.

Hindu Kids: Give Them Reason To Believe Bringing Up Hindu Kids

Hindu parents are to be given immense credit. The daily challenges that typical Hindu parents face in encouraging their children to maintain their commitment to Hinduism are enormous and very well-known.

Little Understanding

Hindu parents try their best to observe fidelity to the religion of their ancestors, often having little understanding of the religion themselves other than what was given to them, in turn, by their own parents.

Just a Family Tradtion

All too many Indian Hindu youth, on the other hand, find themselves un-attracted to a religion that is little comprehended or respected by most of those around them - Hindu and non-Hindu alike. Today's Hindu youth seek more strenuously convincing reasons for following a religion than merely the argument that it is the family tradition.

Youth Demand Explanations

Today's Hindu youth demand, and deserve, cogent philosophical explanations about what Hinduism actually teaches, and why they should remain Hindu rather than join any of the many other religious alternatives they see around them. Temple priests are often ill equipped to give these bright Hindu youth the answers they so sincerely seek…mom and dad are usually even less knowledgeable than the temple 'pujaris'. What is a Hindu child to do?

Parents' Dilemma

As I travel the nation delivering lectures on Hindu philosophy and spirituality, I frequently encounter a repeated scenario. Hindu parents will often approach me after I've finished my lecture and timidly ask if they can have some advice. The often-repeated story goes somewhat like this:

"We raised our son/daughter to be a good Hindu. We took them to the temple for important holidays. We even sent him/her to a Hindu camp for a weekend when they were 13. Now at the age of 23, our child has left Hinduism and converted to the (fill in the blank) religion. When we ask how could they have left the religion of their family, the answer that they throw back in our face is: 'but mama/dada, you always taught us that all religions are the same, and that it doesn't really matter how a person worships God. So what does it matter if we've followed your advice and switched to another religion?'"

Many of you currently reading this article have probably been similarly approached by parents expressing this same dilemma.

Nag Panchami: Snake Worship

Nag Panchami, a.k.a., Naga or Nagula Panchami, is a Hindu festival dedicated to the worship of snakes and serpent deities. It is observed across India and Nepal on the fifth day of the bright fortnight of the lunar month of Shravan during the monsoon season. It celebrates the victory of Lord Krishna over the mythical Kaliya, a monstrous black python that was killed by Krishna in the Yamuna river. This year Nag Panchami falls on July 23, 2012.

Nine serpent deities are worshiped on the auspicious Nag Panchami day. Elaborate rituals in the form of 'puja' are held in temples and temporary altars in the honor of snake gods - Ananta, Vasuki, Padmanabha, Sesha, Kambala, Shankhapala, Dhruthrashtra, Takshaka and Kaliya - the nine prominent snake gods. In many parts of Eastern India Nag Panchami is dedicated to the serpent goddess, Manasa.

In Bengal and Bangladesh, the Manasa worship is a month-long affair spanning July and August. Devotees pay obeisance to goddess Manasa and perform various 'pujas' or rituals to appease her. Special 'murtis' or statues of the goddess are sculpted, various sacrifices made, and prayers chanted. In some places, worshippers are seen to pierce their bodies, poisonous snakes are displayed on the altar, and live shows depicting the life and legends of Manasa Devi are performed.

Who's A Guru?

"Guru is Shiva sans his three eyes,
Vishnu sans his four arms
Brahma sans his four heads.
He is parama Shiva himself in human form"
~ Brahmanda Puran

Guru is the God, say the scriptures. Indeed, the 'guru' in Vedic tradition is looked upon as one no less than a God. 'Guru' is a honorific designation of a preceptor as defined and explained variously in the scriptures and ancient literary works including epics. The English word 'guru' has its etymological origin in the Sanskrit term. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English defines it as "Hindu spiritual teacher or head of religious sect; influential teacher; revered mentor".

More Real Than Gods

Aren't gurus more real than the gods? Basically the guru is a spiritual teacher leading the disciple on the path of "god-realization". In essence, the guru is considered a respected person with saintly qualities who enlightens the mind of his disciple, an educator from whom one receives the initiatory mantra, and one who instructs in rituals and religious ceremonies. The Vishnu Smriti and Manu Smriti regards the Acharya (teacher), along with the mother and the father as the most venerable gurus of an individual. According to Deval Smriti there can be eleven kinds of gurus and according to Nama Chintamani ten. According to his functions he is categorized as rishi, acharyam, upadhya, kulapati or mantravetta.

The Guru's Role

The Upanishads have profoundly underlined the role of the guru. Mundak Upanishad says to realize the supreme godhead holding samidha grass in his hands one should surrender himself before the guru who knows the secrets of Vedas. Kathopanishad too speaks of the guru as the preceptor who alone can guide the disciple on the spiritual path. Over time the guru's syllabus gradually enlarged incorporating more secular and temporal subjects related to human endeavor and intellect. Apart from usual spiritual works his sphere of instruction now included subjects like Dhanurvidya (archery), Arthashastra (economics) and even Natyashastra (dramatics) and Kamashastra (sexology). Such was the ingenuity of the all pervading intellect of the ancient Acharyas that they perpetuated even shastra like thievery. Shudraka's celebrated play Mricchakatikam tells the story of Acharya Kanakashakti who formulated the Chaurya Shastra, or the science of thievery, which was further developed by the gurus like Brahmanyadeva, Devavrata and Bhaskarnandin.

From Hermitages to Universities

Gradually the institution of Gurukula or in-forest-hermitage, where disciples learnt at the feet of guru for long years was evolved. The great urban universities at Takshashila, Vikramashila and Nalanda essentially evolved from these tiny gurukulas tucked away in deep woods. If we have to believe the records of Chinese travellers who visited Nalanda at that time, there were more than 1,500 teachers teaching various subjects to more than 10,000 students and monks.

Legends of Gurus & Desciples

There were gurus as well as disciples of different hues to whom references were made in scriptures and literary works. The most popular legend is that of the amazing young tribal boy Ekalavya on being rejected by the ace trainer Dronacharya, raised his statue and with great dedication practised the art of archery and left behind Arjuna, the master archer, who actually learnt the art under the living guru. And the heartless guru asked for his thumb as gurudakshina or fees, and made him inferior before his royal disciple. In the Chandogya Upanishad, we meet an aspiring disciple Satyakama, who refuses to tell lies about his caste in order to get an admission in the gurukula of Acharya Haridrumat Gautam. And in the Mahabharata we come across Karna who did not bat an eyelid while telling Parashurama that he belonged to the Bhrigu Brahmin caste just to obtain the Brahmastra, the supreme weapon.

Lasting Contribution

From generation to generation the institution of the guru has evolved various basic tenets of Indian culture and transmitted spiritual and fundamental knowledge. Gurus formed the axis of ancient educational system and ancient society, and enriched various fields of learning and culture by their creative thinking. Herein lies the lasting significance of gurus and their contribution to the upliftment of mankind.

Kartik Poornima: Wednesday, 28-11-2012

Kartik Poornima : Wenesday, 28-11-2012

Kartik Purnima  or Kartik Poornima  is an  important religious day for Jains and  celebrated on the full moon day or the fifteenth lunar day of Kartik  This year Kartik Purnima being celebrated on November 10, 2011. The Kartik Purnima festival also coincides with the Sikh  festival of Guru Nanak Jayanti. Kartik Purnima is also a holy day in Hinduism and also called as Tripuri poornima or Tripurari Poornima.

The day of Kartik Poornima holds significance in Jain  religion and devotees are kept away from worshipping their lord for four months of monsoon and hence the first day attracts the maximum number of devotees. According to Jainism , Lord Adinath, the first tirthankara , sanctified the hills by visiting it to deliver his first sermon. According to Jain texts ,millions of sadhus and sadhvis have attained salvation on these hills.

Kartik Purnima  also assumes significance for the walk to the hills temples. On the day of Kartik Poornima Jain pilgrims flock to the foothills of Shatrunjay hills of   Palitana Jain Temples in Gujarat  to undertake the auspicious yatra, known as the Shri Shantrunjay Teerth Yatra. This Yatra is an important religious event in the life of a Jain devotee, who cover 216 km of rough mountainous terrain by foot to worship the Lord Adinath temple atop the Shantrunjay hill.

The Best and Worst of Japa

by Dwarakadhisha Devi Dasi

I love chanting japa—some days. Other days, I endure chanting japa. It seems to be bliss or boredom. On the good days I am enthralled. Krishna feels very close, and very dear. Not that I’m seeing visions or hearing voices—nothing dramatic that would excite the tabloid crowd. The experience is closer to returning home after a long, arduous journey. Such a sweet pleasure from the simple fingering of beads, the rhythmic repetition of the maha- mantra:Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

But then there are the bad days. Unfortunately, when I speak of bad days I don’t mean an occasional lapse. There are so many bad days they could actually be divided into categories: sick days, cold days, sleepy days, busy days, lonely days, traveling days, foul-mood days, messy-house days, family-visiting days, summer-vacation days, lots-on-my-mind days, too-many-kids-around days, all of the days between Christmas and New Year—those are just a few. And there are others that spring up unannounced, defying categorization.

The paradox is that while there is always some really appealing excuse for the mental gyrations that prevent good japa, it is precisely the resultant inattention that makes chanting seem a chore, a task to be endured. Good japa is a pleasure in the deepest sense. And yet the persuasions of the mind steal this pleasure from me again and again.

So why listen to the mind? Knowing that the mind’s entertainment is taking me away from the process of nourishing my soul, why would I fall for it more than once? Compare me to the alcoholic who has some experience of the rewards of sober life but keeps succumbing to the temptation to drink, knowing that eventually he’ll lose the very desire for sobriety. The normal state, the sober state, no longer seems desirable when one is enslaved by alcohol. In the same way, the normal state of happiness that comes from attentive chanting is forgotten when chanting is habitually inattentive. Japa time becomes the time for the mind to assume center stage, and like a bad comic it tries all kinds of routines to capture the whims of the audience.

If you are by now appalled that anyone would ever let their japa fall into such a state, then you might as well move ahead to the next article. You don’t need to hear this part, which gets really shocking.

When my rounds get really bad, I start to question the value in even chanting them. I start to question my motives: Is it just to maintain some kind of pride in chanting sixteen rounds, even if they’re crummy rounds? At the core of it all, am I superstitious, chanting to ward off the evils of the world? Is chanting japa a way to assure myself of devotee status, something that gets me on Krishna’s good side? As these kinds of questions come up, I get swamped by shame and discouragement. I think it might be better to be honestly fallen than to chant so offensively.

A friend once commented to me that it would be better to chant one good maha-mantra a day than sixteen distracted rounds. I squirmed when I heard that, because I knew that I was indeed guilty of empty chanting. But I couldn’t quite agree. I took a vow at initiation to chant sixteen rounds, so I can’t give that up. And on one level, sure, just one sincere cry to Krishna is better than mechanical chanting. And yet, if one is resigned to chanting just one mantra a day, how many days would go by when those precious ten seconds of devotion would never come? If it’s easy to space out for the duration of sixteen rounds, how much easier to miss the one little scheduled chance you set up to cry out for Krishna?

There’s certainly a better solution to inattentive chanting than giving up. And that’s the solution that always becomes obvious to me when I see I’m sliding.

It’s never better to give up the fight! There always comes a point when I get disgusted enough to try harder at hearing my rounds. And whenever I make that attempt, Krishna is always there. My dearest friend always gives me shelter. When I start listening to my prescribed rounds, I have the wonderful sensation of returning to a place I love. I know that if I just put my beads aside, thinking that no chanting is better than bad chanting, I would never have these exhilarating homecomings. Srila Prabhupada encourages us: “If one goes on chanting the holy names of the Lord, which are not different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, naturally his mind becomes absorbed in thought of the Lord.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.8.44, purport) My karmic reality is that my mind is polluted by passion and worse. My spiritual practice is meant to confront that polluted state and break through it.

So, all you fellow problem chanters out there, take heart. The damage is not irreparable. There are a number of tricks to quiet the mind, similar to the tricks a parent uses to quiet a two-year-old. I’ll share with you a few I use.

One good trick is to promise your mind that as soon as you finish your rounds you will give it undivided attention. You will ponder your problems, write your speeches, worry about your future—all after the rounds are finished. Another trick is to listen to just ten mantras in a row, and I mean really listen. Then try ten more, and ten more. Try to hear a whole round, not missing a bead. Challenge yourself, if you’re that type, or make it a game, if you’re that type. Another strategy is to put your beads down for a minute and make a prayer of whatever is on your mind. Then let it go and give your attention to chanting.

Regulation is invaluable in chanting sixteen decent rounds, so be sure you have a good time for chanting. I find that unchanted rounds hang like clouds in my mental landscape. Unless your schedule prohibits it, it’s best to chant all of your rounds during the auspicious morning hours.

Try these suggestions, and confide in devotees you trust and ask for their special tricks. Soon you will develop your own. (Then perhaps you can send them to me.)

Chanting japa is truly an individual expression of our desire to serve guru and Krishna. No one else can know the quality of our rounds. I, for one, can be a really good faker. And there is little recognition from the outside world if one is a conscientious chanter. But who cares for such recognition when the true reward is the pleasure of the Supreme Lord, the master of the entire universe?

What is Japa?

Japa is a personal meditation on a mantra. Hare Krishna devotees each have a strand of 108 beads, on which they chant the Hare Krishna mantra. Initiated devotees vow to chant on the full set of beads at least sixteen times a day.

What’s So Special About God’s Names?

by Bhakticaru Swami


Lord Jesus Christ, Mohammed, and all the world’s scriptures emphasize glorifying God’s names. What is unique about this kind of prayer?

According to Vedic calculation, great time spans are measured in yugas, or ages. The Vedas describe four yugas-Satya-yuga, Treta-yuga, Dvapara- yuga, and Kali-yuga-which repeat themselves in cyclical order like the four seasons. The duration of Satya-yuga is 1,728,000 years; Treta-yuga is 1,296,000 years; Dvapara-yuga, 864,000 years; and Kali-yuga, 432,000 years.

In Satya-yuga people are very pious. They almost never perform sinful activities. In Treta-yuga they are more inclined to sinful life, and even more so in Dvapara-yuga. Finally, in Kali-yuga impiety is almost completely dominant. Kali-yuga is like the winter of the yuga seasons.

The Vedic scriptures prescribe a specific kind of religious process for each of these ages. In Satya-yuga the process is meditation upon the form of the Lord. In Treta-yuga the process is offering sacrifices to the Lord. In Dvapara-yuga the process is gorgeous worship of the Deity in the temple. And in Kali-yuga the process is chanting God’s holy name. Being merciful, the Lord makes the process easier in each successive age, as people become less qualified because of the increase of sinful life.

Now it is the age of Kali, the most degraded of the four ages. We can see in our own lifetime how people are becoming more sinful. Meat-eating, gambling, intoxication, and illicit sex-the four pillars of sinful life-continue to increase everywhere. We can see that as these activities increase, the world becomes more and more miserable. All scriptures recommend chanting Krishna’s holy names to get free of misery.

The Srimad-Bhagavatam says that chanting is the only good thing about this age. Lord Jesus said, “Glorify the name of thy Father.” Similarly, Mohammed said, “Allah alone should we glorify.” These instructions are given repeatedly throughout the world’s great religions.

The question arises: “What’s so special about God’s names?” God does not have names like ours, which are mundane sounds given to us for the sake of our physical identity. God has no need for such identification. He has no physical identity; He is completely spiritual. But according to His divine, unlimited qualities and pastimes. He has innumerable names.

For example, in the Bible He has names that describe Him as “Almighty” and “Omnipotent.” Similarly, in the Sanskrit Vedic scriptures He has numerous names. The name Krishna means “all- attractive.” The name Rama means “giver of supreme pleasure.”

That Internal Potency is Radharani

Prabhupāda: (chants maṅgalācaraṇa prayers) Today is birth, appearance day of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, Rādhāṣṭamī. Fifteen days after Kṛṣṇa’s birth, Rādhārāṇī appeared. (pause) Rādhārāṇī is Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure potency.Rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī-śaktiḥ. The Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has got varieties of energies, as it is confirmed in the Vedic literature. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śruyate. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. The Supreme Lord has nothing to do personally. Na tasya kāryam. He has nothing to do. Just like here in this material world we find some very big man, political head or business head; personally, he has nothing to do. Because he has got so many assistants, secretaries, that personally he hasn’t got to do anything. Similarly, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full with six opulences, why He will have to do something? No. He has got many assistants. Sarvataḥ pāṇi-pādas tat. In the Bhagavad-gītā: “He has got everywhere His hands and legs.” You’ll find Kṛṣṇa, He has nothing to do. He’s simply engaged in enjoyment withgopīs and Rādhārāṇī. He’s not engaged in killing the demons. When Kṛṣṇa kills the demons He’s Vasudeva Kṛṣṇa; He’s not original Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa expands Himself. First expansion is Baladeva. From Baladeva—Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, Vāsudeva. So by the Vāsudeva feature He acts in Mathurā and Dvārakā. But Kṛṣṇa in His original feature, He remains in Vṛndāvana. One of the greatest fiction writers in Bengal, Bankimchandra Chatterjee, he misunderstood Kṛṣṇa that Kṛṣṇa of Vṛndāvana, Kṛṣṇa of Dvārakā, and Kṛṣṇa of Mathurā, They’re different persons. Kṛṣṇa (is) the same, one, but He can expand Himself in millions and trillions of forms. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁpurāṇa-puruṣam (Bs. 5.33). Advaita. Although ananta-rūpam, still, He’sādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣam, advaita. There is no such distinction.

So this Kṛṣṇa, when He wants to enjoy, what kind of enjoyment He will have? That has been discussed by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī. Kṛṣṇa is Paraṁ Brahman. Brahman, Paramātmā, then Paraṁ Brahman. Absolute Truth, three different features. Someone is realizing the Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman. Jnanis, those who are trying to understand the Absolute Truth by mental speculation, by dint of his own knowledge, he’s realizing the Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman. And those who are trying to understand the Absolute Truth by meditation, yogis, they realize the Absolute Truth as Paramātmā. Paramātmā is situated in everyone’s heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati (Bg. 18.61). That feature, Paramātmā feature. Aṇḍantara-sthaṁ paramānu-cayāntara-sthaṁgovindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. That Paramātmā feature is one expansion of Kṛṣṇa. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, athavā bahunaitena kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna ekāṁṣena viṣṭabhyāham. Ekāṁṣena. When Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna was trying to understand about different potential existence of Kṛṣṇa, so He explained in the Twelfth Chapter, “I am this. Amongst them, I am this. Amongst them…” Like that. And He concluded that “How far I shall go on? Better try to understand that only one plenary portion of Me, by entering this universe, the whole cosmic manifestation is existing.”Ekāṁṣena sthito jagat. Jagat. This material world is existing on one plenary portion of Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa enters, aṇḍāntara-sthaṁ paramānu-cayāntara-stham, He enters within this universe. Without His entering, this universe cannot exist. Just like without the spirit soul’s entering within this body, this body cannot exist. As soon as the spirit soul goes out, immediately the body’s useless. However the body may be prime minister or anything else, as soon as the soul is out of this body, it is not worth even a farthing. Similarly, because Kṛṣṇa enters within this universe, therefore the universe has value. Otherwise it is simply a lump of matter; it has no value. Ekāṁṣena sthito jagat.

So try to understand Kṛṣṇa. And when Kṛṣṇa want to enjoy, what kind of enjoyment that shall be? Try to understand this point. Kṛṣṇa is so great; God is great, everyone knows. So when the great wants to enjoy, then what quality of enjoyment that should be? That is to be understood.Rādhā-kṛṣṇa… Therefore Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī has written a verse,rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtiḥ. The loving affairs of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa is not ordinary, these material loving affairs, although it appears like that. But one who cannot understand Kṛṣṇa, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ. Mūḍha, rascals, fools, they understand Kṛṣṇa as ordinary man. As soon as we take Kṛṣṇa as one of us… Mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritāṁ, paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ. These rascals, they do not know paraṁ bhavam. They try to imitate Kṛṣṇa’s līlā, rāsa-līlā. There are many rascals. So these things are going on. There is no understanding of Kṛṣṇa. To understand Kṛṣṇa is very difficult.

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye yatatām api siddhānāṁkaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ (Bg. 7.3)

Out of millions of persons, one may try to make his life perfect. Everyone is working like animal. There’s no question of perfection of life. The animal propensities: eating, sleeping, mating and defending… So everyone is engaged like animals. They have no other business, just like animal, hogs, dogs, whole day and night working: “Where is stool? Where is stool?” And as soon as he gets some stool, gets some fat, “Where is sex? Where is sex?” No consideration of mother or sister. This is hog’s life.

So human life is not meant for hog civilization. So modern civilization is hog civilization, although it is polished with shirt and coat. So, we shall try to understand. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for understanding Kṛṣṇa. For understanding Kṛṣṇa, it requires little labor, austerity, penance.Tapasya brahmacāryeṇa śamena damena ca. Tapasya. One has to undergo tapasya; brahmacārya, celibacy. Tapasya. Brahmacārya means stopping sex life or controlling sex life. Brahmacārya. Therefore Vedic civilization is, from the very beginning, to train the boys to becomebrahmacārī, celibacy. Not that modern days, the schools, boys and girls, ten years, twelve years, they’re enjoying. The brain is spoiled. They cannot understand higher things. The brain tissues are lost. So without becoming brahmacārī, nobody can understand spiritual life. Tapasya brahmacāryeṇa śamena damena ca. Śama means controlling the senses, controlling the mind; damena, controlling the senses; tyāgena; śaucena, cleanliness; tyāga, tyāga means charity. These are the processes for understanding oneself, self- realization. But in this age it is very difficult to undergo all these processes. Practically it is impossible. Therefore Lord Caitanya, Kṛṣṇa Himself, has made Himself easily available by one process:

harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā (Adi 17.21)

The Undercover Avatara

Lecture by His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

itthaṁ nṛ-tiryag-ṛṣi-deva-jhaṣāvatārair lokān vibhāvayasi haṁsi jagat pratīpān dharmaṁ mahā-puruṣa pāsi yugānuvṛttaṁ channaḥ kalau yad abhavas tri-yugo ’tha sa tvam

So here is a very specific statement about Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is avatāra. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the same Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He’s channa. Channa means covered, not directly, because He has appeared as a devotee. Avatāra… Rūpa Gosvāmī has found out that He’s avatāra of Kṛṣṇa. All the devotees, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, Rūpa Gosvāmī, and in the śāstra, and the Upaniṣad, Mahābhārata, in every… Sādhu-śāstra. Avatāra should be confirmed by great devotees, personalities, and must be collaborated with the statement in the śāstra.

So here is another statement in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The directly, it is stated in the Eleventh Canto, you know,

kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtanaiḥ prāyair yajanti hi sumedhsaḥ [SB 11.5.32]

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, when He was being described before King Nimi by Karabhājana Muni the different incarnation in different millenniums, yuga-dharma-vṛttam… Caitanya Mahāprabhu is also described by Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura, yuga-dharma-pālo. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu is described here as channaḥ kalau. In the Kali-yuga He’s not appearing as other incarnations, not like Nṛsiṁhadeva or many, Vāmanadeva, Lord Rāmacandra. He is appearing as a devotee. Why? Now, this is the most magnanimous avatāra. People are so foolish, they could not understand Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ [Bg. 18.66], they took it: “Who is this person ordering like that, sarva-dharmān parityajya? What right?” That is our material disease. If somebody is ordered to do something, he protests, “Who are you to order me?” This is the position. God Himself, Kṛṣṇa, what can He say? He orders, the Supreme Person, Supreme Being. He must order. He’s the supreme controller. He must order. That is God. But we are so foolish that when God orders that “You do this,” we take it otherwise: “Oh, who is this man? He’s ordering like that. And sarva-dharmān parityajya, ‘giving up everything’? Why shall I give Him?” Sarva-dharmān: “I have created so many dharmas, ‘isms.’ I shall give it up? Why shall I give it up?” Therefore the same Lord came again as Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Today is Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s appearance day, so we must discuss this very thoroughly, that, that Rūpa Gosvāmī understood it. Therefore we have to go through guru. Rūpa Gosvāmī is our guru. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura said,

rūpa-raghunātha-pade, hoibe ākuti, kabe hāma bujhabo, śrī-yugala-pīriti

If we want to understand the transcendental position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then we have to go through guru, guru-paramparāsystem. Otherwise it is not possible. Rūpa-raghunātha pade hoibe ākuti.Unless we accept this process, unless we submit… This whole process is submission. Kṛṣṇa wants this. Sarva-dharmān parityajya [Bg. 18.66] So if you want to approach Kṛṣṇa, you have to become very submissive. And to whom? “Kṛṣṇa is not here. To whom I shall submit?” No. To His devotee, to His representative. The business is submission. So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared this day for giving mercy to the fallen souls who are so foolish, they cannot take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He is personally teaching how to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And that is this kīrtana.You’ll find. You have seen the picture in our Teachings of Lord Caitanyathat in Prayag He was engaged in chanting, and Rūpa Gosvāmī is offering his obeisances. That is the first meeting with Rūpa Gosvāmī, and he composed this verse, namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te…[Madhya 19.53].

Don’t Be Shy—Chant!

Reviving the Lost Practice of Japa Meditation—how chanting is a test of our purity, sincerity, and absorption in Krishna consciousness.

by Ravi Gupta dasa

On the first of January this year, at our ISKCON center in Boise, Idaho, we held a “japathon”—an eight- hour session of japa (chanting the Hare Krishna mantra on beads). It was a spiritually rejuvenating way to begin the New Year, and many in our mostly Indian congregation took part wholeheartedly. Some chanters completed seventy-four rounds, while others did sixty-four, fifty, thirty-two, sixteen, or just a few.

Chintu Mudumbi, a fifteen-year-old who chanted seventy rounds, said of his experience, “When you chant like this, you realize that chanting actually works. All doubts about the reality of spiritual existence just go away. You begin to wonder why anyone would not take to the process.”

Many other participants had similar thoughts. They felt the great power and pleasure in the holy name of Krishna.

In India today japa is somewhat of a lost practice. Among a great variety of religious activities people perform, japa is almost always absent. Religious speakers promote many ways to express our devotion to God, but rarely does one hear the glories of the personal chanting of the holy names. Japa chanters are mostly devoted widows or renounced sadhus living in places of pilgrimage.

Chanting on japa beads can be embarrassing for some people. For example, when I was visiting India my aunt remarked, “You don’t realize—if I went outside the house with japa beads in my hand, people would laugh at me and think I’d left the world to become a saint.”

Even Indians who perform other spiritual practices find it difficult to get themselves to chant japa.

“I can sing or listen to hours of bhajanas [devotional songs],” said an Indian guest at the temple. “I can cook a feast for the Deities or read scripture—but I just cannot sit down and do japa.”

Yet japa is an important part of our heritage, and the Vedic scriptures extol its virtues. Srila Haridasa Thakura, an associate of Lord Caitanya, chanted 300,000 holy names every day. He is called namacarya, “the teacher of the holy name.” Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is Krishna Himself, also chanted a fixed number of rounds every day. King Kulashekhara, one of the great South Indian Alvars, writes in his Mukunda-mala-stotra, jihve shri-krishna-mantram japa japa satatam: “O tongue, please constantly chant the mantra composed of Sri Krishna’s names.” And in the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna says that of all sacrifices He is japa.

While all types of devotional service should ideally be done with full concentration on Krishna, we often derive secondary benefits from them, even when we’re distracted. For example, we might listen to bhajanas for the pleasing music, cook prasadam to fulfill the family’s needs, or read scripture out of intellectual curiosity. But chanting japa without focusing the mind on the holy names tends not to give secondary benefits. So it is a test of our purity, sincerity, and absorption in Krishna consciousness.

We have to work toward pure chanting, which will gradually bring us to the stage of ecstatic love of God. We have to carefully avoid offending the holy name. In the Srimad- Bhagavatam, Sukadeva Gosvami tells Maharaja Parikshit,“If one’s heart does not change, tears do not flow from his eyes, his body does not shiver, nor his hairs stand on end as he chants the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, it should be understood that his heart is as hard as iron. This is due to his offenses at the lotus feet of the Lord’s holy name.”

Srila Prabhupada required his disciples to chant at least sixteen rounds of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra every day. That would help them progress in the pure chanting of the holy names. Prabhupada writes, “This chanting of sixteen rounds is absolutely necessary if one wants to remember Krishna and not forget Him. Of all the regulative principles, the spiritual master’s order to chant at least sixteen rounds is most essential.”

So let us pick up our japa beads and chant in earnest—Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

The Phenomenon of Sankirtana

by Garuda dasa

“Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the name of the Lord; praise Him, O ye servants of the Lord… . Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.” (Psalms, 135, 150)

Among all the practices of the Hare Krishna movement, the most prominent is the public chanting of God’s names, ecstatic dancing, and playing of musical instruments—a spontaneous street liturgy common in most major cities throughout the world. Yet upon first seeing devotees chanting and dancing on a busy downtown street of a modern Western city, many people understandably experience a kind of culture shock. Perhaps it’s the devotees’ uncommon appearance, or the unfamiliar music, or the mere presence of a group of people celebrating something right on the street. In any case, the spectacle of ecstatic dancing, chanting, and music-making certainly warrants an explanation, and we can begin with some historical background.

One day, in early sixteenth-century India, Sri Krishna Chaitanya requested the people of the Bengali town of Navadvipa to chant the Hare Krishna mantra in every one of their homes. Before long, these devotees became so overwhelmed and intoxicated by the chanting of the holy names of God that they burst out of their homes into the streets. One of Sri Chaitanya’s biographers says, “No one in Navadvipa could hear any sound other than the words ‘Hare Krishna! Hare Rama!’ and the beating of mridanga drums and the clashing of hand cymbals.” Accompanied by these musical instruments, Sri Chaitanya would chant with such devotional ecstasy that huge crowds of people would gather to chant and dance through the streets of Navadvipa and into the nearby villages.

Thus Sri Chaitanya, who is accepted by devotees as an incarnation of Godhead and by historians as one of the greatest devotional mystics in the history of the world’s religions, introduced this most dramatic expression of devotion, known as sankirtana. Although we can trace the idea of sankirtana back thousands of years, not until Sri Chaitanya was its full potential realized, for it was He who first demonstrated its universal attraction. For six years He traveled widely in India by foot, and wherever He went He introduced the practice of sankirtana. Thereafter, it was accepted by saints of various religious traditions and sects across the Indian subcontinent.

Nearly five centuries later, in 1966, sankirtana was introduced in the West by its foremost modern exponent. His Divine Grace A..C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (the founder and spiritual guide of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness). Since then, its practice has spread throughout the world. It is precisely this ancient practice of sankirtana that the devotees of the Hare Krishna movement are presenting before the world’s plurality of cultures today. Now let us examine more closely the phenomenon of sankirtana.

We can understand what sankirtana is through a brief analysis of the word. The word sankirtana has a twofold meaning, indicated by two distinct translations of its root. The Sanskrit verb kirt, from which the word kirtana derives, means on the one hand “to praise” or “to glorify” and on the other “to tell” or “to call.” Thus the act of kirtana is meant to praise or glorify God while telling or calling man to participate in this glorification. Kirtana always takes place in a congregation of saintly people, as indicated by the prefix sam, meaning “all together,” or “congregationally.” The prefix sam may also act as an intensive, connoting “perfect” or “complete” kirtana. Therefore sankirtana carries the sense that when kirtana is performed congregationally, the glorification of God and the calling of man is perfect or complete.

He Has Appeared in this Beautiful Form

To enhance your appreciation of Sri Krishna Janmastami 2009, check out these lectures on the history of Krishna’s appearance, given in the actual place where Krishna appeared on Earth, Vrindavan, India.

These are excerpts from a three-and-a-half hour talk, given (despite laryngitis) by His Holiness Radhanath Swami, recorded at Gokula Mahavan during his Vrindavan Yatra in 2004.

Part One: The Importance of Hearing the Pastimes of Krishna

Considering our vulnerable position in material existence, Maharaja explains some of the outstanding benefits of hearing about Krishna, as well as the dangers of remaining absorbed in prajalpa, or materialistic subjects.

He then introduces the calamitous condition of the Earth that moved the demigods to pray for Krishna’s appearance.

Part Two: the Conditions Under Which Krishna Appears

Just as Lord Balarama appears in the womb of Devaki before Krishna appears—to purify and prepare the atmosphere there—Maharaja explains what has to happen in our own lives before Krishna will appear in our hearts:

“When we take shelter of Krishna in a spirit of devotion, fear the power of maya, and never let go of Krishna’s mercy, never let go of the association of devotees who are saving us at every moment, we become purified.”

We hear the interesting socio-political situation in Vrindavan that resulted in Nanda Maharaja becoming king, and the mystery of how Krishna originally came to Vrindavan.

Part Three: Krishna Appears

How Nanda Maharaj first received news of Krishna’s birth, how the Brijbasis celebrated the occasion, and the arrival (and departure) of Putana.

Part Four: "Just Like a Sweet, Helpless Little Baby"

The "nourishing milk of transcendental wisdom," regarding who is a guru and who is not.

Also, how Krishna dispatched Shakatasura, in the form of a big cart full of pots and pans.

Nothing that a Goat Won’t Eat

by Jayadvaita Swami

According to an Indian proverb, there’s nothing that a goat won’t eat and nothing that a madman won’t say. Madmen? Sometimes it seems like we’re living in a world of them, or at least a world of fools. The human impulse is to say something—anything. Something stupid, something contentious, something sweet, deceitful, smart, ridiculous, or empty. Big strings of words, amounting to nothing. It’s astonishing.

Nearly as surprising: You can speak the most outrageous foolishness, and someone out there—most likely many someones—will for sure take it as sensible, even as urgently important.

People babble on like sea waves, other people babble back. And soon you’ve got a tumultuous roar, of no significance at all. Babble on, Babylon.

Behind those babbling tongues churn babbling minds, full of everything, empty of substance.

For which the Vedic remedy is the chanting of the maha- mantra: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

The purpose of the chanting is to pull the mind out of the din and fix it on one point: Krishna.

That point—Krishna—is not merely a point, but the ultimate substance. The word Krishna indicates the supreme reality, the Absolute, the original source of everything.

More precisely, the word Krishna is Krishna. On the material platform, a word and what it stands for are different. On the spiritual platform, Krishna and Krishna’s name are the same.

So by chanting Hare Krishna, we leave behind the clatter of illusion and come in touch with Krishna, the Absolute Truth.

In the early stages of spiritual understanding, one realizes that Absolute Truth as an impersonal, all-pervading oneness. Further along, one perceives that Absolute Truth as the Supersoul, the source of all intelligence, the unseen guide within the heart. And when that unseen guide fully reveals Himself, one can see the Absolute Truth as the transcendent Personality of Godhead, free from all the grossness of matter yet tangibly real and specific in His unlimited names, forms, qualities, and pastimes.

It is when we come to Krishna that real talking begins. That talking is done by the greatest self-realized souls. And by those who accept, repeat, and relish the words of those realized souls and thus become realized themselves.

Of course, those who babble on about nothing will think that whatever they’re buzzing about is of great consequence and that Hare Krishna is for fools.

Let them.

Following in the footsteps of the Vedic sages, we’ll go on talking about Krishna and chanting the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

Qualifications of Bhakti and Bhagavan

Srila Prabhupada very sweetly describes the qualifications and qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in this succinct lecture.

The Qualifications of Bhakti and Bhagavan

Pradyumna: Translation: “O sage amongst the brāhmaṇas, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, also followed, seated on a chariot with Arjuna. Thus King Yudhiṣṭhira appeared very aristocratic, like Kuvera surrounded by his companions, the Guhyakas.”

Prabhupāda: So Sūta Gosvāmī, he is explaining in the assembly of learned brāhmaṇas. The Naimiṣāraṇya meeting took place some five thousand or more than that, at least five thousand years ago. But the, all the members who assembled there, they were all very learned scholar and brāhmaṇas. Therefore they are addressed as viprarṣe. Not only brāhmaṇa, but they were ṛṣi. Ṛṣi means saintly person. They were rājarṣi, rājarṣi. Saintly person can become, anyone, provided he lives like a saintly person. It doesn’t matter whether he is a brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya. Generally, brāhmaṇa and kṣatriya, the first and second status of the human society, they can live as good as the saintly persons within the forest or Himalaya. At home they can live. So another place these brāhmaṇas were addressed as dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ, “best of the brāhmaṇas.” A brāhmaṇa is already the best man, but if he becomes a saintly person, then it becomes still more magnified.

So in another place these brāhmaṇas were addressed, ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ: “You are all brāhmaṇa, the topmost of the human society.” There are divisions of the human society. First-class men, second-class men, third-class men, fourth-class men, that, in the Vedic civilization. Not that all, all one class. No. Why? There must be a division. That I have already explained. So the qualified brāhmaṇas, they are first-class men. The topmost class. And the second-class men, the kṣatriyas. And the third-class men, vaiśyas, mercantile, simply “Where to get money?” And they are, according to Vedic civilization, third-class men. But at the present moment those who are acquiring money somehow or other, they are first-class men. It doesn’t matter what is his qualification. If he has acquired some money some way or other, then he is a first-class man. This is Kali-yuga. In the Kali-yuga there is no honor for qualification. There is honor for money only. That’s all.

So it is stated that without money, you cannot get justice even. In the court of justice, everyone is expected to get proper behavior, but in the Kali-yuga it is stated (that) even in the court of justice, you cannot get justice without money. That’s a fact. If you have no money, then you cannot appoint a good lawyer. And sometimes you have to bribe the judge also. This is the position now. Now in your country so many big, big men have been arrested or something like that for their dishonesty. So Kali-yuga is so polluted that the minister is dishonest, the judge is dishonest, and what to speak of ordinary men. So only thing is that you get money some way or other. Then you can pass on as a nice gentleman, polished. You keep yourself always polished, and within you may be full with all dirty things, but if you have got your pockets filled up with coins and notes, then you are nice. Formerly it was not like that. One must be qualified. Varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ.

Vibhāgaśaḥ. There must be division. But people are very much anxious to make classless society, no division. And that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness society. We have no such division. Division means under the jurisdiction of the three modes of material nature. That is division. Otherwise, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, these divisions are calculated when one is under the control of the material nature. But if you become devotee, the material nature has no more any control over you. That is the difference between a perfect Kṛṣṇa conscious person and a perfect, I mean to say, mundane person. The difference is that a Kṛṣṇa conscious, a devotee, is no more under the influence of the three modes of material nature. But ordinarily, everyone should be…, is—“he should be” not.(?) He is under the control. Therefore they are called dvija- śreṣṭhāḥ, the best of the brāhmaṇas. Even a brāhmaṇa is also under the control of material nature. But the same brāhmaṇa, when he becomes a Vaiṣṇava, a devotee, he the best of the brāhmaṇas. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ. Or he becomes ṛṣi. Viprarṣe. Rathena. Rathena. They were not walking, all these respectable personalities, brāhmaṇas and bhagavān.

Three Words that Changed History

Sound can change the world. Especially when the sound is from out of this world.

by Satyaraja dasa

We should never underestimate the power of words. A few properly chosen words, spoken or sung, can change history. La Marseillaise inflamed mobs during the French Revolution. Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” inspired the Yankees to continue giving “the last full measure of devotion.” The Horst Wessel Song fueled the dictatorship of Nazi Germany. We Shall Overcome unified the civil rights movement. And the songs of Bob Dylan and the Beatles helped create an entire counterculture.

But all these words, powerful as they were, couldn’t solve the real problems of existence—repeated birth, old age, disease, and death. Time passed, the impact of these songs and pronouncements faded, people forgot. And the inexorable problems of life in the material world continued unabated.

To solve these problems we need to hear and vibrate words that are supra-mundane, words that can inspire us at the deepest spiritual level. Such words do exist, and they are described in ancient India’s Vedic literature as shabda-brahman, “the Absolute Truth in the form of words, or sound.”

For thousands of years the sacred texts of the Vedas have taught that one can extricate himself from the bonds of material life by hearing and chanting transcendental sounds. The common, unenlightened person is in a sleeplike state, oblivious of his real nature as a spiritual being and of his relationship to the Supreme Being. The Vedas say, “Wake up! Having attained the human form of life, achieve self-realization and break out of the bonds of repeated birth and death.”

Chant, chant, chant. Can’t, can’t can’t.

by Vishakha Devi dasi

Whether one chants meditatively on beads or exuberantly with musical instruments, the Hare Krishna mantra is the easiest and most potent means to spiritual advancement.
“O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have millions of names, like Krishna and Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies. There are not even hard and fast rules for chanting these names. O my Lord, out of kindness You enable us to easily approach You by Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attraction for them.”—Sikshashtaka, Verse 2

Srila Prabhupada was once amused by a cartoon portraying a woman imploring her husband “Chant, chant, chant,” and then the man replying “Can’t, can’t, can’t.” “This is the situation,” Srila Prabhupada explained. “Chanting is so easy and the benefits of chanting are so great, yet simply out of stubbornness, people refuse to chant.”

Chanting is easy. As Lord Chaitanya says, there are no hard and fast rules. Anyone can chant at any time, in any place, under any circumstances, and without any previous qualification. All that’s required is to repeat Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. These sixteen transcendental sounds compose the maha-mantra—the supreme combination of sounds for freeing one’s mind from anxiety. The Narada-pancharatra states that all mantras and processes for self-realization are compressed into the Hare Krishna mantra.

Srila Prabhupada explains that the name Krishna means “the all-attractive one,” and the name Rama means “the all-pleasing one.” When combined with Hare,the Lord’s devotional energy, the words mean “O all-attractive, all-pleasing Lord, kindly engage me in Your service.” In other words, Krishna, Rama, and Hare are not sectarian names but are spiritual, surpassing all material strata—sensual, mental, and intellectual. The Lord is one, yet He has unlimited names, owing to His unlimited activities and unlimited qualities. “If you think that Krishna is the name of a Hindu God,” Srila Prabhupada said, “then you can chant any bona fide name of the Lord—Allah, Buddha, Jehovah. We chant Hare Krishna because that’s what’s recommended in the scriptures.”

Because the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient Lord is nondifferent from His name, the benefits from chanting defy the imagination. By chanting God’s names we can revive our spiritual consciousness, and when we chant purely, the Lord is present, dancing on our tongue. This quality of the Lord, to personally and fully appear when His name is vibrated, is unknown to nondevotees. And even among devotees, there is much to be realized. The scripture Chaitanya- charitamrita tells that in Candapura, India, five centuries ago, a number of scholars were once discussing the glories of chanting. “By chanting the holy name of the Lord,” some of them said, “one is freed from the reactions of sinful life.” Others said, “Simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord, a living being is liberated from material bondage.”

Also present at the gathering was Haridasa Thakura, the great devotee whose life exemplified the perfection of chanting Hare Krishna. Haridasa Thakura objected to the opinions of the scholars, saying, “These two benedictions are not the true result of chanting the holy name. By chanting the holy name without offenses, one awakens his ecstatic love for the lotus feet of Krishna. Liberation and extinction of the reactions of sinful life are two concomitant by-products of chanting the holy name of the Lord.”