Divine Sound and the Holy Name II

We often meet people who find that taking shelter of the holy name is a foreign practice. They point out that one of the 10 Commandments of the Christian faith is “Thou shalt not take the Lord’s name in vain.” They feel this is a prohibition on taking the holy name. At the same time many people object to our using the name Krishna. Our divine master, Śrila Prabhupada, once remarked that the holy name has equal power whenever it appeals to divinity. Divinity exists and when we appeal to divinity we experience divine revelation.

In 1974, near a yoga center in Frankfurt am Main, West Germany, Srila Prabhupada and several of his disciples were on a walk one morning with father Emmanuel Jungclaussen, a Benedictine monk from Niederalteich Monastery. Noticing that Srila Prabhupada was carrying meditation beads similar to the Catholic rosary, Father Emmanuel explained that he also chanted a constant prayer, the Jesus Prayer mentioned in the Philokalia: “Lord Jesus Christ, be merciful unto us.”



Śrila Prabhupada said, “When an Indian person calls on Krishna, he often says, “Krista.” Krista is a Sanskrit word meaning “attraction.” So when we address God as “Christ,” “Krista,” or “Krishna,” we indicate the same all-attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead. When Jesus said, “Our Father, who art in heaven, sanctified be Thy name,” that name of God was Krista or Krishna. "Christ" is another way of saying Krsta, and "Krsta" is another way of pronouncing Krsna, the name of God. Jesus said that one should glorify the name of God, but yesterday I heard one theologian say that God has no name-that we can call Him only "Father."



A son may call his father "Father," but the father also has a specific name. Similarly, "God" is the general name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose specific name is Krsna. Therefore whether you call God "Christ," "Krsta," or "Krsna," ultimately you are addressing the same Godhead. Actually, it doesn't matter-Krsna or Christ-the name is the same. To practice bhakti-yoga means to become free from designations like "Hindu," "Muslim," "Christian," this or that, and simply to serve God. We have created Christian, Hindu, and Muhammadan religions, but when we come to a religion without designations, in which we don't think we are Hindus or Christians or Muhammadans, then we can speak of pure religion, or bhakti. [divine love]

Father Emmanuel was following the Orthodox tradition of practicing the holy name of Jesus. There are remarkable parallels in the practice of taking the holy name of Krishna and Christos, as we shall see.

Prabhupada pointed out that the practice of the holy name is always beneficial, especially when taken together with the practice of nonviolence. Continuing the conversation, he remarked

 “I have not come to teach you, but only to request you to please chant the name of God. The Bible also demands this of you. So let's kindly cooperate and chant, and if you have a prejudice against chanting the name Krsna, then chant "Christos" or "Krsta"-there is no difference. Sri Caitanya said: namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-saktih. "God has millions and millions of names, and because there is no difference between God's name and Himself, each one of these names has the same potency as God." Therefore, even if you accept designations like "Hindu," "Christian," or "Muhammadan," if you simply chant the name of God found in your own scriptures, you will attain the spiritual platform. Human life is meant for self-realization-to learn how to love God. That is the actual beauty of man. Whether you discharge this duty as a Hindu, a Christian, or a Muhammadan, it doesn't matter-but discharge it!”

In the Christian tradition the practice of appealing to the holy name as a means of salvation is perhaps most powerfully seen in the teachings of the Philokalia, especially as revealed in a 19th Century work called The Way of a Pilgrim.

The Way of a Pilgrim is either the true story or a fictionalized account of a Russian Orthodox pilgrim and truth-seeker, who meets a starets or spiritual guide who advises him to take shelter of the “Jesus Prayer.”



The prayer simple says, “Jesus Christ have mercy on my soul.” He is to repeat the prayer continuously, internalizing it until it becomes one with his being. While immersing himself in the holy name of Jesus, he is given two instructions: read the Philokalia, and be humble. As the pilgrim continues his journey he finds great spiritual peace and divine revelation in the Jesus Prayer or prayer of the heart. It’s interesting to see how closely the ancient Christian practice aligns with the yoga practice of chanting mantras, especially the holy name, “hare krishna, hare krishna, krishna krishna, hare hare, hare rama hare rama, rama rama hare hare.”

The Way of the Pilgrim is possibly the best documentation of this practice within the Orthodox tradition. Along the way, the “pilgrim” constantly reads and refers to the Philokalia, a collection of writings by the spiritual masters of the Eastern Orthodox Church, spanning some 900 years between the 4th and 15th centuries. Philokalia means “Love of the Beautiful.” from the Ancient Greek φιλία philia "love" and the word κάλλος kallos "beauty.” The Philokalia was compiled in the 18th Century for the guidance and instruction of religious acolytes in the practise of the contemplative life. The compilation is generally attributed to St. Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain of Athos and St. Makarios of Corinth.

The anonymous pilgrim describes his first meeting with his guru and how he comes to know about the Jesus Prayer. This translation of “The Way of a Pilgrim” is available at Gutenberg.org:

[The teacher] took my request kindly and asked me into his cell. "Come in," said he. "I will give you a volume of the holy Fathers from which with God's help you can learn about prayer clearly and in detail." We went into his cell and he began to speak as follows. "The continuous interior prayer of Jesus is a constant uninterrupted calling upon the divine name of Jesus with the lips, in the spirit, in the heart, while forming a mental picture of His constant presence, and imploring His grace, during every occupation, at all times, in all places, even during sleep. The appeal is couched in these terms, 'Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.' One who accustoms himself to this appeal experiences as a result so deep a consolation and so great a need to offer the prayer always that he can no
longer live without it, and it will continue to voice itself within him of its own accord.
Now do you understand what prayer without ceasing is?"

"Yes indeed, Father, and in God's name teach me how to gain the habit of it," I
cried, filled with joy. Read this book," he said. "It is called The Philokalia, and it contains the full and detailed science of constant interior prayer, set forth by twenty-five holy Fathers. The book is marked by a lofty wisdom and is so profitable to use that it is considered the foremost and best manual of the contemplative spiritual life. As the revered Nicephorus said, 'It leads one to salvation without labor and sweat."

The old man explained all this to me and illustrated its meaning. We went on reading from The Philokalia passages of St. Gregory of Sinai, St. Callistus, and St. Ignatius, and what we read from the book the teacher explained in his own words. I listened closely and with great delight, fixed it in my memory, and tried as far as possible to remember every detail. In this way we spent the whole night together and went to matins without having slept at all. The teacher sent me away with his blessing and told me that while learning the prayer I must always come back to him and tell him everything, making a very frank confession and report; for the inward process could not go on properly and successfully without the guidance of a teacher.”

It is interesting to note that the teacher here instructs the pilgrim on the importance of the guidance of a spiritual master. The practice of the Jesus Prayer here, as we shall see later, mirrors the practice of a sādhana-bhakta who follows the Vaishnava practice of hari-nama, or taking the holy name of Krishna. It is instructive to see how closely the teachings of the Russian spiritual master parallel the Vaishnava practice of mantra-yoga.

In the Way of a Pilgrim, the truth-seeker describes how he began his practice, and some of the difficulties he faced on the path:
“And in this manner I took up my abode and began to learn interior prayer in the way I had been shown, and to go to see my teacher from time to time. For a week, alone in my garden, I steadily set myself to learn to pray without ceasing exactly as the starets had explained. At first things seemed to go very well. But then it tired me very much. I felt lazy and bored and overwhelmingly sleepy, and a cloud of all sorts of other thoughts closed round me. I went in distress to my teacher and told
him the state I was in.”

The pilgrim approaches his spiritual master for further guidance:
He greeted me in a friendly way and said, "My dear brother, it is the attack of the world of darkness upon you. To that world, nothing is worse than heartfelt prayer on our part. And it is trying by every means to hinder you and to turn you aside from learning the prayer. But all the same the enemy does only what God sees fit to allow, and no more than is necessary for us. It would appear that you need a further testing of your humility, and that it is too soon, therefore, for your unmeasured zeal to approach the loftiest entrance to the heart. You might fall into spiritual covetousness. I will read you a little instruction from The Philokalia upon such cases."

Note that the teacher’s guidance is given in a friendly way. The teacher is not an autocratic figure or absolute authority, but a friend who gives guidance on the path. The teacher here asks his student to persevere and to avoid negative thoughts. The teacher continues his advice.

He turned to the teaching of Nicephorus and read, " 'If after a few attempts you do not succeed in reaching the realm of your heart in the way you have been taught, do what I am about to say, and by God's help you will find what you seek. The faculty of pronouncing words lies in the throat. Reject all other thoughts (you can do this if you will) and allow that faculty to repeat only the following words constantly, "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me." Compel yourself to do it always. If you succeed for a time, then without a doubt your heart also will open to prayer. We know it from
experience.'

The teacher does not claim absolute knowledge, but suggests that his student follow the advice of the ancient masters, referring to scripture. He initiates his student into the practice of japa, telling the prayer on beads while praying internally. He gives him a goal: 3,000 prayers a day.

"There you have the teaching of the holy Fathers on such cases," said my spiritual master, “and therefore you ought from today onward to carry out my directions with confidence, and repeat the prayer of Jesus as often as possible. Here is a rosary. Take it, and to start with say the prayer three thousand times a day. Whether you are standing or sitting, walking or lying down, continually repeat 'Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.'

Not only is the student to repeat the name, but to do it meaningfully.



“Say it quietly and without hurry, but without fail exactly three thousand times a day without deliberately increasing or diminishing the number. God will help you and by this means you will reach also the unceasing activity of the heart." I gladly accepted this guidance and went home and began to carry out faithfully and exactly what my starets had bidden. For two days I found it rather difficult, but after that it became so easy and likeable, that as soon as I stopped, I felt a sort of need to go on saying the prayer of Jesus, and I did it freely and willingly, not forcing myself to it as before. I reported to my starets, and he bade me say the prayer six thousand times a day, saying, "Be calm, just try as faithfully as possible to carry out the set number of prayers. God will vouchsafe you His grace."

The pilgrim takes his guru’s advice seriously and begins to enter into the prayer more deeply:

In my lonely hut I said the prayer of Jesus six thousand times a day for a whole week. I felt no anxiety. Taking no notice of any other thoughts however much they assailed me, I had but one object, to carry out my starets's bidding exactly. And what happened? I grew so used to my prayer that when I stopped for a single moment I felt, so to speak, as though something were missing, as though I had lost something. The very moment I started the prayer again, it went on easily and joyously. If I met
anyone I had no wish to talk to him. All I wanted was to be alone and to say my prayer, so used to it had I become in a week.

The truth-seeker comes to the conclusion that the Jesus Prayer for mercy contains within it the Gospel and the teachings of Christ:

"It's all one and the same thing," I answered. "What the Gospel is, that the prayer of Jesus is also, for the Divine Name of Jesus Christ holds in itself the whole Gospel truth. The holy Fathers say that the prayer of Jesus is a summary of the Gospels."

The truth-seeker’s practice closely resembles the yoga breathing exercises or pranayama known and practiced in India:

When drawing the air in I looked in spirit into my heart and said, "Lord Jesus Christ," and when breathing out again, I said, "Have mercy on me." I did this at first for an hour at a time, then for two hours, then for as long as I could, and in the end almost all day long.

As the pilgrim deepens his practice, questions arise. He augments his practice by consulting the reflections found in the book given him by his spiritual master.

If any difficulty arose, if sloth or doubt came upon me, I hastened to take up The Philokalia and read again those parts which dealt with the work of the heart, and then once more I felt ardor and zeal for the prayer.

As the pilgrim realizes the value of his practice and the teachings of the “Love for Beauty” book, the Philokalia, he begins to teach it to others. When questioned about his practice by others, he recommends the reading of the book given him by his guru. He describes how he introduced others to the Jesus Prayer and the Philokalia and the benefits of practicing the holy name.:

“In the Philokalia you will find a full and complete study of how to reach the spiritual prayer of Jesus in the mind and heart also, and taste the sweet fruit of it.' At the same time I showed him my Philokalia. I saw that he was pleased to have this advice of mine, and he promised that he would get a copy for himself. And in my own mind I dwelt upon the wonderful ways in which the power of God is shown in this prayer. What wisdom and teaching there was in that book. I taught the prayer to the boy, and as a means of consolation, it became a help to him. Truly boundless is the love of God for us sinners. Is it not marvelous that so small an action—yes, just taking his rosary out of his pocket and carrying it in his hand and calling once upon the name of God—should give a man his life? In the scales of judgment upon men one short moment of calling upon Jesus Christ outweighs many hours of sloth. In truth, here is the repayment with gold. Do you see, brother, how powerful prayer is and how mighty the name of Jesus when we call upon it? St. John Karpathisky in The Philokalia says that when in the prayer of Jesus we call upon the holy name and say, 'Have mercy on me, a sinner,' then to every such petition the voice of God answers in secret, 'Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.' And he goes on to say that when we say the prayer there is at that moment nothing to distinguish us from the saints, confessors, and martyrs. For, as St. Chrysostom says, 'Prayer, although we are full of sin when we utter it, immediately cleanses us. God's loving-kindness to us is great, yet we sinners are listless, are not willing to give even one small hour to God in thanksgiving, and barter the time of prayer, which is more important than anything, for the bustle and cares of living, forgetting God and our duty. For that reason we often meet with misfortunes and calamities, yet even these the all-loving providence of God uses for our instruction and to turn our hearts to Him.”

Srila Prabhupada was being generous in his comparison of the name of Christ and Krishna. While there are many similarities between the Christos and Krishna conceptions, there are also some important differences. In the interest of ecumenical harmony we may accentuate the similarities. But the question will come, “If Krishna and Christos are the same, why not just go on with the worship of Christ? What need is there for any other conception?”



The answer may be found in the teachings of another great spiritual master, Swami B.R. Shridhar. He takes up this question in the Search for Shri Krishna.

When asked about Christ, he pointed out that there are different gradations of conception when contemplating the reality of divinity. Christianity is interested in the power and glory of God, whereas followers of Krishna are interested in the Love and Beauty conception.



Here’s an excerpt from Search for Sri Krishna:

Question: Christians think that if we are to be sincere, we should follow the Bible. We take very literally the word of Christ.
Śrīdhar Mahārāj: Yes, according to one’s capacity he may be enlisted in a particular class. Some will go to Christianity, and after finishing that, if their hankering is still unsatisfied, they will seek somewhere else, thinking, “What is God? I want to know more perfectly.”

Śridhara Mahārāja tells the story of Professor Nixon, a World War I flyer who had a near-death experience:

“In this regard, I can give one example: there was a Professor Nixon in England. He went to fight against Germany in the First World War, on the French side. As he was flying over the German lines, his airplane was hit, and began to fall. He saw that the plane would fall on the German lines. When I met him here in India, he told me, “At that time, I prayed, ‘If there is any God, let Him save me, and I promise that if I do not die in this plane crash, I will go to search after Him. I will devote my whole life in search of Him.”

The plane crashed, and when Professor Nixon regained consciousness, he found that he was behind the French lines, in a hospital in France. At that time, He thought to himself, “There is God! He has heard my last prayer.” When his wounds were healed, he went straight to England to see some churchmen. He told them, “I want to search after God, and engage myself twenty-four hours a day in the cause of His service. I want to see Him face to face.”

The intensity of Professor Nixon’s need to know God led him to India:

“He saw many clergymen and even some bishops, and they ultimately advised him, ‘If you want to see God face to face, then go to India.’ “We cannot recommend such a process to you. But we have heard that in India there are yogīs who internally connect with the Lord in the heart. You may try your fortune there.” So, he came here to India, where he met the Vice-Chancellor of Lucknow University. In talking with him, Professor Nixon met the Vice-Chancellor’s wife, who was a Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava, a devotee of Mahāprabhu. 

Professor Nixon, Swami Krishna Prema

He was so much charmed by her advice that he accepted her as his Guru. Finally he took sannyās (the renounced order of life), and his name became Swāmī Kṛṣṇa Prema. He established a temple here in India, and preached about bhāgavata-dharma, and Mahāprabhu. https://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/2754



He made a comparative study of all religions, beginning from Christianity, and gradually came to Vaiṣṇavism, attracted by Mahāprabhu’s gift. One German scholar also said, “In all the religious conceptions of the world, the conception of twenty-four hour engagement with God (aṣṭakālīya-līlā) has never been given. I have studied all religious theologies, but none could even conceive of twenty-four hour service to the Supreme Lord. It is only given in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.”
Rūpa Goswāmī has given the scientific representation of Kṛṣṇa: akhila-rasāmṛta-mūrtiḥ. 



He is the reservoir of all possible pleasures. All possible tendencies for satisfaction that we may feel, and even those that we may not feel are present in Kṛṣṇa and have their ideal, purest satisfaction with Him alone. He is all-accommodating and all-comprehensive. Whatever satisfaction our inner heart demands can be fulfiled only by Him.”