Ontology of the holy name

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Saraswati Ṭhakura

শ্রী গৌड़िয-কন্ঠহার

Gaudiya Kanṭhahāra:

The Jeweled Necklace of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas

17th Jewel

NĀMA-TATTVA

The Ontology of the Holy Name

Being a compendium of quotations from revealed scriptures

concerning the truths about the cult of Chaitanya Mahāprabhu

Compiled under the authority and direction of

His Divine Grace

Bhaktisiddhānta Sāraswāti Goswāmī

Prabhupada

Translated and edited, with original Sanskrit and Bengali and Roman transliteration by

B. V. Mahāyogi, Michael Dolan

NĀMA-TATTVA

The Efficacy of Gāyatrī and the Holy Name

১৭.১৬
কৃষ্ণ-মন্ত্র হৈতে হবে সংসার-মোচন 
কৃষ্ণ-নাম হৈতে পাবে কৃষ্ণের চরণ

17.16

kṛṣṇa-mantra haite habe saṁsāra-mocana 
kṛṣṇa-nāma haite pābe kṛṣṇera caraṇa

Through the gāyatrī mantra one attains liberation from material existence.

Through the holy name one attains the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. (Cc. Ādi 7.73)

The Glories of Hari-kathā

१७.१७
श्रुतम्-अप्य्-औपनिषदं दूरे हरि-कथामृतात् 
यन् न सन्ति द्रवच्-चित्त- कम्पाश्रु- पुलकादयः
17.17

śrutam-apy-aupaniṣadaṁ dūre hari-kathāmṛtāt 
yan na santi dravac-citta- kampāśru- pulakādayaḥ

The Upaniṣads have ascertained nirviśeña brahma as the subject of the śruti, whereas they only take a distant view of hari- kathā. This is because through hearing and chanting about Brahman, one's heart is not moved, tears do not

pour from the eyes, and the bodily hairs do not stand on end. 

(Padyāvalī 39)

The Glories of the Holy Name Surpasses that ofImpersonal Brahman

१७.१८
यद् ब्रह्म-साक्षात्-कृति-निष्ठयापि 
विनाशमायाति विना न भोगैः
अपैति नाम-स्फुरणेन तत्ते 
प्रारभ्द-कर्मेति विरौति वेदः

17.18

yad brahma-sākṣāt-kṛti-niṣṭhayāpi 
vināśamāyāti vinā na bhogaiḥ

apaiti nāma-sphuraṇena tatte 
prārabhda-karmeti virauti vedaḥ

O holy name! The seeds from which sin sprouts within the heart are not burned to ashes by realization of Brahman or by constant meditation on eternal consciousness. But, O holy name, as soon as You appear on the tongue of a sincere chanter, all the karmic seeds of sin are burned to ashes. Thus all sinful reactions, past, present and future are finished. 
This is proclaimed by the Vedas.

(Kṛṣṇa-nāmāṣṭakam, Rūpa Gosvāmī 4) 

Kīrtana of the Holy Name is Best of All

१७.१९
अघच्चित्-स्मरणम् विष्णोर्- बह्वायासेन साध्यते
औष्ठस्पन्दन-मात्रेण कीर्तनतु ततो वरम्

17.19

aghaccit-smaraṇam viṣṇor- bahvāyāsena sādhyate

auṣṭhaspandana-mātreṇa kīrtanatu tato varam 

The remembrance of Viṣṇu certainly cuts sin to pieces, but it is very difficult to attain perfection through remembering Viṣṇu. Only after great effort is such remembrance possible. However, simply by moving the lips, there is the kīrtana

of the holy name of Viṣṇu, and therefore kīrtana is the topmost process of devotional service. 

(Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, 11.453) 

The Holy Name Surpasses Worship and Meditation

१७.२०
जयति जयति नामानन्द-रूपं मुरारेर् विरमित-निज-धर्म-ध्यान-पूजादि-यत्नम् कथमपि सकृदात्तं मुक्तिदं प्राणिना यत् परम्-अमृतम्-एकं जीवनं भूषणं मे

17.20

jayati jayati nāmānanda-rūpaṁ murārer viramita-nija-dharma-dhyāna-pūjādi-yatnam kathamapi sakṛdāttaṁ muktidaṁ prāṇinā yat param-amṛtam-ekaṁ jīvanaṁ bhūṣaṇaṁ me 

All glories, all glories to the all-blissful holy name of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, which causes the devotee to give up all conventional religious duties, meditation, and worship.

When somehow or other uttered even once by a living entity the holy name awards him liberation. The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is the highest nectar in my life and my only treasure. 

(Bṛhad-Bhāgavātmṛta 1.1.9)

१७.२१
येन जन्म शतैः पूर्वं वासुदेवः सनर्चितः 
तन्-मुखे हरि-नामानि सदा तिष्ठन्ति भारत
17.21

yena janma śataiḥ pūrvaṁ vāsudevaḥ sanarcitaḥ 
tan-mukhe hari-nāmāni sadā tiṣṭhanti bhārata

O descendant of Bhārata, one who has previously worshiped Lord Vāsudeva in hundreds of lifetimes can now chant the holy name eternally. 

(Hari-bhaktivilāsa 11.454)

The Holy Name is not Regulated by Time, Place, and Circumstance

१७.२२.२३
न देश नियमो राजन् न काल नियमस् तथा विद्यते नात्र सन्देहो विष्णोर्-नामानु-कीर्तने कालोऽस्ति दाने यज्ञे च स्नाने कालोऽ स्ति सज् जपे विष्णु-सङ्कीर्तने कालो नास्त्यत्र पृठिवीतले

17.22 and 23

na deśa niyamo rājan na kāla niyamas tathā vidyate nātra sandeho viṣṇor-nāmānu-kīrtane kālo'sti dāne yajñe ca snāne kālo' sti saj jape viṣṇu-saṅkīrtane kālo nāstyatra pṛṭhivītale

O king, there are no rules governing the time and place wherein the holy name of Viṣṇu can be chanted. 
Of this there can be no doubt. Charity and sacrifice

are governed by various rules regarding time and place, as are the taking of one's bath and the silent uttering of different mantras. But the holy name of Viṣṇu can be chanted in saṅkīrtana at any time in any place on earth. 

(Haribhakti-vilāsa 11.412, 413)

१७.२४
न देश-नियमस् तस्मिन् न काल-नियमस्-तथा 
नोच्छिष्ठादौ निषेधो ऽस्ति श्री हरेर्-नाम्नि लुब्धक

17.24

na deśa-niyamas tasmin na kāla-niyamas-tathā nocchiṣṭhādau niṣedho 'sti śrī harer-nāmni lubdhaka

O hunter, there are no restrictions on when or where the holy name of Śrī Hari may be chanted and no prohibitions regarding the uncleanness of the mouth from which the holy name comes forth. 

(Hari- bhakti-vilāsa 11.408)

१७.२५
एतावतालम् अघ-निर्हरणाय पुंसां सङ्कीर्तनं भगवतो गुण-कर्म-नाम्नाम् विक्रुश्य पुत्रम् अघवान् यद् अजामिलो ऽपि नारायणेति म्रियमाण इयाय मुक्तिम्

17.25

etāvatālam agha-nirharaṇāya puṁsāṁ saṅkīrtanaṁ bhagavato guṇa-karma-nāmnām vikruśya putram aghavān yad ajāmilo 'pi nārāyaṇeti mriyamāṇa iyāya muktim

It should be understood that one is easily relieved from all sinful reactions by chanting the holy name of the Lord and chanting of His qualities and activities.

This is the only process recommended for relief from sinful reactions. Even if one chants the holy name of the Lord with improper pronunciation, he gets relief from material bondage if he chants without offences. 

Ajāmila, for example, was extremely sinful, but while dying he merely chanted the holy name, and although calling his son, he achieved complete liberation because he remembered the name of Nārāyaṇa.

Notes on Surrender

Notes on Surrender

From Prapanna-jivanamritam of Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara dev Goswāmī

७.११ परमात्मनि स्वात्मार्पणम् एव सर्वथा वेद-तात्पर्यम्

धर्मादयः किम् अगुणेन च काङ्क्षितेन

सारं जुषां चरणयोर् उपगायतां नः

धर्मार्थ-काम इति यो’भिहितस् त्रि-वर्ग

ईक्षा त्रयी नय-दमौ विविधा च वार्ता

मन्ये तद् एतद् अखिलं निगमस्य सत्यं

स्वात्मार्पणं स्व-सुहृदः परमस्य पुंसः

7.11 paramātmani svātmārpaṇam eva sarvathā veda-tātparyam

dharmādayaḥ kim aguṇena ca kāṅkṣitena

sāraṁ juṣāṁ caraṇayor upagāyatāṁ naḥ

dharmārtha-kāma iti yo’bhihitas tri-varga

īkṣā trayī naya-damau vividhā ca vārtā

manye tad etad akhilaṁ nigamasya satyaṁ

svātmārpaṇaṁ sva-suhṛdaḥ paramasya puṁsaḥ

(From the teachings of Prahlāda.)

Full self-surrender is the whole purport of the Vedas -

  "The pursuits of religiosity, prosperity, and sensual enjoyment have been delineated as the three ends of human existence. They include the sciences of self-knowledge, elevation, and logic, the principles of government, and various methods of livelihood such as farming, etc. All these pursuits are advocated by those sections of the Vedas dealing with trimodal matters, and therefore I consider them to be transient. On the other hand, I know self-dedication unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the dear well-wisher of the soul, to be the only factual reality propounded by the Vedas."

Sri Prahlada  Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 7.6.24-25

From the Bhāgavatam. Translation and commentary of A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swāmī

SB 7.6.25

tuṣṭe ca tatra kim alabhyam ananta ādye

 kiṁ tair guṇa-vyatikarād iha ye sva-siddhāḥ

dharmādayaḥ kim aguṇena ca kāṅkṣitena

 sāraṁ juṣāṁ caraṇayor upagāyatāṁ naḥ

Word for word: 

tuṣṭe — when satisfied; ca — also; tatra — that; kim — what; alabhyam — unobtainable; anante — the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ādye — the original source of everything, the cause of all causes; kim — what need; taiḥ — with them; guṇa-vyatikarāt — due to the actions of the modes of material nature; iha — in this world; ye — which; sva-siddhāḥ — automatically achieved; dharma-ādayaḥ — the three principles of material advancement, namely religion, economic development and sense gratification; kim — what need; aguṇena — with liberation into the Supreme; ca — and; kāṅkṣitena — desired; sāram — essence; juṣām — relishing; caraṇayoḥ — of the two lotus feet of the Lord; upagāyatām — who glorify the qualities of the Lord; naḥ — of us.

Translation: 

Nothing is unobtainable for devotees who have satisfied the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the cause of all causes, the original source of everything. The Lord is the reservoir of unlimited spiritual qualities. For devotees, therefore, who are transcendental to the modes of material nature, what is the use of following the principles of religion, economic development, sense gratification and liberation, which are all automatically obtainable under the influence of the modes of nature? We devotees always glorify the lotus feet of the Lord, and therefore we need not ask for anything in terms of dharma, kāma, artha and mokṣa.

Purport: 

In an advanced civilization, people are eager to be religious, to be economically well situated, to satisfy their senses to the fullest extent, and at last to attain liberation. However, these are not to be magnified as desirable. Indeed, for a devotee these are all very easily available. Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura said, muktiḥ svayaṁ mukulitāñjali sevate ’smān dharmārtha-kāma-gatayaḥ samaya-pratīkṣāḥ. Liberation always stands at the door of a devotee, ready to carry out his orders. Material advancement in religion, economic development, sense gratification and liberation simply wait to serve a devotee at the first opportunity. A devotee is already in a transcendental position; he does not need further qualifications to be liberated. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (14.26), sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate: a devotee is transcendental to the actions and reactions of the three modes of material nature because he is situated on the Brahman platform.

Prahlāda Mahārāja said, aguṇena ca kāṅkṣitena: if one is engaged in the transcendental loving service of the lotus feet of the Lord, he does not need anything in terms of dharma, artha, kāma or mokṣa. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, therefore, in the beginning of the transcendental literature, it is said, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo ’tra. Dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa are kaitava — false and unnecessary. Nirmatsarāṇām, persons who are completely transcendental to the material activities of separateness, who make no distinction between “mine” and “yours,” but who simply engage in the devotional service of the Lord, are actually fit to accept bhāgavata-dharma (dharmān bhagavatān iha). Because they are nirmatsara, not jealous of anyone, they want to make others devotees, even their enemies. In this regard, Śrīla Madhvācārya remarks, kāṅkṣate mokṣa-gam api sukhaṁ nākāṅkṣato yathā. Devotees are not desirous of any material happiness, including the happiness derived from liberation. This is called anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam. Karmīs desire material happiness, and jñānīs desire liberation, but a devotee does not desire anything; he is simply satisfied by rendering transcendental loving service at the lotus feet of the Lord and glorifying Him everywhere by preaching, which is his life and soul.

SB 7.6.26

dharmārtha-kāma iti yo ’bhihitas tri-varga

 īkṣā trayī naya-damau vividhā ca vārtā

manye tad etad akhilaṁ nigamasya satyaṁ

 svātmārpaṇaṁ sva-suhṛdaḥ paramasya puṁsaḥ

Word for word: 

dharma — religion; artha — economic development; kāmaḥ — regulated sense gratification; iti — thus; yaḥ — which; abhihitaḥ — prescribed; tri-vargaḥ — the group of three; īkṣā — self-realization; trayī — the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies; naya — logic; damau — and the science of law and order; vividhā — varieties of; ca — also; vārtā — occupational duties, or one’s livelihood; manye — I consider; tat — them; etat — these; akhilam — all; nigamasya — of the Vedas; satyam — truth; sva-ātma-arpaṇam — the full surrendering of one’s self; sva-suhṛdaḥ — unto the supreme friend; paramasya — the ultimate; puṁsaḥ — personality.

Translation: 

Religion, economic development and sense gratification — these are described in the Vedas as tri-varga, or three ways to salvation. Within these three categories are education and self-realization; ritualistic ceremonies performed according to Vedic injunction; logic; the science of law and order; and the various means of earning one’s livelihood. These are the external subject matters of study in the Vedas, and therefore I consider them material. However, I consider surrender to the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu to be transcendental.

Purport: 

These instructions of Prahlāda Mahārāja stress the transcendental position of devotional service. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (14.26):

māṁ ca yo ’vyabhicāreṇa
 bhakti-yogena sevate
sa guṇān samatītyaitān
 brahma-bhūyāya kalpate

“One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.” One who fully engages in the devotional service of the Lord is immediately raised to the transcendental position, which is the brahma-bhūta stage. Any education or activity not on the brahma-bhūta platform, the platform of self-realization, is considered to be material, and Prahlāda Mahārāja says that anything material cannot be the Absolute Truth, for the Absolute Truth is on the spiritual platform. This is also confirmed by Lord Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā (2.45), where He says, traiguṇya-viṣayā vedā nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna: “The Vedas mainly deal with the subject of the three modes of material nature. Rise above these modes, O Arjuna. Be transcendental to all of them.” To act on the material platform, even if one’s activities are sanctioned by the Vedas, is not the ultimate goal of life. The ultimate goal of life is to stay on the spiritual platform, fully surrendered to the parama-puruṣa, the supreme person. This is the object of the human mission. In summary, the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies and injunctions are not to be discounted; they are means of being promoted to the spiritual platform. But if one does not come to the spiritual platform, the Vedic ceremonies are simply a waste of time. This is confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.8):

dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ
 viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ
notpādayed yadi ratiṁ
 śrama eva hi kevalam

“Duties [dharma] executed by men, regardless of occupation, are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Supreme Lord.” If one very strictly performs the various duties of religion but does not ultimately come to the platform of surrendering to the Supreme Lord, his methods of attaining salvation or elevation are simply a waste of time and energy.

Nama-tattva continued:

 

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Saraswati Ṭhakura

শ্রী গৌड़िয-কন্ঠহার

Gaudiya Kanṭhahāra:

The Jeweled Necklace of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas

17th Jewel

NĀMA-TATTVA

The Ontology of the Holy Name

Being a compendium of quotations from revealed scriptures

concerning the truths about the cult of Chaitanya Mahāprabhu

Compiled under the authority and direction of

His Divine Grace

Bhaktisiddhānta Sāraswāti Goswāmī

Prabhupada

Translated and edited, with original Sanskrit and Bengali and Roman transliteration by

B. V. Mahāyogi, Michael Dolan

१७.६
एकम् एव सच्-चिद्-आनन्द-रसादि-रूपं तत्त्वं द्विधा-विर्भूतम्
17.6

ekam eva sac-cid-ānanda-rasādi-rūpaṁ tattvaṁ dvidhā-virbhūtam

The Supreme Absolute Truth is one reality whose form is eternal, fully cognizant, and ecstatic. That Absolute reality who is the origin of all rasa appears in two forms, as Kṛṣṇa Himself and as the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. These two forms are nondifferent manifestations of the same eternal reality Kṛṣṇa.

(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Pūrva-Vibhāga 2.233, Jīva Gosvāmī's Durgamasaṛgamanī commentary)

The Vedas Sing the Glories of the Holy Name

१७.७
ओं आस्य जानन्तो नाम चिद्-विविक्तन् महन्ते विष्णो सुमतिं भजामहे ओं तत् सत्

17.7

oṁ āsya jānanto nāma cid-viviktan mahante viṣṇo sumatiṁ bhajāmahe oṁ tat sat

The oṁ tat sat mantra means, "O Lord Visnu, Your name is conscious (cit) and therefore self-effulgent (mahas) and so even one with partial knowledge of the eternal nature of Your name, and incomplete understanding of the glory of proper chanting, can attain knowledge of You merely by repeating the syllables, because You, who are known by Om, are self- existent (sat)." Thus it is seen that the name liberates a person from fear and envy even if alluded to.

 (Bhagavata-Sandarbha 47)

१७.७.१
हे विष्णो ते तव नाम चित् चित्-स्वरुपम् अत एव महः स्व-प्रकाश-रुपं
तस्मात् अस्य नाम्न आ ईषदपि जानन्तः स तु सम्यक्
उच्चार-महात्मयादि पुरुस्कारेण.
तथापि विवक्तन् ब्रवाणाः केवलं तद्- अक्षराभ्यासमात्रं कुर्वाणाः सुमतिं
तद्-विशयां विद्यां भजामहे प्राप्नुयः.
यतस्  देव प्रणवव्यञ्जितं वस्त् स सिद्धिमिति अतएव भयद्वेषदौ श्री  मूर्ते स्फुर्तेरिर् इव साङ्ख्येत्या दावपस्य मुक्तिदत्वं श्रुयते

17.7.1

he viṣṇo te tava nāma cit cit-svarupam ata eva mahaḥ sva-prakāśa-rupaṁ

tasmāt asya nāmna ā īṣadapi jānantaḥ sa tu samyak

uccāra-mahātmayādi puruskāreṇa.

 tathāpi vivaktan bravāṇāḥ kevalaṁ tad- akṣarābhyāsamātraṁ kurvāṇāḥ sumatiṁ 

tad-viśayāṁ vidyāṁ bhajāmahe prāpnuyaḥ.

yatas  deva praṇavavyañjitaṁ vastu sa siddhimiti ataeva bhayadveṣadau śrī  mūrte sphurterir iva sāṅkhyetyā dāvapasya muktidatvaṁ śruyate

O Viṣṇu! Your holy name is of the nature of divine consciousness it is transcendental reality par-excellence. It is a manifestation of Your own divine form, even if someone utters the holy name without knowing the names complete glories.

To utter the name without being fully aware of its glories means nāmābhāsa, or sounding the syllables of the holy name which are only the outer reflection.

And yet, even in such a positon we shall attain divine knowledge of the Lord, by such worship. Because this line contains the word oṁ it indicates that

the use of the word "sat" means svata-siddhaū.

Therefore the divine form manifests upon one's having uttered the name even when there is nāmābhāsa because of sāṅkhyetyā and so forth), and thus one attains liberation from the

postion of fear and envy.

 (Bhagavata Sandarbha 4 Jīva Goswāmī)

The Glories of the Holy Name in the Smṛti-śāstras-

१७.८

वेदे रामायणे चैव पुराणे भारते तथा आदावन्ते च मध्ये च हरिः सर्वत्रः गीयते

17.8

vede rāmāyaṇe caiva purāṇe bhārate tathā ādāvante ca madhye ca hariḥ sarvatraḥ gīyate 

Throughout the Vedas, the Rāmāyaṇa, the Purāṇas, and the Mahābhārata, from

beginning to end, only the glories of the Supreme  Lord Hari are sung. (Harivaṁśa)

The Holy Name Grants All Perfection in Kali- yuga-

१७.९

कलेर् दोष-निधे राजन्न् अस्ति ह्य् एको महान्  गुणः
कीर्तनाद् एव कृष्णस्य मुक्त-सङ्गः परं व्रजेत्
17.9

kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann asti hy eko mahān  guṇaḥ 
kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet

My dear King, although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, there is still one good

quality about this age: Simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, one

can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental

kingdom.

(Bhāg. 12.3.51)

१७.१०

कृते यद् ध्यायतो विष्णुं त्रेतायां यजतो मखैः
द्वापरे परिचर्यायां कलौ तद् धरि-कीर्तनात्

17.10

kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ

dvāpare paricaryāyāṁ kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt 

What was attained in Satya-yuga through meditation, in Tretā-yuga through

sacrifice, and in Dvāpara-yuga through Deity worship is realized in Kali-yuga

through hari-kīrtana. (Bhāg. 12.3.52)

१७.११
ध्यायन् कृते यजन् यज्ञैस्- त्रेतायां द्वापरे ऽर्चयन्
यदाप्नोति तदाप्नोति कलौ सङ्कीर्त्य केशवम्
17.11

dhyāyan kṛte yajan yajñais- tretāyāṁ dvāpare 'rcayan

yadāpnoti tadāpnoti kalau saṅkīrtya keśavam 

Whatever results was attained in Satya-yuga by meditation, in Treta-yuga by

yajña, and in Dvāpara-yuga by arcaṛa, can only be attained in the Kali-yuga by

hari-nāma-kīrtana, chanting the glories of Kṛṣṇa, who is known as Keñava.

(Padma Purāṇa, Uttara-khaṇḍa, 42nd Adhyāya)

১৭.১২
কলি-কালে নাম-রূপে কৃষ্ণ-অৱতার নাম হৈতে হয সর্ৱ-জগত্-নিস্তার
নাম ৱিনু কলি-কালে নাহি আর ধর্ম সর্ৱ-মন্ত্র-সার নাম, এই শাস্ত্র-মর্ম

17.12

kali-kāle nāma-rūpe kṛṣṇa-avatāra nāma haite haya sarva-jagat-nistāra 
nāma vinu kali-kāle nāhi āra dharma sarva-mantra-sāra nāma, ei śāstra-marma

In the age of Kali, Kṛṣṇa advents Himself in the form of the holy name. By the

holy name, the entire universe is delivered. There is no other dharma in the age

of Kali. The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is the essence of all mantras and the purport of

all revealed scriptures. (Cc. Ādi 17.22 and 7.74) Śrīdhara Svāmī on Glories of the Holy Name

१७.१३
अंहः संहर दखिलं सकृदुदयादेव सकल-लोकस्य
तरणिरिव तिमिर-जलधिम् जयति जगन्- मङ्गलं हरेर् नाम
17.13

aṁhaḥ saṁhara dakhilaṁ sakṛdudayādeva sakala-lokasya

taraṇiriva timira-jaladhim jayati jagan- maṅgalaṁ harer nāma

Let the all-auspicious glories of the holy name, which benedicts the entire

universe, be victorious. Just as when the sun rises, it dispels the ocean of

darkness, in the same way, when the holy name has only slightly risen within

one's heart, all one's sins are completely destroyed. (Padyāvalī 16, Śrīdhara Svāmī)

१७.१४
ज्ञानमस्ति तुलितं च तुलायं प्रेम नैव तुलितं तु तुलायां
सिद्धिर् एव तुलितात्र तुलायां कृष्ण-नाम तुलितं न तुलायां
17.14

jñānamasti tulitaṁ ca tulāyaṁ prema naiva tulitaṁ tu tulāyāṁ

siddhir eva tulitātra tulāyāṁ kṛṣṇa-nāma tulitaṁ na tulāyāṁ

Knowledge and yogic perfection can be compared to one another, but prema and

kṛṣṇa-nāma have no comparison to anything within this world. They cannot be

weighed on the scales of mundane consideration. (Padyāvalī 15, Śrīdhara

Svāmī)

Rūpa Gosvāmī on the Glories of the Name

१७.१५
आकृष्टिः कृत-चेतसां सुमहताम्-मुच्चाटनं चांहसां
आचण्डालममूकलोक-सुलभो वश्यश् च मोक्षश्रियः
नो दीक्षां न च दक्षिनां न च पुरश्चर्यां मनागीक्षते
मन्त्रोऽयं रसना स्पृग् एव फलति श्री कृष्ण नामात्मकः

17.15

ākṛṣṭiḥ kṛta-cetasāṁ sumahatām-muccāṭanaṁ cāṁhasāṁ

ācaṇḍālamamūkaloka-sulabho vaśyaś ca mokṣaśriyaḥ

no dīkṣāṁ na ca dakṣināṁ na ca puraścaryāṁ manāgīkṣate

mantro'yaṁ rasanā spṛg eva phalati śrī kṛṣṇa nāmātmakaḥ

The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is an attractive feature for many saintly, liberal people.

It is the annihilator of all sinful reactions and is so powerful that save for the

dumb who cannot chant it, it is readily, available to everyone, including the

lowest type of man, the caṇḍāla.

The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is controller of the opulence of liberation, and it is identical with Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Simply by touching the holy name with one's tongue, immediate effects are produced.

Chanting the holy name does not depend on initiation, pious activities, or the puraścaryā regulative principles generally observed before initiation.

The holy name does not wait for all these activities. It is self-sufficient.

(Padyāvalī 29, Rūpa Gosvāmī)

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna; Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama; Rama Rama, Hare Hare 

हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण कृष्ण कृष्णा हरे हरे

हरे राम हरे राम राम राम हरे हरे

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