Suddha Nama (cont. from
part one)
The only prerequisite for chanting the holy name is faith.
One who takes shelter of the holy name with unflinching faith will attain
all perfection. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has mercifully expressed the
truths regarding the process of taking the holy name in his Siksastaka. The very first effect
of nama-sankirtanagives us the end result of varnasrama-dharma:purification
of the heart and mind (ceto-darpana-marjanam). Next, nama-sankirtana liberates
the soul from the material entanglement, bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam.Then the
holy name bestows the supreme goal of life, sreyah kairava candrika-vitaranam.The name
asserts itself over us according to the degree of our surrender, and when
our surrender is complete, we experience the highest limit of ecstacy,
anandam-budhi-vardhanam.
The holy name is not a physical sound, but the descent of the spiritual
realm through sound vibration- golokera prema-dhana, hari-nama-sankirtana.The
name is all spiritual-cinmaya.Thus it is beyond material contamination
and can connect us to the higher reality. Yet the external sound of the
letters alone is never the real name, namaksara bahiraya bate tabu name
kabu naya(Prema Vivarta7.1). The proper understanding
of the name must be present in order to attract the name. The name is the
object of loving service, and we must adopt a service disposition to approach
the name.
The second verse of the Siksastakaexplains that we are unfortunate
because, in spite of the merciful nature of the name, we commit offenses
and therefore do not achieve any attachment for chanting the holy names,
durdaivam idrsam ihajani nanuragah.Only the physical aspect
of the holy name is represented in nama aparadha.Success lies in
offenseless chanting. Although devotees are aware of the offenses to the
name, many are incapable of avoiding them. To make matters worse, many cannot
absolve themselves once they have committed an offense. If one continues
to chant while committing offenses, one will never taste the fruits of prema.
Even in the dawning of the holy name which occurs before pure offenseless
chanting, the inner substance of the name is not present. Namabhasagives
us a slight connection with the holy name. It is neither offensive nor filled
with the mood of service. Namabhasacan give us mukti,but
not entrance into the spiritual world.
Through namabhasa,the jivais absolved of all
sins and gradually reaches the highest stage of chanting, suddha-nama,or
the pure name. This pure stage can only be reached when one is firmly established
in the knowledge of sambandha-tattva,or the correct understanding
of the relationship between the Lord and his energies. The spiritual master
will instruct the disciple in this sambandha-jnana and encourage
him to engage in the abhidheya,or the culture of suddha-nama.One
obtains love of Krsna (prayojana) only after reaching this stage
of pure chanting. The offenses and remedies as related by Haridasa Thakura
to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the Harinama Cintamaniare as follows [these
offenses are also given in the Padma Purana Brahma Khanda25.15-18
in a slightly different order]:
1. Satam ninda namnah paramam aparadham vitanute.
The first and foremost offense is sadhu-ninda--to offend or criticize
a saintly person. Nindaimplies animosity, malice, and other
similar such feelings towards a Vaisnava.
A saintly person is one who is completely surrendered to Lord Krsna and
is always expounding the glories of the holy name. One cannot distribute
the glories of the holy name unless one is empowered by the Lord, krsna-sakti
vina nahe tara pravartana(Cc. Antya-lila7.11). therefore,
one should not criticize a person who is thus engaged. The abode of Lord
Krsna's mercy is the Vaisnava, the true friend of all living beings.
Criticism of a Vaisnava includes criticizing his caste or social position,
an unpremeditated accidental falldown, and the last traces of his previous
sins or sinful activities committed prior to his surrender to Lord Krsna.
Krsna never tolerates offenses to Vaisnavas, even for one who is supposedly
a great devotee, and bhaktigoes far away at the first indication
of Vaisnava aparadha.Indeed, this offense is compared to an
elephant uprooting and trampling one's creeper of devotion: yadi vaisnava-aparadha
uthe hati mata.(Cc. Madhya-lila19.156)
The only remedy for this offense is to fall at the feet of the offended
devotee and with sincerity and genuine remorse beg forgiveness. One should
try to satisfy the offended Vaisnava with obeisances and various praises.
By nature, devotees are very kind and softhearted and will easily forgive
the offender. But if for some reason the Vaisnava is not satisfied by our
apology, we should render services to him according to his desires for many
days. Sometimes the offense is so grievous that the Vaisnava's anger does
not abate. Then, in extreme remorse, one should take full shelter of nama-sankirtana.In
time, nama-kirtanawill deliver one from the offense.
One might think that there is no necessity to humbly and respectfully
approach the offended Vaisnava and offer service because the holy name is
sufficient to delive an offender, namaparadha-yuktanam namany eva haranty
agham(Padma Purana, Brahma Khanda25.23). This thinking, however,
makes one guilty of further aparadha. Additionally, one cannot minimize
the offense by pointing out an apparent defect in the offended devotee.
In this respect the Padma Purana(BK 25.9-10) states: sarvacara
vivarjitah sathadhiya vratya jadvancakah."Even
a person of bad character devoid of proper behavior, a cheater
devoid of samskarasand
full of worldly desires, must be considered a sadhuif
he surrenders to the Lord."
Should one offend a maha-bhagavata,one should not be fooled
into thinking that one's offense is meaningless because that Vaisnava does
not take offense or become angry. This is the nature of the greatly elevated
soul. But the dust of his feet will not tolerate any offense, sersyam
mahapurusa-pada-pamsubhir nirasta-tejahsu tad eva sobhanam,"Those
who envy exalted souls are certainly diminished by the dust of their lotus
feet." (Bhag.4.4.13) Nor does Krsna himself forgive
the Vaisnava offender, as the Vaisnavas are his very heart--sadhavo hrdayam
mahyam(Bhag.9.4.68).
2. Sivasya sri-visnor ya iha guna-manadi sakalam. It
is offensive to try to separate the Lord from his holy name,
transcendental form, qualities, or pastimes, considering
them material. To chant the holy name while maintaining mayavada thought--that the
Lord is formless is also namaparadha.The demigods are engaged
by Sri Krsna, and they have to discharge their duties according to his order.
They are never equal or superior to Krsna. To worship the demigods for some
benediction, considering them separate from or superior to the Supreme Lord,
thus neglecting the worship of the Lord, is offensive. Haridasa Thakura
relates that it is also an offense to accept remnants from demigod worship.
However if a devotee worships Lord Krsna and offers the remnants to the
demigods, it is not offensive to accept these remnants.
The names of the demigods are all names of Krsna. He is, for example,
also Siva, auspicious. Performing sacrifices in which these demigods are
petitioned without fruitive desire is also bhakti as in the instance of
the gopis'worship of all the demigods.
Those without thorough knowledge say that Visnu is the Lord, not Siva
or that Siva is the Lord, not Visnu. Absorbed in such arguments, devotees
commit namaparadha.If such offenders can become enlightened
by a devotee with thorough knowledge, they can realize the way in which
Siva and Visnu are nondifferent, as well as understand that Siva is himself
a Vaisnava. With this realization, and by doing nama-kirtana,they
can nullify their aparadha.
3. Guror avajna.One must never consider the spiritual
master to be an ordinary conditioned soul--acaryam mam vijaniyan navamanyeta
karhicit(Bhag.11.17.27), "I
myself am the acarya.Do not think that the guru is an ordinary man. I
myself reside within the heart of gurudevafor
the benefit of the disciple." Nor should one disregard
the instructions of one's spiritual master--ajna gurunam hy avicaraniya(Raghu-vamsa
Purana14.46). One's spiritual advancement depends on pleasing
the bona-fide spiritual master--yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado(Gurvastakam8).
Without the grace of the spiritual master, one cannot make any advancement--yasyaprasadan
na gatih kuto 'pi(Gurvastakam8).
One should only engage in Deity worship when authorized by
the spiritual master. Even before chanting the holy name,
the sincere disciple should remember his spiritual master
and his instructions. We must see our spiritual master as
the agent of the Lord. We should understand that if our attempt
to attain the supreme absolute truth is sincere, then the
Lord himself will come to deliver us through a particular
agent. Thus the scriptures instruct us to see our guru as
the representative of the Lord, because no one can give us
Krsna but him. Haridasa Thakura comments, "Never disrespect
the articles used by the spiritual master such as his seat,
bed, shoes, etc. Whenever and wherever a disciple sees his
spiritual master, he should offer his prostrated obeisances
to him with prayers. The Guru'sname must be uttered
with great reverence. His orders are never to be disobeyed. Always be eager
to honor his remnants and do not say anything that is displeasing to him.
Fall humbly at his feet and beg shelter from him, and in this way act to
please him. Simply by behaving in this way, one can easily develop a taste
for chanting.
"One who disrespects the spiritual master commits a serious offense that will expel him from the path of pure devotion. The spiritual master, Lord Krsna, and the Vaisnavas must be worshipped with equal devotional fervor. Undeviating faith and devotion in the spiritual master will lead to pure chanting and the final goal of obtaining love of God--krsna-prema."
If a disciple offends his spiritual master, he must give up such offensive
activity, sincerely repent and fall at the guru'sfeet and beg forgiveness.
4. Sruti-sastra-nindanam.Vedic literatures (such as the
four Vedasand the Puranas) or other literatures in
pursuance of the Vedicconclusions are free from mistakes. They
glorify the holy name from beginnin to end, tat tu samanvayat(Vs
1.1.4). These transcendental literatures conclusively establish the supreme
spiritual truths. It is offensive to criticize or disregard them.
For independent-natured people, completely blinded by material desires
and unfit for practicing bhakti,the srutisvery mercifully
try to make the authority of sastraattractive. This is the
purpose of the karma-kandasection of the Vedas.By
offering material gain in return for Vedicadherence and stressing
the perfect execution of all injunctions, the karma-kandaultimately
awakens faith in the Vedasin the heart of the common man.
Those who have purified their hearts through such Vedicadherence
then develop interest in the final portion of the Veda,its'
conclusion, Vedanta. Vedantaanswers questions about the nature
of consciousness indirectly. It speaks of Krsna, or Brahman,in
terms of our oneness with him as much as the karma-kandaspeaks
of our difference from him and the need to worship him and his agents. Both
sections of the Vedaare ultimately leading us in the direction
of bhaktiwhen understood in context. This truth is revealed
through the Vedanta-sutra--Srimad-Bhagavatam.Thus even those
sections of the Vedasthat do not directly glorify bhaktishould
be respected.
One may be relieved of the grevious offense of disrespecting the Vedasonly
by lavishly and repeatedly glorifying the Vedicliteratures with
the same mouth that criticized them. One should joyfully worship the Vedic
literatures with tulasiand flowers.
5. Hari-namni kalpanam.To think that the superexcellent
qualities of the holy name are exaggerated is also an offense. It is offensive
to think that the glories fo the holy name are overstated in the scriptures
just to increase one's faith in chanting. All the revealed scriptures are
filled with unending glorification of the holy name's exalted qualities.
To doubt these statements is offensive. Haridasa Thakura elaborates in
the Harinama Cintamani,"Only a hardened
atheist thinks the passages of srutiand smrtiscriptures
describing the super-excellent qualities of the name contain
exaggerations. Whoever commits such an abominable offense
rots eternally in hell. Only a reprobate thinks that exaggeration
has been used to help inculcate faith and taste in chanting.
He has no idea of the purport of the scriptures or of what
is beneficial for humanity. He takes everything backwards.
Since this person has no reserve of previous pious activities,
he can never develop faith in the edicts of devotional service.
A person with insufficient piety cannot acquire a taste for
chanting and will not have adequate faith in its unlimited
results."
One who commits this offense of doubting the glories of the holy name must approach an assembly of Vaisnavas with great humility and hear the Lord's glories from a pure devotee. He must reveal to them his offense to the holy name and beg their forgiveness. The Vaisnavas, being merciful by nature and realized in the glories of the holy name, will quickly deliver the offender from his fate.
6. Namno balad yasya hi papa-buddhir.A devotee may accidentally
commit a sinful activity due to a sudden weakness of heart, but such an
unpremeditated falldown is washed away by his volumes of devotional service
and continuous chanting. However, it is most abominable to commit sin on
the consideration that one may then chant and become free of the sin. If
one does this, the effect of the sin will increase rather than be destroyed.
Sin happen in two ways: due to sudden weakness or mistake and by premeditation. There is a vast difference between the two. The scriptures declare that one name is sufficient to clear all reactions to all the sins one may commit. However, a person cannot utilize the Lord's name for his own service. Should one make this mistake, one must wholeheartedly take the association of pure Vaisnavas who will offer soothing words and protection from further sin. When undeviating faith in the Lord's holy name develops, the propensity to sin is eradicated.
Haridasa Thakura elaborates further in the Harinama Cintamani,"Chanting
gradually diminishes the propensity to sin and simultaneously
purifies the consciousness. At this juncture, the taste
for chanting begins to manifest and the inclination to
commit sinful activities vanish, though a faint residue
of previous sinful activity still lingers in the consciousness.
The receding sinful reactions leave an odor of sinful
habit hanging in the air, but the chanter's contact with
the name engenders a purity of willpower and mind that
overcomes this clinging stigma of sin. The propensity
to sin is like a highway robber attacking a traveler.
As the robber flees upon one's cries for help, the pure
devotees are our guardians of protection who will chase
away these sinful propensities."
7. Asraddadhane vimukhe'py asrnvati.The verdict of the
scriptures is that sraddha,firm faith, is an indispensable
ingredient for proper chanting of the holy name. Therefore, it is an offense
to intiate someone into the chanting of the holy name when that person does
not have faith in the name and is not able to appreciate the spiritual significance
of the holy name.
Sraddhameans to have complete conviction that chanting
the holy name automatically fulfills all duties. One without this faith
will simply commit increasing offenses to the holy name and burden the intiating
guruwith a bad reaction. Should the guruinadvertently
intiate a faithless person, he must immediately reject the insincere disciple
and announce his mistake to the Vaisnava community.
By hearing the public chanting of the holy hames even fallen and faithless
people can obtain sufficient sukrti to meet a pure Vaisnava
and receive the holy name from him. Therefore, the holy name should be congregationally
chanted everwhere.
8. Dharma-vrata-tyaga-hutadi-sarva.To equate the chanting
of the holy name with pious activities is also namaparadha.It
is caused by one's sinful activities, such as offenses to the Vaisnavas.
Minimizing the holy name is offensive because pious activities will give
only partial success in the material realm, whereas the name proper brings
us to the lotus feet of the Lord himself. Only the shelter of Vaisnava association
will free one of this offense. Haridasa Thakura relates to Sri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu in the Harinama Cintamani,"The
holy name is fully spiritual and transcendental. Though the jivais spiritual, he
thinks himself material due to ignorance. Consequently, he thinks that everything,
including the holy name of the Lord, is likewise material. Thus chanting
of Lord Krsna's holy name came to be categorized as subhakarma(pious
activity); jivaswith mayavadilearnings
are convinced that this is right and proper. But those who
adhere to this view are excluded from the path of devotional
service. "O Lord, other pious activities
can never be equal to chanting the name. All of the Supreme
Lord's direct names are nondifferent from him, unlike objects
made of inert matter, which are separate from their names.
The holy name of the Lord chanted by the pure devotee descends directly from Goloka, the spiritual sky. The pure name then emanates out of his soul and permeates his entire body, dancing on the top of his tongue. One who chants with this understanding is actually chanting the name." Haridasa Thakura further recommends that to again develop the proper attitude towards the chanting of the holy name a devotee must smear his body with the dust of the fee of a so-called low-caste householder Vaisnava. He should then drink the water that has washed that Vaisnava's feet and eat the remnants of his food.
9. Api pramadah.To chant inattentively is also namaparadha.It
is to invite the Lord's presence and at the same time ignore him. The three
types of negligence in chanting are: apathy (no determination), laziness,
and distraction by unimportant unrelated activities. Negligent chanting
sows the seeds of anarthas,and no amount of such chanting
will ever produce a taste for the name.
To remedy these anarthas,one must regularly chant with great
care and attention a fixed number of rounds. One should also chant in the
association of saintly Vaisnavas. Such advanced devotees constantly meditate
on the Lord's holy name and are very careful to never indulge in mundane
talk or activities. One must be very careful to chant quality names, paying
particular attention to pronounce the names distinctly. In this way, by
constant chanting, one's spontaneous attraction for the Lord's names will
manifest.
Haridasa Thakura relates in the Harinama Cintamani,"A
devotee must diligently complete the prescribed number
of holy names according to his vow, and he must always
check that he chants his rounds sincerely. Those who
chant distractedly are always eager to somehow complete
the fixed number of holy names and be done with it. It
is important to concentrate on the quality of the chanting
and not on trying to artificially increase the number
of holy names. The name of the Lord should be pronounced
distinctly. Only by the grace of the Lord can this be
achieved. Thus one should pray to the Lord that he never
falls victim to the wiles of the illusion and distraction,
and that he can continue to taste the full nectar of the
holy name."
By himself, the insignificant jivacan never overcome these
anarthas;it is only by the Lord's mercy that he may do so.
Therefore, one must continuously beg for the Lord's mercy with great humility
and chant in a mood of utter helplessness. This brings us to the third verse
of the Siksastaka.Here Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has given
the criterion of humility required to properly chant the holy name. Pride
is our greatest yet most subtle enemy, ultimately taking one to the mayavada
conclusion: so 'ham--"I am", not daso 'ham--"I
am subordinate." One must realize, "I have no qualification.
I am completely empty."
10. aham-mamadi-paramo.Haridasa Thakura
states that the worst kind of offense is to maintain
a mentality of I, me, and mine. Such thinking manifests
as: "I am brahmana," "I am this
or that," or "I am in such and such a position." If
we do not give up this mentality when it becomes clear that
the name is imploring us to do so, we will not achieve love
of Krsna. As an anchored boat will not move forward, if we
are not open and unprejudiced we will not go where the holy
name wants to send us. If we maintain this attitude, we are
guilty of the offense of inviting Nama Prabhuto come and then ignoring
him.
To get relief from this offense, one must give up all material attachments and humbly serve the devotees, taking full shelter of the holy name. One must not desire any material remuneration in return for one's service. The holy name will award us our most cherished goal of life; he will take us to home sweet home.
11. Tathartha-vado.In addition to the above ten offenses,
the Padma Puranalists the additional offense
of giving some interpretationof the holy name of the Lord.
Srila Sridhara Maharaja comments, "The sound [of the
holy name] is transcendental. The dictionary, grammar books,
and any other books of mundane knowledge cannot limit or
qualify the holy name. The name itself is the Supreme Person
incarnate by his own free will. He is inseparable from his
name and fully present in his sound form. The vaikuntha sabda,transcendental sound,
is different from the mundane sound that can be produced
by the tongue and lips. In homeopathic medicine, all the
globules are apparently the same, but the potency within
is all-important. It is something like that. The ordinary
sound of the name and the sound vibrated by a pure devotee
come from different planes. The difference is in the potency
within. The holy name descends from the spiritual world and
comes to express itself by dancing on the tongue. The transcendental
sound of the holy name is inseparable connected with the
person whom it represents."