Not Just Words

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh (evening Nama-hatta)
4 January 2020, part 3

I will tell you another pastime of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and about the glorification of the Holy Name, about what happened when Mahaprabhu chanted the Holy Name. You know that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared five hundred years ago and He started the chanting of the Holy Name. After taking initiation from Ishwar Puri, He gave His full energy to chanting and distributing the Holy Name.

Before that, one day Durvasa Muni was sleeping in a forest when a deva-putra (a son of a demigod), a small boy who did not know anything, came to him and cut his jata (dreadlock, or sikha). Durvasa Muni became very upset, he said, "As you have cut my sikha, I am cursing you—you will be born as a crocodile and you will live in water for four ages!" The boy began to cry, "What will I do? Please forgive my offence!" Durvasa Muni said, "You ask for forgiveness, all right, but I have already said that you would get this punishment, so you must get a crocodile body, but I can give you a boon. When Krishna Himself comes in the form of Name and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the age of Kali, He will chant the Holy Name and by hearing the Holy Name you can get your previous body again."

So, one time, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was walking with some devotees from Mayapur (Antardwip) to Madhyadwip, and on the way He met one ghosh named Bhim, a cowherd boy who had many cows. Their house was full of milk products—Bhim's mother made paneer, yoghurt, curd, etc. Her name is not mentioned in the scriptures, but Jagadananda Pandit writes that she actually called Mother Sachi (the mother of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu) "mother". So, when Bhim saw Mahaprabhu, he quickly came to Him and said, "Uncle, please come to my house! Mother is waiting for you, she wants to feed You. You have not come to our house for so many days, please come." Mahaprabhu agreed, and He went to Bhim's house with all the devotees who were with Him.

Bhim's mother quickly gave an asan for Mahaprabhu to sit. Then she asked,

"Brother, how is mother?"

Mahaprabhu said, "She is good, everything is all right."

"OK, I am arranging for everybody to sit and will give you all prasadam."

So, Nimai and all the devotees sat there and took prasadam. Everybody was happy. After that, Nimai told everybody, "Let us go to that lake and chant the Holy Name there!" Bhim said, "No, no, no! Do not go there! There is a crocodile living in that lake! Even our cows do not go there, they are afraid to drink the water from that lake." But Mahaprabhu said, "It is OK, I am not afraid." So, Mahaprabhu started chanting and after some time a small boy came out of the lake. He came to Mahaprabhu and clasped His feet.

Mahaprabhu asked him, "Who are you? Where did you come from?"

The boy told his previous story, what offence he did (that he had cut Durvasa Muni's jata) and how Durvasa Muni gave him a curse, how he became a crocodile, and how Durvasa Muni told him, "When Krishna Himself comes in the form of Name and is chanting the Holy Name, by hearing that chanting of Harinam, Krishna-nam, you will get back your previous body." In the end, the boy said, "Yes, I know You are Lord Krishna Himself! O Lord! I have not seen my parents for so long, please give me permission to go back to them now."

Such is the glorification of the Holy Name. The Holy Name is not only some letters. This Hare Krishna maha-mantra is pure, and this pastime is the evidence of that.

— : • : —

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