Qualification for Chanting Holy Name

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Preaching programme in Betur area,
Evening, 25 January 2021, part 3
Translated from Bengali

শ্রীকৃষ্ণচৈতন্য প্রভু জীবে দয়া করি' ।
স্বপার্ষদ স্বীয় ধাম সহ অবতরি ॥

sri-krsna-chaitanya prabhu jive daya kari'
svaparsada sviya dhama saha avatari

"Being merciful to the souls, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu descends with His associates and abode."

অন্ত্যন্ত দুর্লভ প্রেম করিবারে দান ।
শিখায় শরণাগতি ভকতের প্রাণ ॥

atyanta durlabha prema karibare dana
sikhaya saranagati bhakatera prana

To distribute the most rare form of divine love, He teaches surrender, which is the life of the devotees.

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

Before Mahaprabhu took sannyas, His Name was Nimai, and after He took sannyas, His Name became Sri Krishna Chaitanya—it means that He has given consciousness (chetan) to all the jiva souls of this world. He personally comes from Sri Goloka Vrindavan in this age of Kali to show kindness to all jiva souls, to rescue such lowly and fallen souls as ourselves. He said:

হরের্নাম হরের্নাম হরের্নামৈব কেবলম্ ।
কলৌ নাস্ত্যেব নাস্ত্যেব নাস্ত্যেব গতিরন্যথা ॥

harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha

"Only chanting the Holy Name, chanting the Holy Name, chanting the Holy Name—there is no other way, no other way, no other way."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 7.76)

In this age of Kali, except for chanting the Holy Name, there is no other way, no other way, no other way. Who has the right, or qualification, to chant the Holy Name? Who can chant it? It is written very beautifully here:

দৈন্য, আত্মনিবেদন, গোপ্তৃত্বে বরণ ।
'অবশ্য রক্ষিবে কৃষ্ণ'—বিশ্বাস পালন ॥

dainya, atma-nivedana, goptrtve varana
'avasya raksibe krsna'—visvasa palana

"Humility, self-submission, accepting the Lord as your maintainer, having faith that 'Krishna will certainly protect me'."

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

'Dainya' means it is necessary to be very humble, to feel you are very low. "I am a servant! I am an eternal servant of the Lord! I am a servant of Vaishnavs! I am a servant of all devotees of Krishna!" Mahaprabhu comes to teach us this. Next is 'atma-nivedana': you must submit yourself, you must sacrifice and throw yourself at the lotus feet of the Lord. 'Goptrtve varan' means feeling that 'Krishna is the maintainer', 'Krishna takes care of everything'. 'Avasya raksibe Krsna' means having faith that 'Krishna will definitely protect'.

ভক্তি-অনুকূল মাত্র কার্য্যের স্বীকার ।
ভক্তি-প্রতিকূল ভাব—বর্জ্জনাঙ্গীকার ॥

bhakti-anukula matra karyera svikara
bhakti-pratikula bhava—varjanangikara

"Doing only what is favourable to devotion; rejecting everything unfavourable to devotion."

ষড়ঙ্গ শরণাগতি হইবে যাঁহার ।
তাঁহার প্রার্থনা শুনে শ্রীনন্দকুমার ॥

sad-anga saranagati ha-ibe yahara
tahara prarthana sune sri-nanda-kumara

"Sri Krishna hears the prayers of those who surrender in this six-fold way."

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

The last two aspects of surrender are very important. It is necessary to accept what is favourable to devotion, and it is necessary to reject that which is unfavourable to devotion. If you do a fire sacrifice, you give one spoon ghee, and you give one spoon of water, can you do a fire sacrifice like this? You cannot. You drink both alcohol and milk, but if you drink alcohol, then alcohol will destroy all good properties of milk. It is the same as having difficulty breathing and smoking or having acidity or gas and you eat anything and everything. It is necessary to accept what is healthy and give up what is unhealthy. In the same way, it is necessary to accept what is favourable to devotion and reject what is unfavourable to devotion.

রূপ-সনাতন-পদে দন্তে তৃণ করি' ।
ভকতিবিনোদ পড়ে দুই পদ ধরি' ॥

rupa-sanatana-pade dante trna kari'
bhakativinoda pade dui pada dhari'

Bhaktivinod places a straw between his teeth and falls before Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu and Srila Sanatan Goswami Prabhu, clasping their feet.

কাঁদিয়া কাঁদিয়া বলে, আমি ত' অধম ।
শিখায়ে শরণাগতি করহে উত্তম ॥

kandiya kandiya bale, ami ta' adhama
sikhaye saranagati karahe uttama

Crying and crying, he prays, "I am so low! Please elevate me by teaching me surrender."

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