Importance of Harinama

Importance of Harinama
Venue: Belgium (Radhadesh)
Dated: 3 rd July 1996
Occasion: Harinam initiation

This ceremony is one of the very important samskara. In human form of life on undergoes many many samskaras. Samskaras are meant for purification and this one is called harinama diksha smaskara. This is very important connection where in one gets spiritual birth. There is one more birth, the brahmin is called dvija -twice more. And when we take birth parents gives us birth, they give us body. And then the spiritual master on behalf of Krishna he gives us spiritual body. He hands you the spiritual body. You have a spiritual body and he gives the process by which you realise that you are a spiritual body, you are a spirit soul. And this is a very important step to realise that we are not material body but we are spirit souls having eternal connections with Krishna. Not having this connection with the Lord and the spiritual master we normally consider our self as a part of one family or one country and we get caught up in the world of designations-Indian, Dutch, English.

sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam

From contamination, nirmalam one becomes nirmala. Mala means dirt and becoming free from all this designations, this is possible when one performs devotional service.

There are 64 items of devotional services described in Nectar of Devotion by Rupa Gosvami Prabhupad. Of the 64 items, 5 are considered as principle items of devotional services. They are, what are they?

1. Sadhu sanga- Associations of the devotees
2. Bhagvat sravana- Hearing of Srimad -Bhagavatam, \
3. Mathura vasa- Residing in Mathura, Vrindavan holy places.
4. Sri mutri seva- Worshiping the deities.
5. Nama-Sankirtana or Nama japa.

So of this 5 devotional services like I said quickly, let us repeat. One is Sadhu sanga, Mathura vasa, Bhagavat sravana, Sri murti seva and Nama-Sankirtana of these 5 items Nama-kirtana is most significant. So like this our acaryas have established this Nama-Sankirtana as the topmost devotional service.

Of those 65 item chanting of,

“HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE, HARE RAM HARE RAM RAM RAM HARE HARE”

This is number one item. And even while doing the other four services there is also Harinama involved. When we meet sadhus what we do? We chant Hare Krishna. And then you go to holy places like Mathura, Vrindavan you get to hear Radhe Radha. Even rikshawalas they don’t have horns, if you are in their way,they want you to get out of their way they say Radhe Radhe….please get out. So even rikshawala’s say Radhe Radhe, so what to speak of others. When we go to holy place we always get to hear, they always have speakers even if you don’t want to hear you are forced to hear 4 O’clock in the morning. So when you go to holy place you read the scriptures and again there are glories of chanting. And while doing Sri Murti seva, Sri Vigraha aradhana again the chanting of holy names of the Lord. Even at the time of installation of the deities, Prabhupada said we could simply chant,

“HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE, HARE RAM HARE RAM RAM RAM HARE HARE”

and install the deities, just chant Hare Krishna and deities get installed. Now we will chanting some more mantras and there will be fire sacrifice.