CHANTING IS THE ESSENCE OF DEVOTIONAL LIFE.

Yagnai sankirtanai pryaha
yajantihi sumedhasa (S.B.11.5.32)

We have to worship the Lord in this age of Kali by chanting the names of Lord Hari. So be focused on the holy name and remember the holy name is Krsna.

Hare Krishna! I am very happy to always see you chanting.

Bhaja gauranga kaha gauranga laha gauranger nama re, /. je jan gauranga bhaje see amar pran re. ( Sung by Lord Nityanand)

So it says Bhaja Gauranga- worship Gauranga. Say Gauranga! Gauranga! . Laha Gauranger nama re – recite the names of Gauranga. So Hare Krishna Hare Krishna is the name of Gauranga. One may say – kaha gauranger nama re – Oh! but I am not saying Gauranga’s name. I am just saying Hare Krishna Hare Krishna. But that is Gauranga’s name. What he said-

pruthvite aache yat nagaradi gram sarvatra prachar hoibe mor naam. ( Caitanya Bhagvata)

Gauranga said my name will spread. This Hare Krishna Hare Krishna is His name. Hare Krishna is not only Krsna, but Radha and Krsna combined. When we chant Hare Krishna , we are chanting Gauranga’s names, through this – bhaja gauranga kaha gauranga laha gauranger nama re, je jan gauranga bhaje sai hoi amar pran re. Those personalities are very dear to us are dear to Gauranga. So all you chanters are very dear to me. That vaisnava poet says chanters of the holy name are my life.

srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah
puṇya-sravaṇa-kirtanam
hrdy antah stho hy abhadraṇi
vidhunoti suhṛt satam (SB1.2.17)

This sravan – kirtana is punya , the most pious deed. punya shravan kirtanam. When you chant Hare Krishna, you are punyatma. You are mahatma. And then chanting is – hrdy antah stho hy abhadraṇi, vidhunoti suhṛt satam. All the dirt accumulated in the heart is cleansed. hrdy antah – means in the heart. hrdy antah stho means in the core of the heart. This is where the dirt is hiding. The holy name will reach there, grab that dirt ,and throw that out of the heart. That is cleaning. ceto darpana marjanam ( Siksastakam verse 1) We have to make sure that we are bringing the holy name all the way to the heart. Through the ears – cetaha pranganaha , in the courtyard of the heart, courtyard of the consciousness is where our mind, intelligence and false ego is, and then ultimately in the pure state which resides in the heart. We have to bring holy name, bring Krsna there.

That is what is meant by attentive hearing. We have to hear, and once the holy name is heard, it will reach the heart. The soul is hearing. You are hearing and the Lord in the heart is also hearing your offering of chanting to Him in your heart. You are addressing him, calling out. If you have heard, if you are attentive, sincere, then that will reach the heart. hrdy antah stho hy abhadraṇi and then ceto darpana marjanam takes place. The cleansing will take place vidhunoti suhṛt satam

The next verse is
naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu
nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā
bhagavaty uttama-śloke
bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī ( S.B. 1.2.18)

So it says naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu – abhadra, amangal all the anarthas , inauspiciousness in the heart will be cleansed. This transformation takes place as we do nityam bhagavata sevaya. Nityam – kirtaniya sada Hari . Prabhupada explains this nityam bhagavata sevaya as granth- bhagavat, scripture – Bhagavata and person Bhagavata. As we do the different types of services, like fundraising which we did yesterday for TOVP. This is an example of serving person-bhagavata. As we chant Hare Krishna we are also begging for service. ‘O! Lord please engage me in Your service.’
ayi nanda tanuja kinkaram patitam ma vishame bhavambudho – ( C.C. antya 20.32)

O! Lord I am so fallen , pick me up, engage me in your devotional service. That’s the prayer. When you chant ‘ Hare Krishna’ we are saying please engage me, Prabhupada used to say , ‘ I am yours , please accept me. I am yours, please engage me.’

So practical devotional services also , we do and then that is also serving the holy name. The holy name is – vancha kalpatru. It fulfills our desires. We had been praying, please engage us in TOVP project and the whole team arrived here yesterday – HG. Jananivas Prabhu along with Lord Nityananda’s padukas, HG. Braj Vilas Prabhu and specially last night we had HG. Ambarish Prabhu and his good wife Svaha mataji here. We had a wonderful event. The results were beyond our imagination. We ended up raising three crores ( five hundred thousand dollars) for TOVP here in Noida. We could say that the holy name blessed us. The holy name is also Nityananda. Hare Rama Hare Rama is also Balarama. He gave us strength. Hare Rama Hare Rama is also Nityanand Rama.

His padukas were there. We were praying to please engage us . Then Nityananda Prabhu came here in form of the padukas and gave us opportunity to serve. This was all His mercy. Temple devotees were arranging such a program for an adbhut mandir. For an adbhut mandir we did an adbhut fund raising event. The results were astounding. Our Anand Prada Mataji , Ajamila Prabhu became pillars of devotion. I consider this as the mercy of the holy name. We were praying to the holy name and then the holy name which is the Lord engaged us in service of raising funds for TOVP. nityam bhagavat sevaya. We are serving Bhagwan and mahabhagvata Srila Prabhupada at the same time. Chanting Japa is also service to the Lord. It’s a devotional service. Not that we are just sitting around and saying Hare Krishna Hare Krishna. Nava-vidha Bhakti, which begins with sravanam, kirtanam , visno smaranam, padasevanam.

Everything begins with sravanam kirtanam – chanting of Hare Krishna. If that is done perfectly, then you will end up doing everything else also perfectly. If chanting is imperfect, then everything else you do for sure is also imperfect. If you improve your chanting, then you will improve your whole devotional life, whole devotional life style. All aspects of your devotional life will be improved by improving your chanting. Try to chant, endeavor to chant, make special efforts to chant perfectly, purely, attentively, regularly , devotionally , offenselessly.

I admire all the devotees. Russian devotees, Ukrainian devotees , they are going out of there way. There is a time zone difference. The talk that we are doing in English, they don’t understand , but they still stick to this conference and keep hearing. Thank you. Jananivas Prabhu! Thank you once again for your association. Today’s Bhagvatam class is being given by HG. Jananivas Prabhu. Thank you for your association. Thank you for engaging us in service of Nityananda’s lotus Feet. To make Lord Nityananda’s prediction come true by completing TOVP.

Wherever all you all Prabhus are you have to support and donate for the best cause of opening TOVP so that we can open the temple in three years time. Please come in 2022 to Mayapur. Do your train bookings, plane bookings. I could come with Padayatra there. So see you there for temple opening.

Three years from now!
Nityanand padukas ki Jay!
Sril Prabhupad ki Jay.
Gaur premande Hari Hari Bol!