Venue : London Date : 19/06/10 The Material world is hot and cold, young and old, birth and death, ladies and gents, etc. The list gets longer and longer. But the Maha-mantra is not from THIS world.

Whilst we were just chanting together, I had a thought that each one of us is chanting and we were all with Krsna, in the form of the holy name. For most of the year, we are not physically together, but wherever we are, we chant and we are with Krsna. Therefore in this way we stay together. It is the easiest way to remain together.

When Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu was getting ready to take sannyasa, everyone was naturally thinking that “we shall be deprived of His association!” Mahaprabhu spent 24 years together with His associates and then suddenly in the middle of the night He left and decided to take sannyasa. Prior to His departure He gave a speech to pacify and console. “No No! I will live with you in two forms! The first one, I will stay in the form of the holy name (chanting). Even when I am gone, keep chanting”. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is non-different from the holy name. So, one avatar of Mahaprabhu is the Holy Name.

kali kale nama rupe krsna avatara
nama haite haya sarva jagat nistara

“In this Age of Kali, the holy name of the Lord, the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, is the incarnation of Lord Krsna. Simply by chanting the holy name, one associates with the Lord directly. Anyone who does this is certainly delivered. (CC Adi 17.22)

The Lord appears in every age. But in the Holy Name, He appears to all of us, unlimited, everywhere, everyday for each and every one of us! Even in THIS tent. The Lord appears at midday (Rama), in the middle of the night (Krsna) and during dusk (Caitanya Mahaprabhu/Nrsimhadeva) and so on. But Krsna’s holy name is ready to appear every day! Everywhere! And to Everyone! It is the beauty, the Lord making Himself accessible to everyone, and we all, each one of us, have our very own Lord. In this form He can become our cherished property.

This is homework for us – to chant Hare Krsna and be happy! This is the only transaction on initiation. We have the four regulative principles, which are the “DONT’s”, but what will you “DO”? This is the most important bit. We all have received Krsna in the form of the Holy Name. ‘Here is Krsna, in the form of the name”. Narottama Dasa Thakura said:

krsna se tomara, krsna dite paro
tomara sakati ache
ami to’ kangala, krsna krsna boli
dhai tava pache pache

We are paupers, penniless (kangala), poor – Oh Gurudeva, Oh Vaishnava Thakur, I am running after you for Krsna that you can give to me. This way, Krsna is given by Guru.

The second form in which Caitanya Mahaprabhu said he will stay is “Ananda” – Bliss! This Bliss, comes from chanting Hare Krsna. Therefore Chant Hare Krsna (first form) and be Happy (second form).

When you chant, ‘Ananda’ will also make an appearance. From Krsna comes bliss and this bliss is Krsna. Any genuine bliss in this world comes from Krsna.

‘Nanda ke Ananda bhayo’. When Krsna appeared at Nanda Baba’s home, all the Vrajavasis were singing this in joy. Some did not know what had happened and all they could hear was ‘Nanda ke Ananda bhayo’ from the other Vrajavasis running by them. They would try and stop one of the running Vrajavasis to inquire what has happened. But the person would not stop and keep on running in happiness and joy. They say “Ananda has appeared”, not Krsna, not Nanda Nandana, not Kesava, etc. Ananda, actual bliss, has incarnated. ‘Sat Cit Ananda Vigraha’.

The lilas, pastimes of the Lord in Vraja, are Ananda-Kunda. They fill up the lakes and reservoirs with Ananda. The residents of Vraja drown and swim in this Ananda. As it is written in the Damodarastakam prayers

itidrk sva lilabhir ananda kunde
sva-ghosam nimajjantam akhyapayantam
tadiyesita-jnesu bhaktair jitatvam
punah prematas tam satavrtti vande

Thus bathing Gokula in a great lake of bliss, He shows that love defeats Him. Devoid of reverence  conquered only by those in complete confidence. I offer Him unlimited loving praises. (Verse 3)

This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu‘s strategy, His plan. He appeared to expand the ocean of love of Godhead. He started in Mayapur and now He has reached London! The River comes to you! This is His kindness.

Our acaryas cut a canal from this river and they brought the same ‘Rasa’, Ananda, to us. Srila Prabhupada brought the flood of the holy name to us all. One press reporter asked Srila Prabhupada “Why have you come to our country?” I think it was here in London. Srila Prabhupada replied “You also came to ours” and they had come to loot, plunder and steal all the riches and precious gems, like the Kohinoor, which is on display in London. But Srila Prabhupada carries on “But what brings me here is to come and give what your viceroys left behind. The precious gem which is the culture of our country, the most ancient and valuable gift. The Holy Name is the wealth of our nation! All the scriptures are our wealth!”

nama cintamanih krsnas
caitanya-rasa-vigrahah
purnah suddho nitya-mukto
‘bhinnatvan nama-naminoh

Our homework, which can take a whole lifetime and more, is to realise this name is Krsna. This name, holy name, is non-different from the Lord. “Abhinnatvan nama-naminoh”. This is the glory, the introduction of the Holy name. “Nama Cintamani” – It is a gem, “Caitanya” – it is full of spirit. The word “Jada” means Matter, dead matter. But the Holy Name of Krsna is lively and is “Rasa-Vigrahah” – Source and Embodiment of all the Rasa’s.

The soul within this body is aspiring for that rasa, that joy and to drown in that bliss. But the living entity is finding it hard to find this and is just going round and round in search. But finally, by blessings of Krsna, we come in contact with devotees and vaisnavas and acaryas and we get the mercy to know the holy name!

I have been thinking recently, ‘You know the body, but does the body know you are there?’ Do your hairs and nails know you exist? Is the tooth aware of the teeth next door? “I think, therefore I exist”. Of course the body exists, but it cannot think. The soul exists and possesses and uses the body. It exploits it and unfortunately, the soul then thinks “I am the body”. But this soul, thinking this way, is not realized. The Holy name is to be realized by the soul. We use the body to chant the holy name, we use our lips and tongue to chant, but you can chant and exist without the body, naked, like without clothes, but I don’t think many of us would do that.

One time, when we become thoroughly purified, not aspiring or hankering to experience anything from this world, we are connected to the spiritual world and Krsna. The soul will exist regardless and dance, chant, eat and touch. The soul is also a person! The holy name is to be realized by the soul, not the body, even thought we use it to chant, clap in kirtan etc. It is the soul that will be liberated, not the lips. So Chant:

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

and be with Krsna. Also be together with each other (fellow devotees) and be happy. Hence when Caitanya Mahaprabhu said “I shall stay behind in the form of Name and Bliss”, He meant be happy and chant. Therefore keep chanting constantly and follow the regulative principles and associate with devotees.

One devotee was talking to me and mentioned that we should do our ABCDD.
A – Association – Sadhu Sangha
B – Books – Read Srimad Bhagavatam/Bhagavad Gita daily
C – Chanting of the Holy Name – Kirtan
D – Dhama Vasa – Stay in the Holy places, Go to temple, Make your home the Dhama
D – Deity Worship – Arcana, worship the Deity with faith.

By doing these ‘ABCDD’ with faith, we can achieve perfection in this life.

sadhu-sanga, nama-kirtana, bhagavata-sravana
mathura-vasa, sri-murtira sraddhaya sevana
sakala-sadhana-srestha ei panca anga
krsna-prema janmaya ei pancera alpa sanga

“One should associate with devotees, chant the holy name of the Lord, hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, reside at Mathura, and worship the Deity with faith and veneration. These five limbs of devotional service are the best of all. Even a slight performance of these five awakens love for Krsna.” (CC Madhya 22.128-129) spent 24 years together with His associates and then suddenly in the middle of the night He left and decided to take sannyasa. Prior to His departure He gave a speech to pacify and console.