Hari Nama Cintamani chapter 1

[Paramananda das]

please accept my pranams and my blessings
All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga
All glories to Srila Prabhupada
all glories to Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

If we want to perfect our human form of life , you must read Harinama Cintamani not only one time but over and over again as it helps us understand the glories of Sri Harinama ,Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura was a liberated soul and is the eternal manjari of Radha Krsna ,Kamala Manjari so for us to read his Hari Nama Cintamani will help perfect our life there is no other litterature in the mundane world that compares to Harinama Cintamani.If we read out loud this book and explain it to others then we benefit ,This book is to be studied by those senior devotees who have studied it many times and who chant not less than 64 rounds daily .Srila Bhaktivinoda has named this book Hari Nama Cintamani because the holy names of Radha Krsna tranforms us into pure devotees of Radha Krsna Hare Krsna and Hare Rama are simply names of Radha Krsna and They being Supremely Pure transcendental and above the material modes of nature allows us to contact them by chanting Hare Krsna
Srila Jiva Goswami had explained the Mahamantra as follows :

Explanation of the Mahamantra by Srila Jiva Gosvami.

Mahamantra Tika
1.
By His uncommon beauty, Sri Krsna Candra
takes away the mind of everyone.
However, when Sri Radha expands Her own
cleverness, She also captures Sri
Krsna's mind. Therefore She is called "Hara"

2.
By His loveliness and by the sweet sound of
His flute, Sri Krsna, who is
decorated with the most captivating qualities,
attracts Radha. Therefore He
is called "Krsna."

3.
It has been heard from the mouths of great
souls that Lord Hari led away
the fawn-eyed Radha from the Rasa dance to
secluded bower. Therefore Radha
is called "Hara."

4.
As He sports with Radha, His blackish
effulgence causes shiny gold to
also appear blackish. Therefore He is called
"Krsna."

5.
In pursuance of the wishes of His beloved Sri
Radha, He constructed in
the forest near Govardhana a lake named
Syama-kunda and then drew the waters
of all holy bathing places there. Those who know
this call Him "Krsna."

6.
By Her unsurpassed love, Sri Radha attracts
Him who is the performer of
wonderful pastimes to the Vrndavana forest on the
banks of Yamuna River.
Those of steady intellect therefore call Him "Krsna."

7.
One day while Krsna was in Vrndavana, He
killed the demon Arista, who was
disguised as a bull. At that time Radha
affectionately called out to Him "O
Hari!" Therefore She is known as "Hara."

8.
Sometimes due to excessive love, Sri Radha's
voice becomes faint when She
sings the glories of Sri Krsna's pastimes.
Therefore those who are expert in
discerning spiritual sentiments call Her "Hara."

9.
Once, in the forest of Vrndavana, Sri Krsna
dropped His flute due to the
intense experience of loving sentiments. All that
time Radha snatched up His
flute. Therefore She is called "Hara."

10.
Once Sri Krsna put His arms around Sri Radha,
took Her into a bower
shaped like one of the caves at Govardhana Hill
and there enjoyed with Her.
Therefore He is called "Rama".

11.
Everyday the most merciful Sri Radha bestows
(rati) happiness upon
Krsna. Therefore She is called "Hara."

12.
The minds of the devotees always find
pleasure in Sri Krsna, who is an
ocean of transcendental bliss. Therefore that
beautiful dark form of Krsna
is called "Rama."

13.
Radha is called Rama because She enjoyed
Acyuta through loving pastimes
in a forest pavilion made of flowering creepers.
Because Krsna is with that
Rama, He is called "Rama".

14.
When all of Gokula was filled with wailing
because of a forest fire, Sri
Krsna extinguished it, thus greatly pleasing the
Vrajavasis. Therefore He is
called "Rama".

15.
Sri Krsna went to Mathura to kill the demons
headed by Kamsa. By Her to
enjoy confidential pastimes with Krsna, Sri Radha
brought Krsna back to
Vrndavana. Therefore She is called "Hara".

16.
When Sri Krsna came back to Vrndavana, He
took away the suffering of the
Vrajavasis and by His wonderful pastimes
captivated Radha's mind. Therefore
the son of Nanda is called "Hari".

nama cintamanih krishnas caitanya-rasa-vigrahah purnah suddho nitya-mukto 'bhinnatvan nama-naminoh The holy name of Krishna is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all spiritual benedictions, for it is Krishna Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure. Krishna's name is complete, and it is the form of all transcendental mellows. It is not a material name under any condition, and it is no less powerful than Krishna Himself. Since Krishna's name is not contaminated by the material qualities, there is no question of its being involved with maya. Krishna's name is always liberated and spiritual; it is never conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because the name of Krishna and Krishna Himself are identical.
Padma Purana

One person once came to Srila Sanatana Goswami send by Lord Siva who had appeared to him and asked for the most valuable thing ,Srila Sanatana Goswami pointed toward the garbhage pile there was a philosophers stone that turns metal into gold, he left happily but others out of greed send him back that maybe Srila Sanatana Goswami has something even more valuable, Srila Sanatana Goswami said first you throw that stone in Yamuna, then Srila Sanatana Goswami instructed this person in pure devotional service and initiated him into Bhakti ,Srila Sanatana Goswami gave him the Hare Krsna Mahamantra ,the touch stone of the holy name, by chanting it without offence we become servants of Sri Sri Radha Krsna and situated in Goloka Vrindavana where we eternally belong ,this is all due to the mercy of Srila Prabhupada and the Vaisnavas and especially by the mercy of Lord Caitanya and the Nama Acarya Srila Haridas Thakura,

your servant
Paramananda das

Chapter 1
Glories of the Holy Name All glories to Gadadhara and Gauranga, to the life of Jahnava, Nityananda Prabhu.
All glories to Sita and Advaita, to Srivasa and all the devotees.
On the shore of the ocean at Nilacala, in the temple of Jagannatha, resides daru-brahman, the Supreme Personality of Godhead in wooden form. Having mercifully descended in this material world, He is bestowing both material enjoyment and liberation. At this same dhama, in order to give good fortune to mankind and make known the dharma of Kali-yuga, Sri Caitanya, the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of a sannyasi, came and set up residence in the house of Kasi Misra. There, along with His devotees, He gave out love of Godhead to all, just as a desire tree gives treasure freely. There the Lord took great care to present the proper spiritual teachings to the living entities. This He did by making various devotees explain different aspects of devotional service, while He sat and listened in great bliss. In this way, through Ramananda Raya's mouth He taught the concept of rasa, through the mouth of Sarvabhauma He taught the real principle of liberation, through the mouth of Rupa Gosvami in Vrindavana He taught the details of rasa and through the mouth of Haridasa He taught the full glories of the holy name.
( note :In Gaura Ganodessa Dipika ,Srila Kavi Karnapure has made clear that Haridas Thakura is the incarnation of Prahlada Maharaja )

One day, after bathing in the ocean, the Lord met with Haridasa Thakura at the Siddha-bakula tree, and in blissful mind He carefully inquired from Haridasa how the jivas could easily become delivered from material existence. Grasping the Lord's feet, Haridasa's body shivered and tears poured from His eyes. In great humility he spoke: "O Lord, Your lila is very deep. I have absolutely nothing-I have nothing. Your lotus feet are my only possession. For no good reason have You asked this question to such an unfit person as I. What can the result be? "O Lord, You are Krishna Himself, who has this time descended in Navadvipa dhama to deliver the jivas of Kali-yuga. There You mercifully display Your pastimes. If You kindly put those pastimes within my heart, I will be happy. It is by Your great mercy that You have revealed Your unlimited name, qualities, form and pastimes in the material world so that even low rascals such as I can taste them. "You are the spiritual sun; I am the particle of its light. You are the Lord; I am Your eternal servant. The nectar of Your lotus feet is my wealth of happiness; my hope rests in the nectar of Your name. "As I am such a low person, how do I know what to say, O Lord and Master? Still, I must obey Your order. What comes from my mouth I will happily present to You, not considering the faults. Krishna and His Energies "The Supreme Person who is completely independent and free to act according to His desire is Sri Krishna. He exists as the Supreme Truth, one without a second; but is inconceivably always in the company of His eternal energies. These energies are never independent of Krishna; rather they are intimately related with Him. This is stated in the Vedic mantras. Krishna is the independent principal conscious entity, and the energies are His attributes. They can never be independent. Krishna may be called vibhu, the omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent master, and the manifestations from His energies-all other existing phenomena-may be called vaibhava, the opulent expressions of His factual existence.

Yet, even in the midst of unlimited, countless energies scattered throughout endless time, Krishna remains separate and independent in His original form. It is through these energies, these vaibhava of the vibhu, that the Lord's presence can be perceived. "The manifestations from Krishna's energies are of three types: cid-vaibhava, or spiritual manifestations coming from Krishna's spiritual potency; acid- vaibhava, or the dull, unconscious material world; and jiva, or countless souls, small particles of spirit. This is the statement of scripture. Cid-vaibhava-Spiritual Manifestation "The cid-vaibhava consists of Krishna's abodes, such as the unlimited number of Vaikuntha planets; Krishna's unlimited names, such as Govinda, Hare, etc.; Krishna's unlimited forms, such as the two-handed form holding the flute; Krishna's extraordinary qualities, such as affectionately giving bliss to His devotees; Krishna's pastimes, such as the rasa-lila of Vraja and the sankirtana activities of Navadvipa. Even though these spiritual manifestations may descend into the material world and be visible or perceivable by the living entities, they remain spiritually untouched by material influence.

All these elements intimately related to Vishnu or Krishna are called Vishnupada throughout the Vedas. The word denotes that the cid- vaibhava are inseparable from the Lord Himself. The spiritual phenomena are inseparable from the prime spiritual entity. "Therefore, in the spiritual realm of Vishnupada, the changes which occur due to the influences of the material energy are not present. That realm is transcendental to material change, and like Lord Vishnu Himself, is pure goodness, unmixed with passion or ignorance in the least, unlike the condition of the material world. Krishna and the plenary Vishnu expansions are all of pure goodness.

Thus, whether in Goloka, Vaikuntha, the Causal Ocean, or the material world, these personalities remain unaffected, as the Lord of all the demigods and the Lord of maya. "Vishnu forms are the Lords of maya and are in pure goodness, whereas Brahma, Siva, etc. possess goodness mixed with other modes. Acid-vaibhava "Across the Viraja River, which is the separating boundary, opposite from the Vishnu forms, spiritual abodes, spiritual pastimes and other spiritual manifestations, lies the nonspiritual realm composed of the universes of fourteen planetary systems. This realm under the control of the Lord's illusory energy is called Devi-dhama, the abode of maya. It is composed of the five material elements (earth, water, fire, air and ether), plus mind, intelligence and false ego, which form the gross and subtle bodies of the living entities.

The seven upper and seven lower planetary systems are all contained within the acid-vaibhava, or nonspiritual manifestation of one of the Lord's energies. Jaiva-vaibhava "Whereas the spiritual manifestation (cid-vaibhava) is the full spiritual principle, and the illusory material world (acid-vaibhava) is its shadow, jivas are atomic particles of spiritual element. Because the jivas are spiritual in character, they also have some degree of independence, and have the potentiality of unlimited bliss which is natural to the spiritual realm.

Those jivas who resort to Krishna to attain that bliss remain as liberated souls eternally associated with Krishna. But, thinking of his own happiness, if one selfishly desires to enter the neighboring abode of maya, he turns away from Krishna and takes a material body in the material universe.

Having fallen into the revolving wheel of continuous activities, good or bad, with their results, the jiva wanders throughout the universe, sometimes in svarga, sometimes in hell, taking birth with a material body to enjoy life in all the eight million four hundred thousand species of beings.

"But as You are the Lord, the controller of the jivas, and the jivas are Your energies, You are always thinking of their welfare. Whatever happiness a jiva may seek, You kindly bestow it. Therefore one who desires impermanent happiness in the material world achieves it without difficulty by the Lord's mercy. All the processes to achieve this happiness of sense gratification, such as rules of varna and asrama, yajna, yoga, homa and vrata, which are pious activities, are simply material without spiritual transcendental nature at all.

The results of these practices-elevation to higher planets and sense enjoyment-are material and temporary. Thus, in such activities for satisfying the temporary senses, the soul remains unsatisfied. The attempt to achieve happiness by gaining a temporary situation in a higher planet is a gross error by the soul. "Similarly, by the mercy of devotees, a jnani may perform activities of bhakti. Such jnana mixed with devotional activities is also classified as a secondary path of bhakti. Such a jnani easily arrives at the stage of faith in Krishna, and can quickly proceed in full devotional service. "The servant jivas, desiring the trifling fruits in the hell of the material world, reject their master, but Krishna, knowing what is best for their welfare, forces them to give up the enjoyment (bhukti) resulting from fruitive activities (karma) and the liberation (mukti) resulting from speculative endeavors (jnana), and at last bestows the sweet fruit of devotion to Krishna (bhakti). It is only the mercy of the Lord, who is made of pure mercy, that He puts the jivas on a secondary path which lets the jiva fulfill his material desire for sometime, but simultaneously gives him faith in the process of bhakti. If it were not for the mercy of the Lord, how could the living entities ever become pure and enter their position of happiness in the spiritual realm?

"In the Satya-yuga the Lord supplied the process of meditation, by which the rishis became purified. Attaining purification, the Lord gave the treasure of bhakti. Similarly, in the Treta-yuga, the Lord arranged for purification by performance of sacrifices, and in Dvapara-yuga, the Lord gave temple worship for purification, as paths leading to bhakti. But seeing the pitiful state of the jivas in the Kali-yuga, the Lord gave up hope in the processes of karma, jnana and yoga. In Kali-yuga such troubles as short life, many diseases, decreased intelligence and strength, afflict all jivas. Therefore the secondary paths of karma and jnana-the practices of varnasrama, sankhya, yoga and jnana, mixed with a little devotional activity-are too narrow and obstructive. The only result in Kali-yuga of these paths is deviation from the path of bhakti. Thus if one takes to these paths in hope of success in the Kali-yuga, life will simply become difficult for the jivas.

The Chief Path-Bhakti and the Holy Name "Therefore, thinking of the welfare of the jivas in Kali-yuga, the Lord has descended with His name. The Lord descended and preached the path for Kali yuga-the process of nama-sankirtana.

(NOTE THIS CAREFULLY: THE CHIEF path of bhakti is chanting the Holy name)

Since by this process the jiva may directly achieve the highest treasure of Krishna prema, which is actual happiness, it is called the major or chief path, as distinct from the secondary paths of karma and jnana. In this process all the jiva has to do is sing and remember the name of the Lord constantly. When the impure jiva takes up the process of bhakti for his purification, he is performing sadhana-bhakti, or devotional service in practice. When his practice reaches purity and perfection (sadhya), in other words, when the jiva achieves prema-bhakti, the activities of sadhana-bhakti-hearing and chanting the Lord's name, etc.- remain as the activities of prema-bhakti. The principal activities of devotional service are eternal

(NOTE :wether you are in sadhana bhakti or even prema Bhakti chanting Hare Krsna is still our prime duty and this is eternal ,Srila Prabhupada when asked what was the goal of chanting Hare Krsna he answered with an important reply MORE CHANTING)

. At the perfectional stage of prema, the means (sadhana) and the end (sadhya), or the method (upaya) and what is to be attained by the method (upeya) become nondifferent. Thus there is no barrier or obstacle between the life and activities during training and at the perfectional stage: the holy name remains constant in both cases. In this way the jiva can easily transcend the material world." Haridasa continued: "I am just a fallen, low person, so much absorbed in sense objects. Being so foolish, I did not even take up Your name, O Lord!" With tears flowing incessantly from his eyes, Haridasa, the incarnation of Brahma, fell breathless at the Lord's feet. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura prays that whoever is able to take refuge in the Lord, the Lord's devotees and devotional service, receives the full effects of the holy name, which is a touchstone yielding all desires. At that time the name becomes the center of his existence.

Note : the goal and the means to get there is chanting Hare Krsna our first duty in the Hare Krsna movement is to alwyas chant Hare Krsna

Kindly feel free to send questiones do not feel shy or impersonal ,comments or recommendationes etc

[Paramananda das]

Sri Harinama Cintamani
(The Transcendental Touchstone Of The Holy Name)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION TO THE GLORIES OF THE HOLY NAME
All glories to Sri Gadadhara Pandit and Lord Sri Gauranga; all glories to Lord
Nityananda, the life of Srimati Jahnavadevi; all glories to Sri Advaita Acarya and
Mother Sita; all glories to Srila Srivasa Pandit and all the devotees of Lord
Caitanya.
At Nilacala, within His sacred temple near the ocean shore, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead resides in His form of wood known as Darubrahman. The
Supreme Lord Hari descended to the material world in this form of Jagannatha to
deliver the living entities from their eternal bondage. He grants material
benedictions to those who require them and final release from all material
attachments to those who are more spiritually advanced.
In this same sacred abode, the same Supreme Lord took the role of a renounced
sannyasi to give His supreme blessing to humanity. Residing in Kasi Misra s home,
He propagated the only dharma needed by the fallen souls of this age, and so
established the real meaning of religion in Kaliyuga.
There, like a desire tree yielding unlimited treasures, surrounded by His many
devotees, Lord Caitanya distributed love of Godhead (Krsnaprema) freely to all
people. Ensuring that His teachings would be correctly disseminated, He had
certain associates speak on specific subjects while He Himself gave His blissful
audsence.
Thus He relished Sri Ramananda Raya's revelation of the confidential sweetness
of the conjugal love of Sri Sri RadhaKrsna; Sri Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya's
explanation of actual liberation; Sri Rupa Goswami's intricate analysis of the
various levels of loving exchange with the Lord; and Srila Haridasa Thakura's
glorification of the supreme efficacy and excellence of the Holy Name.
One day, after bathing in the ocean, Lord Caitanya met Srila Haridasa Thakura
under the Siddha Bakula tree. Greatly pleased at seeing Srila Haridasa, the Lord
inquired from him the means by which the conditioned souls can most easily be
delivered from sin.
Srila Haridasa fell at the Lord s lotus feet and clasped them tightly. His entire
body went into rapture, and he offered humble prayers punctuated by shivering
and tears. In a choked voice Srila Haridasa said, "My Lord, Your wonderful
pastimes are unfathomable, and I am but unfortunate and illiterate. Your lotus
feet are my only resort. What is the use of asking such questions of a worthless
person like me>"
Srila Haridasa continued: "You are Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
who has appeared in Navadvipa to save all living entities. 0 my Lord Gauranga,
kindly shelter me in the shade of Your lotus feet, for only this will engladden my
heart. Your holy name is unlimited, You are the embodiment of endless
excellences, and Your exquisite beauty draws me into a shoreless ocean of joy.
Your pastimes are everexpanding; You have manifested Your name, form, qualities
and activities in this material world so even a fallen wretch like myself can relish
them. It is impossible for one with mundane vision to perceive Your
transcendental features with his limited senses, but now You are mercifully
revealing Yourself for the highest benefit of humanity; this is indeed the direct
display of the internal spiritual potency of the Lord.
"You are the spiritual sun and I am an insignificant spark of Your effulgence.
You are my Lord and master and I am Your servitor eternally. The ambrosia
emanating from Your lotus feet intoxicates all my senses. My only hope lies in the
limitless nectar of Your holy name. I am fallen what can I say of my own volition>
I am here just to execute Your orders. I shall be greatly satisfied to speak the words
You put into my mouth and I will not consider whether they are right or wrong."
Lord Krsna and His energies
Lord Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is beyond anyone's
jurisdiction, for He alone is the master (sarvesvara) of all that exists. He
completely independent, being selfwilled and selffulfilled. His unrestricted desires
are effortlessly satisfied by His inconceivable internal potency that constantly
associates with Him. This potency is a feature of His inherent nature and is
therefore never independent of Him.
[Footnote I by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura:]
He is known as the nondual Supreme Consciousness by dint of His free will
and inconceivable potency. Empirical philosophers (jnanis) attempt to rob this
nondual Divinity of His personal will and potency by postulating Him to be the
impersonal Brahman. But in fact the impersonal Brahman (Krsna's consciousness
minus will and potency) is only the effulgence of the Supreme non-dual Brahman.
Through the eightfold yoga system, yogis can perceive the nondual Supreme
Being within their hearts as the localized Supersoul or Paramatma who pervades
and witnesses all existence. But Paramatma is also just a partial appearance of
Krsna. Lord Krsna alone is the Absolute Consciousness, for only He displays
absolute potency, will and control. [End of footnote 1]
Krsna exists within all His energies and is thus not different from them.
The Vedas declare Lord Krsna to be the infinite, absolute Vibhu; His energies
are His attributes (vaibhava). His vaibhava energies are the root of all existing
phenomena: yet even in the midst of unlimited phenomena everexpanding
throughout all time, Krsna remains aloof and indivisible in His original form.
The three kinds of vaibhava
Vibhu is perceivable only by the grace of His vaibhava energies, of which there
are three kinds. They are, as revealed in the scriptures, the spiritual energy (cidvaibhava), the material energy (maya or acid-vaibhava), and the marginal energy
(jiva-vaibhava).
[Footnote 2 by Bhaktivinoda:]
Krsna s cid-vaibhava is a direct transformation of His citsakti, His personal
internal potency. The display of cidvaibhava includes His abode, known as the
Vaikunthaloka; His innumerable names like Govinda, Hari, etc.; His
transcendental forms like the threefold bending form with two hands playing the
flute; His divine qualities, so sublimely pleasurable to His devotees; His
superexcellent pastimes like the rasa dance in Vrindavana and its corresponding
appearance in Navadvipa as the the congregational chanting of the holy names.
These spiritual opulences are countless.
Another feature of the citsakti is the sandhini potency by which all things exist
and are held together as an interrelated whole, including the relationships of the
jivas to the Lord.
Similarly, the citsakti manifests the samvit potency, which reveals knowledge of
Krsna, His energies, and one's own identity.
The citsakti also generates the hladini potency, which gives rise to the ecstatic
bliss of spiritual relationships, spiritual emotions and their combination in the
sweet exchanges of rasa or the mellows of divine love. All of these transformations
of the citsakti or Yogamaya (i.e. cidvaibhava and the sandhini, samvit and hladini
saktis) are beyond material place, time and qualities, being eternally pure and full
of bliss. [End of footnote 2]
The citsakti is known as Visnupada
The citsakti is never affected by the inferior acitsakti. Even when it descends to
this material world, citsakti remains untouched by the inebrieties of matter.
Forever spiritual, embodying the absolute nature of the Supreme Godhead, the
spiritual potency is glorified in the Vedic hymns as being equal to the Lord
Himself; thus it is known as Visnupada (intimately connected with Visnu). There
is no tinge of material influence in Lord Krsna's energies: they are transcendental
and exist in pure goodness (suddha-sattva).
[Footnote 3 by Bhaktivinoda]
Sattva, or goodness, is of two kinds: suddha sattva and misra-sattva (mixed
goodness). Everything in the category of cid-vaibhava is suddha-sattva, or pure
goodness. All sattva in the material nature is mixed, or misra-sattva.
Suddha-sattva is devoid of passion and ignorance. Birth indicates the mode of
passion in action. The eternally existent spiritual essence, suddha-sattva, has
never been touched by birth, which is a manifestation of passion, nor by
annihilation, which occurs in the mode of ignorance.
As the Supreme Lord s separated parts and parcels, the jivas (the living entities,
who are individual spirit souls) are originally suddha-sattva, but due to their
contact with nescience they have come under the sway of the material modes of
passion and ignorance, and hence are now in the mixed or misra-sattva category.
Even demigods like Siva, though far superior in many ways to the ordinary jivas,
are nevertheless captivated by the material glare due to false identification, and so
fall in this category of misra-sattva.
The Supreme Lord is always in pure goodness. He descends to this material
world by His inconceivable spiritual potency and is always the controller of the
material nature, maya, who is ever-ready to act as His maidservant. [End of
footnote 3]
Visnutattva
All the plenary expansions of the Lord such as Govinda, Vaikunthanatha,
MahaVisnu, Garbhodakasayi Visnu and Ksirodaksayi Visnu are in the category of
absolute goodness, supreme and divine, and are known as Visnutattva.
The Visnu-tattva forms may reside in any place, either the spiritual abodes of
Goloka, Vaikuntha, the Causal ocean, or in this material universe, yet They are
always the master of maya and the supreme controller of every other living entity
great or small. Their remaining unaffected by the influence of the illusory potency
is evidence of their inconceivable spiritual position.
Brahma, Siva and the other demigods are misra-sattva, being influenced by
maya. The Visnutattva forms, Their abobes, Their pastimes, and all else in the
spiritual sky exist in pure goodness.
Maya-tattva
A river called Viraja separates the material universe from the spiritual abode.
Everything in the fourteen material planetary systems is acit-vaibhava or the
temporary manifestation of matter. This place has been described in the scriptures
as Devi "dhama (the abode of Durgadevi), who is the presiding deity of maya.
The material universe, including the physical bodies of the living entities, is
made up of the five gross elements of earth, water, fire, air and either. Mind,
intelligence and false ego are subtle material elements that comprise the psychic
bodies of the living entities. The psychic bodies arise from desire. Yet the soul is
always purely spiritual and distinct from his subtle body; he is by nature suddhasattva, as are his original mind, intelligence and ego.
The seven higher planetary systems Bhur, Bhuvar, Svarga, Mahar, Jana, Tapa,
and Satya or Brahma and the seven lower planetary systems such as Atala, Sutala
and so on are all manifestations of maya (the illusory potency). Cid-vaibhava is
the complete whole, and maya is its shadow.
Jivavaibhava consists of both liberated and conditioned souls
The jivas are originally completely spiritual, infinitesimal and endowed with a
limited degree of independence. The jivas are countless in number and are in
urgent need of spiritual bliss for the attainment of their perfection. In seeking that
bliss, those who surrender their lives to Lord Krsna are liberated from birth and
death and reside eternally in the Lord s company as His confidential associates.
On the other hand, the jiva-souls who desire self-importance and selfish
pleasure become attracted by maya, who awaits them on the other side of the River
Viraja. She entices them away from Lord Krsna s service and lures them into the
trap of the Devi-dhama, where they are chained to bodies manufactured by
material nature. Bound by the reactions of their misdeeds, they wander from birth
to birth in gross and subtle forms. Sometimes they are elevated to the heavenly
planets and afterwards go to hell. In this way they travel through all the eight
million four hundred thousand species of life, suffering the pains of material
existence.
Lord Krsna is always merciful to the jivas
The Lord is the Supreme Personality, and the jiva is His tiny part and parcel.
Krsna is always concerned for the well-being of His jivaexpansions. In whatever
situation the jiva may find himself, Lord Krsna is always prepared to grant the jiva
his heart s desire, like a well-wisher who never forsakes his friend.
Krsna's relationship with the jiva is eternal: He uses the jiva as an instrument
through whom and to whom He manifests His energies and opulences. The Lord
is the controller, the jiva the controlled; the Lord is independent, the jiva
dependent; the Lord is master, the jiva the beneficiary of the results of his service
to the master. Pious acts are material and fruitive
The soul greedy for material sense pleasure finds even this easily available by
the kindness of the master. The means to attain such gratification is the
performance of auspicious activities (subhakarma) recommended in the Vedas.
These are: following the duties of the varnasrama system; performing sacrifices
such as the fire sacrifice (agnistoma); executing the eight-fold yoga process;
offering havana or oblations; keeping vows on full-moon days; giving in charity on
auspicious days and other occasions conducive to material benefit.
Although subhakarma is performed with Lord Visnu as the presiding Deity, the
performer lacks spiritual intentions. He unfortunately takes complete shelter of
material considerations of object, time and place and cannot even intuit his dearth
of Krsna consciousness because such ritualistic considerations thwart the mood of
spiritual selfexamination and inquiry.
The results of subhakarma are material, for they merely inflame lust for more
enjoyment in higher planets. Such sacrifices and their results can never satisfy the
soul, the real self, because their cause is illusion. These socalled auspicious
activities only avail the jiva temporary heavenly pleasures diametrically opposed to
transcendental bliss.
The means of deliverance from material piety
If a person is fortunate enough to get the association of a saintly devotee and
learns that he, the jiva, is an eternal servant of Lord Krsna, then he easily
surmounts the great obstacle of material nature. This is very rare, being the result
of a vast accumulation of piety that can never be acquired by the performance of
subhakarma, which gives only insignificant results.
Empirical philosophy (jnanakanda) elevates one to the brahmajyoti
The dry empirical philosophers are more advanced than the karmis, for they
understand the material existence to be a condition of suffering and so strive for
liberation. The Lord is kind to them also: He has given them the jnana-kanda
section of the Vedas so they can pursue impersonal knowledge of the Absolute.
Their final goal is absorption into the brahmajyoti. The brahmajyoti is Krsna s
blinding spiritual effulgence and is situated on the bank of the Viraja. All the
demons the Supreme Lord kills also merge into Brahman, just beyond the
periphery of maya. Both the empiricists and fruitive workers are nondevotees,
disinclined to serve Lord Krsna. They can never relish the sweetness of Lord
Krsna's service.
Piety leading to devotional service
Sukriti, or pious activity, is of three varieties: karmonmukhi or piety derived
from subhakarma, jnanonmukhi or piety derived from the cultivation of
knowledge, and bhakty-unmukhi or piety derived from devotional activities. The
first two lead, respectively, to enjoyment of the fruits of action and to liberation.
The last leads to an appreciation for saintly association. Bhaktyunmukhi is
achieved by performing devotional service to the Lord unknowingly, without
spiritual knowledge.
Bhakty-unmukhi is the most important kind of sukriti, for it impels the jiva to
meet a pure, saintly devotee. By associating with a devotee of Krsna, the jiva s faith
becomes firm. Gradually he develops a taste for chanting the holy name, becomes
compassionate towards all beings, and is then firmly fixed in Krsna consciousness.
Compassionately, the Lord guides the karmi and jnani to the unknowing
performance of devotional service
The Lord is an ocean of magnanimity, and the supreme controller of everyone.
He is always keen to serve the conditioned souls, including the karmis and
jnanis. Thinking of their welfare, He provides them the opportunity for indirect
devotional service.
The karmi who follows varnasramadharma associates with saintly persons and
executes his duties for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord Hari. Such activities
cleanse his heart and gradually destroy the desire for more fruitive work. In its
place the seed of sraddha, or pure faith, is sown within his heart.
The jnani who sincerely seeks transcendental wisdom humbly enters the
company of pure devotees and invokes their inherent compassion towards him.
By their grace, he easily develops firm faith in the direct process of pure devotional
service. In this way, by the jnani s indirect devotion to knowledge, he gets the
shelter of the pure devotees.
The Lord says, 'My servant, the jiva, may succumb to the treachery of My
illusory potency, but I keep his best interests in My heart. By degrees I inspire him
to develop an aversion to sense enjoyment and liberation, and then grant him
attraction to devotional service unto Me. I lead the jiva in his pursuit to fulfill his
material desires by engaging him in the indirect devotional processes of karma and
jnana, and in this way I strengthen his faith and love for Me.
Lord Krsna is most compassionate. The indirect devotional paths are but a hint
of His causeless mercy. Without His loving intervention, how could the jiva ever
become purified>
The indirect processes have deteriorated badly in Kaliyuga
The Satya-yuga sages who took up the process of meditation were personally
purified by Krsna and given the treasure of devotional service. In the Treta-yuga,
the same spiritual success crowned those who flawlessly performed opulent
sacrifices to satisfy the Lord. In the Dvapara-yuga, He granted devotion to those
who adhered to the path of perfect Deity worship. With the advent of Kali-yuga,
Lord Krsna saw the dreadful condition of the jivas and relinquished all hope in the
processes of karma, jnana and yoga.
People in the Kali-yuga are short-lived, always harassed by disease, and are
born with a weak body and mind. The observance of varnasramadharma and the
cultivation of sankhya philosophy, yoga, and empiricism will not yield the
strength humanity needs to redeem itself.
[Footnote 0 by Bhaktivinoda]
In Kaliyuga, the indirect devotional paths of jnana and karma are extremely
narrow and hazardous. They are intended to lead one to the shrine of devotional
service through either the association of saintly persons during philosophical
discussions, or by the ritualistic offering to the Supreme Lord of the results of
work performed without desire. In Kali-yuga both paths have become
contaminated. Genuine saintly persons, now rarely seen, have been displaced by
crass, commercial pseudospiritualists. Religious duties are no longer performed
for purifying the consciousness but for enjoyment of the material results of the
rituals. Therefore these secondary paths are no longer beneficial. Even the
process of Deity worship that gave the highest spiritual success in Dvaparayuga has
become impure and degraded. [End of footnote 0]
The prime process — chanting the holy name
The Lord, considering the jivas welfare, descended in Kali-yuga along with His
holy name to propagate the yugadharma (the religion of the age). By taking up the
yugadharma the jiva attains love of Krsna: he has only to remember the Supreme
Lord's name (namasmarana or japa) and chant the Lord's name congregationally
(namasankirtan).
The holy name is both the means and the end
The only method or means (sadhana) in this age is the holy name of the Lord.
The only goal (sadhya) to be attained in this age is Krsnaprema. Even in the stage
of perfection, the name is not given up but is chanted all the more, for it is
intrinsic to the activities of prema. Indeed, the name is not different from the
Lord: it is the very embodiment of prema. If the means is the end, then the end
and the means never contradict one another. If process is identical to the
objective, then it is easy for the jivas to attain the desired goal of life, Krsnaprema.
By the mercy of His holy name, Krsna easily delivers the jivas in the age of Kali.
[Footnote 5 by Bhaktivinoda]
In karma and jnana, the sadhana and sadhya are in conflict. The only real goal
or sadhya of the Vedas is to attain the mercy of the Lord. As one approaches the
goal via the paths of karma and jnana, they vanish, being impermanent. But
namasadhya already exists in nama-sadhana, for the Lord is forever identical to His
holy name. This truth is known only by great good fortune. [End of footnote 5]
Srila Haridasa, the incarnation of Lord Brahma, fell at the Lord s lotus feet with
tears cascading from his eyes. His body heaving with sighs, Haridasa declared, "I
am extremely fallen and am much engrossed in material life. Being the rascal I am,
I never chanted Your holy name."
Only those persons who appreciate Lord Hari, His devotees, and devotional
service can take this Harinama Cintamani to heart.