taking shelter of Sri Nama Prabhu

[Paramananda das]

Taking shelter of Sri Nama Prabhu

Srila Prabhupada at the first initiationes asked for 64 rounds and some neophyte rascals said no Srila Prabhupada we can not chant 64 rounds and they brought it down to 16 ,however if we read Harinama Cintamani by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and all his other books ,we clearly see his full absorbtion in chanting when Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura was magistrate in Puri he chanted 64 rounds daily but when he retired to Navadvipa he tooks Srila Jagannath das Babaji as his siksa Guru and he started to chant 128 rounds that is what Srila Jagannath das Babaji advised everyone to chant, but he said if you can not complete 200.000 holy names, some chant 120 rounds and some 128 rounds to fullfill this vow.The 10 offences will gradually start to go away fully when we chant 64 rounds and more, and then we will be able to dive into the ocean of Bhakti, there is no other way, everyone wants some other cheap way but Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada writes in his commentary to Caitanya Bhagavata that is cheating

We need to read this often and daily :

In Shri Chaitanya-bhagavata, Antya Khanda 9.121-122, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu instructed everyone on whose worship and service He will accept:

(121) prabhu bale,-"jana, 'lakshesvara' bali kare?
prati-dina laksha-nama ye grahana kare"

"Do you know who is a laksesvara? He is someone who chants one laksa or 100,000 holy names (64 rounds of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra) everyday."

Purport by Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada:

shri gaurasundera balibena-"jini pratidina laksha-nama grahana karibena, tanharai grihe bhagavan sevita hana.

Shri Gaurasundera spoke as follows-"The Supreme Personality of Godhead accepts service only in the home of those who chant one hundred thousand names daily.

"bhagavan tanharai nikate bhoga-dravyadi grahana karena.

"The Lord accepts bhoga (foodstuffs) and other ingredients only from such personalities.

"jini laksha-nama grahana karena na, tahara nikate haite bhagavan naivedya svikara-dvara seva-saubhagya pradana karena na.

"Those who don't chant 100,000 names (64 rounds) daily, are never awarded the great fortune of rendering service to the Lord by offering Him naivedya (bhoga). This is because the Lord never accepts (svikara) their offerings.

Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada:

"bhagavad-bhakta matrei pratyaha laksha-nama grahana karibena natuva vividha visaye asakta haiya bhagavad-seva karite asamartha haibena."

The Lord continued-"Those who consider themselves devotees of the Lord must compulsorily chant 100,000 names of Krishna everyday otherwise they will gradually but surely become attached to varieties of sense-objects and thus become incapable to rendering any kind of service to the Lord."

Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada:

tajjanyai shri chaitanyadevera ashrita sakalai nyuna kalpe laksha-nama grahana kariya thakena. natuva gaurasunderera udeshya pradatta naivedya tini grahana karibena na.

(Shrila Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada continues) "Therefore all the devotees who have taken shelter of Lord Chaitanyadeva perform the chanting of a minimum of 100,000 names of Krishna daily as their first and primary duty. Because they know that if they don't do so then Lord Gaurasundera will never accept the very bhoga (naivedya) which they cook for Him daily.

122) "se janera nama ami bali 'lakshesvara'

tatha bhiksha amara, na yai anya ghara."

"Lord Gauranga continued-I call such a person a laksheshvara. I only accept meals in such a person's house. I never go anywhere else."

Purport by Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada:

shri chaitanya bhaktagana abhaktera sahita sambhashana karena na. jini bhaktivyatita karma, jnana o anyabhilashara kathaya pradatta tahara sahita bandhutva karibe na.

"The devotees of Lord Shri Chaitanya never talk with such non-devotees. They never do friendship with those who are engaged in the cultivation of karma, jnana or other desires which are devoid of bhakti.

pratyah laksha-nama grahana na karile patita vyaktiganera visaya-bhoga pravritti vriddhi paya, takhana ara tahara shri gaurasunderarera seva karite pare na.

"Those who don't accept this vow of chanting 100,000 names daily, fall down even more although they were fallen in the first place (due to the contamination of Kali-yuga). Thus their propensity for enjoying the senses and sense-objects continually and steadily increases and ultimately they are not able to render any kind of service even to the most merciful Lord Gaurasundera.

lakshesvara vyatita gaura-bhaktira adarsa gaudiyajana kehai svikara karena na.

"This is the precise reason why the real Gaudiya-bhaktas do not accept any other ideal (adarsa) in Gaura-bhakti or Krishna-bhakti except the process of chanting 100,000 names of the maha-mantra daily.

Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada:

adhapatita va adhapete gana eka-matra bhajana-sabda-vacya shri-nama-bhajane vimukhata-vasata laksha-nama grahana karibara parivarte anya bhajanera chalana korena, taddvara tahadera kona mangala haya na.

"Those spiritual aspirants who are already fallen or will fall down from spiritual life in the future are averse to this sole means of deliverance called nama-bhajana, which is the worship of the sound incarnation of God in the form of chanting 100,000 names of the the Holy Names daily. Coming under the sway of their averseness to chant laksha-nama daily, they duplicitously invent (chalana) other means of devotional service (bhajana) to justify their not chanting 100,000 names daily but it is to be clearly understood that by this action they will not achieve anything auspicious (mangala) in their spiritual life."

How can we attain this stage as described by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura without chanting at least 64 rounds daily .Lokanath Swami asked Srila Prabhupada if devotees could chant more thant 16 rounds and Srila Prabhupada said why are you forbidden devotees to do so ? This is wanted we want everyone to constantly chant Hare Krsna 24 hours a day ,please read these words of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura carefully if Krsna is not taking us by the hand and taking us to Vraja while we chant Hare Krsna it means we are not chanting enough , and in some cases maybe also maintaining some of the 10 offences to Sri Nama Prabhu , the only way to counteract all offences to Sri Nama Prabhu is constant chanting this is confirmed in Padma Purana, Srila Narottama das Thakura has advised as recorded in Prema Vilasa :

prathamei krshna-pada prapti laksha jara;
se laiba laksha-nama sankhya apanara.

"Those whose top priority in this life is to achieve the lotus feet of Lord Gauranga-Krishna should voluntarily chant 100,000 Holy Names of daily."

(1)

krsna-nama dhare koto bal

visaya-vasananale, mora citta sada jwale,

ravi-tapta maru-bhumi-sam

karna-randhra-patha diya, hrdi majhe pravesiya,

varisoya sudha anupam

(2)

hrdoya hoite bole, jihvara agrete cale,

sabda-rupe nace anuksan

kanthe mora bhańge swara, ańga kańpe thara thara,

sthira hoite na pare caran

(3)

cakse dhara, dehe gharma, pulakita saba carma,

vivarna hoilo kalevara

murchita hoilo man, pralayera agaman,

bhave sarva-deha jara jara

(4)

kori’ eto upadrava, citte varse sudha-drava,

more dare premera sagare

kichu na bujhite dilo, more to’ batula koilo,

mora citta-vitta saba hare

(5)

loinu asroya ja’r, heno vyavahara ta’r,

varnite na pari e sakal

krsna-nama iccha-moy, jahe jahe sukhi hoy,

sei mora sukhera sambal

(6)

premera kalika nam, adbhuta rasera dham,

heno bala karaye prakas

isat vikasi’ punah, dekhay nija-rupa-guna,

citta hari’ loya krsna-pas

(7)

purna vikasita hoiya, braje more jaya loiya,

dekhay more swarupa-vilas

more siddha-deha diya, krsna-pase rakhe giya,

e dehera kore sarva-nas

(8)

krsna-nama-cintamani, akhila rasera khani,

nitya-mukta suddha-rasa-moy

namera balai jata, saba lo’ye hoi hata,

tabe mora sukhera udoy

(1) How much power does the name of Krsna possess? My heart constantly burns in the fire of worldly desires, like a desert scorched by the sun. The holy name, entering within my heart through the holes of my ears, showers unparalleled nectar upon my soul.

(2) The holy name speaks from within my heart, moves on the tip of my tongue, and constantly dances on it in the form of transcendental sound.

My throat becomes choked up, my body violently trembles, and my feet move uncontrollably.

(3) Rivers of tears flow from my eyes. Perspiration pours from my body. My body thrills with rapture, causing my hair to stand on end and my skin to turn pale and discolored. My mind grows faint, and I begin to experience devastation. My entire body is shattered in a flood of ecstasies.

(4) While causing such an ecstatic disturbance, the holy name showers liquid nectar on my heart and drowns me in the ocean of divine love of Godhead. He does not allow me to understand anything; For He has made me truly mad and has stolen away my heart and all my wealth.

(5) Such is the behavior of Him who is now my only shelter. I am not capable of describing all this. The holy name of Krsna is independent and thus acts at His own sweet will. In Whatever way He becomes happy, that is also my way of happiness.

(6) The holy name is the bud of the flower of divine love, the abode of devotion’s wonderful mellows. Such is the power that He manifests, that although He displays His power only slightly, He reveals His own divine form and qualities, steals my heart and takes it to Krsna.

(7) Being fully manifest, the holy name of takes me to Vraja and reveals to me His own love dalliance. He gives to me my own divine, eternal body, keeps me near Krsna and completely destroys this mortal frame of mine.

(8) The name of Krsna is touchstone, a mine of all devotional mellows, eternally liberated, and the embodiment of pure rasa. When all impediments to the pure chanting of the holy name are taken away and destroyed, then my happiness will know its true awakening