We have already learnt that Sri Bhagavân’s name is eternal, conscious and blissful just like Sri Bhagavân. From this point of view all His names are equal. Yet if we analyze the glory of the Holy Name we can understand the glory of Sri Krishna-nâm. Since the Holy Name is non-different from Sri Bhagavân, the glory of the names is in proportion to the greatness of the divine manifestations. Therefore since Sri Krishna is Swayam Bhagavân, His name too is special – naturally. Chanting Sri Vishnu’s name is more glorious than taking the names of devatâs, while a single name of Lord Râmchandra is equal to a thousand names of Sri Vishnu. Sriman-Mahâdev told the same to the Mother Goddess –
“râmo râmeti râmeti rame râme manorame,
sahasra-nâmbhistulyam râmanâma varânane.”
Sri Râmchandra is superior to Matsya, Kurma and other incarnations – this we learn from the scriptures. Therefore Padma Purân says that the name ‘Râm’ is more glorious than the names of other incarnations. Shata-nâm Stotra also corroborates this fact –
“A single name of Sri Vishnu can yield more result than reciting all the Vedas. Yet one thousand names of Sri Vishnu is equal to a single name of Lord Râm.”
Brahmânda Purân says –
“We get the same result by uttering Sri Krishna’s name once as chanting three times the one thousand names of Lord Vishnu.”
This shows that if we chant Sri Krishna’s name once it is equal to saying the name of Lord Râm thrice. Sri Chaitanya-Charitâmrita says –
“The name of Sri Râmchandra grants liberation – hence it is ‘târak’ (the liberator), however the name of Sri Krishna gives prem, therefore it is ‘pârak’ (the One Who gives love).” – (C.C.antya.3.244)
Thus from the scriptures and preceptors tell us that the name of Sri Krishna is the most glorious of all divine names. Sri Krishna himself has declared –
“nâmnâm mukhyatamam nâma krishnâkhyam me parantapa”
Meaning – “Dear Arjun, ‘Krishna’ is the greatest of all my names.”
Also from the point of view relish, Sri Krishna’s name is incomparable. We see in Prabhâs-Khanda –
“O Shounak, Sri Krishna’s name is sweeter than sweet, is the goodness amongst all that is good, the most delicious fruit of the Vedas that are like a wish-fulfilling creeper and it is transcendental – if anyone says this name even once – be it out of respect or disrespect – it redeems that man.”
Srila Rupa Goswâmipâd has written a very sweet verse in his drama Vidagdha-Mâdhav –
“They dance on my tongue and arouse the desire to possess innumerable tongues! They slightly brush against my ears and make me crave for millions of ears! They enter my heart, overpower it, make it their play tool and stupefy all my senses! Ohh! I do not know what immense nectar these two syllables – ‘Kri’ and ‘shna’ possess!!”
Pada-kartâ1 Srila Jadunandan Thâkur has rendered an extraordinarily superb translation of this verse –
“As soon as I utter Krishna-nâm, my tongue dances incessantly and immensely increases my longing; the Holy Name is so sweet that I cannot control my heart and I desire innumerable tongues! Oh! How can I express the sweetness of the Holy Name?
Who has made these two syllables “Kri’ and ‘shna’ and with which nectar? They are so sweet that they enhance so much bliss in the ears which start sprouting and I crave for millions of ears so that I may relish the Holy Name to my heart’s content!
When I see the two syllables ‘Kri’ and ‘shna’ my scorched eyes are soothed and they long to see Krishna in person. Oh! Only if I could have countless eyes then I could behold Krishna’s beauty for His Name is non-different from His body.
When the Holy Name enters the heart, I want to spread wings, all my senses dance in delight – the Holy Name maddens me with prem!
When the Holy Name enters an ear, it forsakes all other activities and the Holy Name arouses all the bhâvs. Sri Krishna-nâm is the repository of all sweetness and is the casket of entire ras – thus says Jadunandan dâs.”
Sriman-Mahâprabhu has said –
“ânandâmbudhi-vardhanam pratipadam purnâmritâswâdanam,
sarvâtma-snapanam param vijayate srikrishna-sankirtanam.”
Meaning – “It enhances the ocean of bliss, each moment gives the relish of complete nectar, supremely delights the whole self2 – That Sri Krishna-nâm-sankirtan is reigning supreme.” – (Shikshâshtakam)
Srila Sanâtan Goswâmipâd has written –
“When the nectarine ras of Sri Krishna-nâm arises in a single organ – that is – the tongue – it over floods all other senses in its own sweet ras.”
Sriman-Mahâprabhu has advised all humankind in Kaliyug to chant the Mahâmantra composed of 32 syllables, for it is the only way to get deliverance. Sri Chaitanya-Bhâgabat says –
“âpone sobâre prabhu kore upadeshe,
krishna-nâm mahâmantra shunoho harishe.
‘hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare,
hare râma hare râma râma râma hare hare.’
prabhu kohe kohilâm ei mahâmantra,
ihâ jopo giyâ shobe koriâ nirbandha.
ihâ hoite sarba-siddhi hoibe shobâr,
sarbakkhan bolo ithe bidhi nâhi âr.”
Meaning – “The Lord Himself advised everyone – Listen joyously Sri Krishna-nâm – the Mahâmantra. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Râma Hare Râma Râma Râma Hare Hare. The Lord said – I have told you this Mahâmantra; now go home and chant it with determination. By chanting this mantra you will accomplish everything, keep on chanting it all the time – there is no other rule.”
In this poyâr, ‘ihâ jopo giyâ shobe koriâ nirbandha3‘ indicates that the Lord instructed us to chant the Mahamantra by keeping a count (certain number of rounds). On the other hand ‘sarbakkhan bolo ithe bidhi nâhi âr4‘ means He told us to chant it loudly without keeping count.
Sriman-Mahâprabhu instruction shows that we can chant the Mahâmantra of 32 syllables silently (as jap) and also pronounce it loudly as in ‘kirtan‘. Some say – “You cannot chant a mantra loudly. It is outside the scriptural law. Since the ‘hare-krishneti’–nâm is Mahâmantra, we should only do jap by keeping count; we cannot sing it loudly.” In this context we would like to state that – only when it contains a ‘beej‘ (seed-word) and words such as ‘swâhâ‘ and when it contains the Chaturthi-Vibhakti (the 4th case or the dative case) we can call it a ‘mantra’. The Hare Krishna Mahâmantra is an address (calling out to someone) and does not contain any of these. Hence any intelligent person should not doubt that we can chant it as ‘jap’ and also say it loudly. Especially when we get proof for such activity in the scriptures, Mahâjan-statements and more so from the instruction and conduct of Sriman-Mahâprabhu Who is none other than Swayam Bhagavân (God Himself).
We are mentioning here in brief. Sri Padma Purân states –
“harer-nâma-mahâmantrair-nashyet papa-pishâchakam,
harer-agre-swanair-uchchair-nrityam stan-nâm-krin-narah,
punâti bhuvanam vipra ! gangâdi salilam yathâ,
hare pradakshinam kurvann-uchchais-tan-nâma-krin-narah,
karatâlâdi sandhânam suswaram kala-shabditam.”
Meaning – “If anyone dances in front of Sri Hari, chanting the Harinâm Mahâmantra loudly, his sins that are like ghosts are destroyed. Just as the holy waters such as the Gangâ purify the world, similarly those who loudly sing the Mahâmantra in a sweet voice with the accompaniment of cymbals – and circumambulate Sri Hari – they purify the world.”
Those who say that although we may chant the Mahâmantra loudly, it is compulsory to keep a count and that there is no evidence of chanting the Mahâmantra without keeping a count – they should read this verse from Sri Padma Purân. Then they will easily understand that when we do kirtan while dancing along with playing the kartâls (cymbals), we cannot possibly keep count; so the countless chanting of the Mahâmantra is also corroborated.
Srila Kabi Karnapur has described Sriman-Mahâprabhu’s renunciation-ceremony in his great drama Sri Chaitanya-Charit Mahâkâvya in the following manner.
atah sri gourângah samavadadateeva-pramudito,
hare krishnetiuchchyairvada muhuriti shrimayatanuh,
tato’soutat prochya prativalitaromâncha-lalito
rudanstattat karmârabhata bahu-duhkhair-vidalitah.”
Meaning – “When Lord Gourânga was taking sanyâs, the barber was extremely sad; he held on to the shaving blade and simply could not bring himself to shave off the Lord’s long and thick curls. Then Lord Gourânga told him to repeat the Hare Krishna Mahâmantra loudly. The barber obeyed Him. He loudly cried out the Hare Krishna Mahâmantra and weeping all the while, he shaved the Lord’s head. While doing so, he displayed gooseflesh – a sign of ecstasy.”
Certainly this is chanting Mahâmantra without keeping count, since how could the barber keep count while shaving? The question does not arise at all. Not only have Sriman-Mahâprabhu instructed us to chant the Mahâmantra without keeping count, He has done it Himself. Srila Lochan dâs Thâkur has stated in his text Sri Chaitanya-Mangal –
“hare krishna nâm seho bole nirantar”.
Here ‘bole’ means ‘tells’ and ‘nirantar‘ means ‘constantly’. It clearly indicates that the Lord chanted the Mahâmantra loudly and constantly, which naturally shows ‘without keeping count’. Sri Vrindâvan dâs Thâkur, who is the incarnation of Vyasdev too says –
“prasanna sri-mukhe ‘hare krishna krishna’ boli,
bijoy hoilâ gourchandra kutuhali.
‘hare krishna hare krishna’ boli prem-sukhe,
pratyaksha hoilâ âshi adwaita sammukhe.”
Meaning – “Lord Gourachandra strode in eagerly with a beaming face, chanting ‘Hare Krishna Krishna’. He said ‘Hare Krishna Hare Krishna’ in blissful love and appeared before Lord Advaita.”
Sriman-Mahâprabhu instructed countless chanting of Mahâmantra and did it Himself too; however He also instructed us to chant the Mahâmantra by keeping count as well.
Srila Rupa Goswâmipâd has stated –
“hare krishnetyuchchaih sphuritarasano nâma-gananâkrita-granthi-shrenih subhaga-kati-sutrojjwalakarah”.
Srila Raghunâth dâs Goswâmi has written –
“nijatve goudiyân jagati parigrihya prabhurimân hare krishnety-evam keeping count. Thus we have proved beyond doubt that we can chant the Mahâmantra gananâvidhinâ kirtayata bhoh”
Both these statements prove that Sriman-Mahâprabhu chanted the Mahâmantra mentally as well as loudly, and by keeping count and not keeping count.
Srila Sârvabhouma Bhattachârya Mahâshay has written in Sri Chaitanya-Shatak –
“vishanna-chittân kalipâpa-bheetan
samvikshya gouro harinâma-mantram
swayam dadou bhakta-janân samâdishat
kurushva sankirtanam nritya-vâdyaih.”
Meaning – “When Sri Chaitanya Mahâprabhu saw the people getting afraid of the sinful Kaliyug and depressed, He gave them the Harinâm-mantra and had issued an absolute absolute absolute absolute command to chant in congregation this Mahâmantra with dancing and music.”
‘samâdishat’ indicates that Sriman-Mahâprabhu had ascended with the firm determination to immerse humankind in the ras of eternal love and that was possible only through loud congregational chanting of the Mahâmantra. ‘Jap’ redeems a single soul, whereas loud kirtan delivers the animate and inanimate objects, since they too hear it. Srimat Jiva Goswâmipâd has written –
“nâma-kirtananchedam-uchchaireva prashastam.”
Meaning – “The loud chanting of the Holy Name is more in vogue.”
Along with the above statement Srimat Jiva Goswâmipâd has also cited the reason for this –
“Those who chant the Holy Name loudly deliver not only themselves, but others also. They cause welfare to every living being. In Sri Nrisimha Purân, Prahlâd Mahâshay has glorified Lord Nrisimha in the following manner – ‘O my Lord, the great devotees who loudly chant You the Holy Name with extreme joy – they are the selfless friends of all living beings’.” – (B.S.269)
Nâmâchârya Srila Haridâs Thâkur has vociferously praised loud chanting of the Mahâmantra with his holy lips –
“jopile se krishna-nâm âponi se tore,
uchcha sankirtane para-upakâr kore.
ataeb uchcha kori kirtan korile,
shatagun phal hoy sarba-shâstra bole.
jihbâ pâiâo nara bine sarba prâni,
na pare bolite krishna nâm heno dhwani.
byartho janma ihârâ nistâr jâhâ hoite,
bolo dekhi kon dosh se karma korite.
keho âponâre mâtra koroye poshan,
keho bâ poshan kore sahasreko jon.
duite ke boro, bhâbi bujhoho âpone,
ei abhiprây gun uchcha sankirtane.”
Meaning – “When we chant Sri Krishna-nâm silently we only deliver ourselves, however when we chant loudly, we are helping others too. Therefore all the scriptures hail loud sankirtan and say that it is hundred times more fruitful than silent chanting (jap). All living beings, with the exception of man, cannot utter Sri Krishna-nâm, even though they may have tongues. In that case, their birth is useless, since the only way to deliver ourselves is to chant Sri Krishna-nâm. Tell me then, what is the problem if we do this? Someone feeds only himself, while another person feeds one thousand – decide and tell me who is greater of the two? That is why loud sankirtan is more praiseworthy than silent jap.”
– (Sri Chaitanya-Bhâgabat)
Sriman-Mahâprabhu drowned the universe in prem-ras merely by the loud chanting of the Hare Krishna-Mahâmantra. His confidential associate Srila Rupa Goswâmipâd has written –
“sri-chaitanya-mukhodgirnâ hare-krishneti-varnakâh,
majjayanto jagat premni vijayantâm tad-âhvayâh.”
Meaning – “The countless chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahâmantra that has 32 syllables and has sprung from Sri Chaitanya Mahâprabhu’s holy lips are submerging the entire universe in the ocean of prem – all victory to such Mahâmantra!” – (Lagu-Bhâgavatâmritam)
Sripâd Baladev Vidyâbushan has explained ‘tad-âhvayâh’ (in this verse) as ‘krishna-namâni’ – meaning – all the sixteen names belong to Sri Krishna. This name alone can deliver any man and is so powerful that it can immerse anybody in prem-ras.
1 A Vaishnava rhymester
2 “This includes all senses, mind, intellect and even the soul” – the author
3 now go home and chant it with determination
4 keep on chanting it all the time – there is no other rule