Haridasa Thakur on Holy Name
TEXT 49
eka-dina prabhu haridasere milila
tanha lana gosthi kari' tanhare puchila
TRANSLATION
One day Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu met Haridasa Thakura as usual, and in the course of discussion He inquired as follows.
TEXT 50
"haridasa, kali-kale yavana apara
go-brahmane himsa kare maha duracara
TRANSLATION
"My dear Thakura Haridasa, in this age of Kali most people are bereft of Vedic culture, and therefore they are called yavanas. They are concerned only with killing cows and brahminical culture. In this way they all engage in sinful acts.
PURPORT
From this statement by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu we can clearly understand that the word yavana does not refer only to a particular class of men. Anyone who is against the behavior of the Vedic principles is called a yavana. Such a yavana may be in india or outside of India. As described here, the symptom of yavanas is that they are violent killers of cows and brahminical culture. We offer our prayers to the Lord by saying, namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana-hitaya ca. The Lord is the maintainer of brahminical culture. His first concern is to see to the benefit of cows and brahmanas. As soon as human civilization turns against brahminical culture and allows unrestricted killing of cows, we should understand that men are no longer under the control of the Vedic culture but are all yavanas and mlec- chas. It is said that the Krsna consciousness movement will be prominent within the next ten thousand years, but after that people will all become mlecchas and yavanas. Thus at the end of the yuga, Krsna will appear as the Kalki avatara and kill them without consideration.
TEXT 51
iha-sabara kon mate ha-ibe nistara?
tahara hetu na dekhiye,--e duhkha apara"
TRANSLATION
"How will these yavanas be delivered? To My great unhappiness, I do not see any way."
PURPORT
This verse reveals the significance of Lord Sri Caitanya's appearance as patita- pavana, the deliverer of all the fallen souls. Srila Narottama dasa Thakura sings, patita-pavana-hetu tava avatara: "O my Lord, You have aopeared just to deliver all the fallen souls." mo-sama patita prabhu na paibe ara: "And among all the fallen souls, I am the lowest." How Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu was always thinking about the deliverance of the fallen souls is shown by the statement e duhkha apara ("It is My great unhappiness"). This statement indicates that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is the Supreme personality of Godhead Krsna Himself, is always very unhappy to see the fallen souls in the material world. Therefore He Himself comes as He is, or He comes as a devotee in the form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, to deliver love of Krsna directly to the fallen souls. Namo maha-vadanyaya krsna- prema-pradaya te. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is so merciful that He not only gives knowledge of Krsna but by His practical activities teaches everyone how to love Krsna (krsna-prema-pradaya te).
Those who are following in the footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu should take the Lord's mission most seriously. In this age of Kali, people are gradually becoming less than animals. Nevertheless, although they are eating the flesh of cows and are envious of brahminical culture, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is considering how to deliver them from this horrible condition of life. Thus He asks all Indians to take up His mission.
bharata-bhumite haila manusya-janma yara
janma sarthaka kari' kara para-upakara
"One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India [Bharata-varsa] should make his life successful and work for the benefit of all other people." (Cc. Adi-lila 9.41) it is therefore the duty of every advanced and cultured lndian to take this cause very seriously. All Indians should help the Krsna consciousness movement in its progress, to the best of their ability. Then they will be considered real followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Unfortunately, even some so-called Vaisnavas enviously refuse to cooperate with this movement but instead condemn it in so many ways. We are very sorry to say that these people try to find fault with us, being unnecessarily envious of our activities, although we are trying to the best of our ability to introduce the Krsna consciousness movement directly into the countries of the yavanas and mlecchas. Such yavanas and mlecchas are coming to us and becoming purified Vaisnavas who follow in the footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. One who identifies himself as a follower of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu should feel like Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who said, iha-sabara kon mate ha-ibe nistara: "How will all these yavanas be delivered?" Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was always anxious to deliver the fallen souls because their fallen condition gave Him great unhappiness. That is the platform on which one can propagate the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TEXT 52
haridasa kahe,--"prabhu, cinta na kariha
yavanera samsara dekhi' duhkha na bhaviha
TRANSLATION
Haridasa Thakura replied, "My dear Lord, do not be in anxiety. Do not be unhappy to see the condition of the yavanas in material existence.
PURPORT
These words of Haridasa Thakura are just befitting a devotee who has dedicated his life and soul to the service of the Lord. When the Lord is unhappy because of the condition of the fallen souls, the devotee consoles Him, saying, "My dear Lord, do not be in anxiety." This is service. Everyone should adopt the cause of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to try to relieve Him from the anxiety He feels. This is actually service to the Lord. One who tries to relieve Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's anxiety for the fallen souls is certainly a most dear and confidential devotee of the Lord. To blaspheme such a devotee who is trying his best to spread the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the greatest offense. One who does so is simply awaiting punishment for his envy.
TEXT 53
yavana-sakalera `mukti' habe ana yase
`ha rama, ha rama' bali' kahe namabhase
TRANSLATION
"Because the yavanas are accustomed to saying, `ha rama, ha rama' [0 Lord Ramacandra], they will very easily be delivered by this namabhasa.
TEXT 54
maha-preme bhakta kahe,--`ha rama, ha rama'
yavanera bhagya dekha, laya sei nama
TRANSLATION
"A devotee in advanced ecstatic love exclaims, `O my Lord Ramacandra! O my Lord Ramacandra!' But the yavanas also chant, `ha rama, ha rama!' Just see their good fortune!"
PURPORT
If a child touches fire, the fire will burn him, and if an elderly man touches fire, it will burn him also. Haridasa Thakura says that a great devotee of the Lord exclaims, "ha rama, ha rama," but although yavanas do not know the transcendental meaning of "ha rama, ha rama," they say those words in the course of their ordinary life. For the yavanas the words "ha rama" mean "abominable," whereas the devotee exclaims the words "ha rama" in ecstatic love. Nevertheless, because the words "ha rama" are the spiritual summum bonum, the fact is the same, whether they are uttered by yavanas or by great devotees, just as fire is the same both for a child and for an elderly man. In other words, the holy name of the Lord, "ha rama," always acts, even when the holy names are chanted without reference to the Supreme Lord. Yavanas utter the holy name in a different attitude than devotees, but the holy name "ha rama" is so powerful spiritually that it acts anywhere, whether one knows it or not. This is explained as follows.
TEXT 55
yadyapi anya sankete anya haya namabhasa
tathapi namera teja na haya vinasa
TRANSLATION
Namacarya Haridasa Thakura, the authority on the chanting of the hoIy name, said, "The chanting of the Lord's holy name to indicate something other than the Lord is an instance of namabhasa. Even when the holy name is chanted in this way, its transcendentai power is not destroyed.
TEXT 56
damstri-damstraha to mleccho
ha rameti punah punah
uktvapi muktim apnoti
kim punah sraddhaya grnan
TRANSLATION
" `Even a mleccha who is being killed by the tusk of a boar and who cries in distress again and again, "ha rama, ha rama" attains liberation. What then to speak of those who chant the holy name with veneration and faith?'
PURPORT
This refers to an instance in which a meateater being killed by a boar uttered the words "ha rama, ha rama"again and again at the time of his death. Since this is a quotation from the Nrsimha purana, this indicates that in the puranic age there must also have been mlecchas and yavanas (meateaters), and the words "ha rama,,' meaning "condemned," were also uttered in those days. Thus Haridasa Thakura gives evidence that even a meateater who condemns something by uttering the words "ha rama" gets the benefit of chanting the holy name that the devotee chants to mean "O my Lord Rama."
TEXT 57
aja-mila putre bolaya bali`narayana'
visnu-duta asi' chadaya tahara bandhana
TRANSLATION
"Ajamila was a great sinner during his life, but at the time of death he accidentally called for his youngest son, whose name was Narayana, and the attendants of Lord Visnu came to relieve him from the bonds of Yamaraja, the superintendent of death.
TEXT 58
`rama' dui aksara iha nahe vyavahita
prema-vaci `ha'-sabda tahate bhusita
TRANSLATION
"The word `rama' consists of the two syllables, `ra' and `ma.' These are unseparated and are decorated with the loving word `ha,' meaning `O.'
TEXT 59
namera aksara-sabera ei ta' svabhava
vyavahita haile na chade apana-prabhava
TRANSLATION
"The letters of the holy name have so much spiritual potency that they act even when uttered improperly.
PURPORT
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura states that the word vyavahita ("improperly uttered") is not used here to refer to the mundane vibration of the letters of the alphabet. Such negligent utterance for the sense gratification of materialistic persons is not a vibration of transcendental sound. Utterance of the holy name while one engages in sense gratification is an impediment on the path toward achieving ecstatic love for Krsna. On the other hand, if one who is eager for devotional service utters the holy name even partially or improperly, the holy name, who is identical with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, exhibits its spiritual potency because of that person's offenseless utterance. Thus one is relieved from all unwanted practices, and one gradually awakens his dormant love for Krsna.
TEXT 60
namaikam yasya vaci smarana-patha-gatam srotra-mulam gatam va
suddham vasuddha-varnam vyavahita-rahitam tarayaty eva satyam
tac ced deha-dravina-janata-lobha-pasanda-madh ye
niksiptam syan na phala-janakam sighram evatra vipra
TRANSLATION
" `If a devotee once utters the holy name of the Lord, or if it penetrates his mind or enters his ear, which is the channel of aural reception, that holy name will certainly deliver him from material bondage, whether vibrated properly or improperly, with correct or incorrect grammar, and properly joined or vibrated in separate parts. 0 brahmana, the potency of the holy name is therefore certainly great. However, if one uses the vibration of the holy name for the benefit of the material body, for material wealth and followers, or under the influence of greed or atheism--in other words, if one utters the
name with offenses--such chanting will not produce the desired result very soon. Therefore one should diligently avoid offenses in chanting the holy name of the Lord."'
PURPORT
This verse from the padma purana is included in the Hari-bhakti-vilasa (11.527) by Sanatana Gosvami. Therein Srila Sanatana Gosvami gives the following explanation:
vaci gatam prasangad van-madhye pravrttam api, smarana-patha-gatam kathancin
manah-sprstam api, srotra-mulam gatam kincit srutam api; suddha-varnam va asuddha-
varnam api va; `vyavahitam' sabdantarena yad- vyava dhanam vaksyaman-nara yana -sab-
dasya kincid uccarananantaram prasangad apatitam sabdantaram tena rahitam sat.
This means that if one somehow or other hears, utters or remembers the holy
name, or if it catches his mind while coming near his ears, that holy name, even if
vibrated in separate words, will act. An example of such separation is given as
follows:
yadva, ya dyapi`halam riktam' ity ady-uktau hakara-rikarayor vrttya hariti-namasty eva, tatha `raja-mahisi' ity atra rama-namapi, evam anyad apy uhyam, tathapi tat-tan-namamadhye vya vadhayakam aksarantaram astity etadrsa-vyavadhana-rahitam ity arthah; yadva, vyavahitam ca tad-rahitam capi va; tatra`vyavahitam'--namnah kincid uccarananantaram kathancid apatitam sabdantaram samadhaya pascan namavasistaksara-grahanam ity evam rupam, madhye sabdantarenantaritam ity arthah, `rahitam' pascad avasistaksaragrahana-varjitam, kenacid amsena hinam ity arthah, tathapi tarayaty eva. Suppose one is using the two words "halam riktam." Now the syllable ha in the word "halam" and the syllable ri in "riktam" are separately pronounced, but nevertheless it will act because one somehow or other utters the word "hari." Similarly, in the word "raja-mahisi," the syllables ra and ma appear in two separate words, but because they somehow or other appear together, the holy name rama will act, provided there are no offenses.
sarvebhyah papebhyo'paradhebhyas ca samsarad apy uddharayaty eveti satyam eva; kintu nama-sevanasya mukhyam yat phalam, tan na sadyah sampadyate. tatha dehabharanady-artham api nama-sevanena mukhyam phalam asu na sidhyatity aha--tac ced iti. The holy name has so much spiritual potency that it can deliver one from all sinful reactions and material entanglements, but utterance of the holy name will not be very soon fruitful if done to facilitate sinning. tan nama ced yadi dehadi-madh ye niksiptam--deha-bharanady-artham eva
vinyastam, tadapi phala-janakam na bhavati kim? api tu bhavaty eva, kintu atra iha loke
sighram na bhavati, kintu vilambenaiva bhavatity arthah. The holy name is so powerful that it must act, but when one utters the holy name with offenses, its action will be delayed, not immediate, although in favorable circumstances the holy names of the Lord act very quickly;
TEXT 61
namabhasa haite haya sarva-papa-ksaya
TRANSLATION
Namacarya Haridasa Thakura continued, "If one offenselessly utters the holy name even imperfectly, one can be freed from all the results of sinful life.
TEXT 62
tam nirvyajam bhaja guna-nidhe pavanam pavananam
sraddha-rajyan-matir atitaram uttamah-sloka-maulim
prodyann antah-karana-kuhare hanta yan-nama-bhanor
abhaso'pi ksapayati maha-pataka-dhvanta-rasim
TRANSLATION
"`O reservoir of all good qualities, just worship Sri Krsna, the purifier of all purifiers, the most exalted of the personalities worshiped by choice poetry. Worship Him with a faithful, unflinching mind, without duplicity and in a highly elevated manner. Thus worship the Lord, whose name is like the sun, for just as a slight appearance of the sun dissipates the darkness of night, so a slight appearance of the holy name of Krsna can drive away all the darkness of ignorance that arises in the heart due to greatly sinful activities performed in previous Iives.,
PURPORT
This verse is found in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (2.1.103).
TEXT 63
namabhasa haite haya samsarera ksaya
TRANSLATION
"Even a faint light from the hoIy name of the Lord ca eradicate alI the reactions of sinful life.
TEXT 64
mriyamano harer nama
grnan putropacaritam
ajamilo'py agad dhama
kim uta sraddhaya grnan
TRANSLATION
" `While dying, Ajamila chated the holy name of the Lord, intending to call his son Narayana. Nevertheless, he attained the spiritual world. What then to speak of those who chat the holy name with faith and reverence?'
PURPORT
This is a verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.2.49);
TEXT 65
namabhase `mukti' haya sarva-sastre dekhi
sri-bhagavate tate ajamila--saksi"
TRANSLATION
"Because of even the faintest rays of the effulgence of the Lord's holy name, one ca attain liberation. We ca see this in aIl the revealed scrirtures. The evidence appears in the story of Ajamila in Srimad-Bhagavatam."
TEXT 66
suniya prabhura sukha badaye antare
punarapi bhangi kari' puchaye tanhare
TRANSLATION
As Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard this from Haridasa Thakura, the happiness within His heart increased, but as a matter of course, He still inquired further.
TEXT 67
`prthivite bahu-jiva--sthavara-jangama
iha-sabara ki prakare ha-ibe mocana?"
TRANSLATION
"On this earth there are many living entities," the Lord said, "some moving and some not moving. What will happen to the trees, plats, insects and other living entities? How will they be delivered from material bondage?"
TEXT 68
haridasa kahe,--"prabhu, se kroa tomara
sthavara-jangama age kariyacha nistara
TRANSLATION
Haridasa Thakura replied, "My dear Lord, the deliverace of all moving and nonmoving living entities takes place only by Your mercy. You have already grated this mercy and delivered them.
TEXT 69
tumi ye kariyacha ei ucca sankirtana
sthavara-jangamera sei hayata' sravana
TRANSLATION
"You have loudly chanted the Hare Krsna mantra, and everyone, moving or not moving, has benefited by hearing it.
TEXT 70
suniya jangamera haya samsara-ksaya
sthavare se sabda lage, pratidhvani haya
TRANSLATION
"My Lord, the moving entities who have heard Your loud sankirtaa have already been delivered from bondage to the material world, ad after the nonmoving living entities like trees hear it, there is an echo.
TEXT 71
`pratidhvani' nahe, sei karaye `kirtana'
tomara kroara ei akathya kathana
TRANSLATION
"Actually, however, it is not an echo; it is the kirtana of the nonmoving living entities. All this, although inconceivable, is possible by Your mercy.
TEXT 72
sakala jagate haya ucca sankirtana
suniya premavese nace sthavara-jangama
TRANSLATION
"When loud chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra is performed all over the world by those who follow in Your footsteps, all living entities, moving ad nonmoving, dance in ecstatic devotional love.
TEXT 73
yaiche kaila jharikhande vrndavana yaite
balabhadra-bhattacarya kahiyachena amate
TRANSLATION
"My dear Lord, all the incidents that took place while You were going to Vrndavana through the forest known as Jharikhanda have been related to me by Your servant Balabhadra Bhattacarya.
TEXT 74
vasudeva jiva lagi' kaila nivedana
tabe angikara kaila jivera mocana
TRANSLATION
"When Your devotee Vasudeva Datta submitted his plea at Your lotus feet for the deliverance of all living entities, You accepted that request.
TEXT 75
jagat nistarite ei tomara avatara
bhakta-bhava age tate kaila angikara
TRANSLATION
"My dear Lord, You have accepted the form of a devotee just to deliver all the fallen souls of this world.
TEXT 76
ucca sankirtana tate karila pracara
sthira-cara jivera saba khandaila samsara,,
TRANSLATION
"You have preached the loud chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-matra and in this way freed all moving and nonmoving living entities from material bondage."
TEXT 77
prabhu kahe,--"saba jiva mukti yabe pabe
ei ta' brahmanda tabe jiva-sunya habe!"
TRANSLATION
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, "If all living entities were liberated, the entire universe would be devoid of living beings."
TEXT 78-79
haridasa bale,--"tomara yavat martye sthiti
tavat sthavara-jangama, sarva jiva-jati
saba mukta kari' tumi vaikunthe pathaiba
suksma-jive punah karme udbuddha kariba
TRANSLATION
Haridasa said, "My Lord, as long as You are situated within the materiaI world, You will send to the spirituaI sky all the deveIoped moving ad nonmoving living entities in different species. Then again You will awaken the living entities who are not yet developed and engage them in activities.
TEXT 80
sei jiva habe ihan sthavara-jangama
tahate bharibe brahmanda yena purva-sama
TRANSLATION
"In this way all moving and nonmoving living entities will come into existence, and the entire universe will be filled as it was previously.
PURPORT
While we are preaching, opposing elements sometimes argue, "If all living entities were delivered by the Krsna consciousness movement, what would happen then? The universe would be devoid of living entities." In answer to this, we may say that in a prison there are many prisoners, but if one thinks that the prison would be empty if all the prisoners adopted good behavior, he is incorrect. Even if all the prisoners within a jail are freed, other criminals will fill it again. A prison will never be vacant, for there are many prospective criminals who will fill the prison cells, even if the present criminals are freed by the government. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita, karanam guna-sango'sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu: "Because of the living entity's association with material nature, he meets with good and evil among various species." (Bg. 13.22) There are many unmanifested living entities covered by the mode of ignorance who will gradually come to the mode of passion. Most of them will become criminals because of their fruitive activities and again fill the prisons.
TEXT 81
purve yena raghunatha saba ayodhya lana
vaikunthake gela, anya-jive ayodhya bharana
TRANSLATION
"Previously, when Lord Ramacandra left this world, He took with Him all the living entities of Ayodhya. Then He filled Ayodhya again with other living entities.
TEXT 82
avatari' tumi aiche patiyacha hata
keha na bujhite pare tomara gudha nata
TRANSLATION
"My dear Lord, You have set a plan in motion by descending on the material world, but no one can understand how You are acting.
TEXT 83
purve yena vraje krsna kari' avatara
sakala brahmanda-jivera khandaila samsara
TRANSLATION
"Formerly, when Lord Krsna descended in Vrndavaa, He freed all living entities in the universe from material existence in the same way.
TEXT 84
na caivam vismayah karyo
bhavata bhagavaty aje
yogesvaresvare krsne
yata etad vimucyate
TRANSLATION
" `Krsna, the unborn Supreme Personality of Godhead, master of all of the masters of mystic power, delivers all living entities, moving ad nonmoving. Nothing is astonishing in the activities of the Lord.'
PURPORT
This is a quotation from Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.29.16),
TEXT 85
"ayam hi bhagavan drstah kirtitah samsmrtas ca
dvesanubandh enapy akhila-surasuradi-durlabham
phalam prayacchati, kim uta samyag bhaktimatam" iti
TRANSLATION
" `Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead may be seen, glorified or remembered with an attitude of envy, He nevertheless awards the most confidential liberation, which is rarely achieved by the demigods and demons. What, then, can be said of those who are already fully engaged in devotional service to the Lord?'
PURPORT
This is a quotation from the Visnu Purana (4.15.17).
TEXT 86
taiche tumi navadvipe kari' avatara
sakala-brahmanda-jivera karila nistara
TRANSLATION
"By descending as an incarnation at Navadvipa, You, just like Krsna, have already delivered all the living entities of the universe.
TEXT 87
ye kahe,--`caitanya-mahima mora gocara haya'
se januka, mora punah ei ta' niscaya
TRANSLATION
"One may say that he understands the glories of Sri Caltanya Mahaprabhu. He may know whatever he may know, but as far as I am concerned, this is my conclusion.
TEXT 88
tomara ye lila maha-amrtera sindhu
mora mano-gocara nahe tara eka bindu"
TRANSLATION
"My dear Lord, Your pastimes are just like an ocean of nectar. It is not possible for me to conceive how great that ocean is or even to understand a drop of it."
TEXT 89
eta suni' prabhura mane camatkara haila
`mora gudha-lila haridasa kemane janila?'
TRANSLATION
Hearing all this, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was astonished. "These are actually My confidential pastimes," He thought. "How could Haridasa have understood them?"
TEXT 90
manera santose tanre kaila alingana
bahye prakasite e-saba karila varjana
TRANSLATION
Greatly satisfied by the statements of Haridasa Thakura, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu embraced him. Outwardly, however, He avoided further discussions of these matters.
TEXT 91
isvara-svabhava,--aisvarya cahe acchadite
bhakta-thani lukaite nare, haya ta' vidite
TRANSLATION
This is a characteristic of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although He wants to cover His opulence, He cannot do so before His devotees. This is well-k nown everywhere.
TEXT 92
ullanghita- trividha-sima -samatisa yi-
sambhavanam tava parivradhima-svabhavam
maya-balena bhavatapi niguhyamanam
pas'yanti kecid anisam tvad-ananya-bhavah
TRANSLATION
"O my Lord, everything within material nature is limited by time, space ad thought. Your characteristics, however, being unequaled ad unsurpassed, are always transcendental to such limitations. You sometimes cover such characteristics by Your own energy, but nevertheless Your unalloyed devotees are always able to see You under all circumstances."
PURPORT
This is a verse from the Stotra-ratna of Yamunacarya;
TEXT 93
tabe mahaprabhu nija-bhakta-pase yana
haridasera guna kahe sata-mukha hana
TRANSLATION
Then Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to His personal devotees and began speaking about Haridasa Thakura's transcendental qualities as if He had hundreds of mouths.
(c) 1991 by Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
eka-dina prabhu haridasere milila
tanha lana gosthi kari' tanhare puchila
TRANSLATION
One day Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu met Haridasa Thakura as usual, and in the course of discussion He inquired as follows.
TEXT 50
"haridasa, kali-kale yavana apara
go-brahmane himsa kare maha duracara
TRANSLATION
"My dear Thakura Haridasa, in this age of Kali most people are bereft of Vedic culture, and therefore they are called yavanas. They are concerned only with killing cows and brahminical culture. In this way they all engage in sinful acts.
PURPORT
From this statement by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu we can clearly understand that the word yavana does not refer only to a particular class of men. Anyone who is against the behavior of the Vedic principles is called a yavana. Such a yavana may be in india or outside of India. As described here, the symptom of yavanas is that they are violent killers of cows and brahminical culture. We offer our prayers to the Lord by saying, namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana-hitaya ca. The Lord is the maintainer of brahminical culture. His first concern is to see to the benefit of cows and brahmanas. As soon as human civilization turns against brahminical culture and allows unrestricted killing of cows, we should understand that men are no longer under the control of the Vedic culture but are all yavanas and mlec- chas. It is said that the Krsna consciousness movement will be prominent within the next ten thousand years, but after that people will all become mlecchas and yavanas. Thus at the end of the yuga, Krsna will appear as the Kalki avatara and kill them without consideration.
TEXT 51
iha-sabara kon mate ha-ibe nistara?
tahara hetu na dekhiye,--e duhkha apara"
TRANSLATION
"How will these yavanas be delivered? To My great unhappiness, I do not see any way."
PURPORT
This verse reveals the significance of Lord Sri Caitanya's appearance as patita- pavana, the deliverer of all the fallen souls. Srila Narottama dasa Thakura sings, patita-pavana-hetu tava avatara: "O my Lord, You have aopeared just to deliver all the fallen souls." mo-sama patita prabhu na paibe ara: "And among all the fallen souls, I am the lowest." How Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu was always thinking about the deliverance of the fallen souls is shown by the statement e duhkha apara ("It is My great unhappiness"). This statement indicates that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is the Supreme personality of Godhead Krsna Himself, is always very unhappy to see the fallen souls in the material world. Therefore He Himself comes as He is, or He comes as a devotee in the form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, to deliver love of Krsna directly to the fallen souls. Namo maha-vadanyaya krsna- prema-pradaya te. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is so merciful that He not only gives knowledge of Krsna but by His practical activities teaches everyone how to love Krsna (krsna-prema-pradaya te).
Those who are following in the footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu should take the Lord's mission most seriously. In this age of Kali, people are gradually becoming less than animals. Nevertheless, although they are eating the flesh of cows and are envious of brahminical culture, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is considering how to deliver them from this horrible condition of life. Thus He asks all Indians to take up His mission.
bharata-bhumite haila manusya-janma yara
janma sarthaka kari' kara para-upakara
"One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India [Bharata-varsa] should make his life successful and work for the benefit of all other people." (Cc. Adi-lila 9.41) it is therefore the duty of every advanced and cultured lndian to take this cause very seriously. All Indians should help the Krsna consciousness movement in its progress, to the best of their ability. Then they will be considered real followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Unfortunately, even some so-called Vaisnavas enviously refuse to cooperate with this movement but instead condemn it in so many ways. We are very sorry to say that these people try to find fault with us, being unnecessarily envious of our activities, although we are trying to the best of our ability to introduce the Krsna consciousness movement directly into the countries of the yavanas and mlecchas. Such yavanas and mlecchas are coming to us and becoming purified Vaisnavas who follow in the footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. One who identifies himself as a follower of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu should feel like Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who said, iha-sabara kon mate ha-ibe nistara: "How will all these yavanas be delivered?" Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was always anxious to deliver the fallen souls because their fallen condition gave Him great unhappiness. That is the platform on which one can propagate the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TEXT 52
haridasa kahe,--"prabhu, cinta na kariha
yavanera samsara dekhi' duhkha na bhaviha
TRANSLATION
Haridasa Thakura replied, "My dear Lord, do not be in anxiety. Do not be unhappy to see the condition of the yavanas in material existence.
PURPORT
These words of Haridasa Thakura are just befitting a devotee who has dedicated his life and soul to the service of the Lord. When the Lord is unhappy because of the condition of the fallen souls, the devotee consoles Him, saying, "My dear Lord, do not be in anxiety." This is service. Everyone should adopt the cause of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to try to relieve Him from the anxiety He feels. This is actually service to the Lord. One who tries to relieve Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's anxiety for the fallen souls is certainly a most dear and confidential devotee of the Lord. To blaspheme such a devotee who is trying his best to spread the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the greatest offense. One who does so is simply awaiting punishment for his envy.
TEXT 53
yavana-sakalera `mukti' habe ana yase
`ha rama, ha rama' bali' kahe namabhase
TRANSLATION
"Because the yavanas are accustomed to saying, `ha rama, ha rama' [0 Lord Ramacandra], they will very easily be delivered by this namabhasa.
TEXT 54
maha-preme bhakta kahe,--`ha rama, ha rama'
yavanera bhagya dekha, laya sei nama
TRANSLATION
"A devotee in advanced ecstatic love exclaims, `O my Lord Ramacandra! O my Lord Ramacandra!' But the yavanas also chant, `ha rama, ha rama!' Just see their good fortune!"
PURPORT
If a child touches fire, the fire will burn him, and if an elderly man touches fire, it will burn him also. Haridasa Thakura says that a great devotee of the Lord exclaims, "ha rama, ha rama," but although yavanas do not know the transcendental meaning of "ha rama, ha rama," they say those words in the course of their ordinary life. For the yavanas the words "ha rama" mean "abominable," whereas the devotee exclaims the words "ha rama" in ecstatic love. Nevertheless, because the words "ha rama" are the spiritual summum bonum, the fact is the same, whether they are uttered by yavanas or by great devotees, just as fire is the same both for a child and for an elderly man. In other words, the holy name of the Lord, "ha rama," always acts, even when the holy names are chanted without reference to the Supreme Lord. Yavanas utter the holy name in a different attitude than devotees, but the holy name "ha rama" is so powerful spiritually that it acts anywhere, whether one knows it or not. This is explained as follows.
TEXT 55
yadyapi anya sankete anya haya namabhasa
tathapi namera teja na haya vinasa
TRANSLATION
Namacarya Haridasa Thakura, the authority on the chanting of the hoIy name, said, "The chanting of the Lord's holy name to indicate something other than the Lord is an instance of namabhasa. Even when the holy name is chanted in this way, its transcendentai power is not destroyed.
TEXT 56
damstri-damstraha to mleccho
ha rameti punah punah
uktvapi muktim apnoti
kim punah sraddhaya grnan
TRANSLATION
" `Even a mleccha who is being killed by the tusk of a boar and who cries in distress again and again, "ha rama, ha rama" attains liberation. What then to speak of those who chant the holy name with veneration and faith?'
PURPORT
This refers to an instance in which a meateater being killed by a boar uttered the words "ha rama, ha rama"again and again at the time of his death. Since this is a quotation from the Nrsimha purana, this indicates that in the puranic age there must also have been mlecchas and yavanas (meateaters), and the words "ha rama,,' meaning "condemned," were also uttered in those days. Thus Haridasa Thakura gives evidence that even a meateater who condemns something by uttering the words "ha rama" gets the benefit of chanting the holy name that the devotee chants to mean "O my Lord Rama."
TEXT 57
aja-mila putre bolaya bali`narayana'
visnu-duta asi' chadaya tahara bandhana
TRANSLATION
"Ajamila was a great sinner during his life, but at the time of death he accidentally called for his youngest son, whose name was Narayana, and the attendants of Lord Visnu came to relieve him from the bonds of Yamaraja, the superintendent of death.
TEXT 58
`rama' dui aksara iha nahe vyavahita
prema-vaci `ha'-sabda tahate bhusita
TRANSLATION
"The word `rama' consists of the two syllables, `ra' and `ma.' These are unseparated and are decorated with the loving word `ha,' meaning `O.'
TEXT 59
namera aksara-sabera ei ta' svabhava
vyavahita haile na chade apana-prabhava
TRANSLATION
"The letters of the holy name have so much spiritual potency that they act even when uttered improperly.
PURPORT
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura states that the word vyavahita ("improperly uttered") is not used here to refer to the mundane vibration of the letters of the alphabet. Such negligent utterance for the sense gratification of materialistic persons is not a vibration of transcendental sound. Utterance of the holy name while one engages in sense gratification is an impediment on the path toward achieving ecstatic love for Krsna. On the other hand, if one who is eager for devotional service utters the holy name even partially or improperly, the holy name, who is identical with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, exhibits its spiritual potency because of that person's offenseless utterance. Thus one is relieved from all unwanted practices, and one gradually awakens his dormant love for Krsna.
TEXT 60
namaikam yasya vaci smarana-patha-gatam srotra-mulam gatam va
suddham vasuddha-varnam vyavahita-rahitam tarayaty eva satyam
tac ced deha-dravina-janata-lobha-pasanda-madh ye
niksiptam syan na phala-janakam sighram evatra vipra
TRANSLATION
" `If a devotee once utters the holy name of the Lord, or if it penetrates his mind or enters his ear, which is the channel of aural reception, that holy name will certainly deliver him from material bondage, whether vibrated properly or improperly, with correct or incorrect grammar, and properly joined or vibrated in separate parts. 0 brahmana, the potency of the holy name is therefore certainly great. However, if one uses the vibration of the holy name for the benefit of the material body, for material wealth and followers, or under the influence of greed or atheism--in other words, if one utters the
name with offenses--such chanting will not produce the desired result very soon. Therefore one should diligently avoid offenses in chanting the holy name of the Lord."'
PURPORT
This verse from the padma purana is included in the Hari-bhakti-vilasa (11.527) by Sanatana Gosvami. Therein Srila Sanatana Gosvami gives the following explanation:
vaci gatam prasangad van-madhye pravrttam api, smarana-patha-gatam kathancin
manah-sprstam api, srotra-mulam gatam kincit srutam api; suddha-varnam va asuddha-
varnam api va; `vyavahitam' sabdantarena yad- vyava dhanam vaksyaman-nara yana -sab-
dasya kincid uccarananantaram prasangad apatitam sabdantaram tena rahitam sat.
This means that if one somehow or other hears, utters or remembers the holy
name, or if it catches his mind while coming near his ears, that holy name, even if
vibrated in separate words, will act. An example of such separation is given as
follows:
yadva, ya dyapi`halam riktam' ity ady-uktau hakara-rikarayor vrttya hariti-namasty eva, tatha `raja-mahisi' ity atra rama-namapi, evam anyad apy uhyam, tathapi tat-tan-namamadhye vya vadhayakam aksarantaram astity etadrsa-vyavadhana-rahitam ity arthah; yadva, vyavahitam ca tad-rahitam capi va; tatra`vyavahitam'--namnah kincid uccarananantaram kathancid apatitam sabdantaram samadhaya pascan namavasistaksara-grahanam ity evam rupam, madhye sabdantarenantaritam ity arthah, `rahitam' pascad avasistaksaragrahana-varjitam, kenacid amsena hinam ity arthah, tathapi tarayaty eva. Suppose one is using the two words "halam riktam." Now the syllable ha in the word "halam" and the syllable ri in "riktam" are separately pronounced, but nevertheless it will act because one somehow or other utters the word "hari." Similarly, in the word "raja-mahisi," the syllables ra and ma appear in two separate words, but because they somehow or other appear together, the holy name rama will act, provided there are no offenses.
sarvebhyah papebhyo'paradhebhyas ca samsarad apy uddharayaty eveti satyam eva; kintu nama-sevanasya mukhyam yat phalam, tan na sadyah sampadyate. tatha dehabharanady-artham api nama-sevanena mukhyam phalam asu na sidhyatity aha--tac ced iti. The holy name has so much spiritual potency that it can deliver one from all sinful reactions and material entanglements, but utterance of the holy name will not be very soon fruitful if done to facilitate sinning. tan nama ced yadi dehadi-madh ye niksiptam--deha-bharanady-artham eva
vinyastam, tadapi phala-janakam na bhavati kim? api tu bhavaty eva, kintu atra iha loke
sighram na bhavati, kintu vilambenaiva bhavatity arthah. The holy name is so powerful that it must act, but when one utters the holy name with offenses, its action will be delayed, not immediate, although in favorable circumstances the holy names of the Lord act very quickly;
TEXT 61
namabhasa haite haya sarva-papa-ksaya
TRANSLATION
Namacarya Haridasa Thakura continued, "If one offenselessly utters the holy name even imperfectly, one can be freed from all the results of sinful life.
TEXT 62
tam nirvyajam bhaja guna-nidhe pavanam pavananam
sraddha-rajyan-matir atitaram uttamah-sloka-maulim
prodyann antah-karana-kuhare hanta yan-nama-bhanor
abhaso'pi ksapayati maha-pataka-dhvanta-rasim
TRANSLATION
"`O reservoir of all good qualities, just worship Sri Krsna, the purifier of all purifiers, the most exalted of the personalities worshiped by choice poetry. Worship Him with a faithful, unflinching mind, without duplicity and in a highly elevated manner. Thus worship the Lord, whose name is like the sun, for just as a slight appearance of the sun dissipates the darkness of night, so a slight appearance of the holy name of Krsna can drive away all the darkness of ignorance that arises in the heart due to greatly sinful activities performed in previous Iives.,
PURPORT
This verse is found in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (2.1.103).
TEXT 63
namabhasa haite haya samsarera ksaya
TRANSLATION
"Even a faint light from the hoIy name of the Lord ca eradicate alI the reactions of sinful life.
TEXT 64
mriyamano harer nama
grnan putropacaritam
ajamilo'py agad dhama
kim uta sraddhaya grnan
TRANSLATION
" `While dying, Ajamila chated the holy name of the Lord, intending to call his son Narayana. Nevertheless, he attained the spiritual world. What then to speak of those who chat the holy name with faith and reverence?'
PURPORT
This is a verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.2.49);
TEXT 65
namabhase `mukti' haya sarva-sastre dekhi
sri-bhagavate tate ajamila--saksi"
TRANSLATION
"Because of even the faintest rays of the effulgence of the Lord's holy name, one ca attain liberation. We ca see this in aIl the revealed scrirtures. The evidence appears in the story of Ajamila in Srimad-Bhagavatam."
TEXT 66
suniya prabhura sukha badaye antare
punarapi bhangi kari' puchaye tanhare
TRANSLATION
As Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard this from Haridasa Thakura, the happiness within His heart increased, but as a matter of course, He still inquired further.
TEXT 67
`prthivite bahu-jiva--sthavara-jangama
iha-sabara ki prakare ha-ibe mocana?"
TRANSLATION
"On this earth there are many living entities," the Lord said, "some moving and some not moving. What will happen to the trees, plats, insects and other living entities? How will they be delivered from material bondage?"
TEXT 68
haridasa kahe,--"prabhu, se kroa tomara
sthavara-jangama age kariyacha nistara
TRANSLATION
Haridasa Thakura replied, "My dear Lord, the deliverace of all moving and nonmoving living entities takes place only by Your mercy. You have already grated this mercy and delivered them.
TEXT 69
tumi ye kariyacha ei ucca sankirtana
sthavara-jangamera sei hayata' sravana
TRANSLATION
"You have loudly chanted the Hare Krsna mantra, and everyone, moving or not moving, has benefited by hearing it.
TEXT 70
suniya jangamera haya samsara-ksaya
sthavare se sabda lage, pratidhvani haya
TRANSLATION
"My Lord, the moving entities who have heard Your loud sankirtaa have already been delivered from bondage to the material world, ad after the nonmoving living entities like trees hear it, there is an echo.
TEXT 71
`pratidhvani' nahe, sei karaye `kirtana'
tomara kroara ei akathya kathana
TRANSLATION
"Actually, however, it is not an echo; it is the kirtana of the nonmoving living entities. All this, although inconceivable, is possible by Your mercy.
TEXT 72
sakala jagate haya ucca sankirtana
suniya premavese nace sthavara-jangama
TRANSLATION
"When loud chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra is performed all over the world by those who follow in Your footsteps, all living entities, moving ad nonmoving, dance in ecstatic devotional love.
TEXT 73
yaiche kaila jharikhande vrndavana yaite
balabhadra-bhattacarya kahiyachena amate
TRANSLATION
"My dear Lord, all the incidents that took place while You were going to Vrndavana through the forest known as Jharikhanda have been related to me by Your servant Balabhadra Bhattacarya.
TEXT 74
vasudeva jiva lagi' kaila nivedana
tabe angikara kaila jivera mocana
TRANSLATION
"When Your devotee Vasudeva Datta submitted his plea at Your lotus feet for the deliverance of all living entities, You accepted that request.
TEXT 75
jagat nistarite ei tomara avatara
bhakta-bhava age tate kaila angikara
TRANSLATION
"My dear Lord, You have accepted the form of a devotee just to deliver all the fallen souls of this world.
TEXT 76
ucca sankirtana tate karila pracara
sthira-cara jivera saba khandaila samsara,,
TRANSLATION
"You have preached the loud chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-matra and in this way freed all moving and nonmoving living entities from material bondage."
TEXT 77
prabhu kahe,--"saba jiva mukti yabe pabe
ei ta' brahmanda tabe jiva-sunya habe!"
TRANSLATION
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, "If all living entities were liberated, the entire universe would be devoid of living beings."
TEXT 78-79
haridasa bale,--"tomara yavat martye sthiti
tavat sthavara-jangama, sarva jiva-jati
saba mukta kari' tumi vaikunthe pathaiba
suksma-jive punah karme udbuddha kariba
TRANSLATION
Haridasa said, "My Lord, as long as You are situated within the materiaI world, You will send to the spirituaI sky all the deveIoped moving ad nonmoving living entities in different species. Then again You will awaken the living entities who are not yet developed and engage them in activities.
TEXT 80
sei jiva habe ihan sthavara-jangama
tahate bharibe brahmanda yena purva-sama
TRANSLATION
"In this way all moving and nonmoving living entities will come into existence, and the entire universe will be filled as it was previously.
PURPORT
While we are preaching, opposing elements sometimes argue, "If all living entities were delivered by the Krsna consciousness movement, what would happen then? The universe would be devoid of living entities." In answer to this, we may say that in a prison there are many prisoners, but if one thinks that the prison would be empty if all the prisoners adopted good behavior, he is incorrect. Even if all the prisoners within a jail are freed, other criminals will fill it again. A prison will never be vacant, for there are many prospective criminals who will fill the prison cells, even if the present criminals are freed by the government. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita, karanam guna-sango'sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu: "Because of the living entity's association with material nature, he meets with good and evil among various species." (Bg. 13.22) There are many unmanifested living entities covered by the mode of ignorance who will gradually come to the mode of passion. Most of them will become criminals because of their fruitive activities and again fill the prisons.
TEXT 81
purve yena raghunatha saba ayodhya lana
vaikunthake gela, anya-jive ayodhya bharana
TRANSLATION
"Previously, when Lord Ramacandra left this world, He took with Him all the living entities of Ayodhya. Then He filled Ayodhya again with other living entities.
TEXT 82
avatari' tumi aiche patiyacha hata
keha na bujhite pare tomara gudha nata
TRANSLATION
"My dear Lord, You have set a plan in motion by descending on the material world, but no one can understand how You are acting.
TEXT 83
purve yena vraje krsna kari' avatara
sakala brahmanda-jivera khandaila samsara
TRANSLATION
"Formerly, when Lord Krsna descended in Vrndavaa, He freed all living entities in the universe from material existence in the same way.
TEXT 84
na caivam vismayah karyo
bhavata bhagavaty aje
yogesvaresvare krsne
yata etad vimucyate
TRANSLATION
" `Krsna, the unborn Supreme Personality of Godhead, master of all of the masters of mystic power, delivers all living entities, moving ad nonmoving. Nothing is astonishing in the activities of the Lord.'
PURPORT
This is a quotation from Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.29.16),
TEXT 85
"ayam hi bhagavan drstah kirtitah samsmrtas ca
dvesanubandh enapy akhila-surasuradi-durlabham
phalam prayacchati, kim uta samyag bhaktimatam" iti
TRANSLATION
" `Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead may be seen, glorified or remembered with an attitude of envy, He nevertheless awards the most confidential liberation, which is rarely achieved by the demigods and demons. What, then, can be said of those who are already fully engaged in devotional service to the Lord?'
PURPORT
This is a quotation from the Visnu Purana (4.15.17).
TEXT 86
taiche tumi navadvipe kari' avatara
sakala-brahmanda-jivera karila nistara
TRANSLATION
"By descending as an incarnation at Navadvipa, You, just like Krsna, have already delivered all the living entities of the universe.
TEXT 87
ye kahe,--`caitanya-mahima mora gocara haya'
se januka, mora punah ei ta' niscaya
TRANSLATION
"One may say that he understands the glories of Sri Caltanya Mahaprabhu. He may know whatever he may know, but as far as I am concerned, this is my conclusion.
TEXT 88
tomara ye lila maha-amrtera sindhu
mora mano-gocara nahe tara eka bindu"
TRANSLATION
"My dear Lord, Your pastimes are just like an ocean of nectar. It is not possible for me to conceive how great that ocean is or even to understand a drop of it."
TEXT 89
eta suni' prabhura mane camatkara haila
`mora gudha-lila haridasa kemane janila?'
TRANSLATION
Hearing all this, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was astonished. "These are actually My confidential pastimes," He thought. "How could Haridasa have understood them?"
TEXT 90
manera santose tanre kaila alingana
bahye prakasite e-saba karila varjana
TRANSLATION
Greatly satisfied by the statements of Haridasa Thakura, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu embraced him. Outwardly, however, He avoided further discussions of these matters.
TEXT 91
isvara-svabhava,--aisvarya cahe acchadite
bhakta-thani lukaite nare, haya ta' vidite
TRANSLATION
This is a characteristic of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although He wants to cover His opulence, He cannot do so before His devotees. This is well-k nown everywhere.
TEXT 92
ullanghita- trividha-sima -samatisa yi-
sambhavanam tava parivradhima-svabhavam
maya-balena bhavatapi niguhyamanam
pas'yanti kecid anisam tvad-ananya-bhavah
TRANSLATION
"O my Lord, everything within material nature is limited by time, space ad thought. Your characteristics, however, being unequaled ad unsurpassed, are always transcendental to such limitations. You sometimes cover such characteristics by Your own energy, but nevertheless Your unalloyed devotees are always able to see You under all circumstances."
PURPORT
This is a verse from the Stotra-ratna of Yamunacarya;
TEXT 93
tabe mahaprabhu nija-bhakta-pase yana
haridasera guna kahe sata-mukha hana
TRANSLATION
Then Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to His personal devotees and began speaking about Haridasa Thakura's transcendental qualities as if He had hundreds of mouths.
(c) 1991 by Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
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