Bhajana Rahasya – Chapter 1
Prathama-yāma-sādhana
Niśānta-bhajana – śraddhā
(the last six daṇḍas of the night: approximately 3.30 A.M. – 6.00 A.M.)
Text 1
kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ
sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam
yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair
bhajāmi kali-pāvanam
I worship Śrī Gaurāṅgadeva, who delivers the living entities of Kali-yuga (kali-pāvana) through the congregational chanting of the Lord’s holy names (śrī-nāma-saṅkīrtana-yajña). He describes the name, form, qualities and pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa; He performs kīrtana of the two syllables kṛ and ṣṇa; His complexion is fair; He is surrounded by His aṅgas (associates, meaning Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu and Śrī Advaita Prabhu), upāṅgas (servitors, meaning Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita and other pure devotees) and pārṣadas (confidential companions like Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara, Śrī Rāya Rāmānanda, Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita and the Six Gosvāmīs); and He is endowed with His weapon (astra) of harināma, which destroys ignorance.
A verse similar in meaning to Text 1 is found in Śrīmad- Bhāgavatam (11.5.32):
kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ
sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam
yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair
yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ
In the age of Kali, Kṛṣṇa appears with a golden complexion (akṛṣṇa). He is constantly singing the two syllables kṛ and ṣṇa, and He is accompanied by His associates, servitors, weapons and confidential companions. Intelligent people worship Him by performing saṅkīrtana-yajña.
kali-jīva uddhārite para-tattva hari
navadvīpe āilā gaura-rūpa āviṣkari
yuga-dharma kṛṣṇa-nāma-smaraṇa kīrtana
sāṅgopāṅge vitarila diyā prema dhana
jīvera sunitya dharma nāma-saṅkīrtana
anya saba dharma nāma-siddhira kāraṇa
“Śrī Hari, who is the Absolute Truth Himself, descended in Navadvīpa as Gaurasundara to deliver the living entities (jīvas) of Kali-yuga. Together with His associates, He distributed the treasure of kṛṣṇa-prema through śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāma-saṅkīrtana, the religion of the current age (yuga-dharma). Nāma-saṅkīrtana is the living entities’ only eternal religion; all other dharmas are simply secondary means to attain perfection in chanting.”
Text 2
Stavāvalī (Śrī Śacīsūnv-aṣṭaka 5) says:
nijatve gauḍīyān jagati parigṛhya prabhur imān
hare kṛṣṇety evaṁ gaṇana-vidhinā kīrtayata bhoḥ
iti prāyāṁ śikṣāṁ caraṇa-madhupebhyaḥ paridiśan
śacī-sūnuḥ kiṁ me nayana-saraṇīṁ yāsyati padam
When will Śacīnandana Gaurahari appear on the path of my eyes? He accepted the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas in this world, who are like bees at His lotus feet, as His own, and He instructed them to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra by counting a fixed number of rounds.
Text 3
The Viṣṇu-rahasya states:
yad abhyarcya hariṁ bhaktyā
kṛte kratu-śatair api
phalaṁ prāpnoty avikalaṁ
kalau govinda-kīrtanāt
Whatever fruit can be obtained in Satya-yuga by devoutly performing austerities and so on for hundreds of years, can be obtained in the age of Kali simply by chanting the names of Śrī Govinda.
satya-yuge śata śata yajñe haryarcana
kalite govinda-nāme se phala-arjana
The result received in Satya-yuga by meditation on Bhagavān, in Tretā-yuga by worshipping Bhagavān through great sacrifices, and in Dvāpara-yuga by performing arcana of Bhagavān according to proper rules, is obtained in Kali-yuga simply by chanting nāma-ābhāsa, a semblance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s names.
Text 4
The Bṛhad-viṣṇu Purāṇa states that other kinds of atonement (prāyaścitta) are not necessary for one who chants the holy name:
nāmno ’sya yāvatī śaktiḥ
pāpa-nirharaṇe hareḥ
tāvat kartuṁ na śaknoti
pātakaṁ pātakī janaḥ
Śrī Hari’s name possesses such potency to destroy sins that it can counteract more sins than even the most sinful person is able to commit.
kona prāyaścitta nahe nāmera samāna
ataeva karma-tyāga kare buddhimān
Text 5
The superiority of kīrtana is described in Vaiṣṇava-cintāmaṇi (Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (11.236)):
aghacchit-smaraṇaṁ viṣṇor
bahvāyāsena sādhyate
oṣṭha-spandana-mātreṇa
kīrtanaṁ tu tato varam
Sins are destroyed with great effort by remembering Viṣṇu, but by chanting His name, they are very easily destroyed. Kīrtana is performed simply by using the lips to vibrate the names of Bhagavān and is far superior to smaraṇa (remembrance).
tapasyāya dhyāna yoga kaṣṭa sādhya haya
oṣṭhera spandana-mātre kīrtana āśraya
oṣṭhera spandanābhāve nāmera smaraṇa
smaraṇa kīrtane sarva siddhi-saṅghaṭana
arcana apekṣā nāmera smaraṇa-kīrtana
ati śreṣṭha bali śāstre karila sthāpana
Austerities, meditation, yoga and other practices are very difficult to perform in Kali-yuga, but kīrtana is easy; one need only vibrate one’s lips. Nāma chanted without moving the lips is called nāma-smaraṇa. The jīva can attain all perfection by nāma-kīrtana and nāma-smaraṇa. The scriptures have therefore concluded that kīrtana and smaraṇa of the holy name are superior to arcana.
Text 6
Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (11.237) states:
yena janma-śataiḥ pūrvaṁ
vāsudevaḥ samarcitaḥ
tan-mukhe hari-nāmāni
sadā tiṣṭhanti bhārataḥ
O best of the dynasty of Bharata, the holy name of Śrī Hari is eternally present only in the mouth of one who has perfectly worshipped Vāsudeva for hundreds of births.
hare kṛṣṇa ṣolanāma aṣṭayuga haya
aṣṭayuga arthe aṣṭaśloka prabhu kaya
ādi hare kṛṣṇa arthe avidyā-damana
śraddhāra sahita kṛṣṇa-nāma-saṅkīrtana
āra hare kṛṣṇa nāma kṛṣṇa sarva-śakti
sādhu-saṅge nāmāśraye bhajanānurakti
sei ta bhajana-krame sarvānartha-nāśa
anarthāpagame nāme niṣṭhāra vikāśa
tṛtīye viśuddha-bhakta caritrera saha
kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa nāme niṣṭhā kare aharaha
caturthe ahaitukī bhakti uddīpana
ruci saha hare hare nāma-saṅkīrtana
pañcamete śuddha dāsya rucira sahita
hare rāma saṅkīrtana smaraṇa vihita
ṣaṣṭhe bhāvāṅkure hare rāmeti kīrtana
saṁsāre aruci kṛṣṇe ruci samarpaṇa
saptame madhurāsakti rādhā-padāśraya
vipralambhe rāma rāma nāmera udaya
aṣṭame vrajete aṣṭa-kāla gopī-bhāva
rādhā-kṛṣṇa-prema-sevā prayojana lābha
Text 7
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.4.15–16) states:
ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhusaṅgo
’tha bhajana-kriyā
tato ’nartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt
tato niṣṭhā rucis tataḥ
athāsaktis tato bhāvas
tataḥ premābhyudañcati
sādhakānām ayaṁ premṇaḥ
prādurbhāve bhavet kramaḥ
[This verse describes the gradual development of the sādhaka’s devotion.] Sukṛti that gives rise to bhakti generates transcendental faith (paramārthika-śraddhā). Faith in the words of the scriptures and a desire to hear hari-kathā are the symptoms of this śraddhā. Upon its appearance, one gets the opportunity for sādhu-saṅga, and then bhajana-kriyā (devotional activity) begins. Anartha-nivṛtti is also initiated at this time, and thereafter niṣṭhā arises in bhajana. This is followed by ruci, and then āsakti arises for both bhajana and the object of bhajana. When this stage ripens it is transformed into the state of bhāva, and thereafter prema arises. This is how prema gradually manifests in the heart of the sādhaka.
bhakti-mūlā sukṛti haite śraddhodaya
śraddhā haile sādhu-saṅga anāyāse haya
sādhu-saṅga phale haya bhajanera śikṣā
bhajana-śikṣāra saṅge nāma mantra dīkṣā
bhajite-bhajite haya anarthera kṣaya
anartha kharvita haile niṣṭhāra udaya
niṣṭhā-nāme yata haya anartha-vināśa
nāme tata ruci-krame haibe prakāśa
ruci-yukta nāmete anartha yata yāya
tatai āsakti nāme bhakta-jana pāya
nāmāsakti krame sarvānartha dūra haya
tabe bhāvodaya haya ei ta niścaya
iti madhye asat-saṅge pratiṣṭhā janmiyā
kuṭīnāṭī dvāre deya nimne phelāiyā
ati sāvadhāne bhāī asat-saṅga tyaja
nirantara parānande harināma bhaja
Text 8
The Kātyāyana-saṁhitā (quoted in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.51)) states:
varaṁ huta-vaha-jvālā
pañjarāntar-vyavasthitiḥ
na śauri-cintā-vimukhajana-
saṁvāsa-vaiśasam
Whether I am burned by fire or remain encaged forever, I will never, ever desire the association of those who are averse to Kṛṣṇa.
Text 9
The Viṣṇu-rahasya (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.112)) states:
āliṅganaṁ varaṁ manye
vyāla-vyāghra-jalaukasām
na saṅgaḥ śalya-yuktānāṁ
nānā-devaikasevinām
It is better to live with or embrace a snake, a tiger or an alligator than to associate with those whose hearts are filled with varieties of material desires and who worship various demigods.
agnite puḍi vā pañjarete baddha hai
tabu kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha saṅga nāhi lai
varaṁ sarpa-vyāghra-kumbhīrera āliṅgana
anyasevi saṅga nāhi kari kadācana
Text 10
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.103) states that nāma-ābhāsa destroys all sins and liberates one from material existence:
taṁ nirvyājaṁ bhaja guṇa-nidhiṁ pāvanaṁ pāvanānāṁ
śraddhā rajyan matir atitarām uttama-śloka-maulim
prodyann antaḥ-karaṇa-kuhare hanta yan-nāma-bhānor
ābhāso ’pi kṣapayati mahā-pātaka-dhvānta-rāśim
O reservoir of good qualities, just faithfully perform bhajana of Śrī Kṛṣṇa without duplicity. He is the supreme saviour among all saviours, and the most exalted of those worshipped with poetic hymns. When even a slight appearance of His name, which is like the sun, arises in one’s cave-like heart, it destroys the darkness of great sins that are present there.
parama pāvana kṛṣṇa tāṅhāra-caraṇa
niṣkapaṭa śraddhā-saha karaha bhajana
yāṅra nāma sūryābhāsa antare praveśi
dhvaṁsa kare kahāpāpa andhakāra rāśi
ei śikṣāṣṭake kahe kṛṣṇa-līlā-krama
ihāte bhajana-krame līlāra udgama
prathame prathama śloka bhaja kichu dina
dvitīya ślokete tabe haota pravīṇa
cāri śloke kramaśaḥ bhajana pakva kara
pañcama ślokete nija-siddha-deha bara
ai śloke siddha-dehe rādhā-padāśraya
ārambha kariyā krame unnati udaya
chaya śloka bhajite anartha dūre gela
tabe jāna siddha-dehe adhikāra haila
adhikāra nā labhiyā siddha-deha bhāve
viparyaya buddhi janme śaktira abhāve
sāvadhāne krama dhara yadi siddhi cāo
sādhura carita dekhi’ śuddha-buddhi pāo
siddha-deha peye krame bhajana karile
aṣṭa-kāla sevā-sukha anāyāse mile
śikṣāṣṭaka cinta, kara smaraṇa kīrtana
krame aṣṭa-kāla-sevā habe uddīpana
sakala anartha yābe pābe prema-dhana
catur-varga phalgu-prāya habe adarśana
Text 11
The first verse of Śikṣāṣṭaka describes the sequence of bhajana. First the mirror-like heart is cleansed by the chanting of the holy name:
ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ
śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam
ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ prati-padaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaṁ
sarvātma-snapanaṁ paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam
Let there be supreme victory for the chanting of the holy name of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, which cleanses the mirror of the heart and completely extinguishes the blazing forest fire of material existence. Śrīkṛṣṇa- saṅkīrtana diffuses the moon rays of bhāva, which cause the white lotus of good fortune for the jīvas to bloom. The holy name is the life and soul of transcendental knowledge, which is herein compared to a wife. It continuously expands the ocean of transcendental bliss, enabling one to taste complete nectar at every step, and thoroughly cleanses and cools everything, both internally and externally, including one’s body, heart, self (ātmā) and nature.
saṅkīrtana haite pāpa-saṁsāra nāśana
citta śuddhi sarva-bhakti-sādhana udgama
kṛṣṇa premodgama premāmṛta-āsvādana
kṛṣṇa prāpti-sevāmṛta-samudre majjana
Text 12
The seventh verse of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Nāmāṣṭaka describes the holy name as the embodiment of concentrated transcendental bliss and knowledge:
sūditāśrita-janārtir-āśaye ramyacid-
ghana sukha-svarūpiṇe
nāma gokula-mahotsavāya te kṛṣṇa
pūrṇa-vapuṣe namo namaḥ
O destroyer of the numerous sufferings of those who have taken shelter of You! O embodiment of delightful transcendental bliss! O great festival for the residents of Gokula! O all-pervading one! O Kṛṣṇa-nāma, time and again I offer respects to You, who are replete with these qualities.
āśrita janera saba ārtināśa kari
atiramya cidghana svarūpe vihari
gokulera mahotsava kṛṣṇa pūrna-rūpa
hena nāme nami prema pāī aparūpa
nāma kīrtane haya sarvānartha nāśa
sarva śubhodaya kṛṣṇe premera ullāsa
Text 13
The path of aṣṭāṅga-yoga is always full of fear. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.6.35) states:
yamādibhir yoga-pathaiḥ
kāma-lobha-hato muhuḥ
mukunda-sevayā yadvat
tathātmāddhā na śāmyati
The mind that is disturbed by the enemies of lust, anger, greed and so forth does not become subdued or peaceful by practising yama and niyama on the path of aṣṭāṅga-yoga, as it does by performing service to Śrī Mukunda, which completely controls it.
yoge śuddha kari’ citte ekāgraha kare
bahusthale e kathāra vyatikrama kare
Text 14
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.5.12) jñāna and karma are condemned:
naiṣkarmyam apy acyuta-bhāva-varjitaṁ
na śobhate jñānam alaṁ nirañjanam
kutaḥ punaḥ śaśvad abhadram īśvare
na cārpitaṁ karma yad apy akāraṇam
Even pure knowledge (jñāna), which is the direct sādhana to obtain liberation, has no beauty if it is devoid of bhakti to Bhagavān. How then can selfless action (niṣkāma-karma), which is not offered to Bhagavān, and fruitive action (kāmyakarma), which is always inauspicious in both its practice and perfection, be beautiful?
nirañjana karmātīta, kabhu jñāna suśobhita,
śuddha bhakti vinā nāhi haya|
svabhāva abhadra karma, haleo niṣkāma dharma,
kṛṣṇārpita naile śubha naya
Text 15
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.4) condemns the path of non-devotion:
śreyaḥ-sṛtiṁ bhaktim udasya te vibho
kliśyanti ye kevala-bodha-labdhaye
teṣām asau kleśala eva śiṣyate
nānyad yathā sthūla-tuṣāvaghātinām
O Lord, devotional service unto You is the main source of all kinds of auspiciousness. Those who give up this path only to cultivate jñāna will simply undergo hard work, suffer pain and achieve difficulty, just as the only gain of a person who beats empty husks is hard work, not rice.
bhakti-patha chāḍi’ kare jñānera prayāsa
miche kaṣṭa pāya tāra haya sarva-nāśa
ati kaṣṭe tuṣa kuṭi’ taṇḍūla nā pāya
bhakti-śūnya jñāne tathā vṛthā dina yāya
Text 16
The blazing fire of material existence is extinguished by nāmasaṅkīrtana. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (6.2.46) says:
nātaḥ paraṁ karma-nibandha-kṛntanaṁ
mumukṣatāṁ tīrtha-padānukīrtanāt
na yat punaḥ karmasu sajjate mano
rajas-tamobhyāṁ kalilaṁ tato ’nyathā
For those who desire liberation from the bondage of this material existence, there is no other means than chanting the name of Bhagavān, who sanctifies even the holy places by the touch of His lotus feet. This nāma-saṅkīrtana is able to destroy the root cause of all sinful activities, because when the mind has taken shelter of Bhagavān it will never again be caught by fruitive activities. By taking shelter of any atonement other than the name of Bhagavān, the heart will remain affected by the modes of passion and ignorance, and sins will not be destroyed at the root.
karma-bandha sukhaṇḍana, mokṣa prāpti saṅghaṭana,
kṛṣṇa-nāma-kīrtane sādhaya
karma-cakra rajas-tamaḥ, pūrṇa-rūpe vinirgama,
nāma vinā nāhi anyopāya
Text 17
Further, the Padma Purāṇa states:
sakṛd uccāritaṁ yena harir ity akṣara-dvayam
baddhaḥ parikaras tena mokṣāya gamanaṁ prati
A person who even once chants the two syllables ha and ri easily attains liberation.
yāṅra mukhe ekabāra nāma nṛtya kare
mokṣa-sukha anāyāse pāya sei nare
Text 18
The holy name is like the moonlight that causes the white water lotus of all-auspiciousness to blossom. The Skanda Purāṇa says:
madhura-madhuram etan maṅgalaṁ maṅgalānāṁ
sakala-nigama-vallī sat-phalaṁ cit-svarūpam
sakṛd api parigītaṁ śraddhayā helayā vā
bhṛguvara nara-mātraṁ tārayet kṛṣṇa-nāma
The holy name is the most auspicious of all that is auspicious, and the sweetest of all that is sweet. It is the fully ripened transcendental fruit of all the creepers of the Śrutis. O best of the Bhṛgu dynasty, if a person even once chants the name of Kṛṣṇa without offence – be it with faith or indifferently – that chanting will deliver him from the bondage of material existence.
sakala maṅgala haite parama maṅgala
cit-svārūpa sanātana vedavallī-phala
kṛṣṇa-nāma ekabāra śraddhāya helāya
yāṅhāra vedane sei mukta suniścaya
Text 19
The holy name is the life of all transcendental knowledge, which is compared to a wife (vadhū). This is supported by the following verse from the Garuḍa Purāṇa:
yad icchasi paraṁ jñānaṁ
jñānād yat paramaṁ padam
tad ādareṇa rājendra
kuru govinda-kīrtanam
O best of kings, if you desire to obtain the topmost knowledge and the supreme goal of that knowledge, prema-bhakti, then chant the holy name of Śrī Govinda with great respect and devotion.
parama jñāna haite ye parama pada pāya
govinda-kīrtana sei karaha śraddhāya
Text 20
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.5.40) the demigods speak the following:
dhātar yad asmin bhava īśa jīvās
tāpa-trayeṇābhihatā na śarma
ātman labhante bhagavaṁs tavāṅghricchāyāṁ
sa-vidyām ata āśrayema
O Vidhātā! O Lord! O Paramātmā! In this material world the living entities, overwhelmed by the threefold miseries, cannot find any peace. Therefore, O Bhagavān, we take shelter of the shade of Your lotus feet, which are full of knowledge.
e saṁsāre tāpa-traya, abhihata jīvacaya,
ohe kṛṣṇa nā labhe maṅgala
tava pada-chāyā vidyā, śubha dātā anavadyā,
tad-āśraye sarva-śubha phala
Text 21
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (4.29.49) it is stated:
sā vidyā tan-matir yayā
Knowledge is that by which one’s attention is concentrated upon Bhagavān.
ye śaktite kṛṣṇe kare udbhāvana
vidyā-nāme sei kare avidyā khaṇḍana
kṛṣṇa-nāma sei vidyā-vadhūra jīvana
kṛṣṇa-pāda-padme ye karaye sthira mana
Text 22
The chanting of the holy name expands the ocean of transcendental bliss. It is stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (8.3.20):
ekāntino yasya na kañcanārthaṁ
vāñchanti ye vai bhagavat-prapannāḥ
aty-adbhutaṁ tac-caritaṁ sumaṅgalaṁ
gāyanta ānanda-samudra-magnāḥ
The devotees who are exclusively surrendered unto Bhagavān, and who have no other desire than to attain Him, become immersed in an ocean of bliss by performing saṅkīrtana of His wonderful and supremely auspicious pastimes.
akiñcana haye kare ekānta kīrtana
ānanda samudre magna haya sei jana
Text 23
Nāma-saṅkīrtana enables one to taste complete nectar at every step; therefore the Padma Purāṇa states:
tebhyo namo ’stu bhava-vāridhi-jīrṇa-paṅka
sammagna-mokṣaṇa-vicakṣaṇa-pādukebhyaḥ
kṛṣṇeti varṇa-yugalaṁ śravaṇena yeṣām
ānandathur bhavati nartita-roma-vṛndaḥ
The devotees whose bodily hairs stand on end and whose hearts tremble with bliss upon hearing the two syllables kṛ and ṣṇa, deliver the living entities engrossed in material existence. Clearsighted, intelligent persons who desire eternal auspiciousness surrender to the lotus feet of these rasika-bhaktas.
kṛṣṇa-nāma suni’ roma-vṛnda nṛtya kare
ānanda kampana haya yāṅhāra śarīre
bhava-sindhu-paṅka magna jīvera uddhāra
vicakṣaṇa tiṅho nami caraṇe tāṅhāra
Text 24
Chanting the holy name completely cleanses the self. Śrīmad- Bhāgavatam (12.12.48) states:
saṅkīrtyamāno bhagavān anantaḥ
śrutānubhāvo vyasanaṁ hi puṁsām
praviśya cittaṁ vidhunoty aśeṣaṁ
yathā tamo ’rko ’bhram ivāti-vātaḥ
Bhagavān Śrī Hari Himself enters the heart of a devotee who describes His name, form, qualities, pastimes and so on, or hears His glories; and He destroys all the darkness of the sins present there. Upon entering the heart of the jīva, Bhagavān destroys his offences, impediments, duplicity and material desires, just as the sun drives away darkness or a powerful wind scatters the clouds. This cleanses the mirror-like hearts of those who take shelter of Kṛṣṇa’s name, and very quickly they attain their pure transcendental forms.
śruta anubhūta yata anartha saṁyoga
śrī kṛṣṇa kīrtane saba haya ta viyoga
ye rūpa vāyute megha sūrya tamaḥ nāśe
citte praveśiyā doṣa aśeṣa vināśe
kṛṣṇa nāmāśraye citta darpaṇa mārjana
ati śīghra labhe jīva kṛṣṇa prema-dhana
Text 25
The holy name is Kṛṣṇa Himself and the sweet embodiment of transcendental mellows (caitanya-rasa-vigraha). In Nāmāṣṭaka (8) it is stated:
nārada-vīṇojjīvana! sudhormi
niryāsa-mādhurī-pūra!
tvaṁ kṛṣṇa-nāma! kāmaṁ
sphura me rasane rasena sadā
O life of Nārada’s vīṇā! O crest of the waves upon the transcendental ocean of nectar! O condensed form of all sweetness! O Kṛṣṇa-nāma! By Your own sweet will, may You always appear on my tongue along with all transcendental rasa.
muni-vīṇā-ujjīvana-sudhormi-niryāsa
mādhurīte paripūrṇa kṛṣṇa-nāmocchvāsa
sei nāma anargala āmāra rasane
nācuna rasera saha ei vāñchā mane
Text 26
The second verse of Nāmāṣṭaka states:
jaya nāmadheya! muni-vṛnda-geya!
jana-rañjanāya param akṣarākṛte!
tvam anādarād api manāg-udīritaṁ
nikhilogra-tāpa-paṭalīṁ vilumpasi
O Hari-nāma, the great sages constantly chant Your glories. To delight the devotees You have appeared in the form of transcendental syllables. All victory unto You! May Your excellence forever be splendidly manifest, and may You display it to all. Prabhu, Your excellence is such that even if Your name is chanted only once and without respect – that is, to indicate something else, jokingly and so forth – it completely destroys the most fearsome of sins, and even sinful thoughts. Thus, make me surrender to You without fail, and by my remembrance of Your power, purify me because I proclaim Your glories.
jīva śiva lāgi’ paramākṣara ākāra
muni-vṛnda gāya śraddhā kari’ anivāra
jaya jaya harināma akhilogratāpa
nāśa kara helā gāne e baḍa pratāpa
Text 27
The Vedas (Ṛg Veda 1.156.3) describe the truth of the holy name (nāma-tattva):
oṁ ity etad brahmaṇo nediṣṭaṁ
nāma yasmād uccāryamāna
eva saṁsāra-bhayāt tārayati
tasmād ucyate tāra iti
One who chants oṁ, which is very close to Brahman (here meaning Bhagavān) and which indicates Brahman, is liberated from the fear of the material world by this name. Therefore oṁ is famous by the name tāraka-brahma (the deliverer).
Text 28
oṁ āsya jānanto nāma-cid-vivaktan mahas te viṣṇo
sumatiṁ bhajāmahe oṁ tat sat
O Viṣṇu, all the Vedas appear from Your name, which is fully conscious and all-illuminating. Your name is the personification of transcendence and supreme bliss, and it is the embodiment of easily obtainable transcendental knowledge. I worship You by thoughtfully performing continuous chanting of Your name.
Text 29
tato ’bhūt trivṛd oṁkāro
yo ’vyakta prabhavaḥ svarāṭ
yat tal liṅgaṁ bhagavato
brahmaṇaḥ paramātmanaḥ
Śrī Bhagavān is imperceptible; He is both undivided and divided. The syllables found in the word oṁ are His manifestation, and He is manifest in the three forms of Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. The three syllables in the oṁkāra represent the names Hari, Kṛṣṇa and Rāma. The name of Hari is non-different from Hari Himself.
avyakta haite kṛṣṇa svarāṭa svatantra
brahma, ātmā, bhagavān liṅgatraya tantra
a-kāra u-kāra āra ma-kāra nirdeśa
oṁ hari kṛṣṇa rāma nāmera viśeṣa
hari haite abhinna sakala harināma
vācya-vācaka bhede pūrṇa kare kāma
Text 30
Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata (Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.76–8) states:
hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare
prabhu kahe kahilāma ei mahā-mantra
ihā japa giyā sabe kariyā nirbandha
ihā haite sarva-siddhi haibe sabāra
sarva-kṣaṇa bala ithe vidhi nāhi āra
The Lord said, “Regularly chant japa of this mahā-mantra. In this way you will attain all perfection. Chant at any time and in any circumstance; there are no other rules for chanting.”
Text 31
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.103) states:
acirād eva sarvārthaḥ
siddhaty eṣām abhīpsitaḥ
sad-dharmasyāvabodhāya
yeṣāṁ nirbandhinī matiḥ
The holy name is the bestower of all perfection, and those who continuously chant harināma with such firm faith and conviction quickly obtain the fruit of prema.
nirbandhinī-mati-saha kṛṣṇa-nāma kare
atiśīghra prema-phala sei nāme dhare
Text 32
Hari-bhakti-vilāsa gives the following injunctions for chanting:
tulasī-kāṣṭha-ghaṭitair maṇibhir japa-mālikā
sarva-karmāṇi sarveṣām īpsitārtha-phala-pradā
go-puccha-sadṛśī kāryā yad vā sarpākṛtiḥ śubhā
tarjanyā na spṛśet sūtraṁ kampayen na vidhūnayet
aṅguṣṭha-parva-madhyasthaṁ parivartaṁ samācaret
na spṛśet vāma-hastena kara-bhraṣṭāṁ na kārayet
bhuktau muktau tathā kṛṣṭau madhya-māyāṁ japet sudhīḥ
A japa-mālā made of tulasī or precious stones fulfils all kinds of inner desires. A japa-mālā shaped like a cow’s tail or a snake is auspicious. One should not touch the japa-mālā with the forefinger. One should not swing or shake the mālā again and again while chanting. Chant and change the direction of the mālā using the thumb and the middle finger. Do not touch the mālā with the left hand, and do not let it fall from the hand. Those who desire material enjoyment (bhukti) and those who desire liberation (mukti) chant with the middle finger.
Text 33
Hari-bhakti-vilāsa states:
manaḥ saṁharaṇaṁ śaucaṁ maunaṁ mantrārtha-cintanam
avyagratvam anirvedo japa-sampatti-hetavaḥ
While chanting, one should be one-pointed and give up talking about mundane topics. With a pure heart, one should think about the meaning of the holy name, and be steadfast and patient in his chanting and remembrance of the holy name.
japa kāle manake ekāgrabhāve laha
citte śuddha thāka, vṛthā kathā nāhi kaha
nāmārtha cintaha sadā dhairyāśraya kara
nāmete ādara kari’ kṛṣṇa-nāma smara
Text 34
Śrī Gopāla-guru explains the meaning of the holy name as follows:
vijñāpya bhagavat-tattvaṁ cid-ghanānanda-vigraham
haraty avidyāṁ tat kāryam ato harir iti smṛtaḥ
harati śrī-kṛṣṇa-manaḥ kṛṣṇāhlāda-svarūpiṇī
ato harety anenaiva śrī-rādhā parikīrtitā
ānandaika-sukha-svāmī śyāmaḥ kamala-locanaḥ
gokulānandano nanda nandanaḥ kṛṣṇa īryate
vaidagdhī sāra-sarvasvaṁ mūrti-līlādhidaivatam
rādhikāṁ ramyan nityaṁ rāma ity abhidhīyate
The Supreme Person Śrī Bhagavān has descended in the form of the holy name, which is the embodiment of condensed knowledge and bliss. While remembering the name of Bhagavān, one should remember that nāma and nāmī are non-different. In the first stage of a sādhaka’s progress, the holy name removes ignorance. Therefore He is Hari, “He who removes”. The rasikaācāryas, however, taste harināma by thinking that, in the kuñjas Vṛṣabhānu-nandinī Śrī Rādhā is stealing away the mind of Śrī Hari by Her service. He who chants Hare Kṛṣṇa with this meditation attains prema-bhakti. Śrī Rādhā is kṛṣṇa-hlādinī-rūpiṇī, the embodiment of Kṛṣṇa’s own pleasure potency. She steals away Kṛṣṇa’s mind, and therefore Her name is Harā. The vocative form of Harā is Hare. Thus, Hare Kṛṣṇa means Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Yugala.
The names Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa are sac-cid-ānanda, full of eternity, knowledge and bliss. Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are personally present in Hare Kṛṣṇa. The eternal master of Śrī Rādhā, who is bliss personified, is Śyāma, who has eyes like lotus petals and who desires that Śrī Rādhikā always be happy. Nanda-nandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the giver of bliss to the residents of Gokula, is always yearning to taste happiness with Śrī Rādhā. Kṛṣṇa is Līleśvara, a clever dhīra-lalita-nāyaka; therefore His name is Rādhāramaṇa. The Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra is comprised of names of the Divine Couple. While chanting this mantra one should remember Their pastimes.
cid-ghana ānanda-rūpa śrī bhagavān
nāma-rūpe avatāra ei ta pramāṇa
avidyā-haraṇa kārya haite nāma hari
ataeva hare kṛṣṇa nāme yāya tari
kṛṣṇāhlāda-svarūpiṇī śrī rādhā āmāra
kṛṣṇa mana hare tāi harā nāma tāṅra
rādhā-kṛṣṇa śabde śrī sac-cid-ānanda rūpa
hare kṛṣṇa śabde rādhā-krṣṇera svarūpa
ānanda-svarūpa-rādhā tāṅra nitya svāmī
kamala-locana śyāma rādhānanda-kāmī
gokula-ānanda nanda-nandana śrī kṛṣṇa
rādhā-saṅge sukhāsvāde sarvadā satṛṣṇa
vaidagdhya-sāra-sarvasva mūrta līleśvara
śrī rādhā-ramaṇa rāma nāma ataḥpara
hare kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra śrī yugala nāma
yugala līlāra cintā kara avirāma
Text 35
The Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa states:
harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā
In Kali-yuga there is no other way for the jīva than chanting the holy name. There is no other way, there is no other way.
anya dharma karma chāḍi harināma sāra
kali-yuge tāhā vinā gati nāhi āra
Text 36
The Bhāgavata-nāma-kaumudī states:
naktaṁ divā ca gatabhir jita-nidra eko
nirviṇṇa īkṣita-patho mita-bhuk praśāntaḥ
yady acyute bhagavati sva-mano na sajjen
nāmāni tad-rati-karāṇi paṭhed vilajjaḥ
If your mind is not absorbed in the name of Śrī Bhagavān Acyuta, then day and night without shyness chant those principal names that are endowed with rati (such as Rādhā-ramaṇa, Vraja-vallabha and Gopījana-vallabha). Minimise sleep, eat moderately, and proceed on the path of spiritual truth with a peaceful mind and a disregard for worldly things.
rātra dina unnidra nirvighna nirbhaya
mitabhuk praśānta nirjane cintāmaya
lajjā tyaji kṛṣṇa-rati uddīpaka nāma
uccāraṇa kare bhakta kṛṣṇāsakti kāma
Text 37
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (6.3.22) states:
etāvān eva loke ’smin puṁsāṁ dharmaḥ paraḥ smṛtaḥ
bhakti-yogo bhagavati tan-nāma-grahaṇādibhiḥ
Only the worship of Bhagavān Śrī Vāsudeva, performed through nāma-saṅkīrtana, is called bhakti-yoga. This alone is the supreme dharma for the living entities.
bhakti-yoga kṛṣṇa-nāma grahaṇādi rūpa
para dharma nāme tāra nirṇīta svarūpa
Text 38
While chanting harināma, one should remember Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. “Niśānte kīrtane kuñja-bhaṅga kare dhyāna, krame krame citta lagne rasera vidhāna – by remembering and performing kīrtana of niśānta-līlā, or kuñja-bhaṅga-līlā, the mind will gradually relish rasa.” Govinda-līlāmṛta (1.10) states:
rātryante trasta-vṛnderita bahu-viravair bodhitau kīraśārīpadyair-
hṛdyair api sukha-śayanād utthitau tau sakhībhiḥ
dṛṣṭau hṛṣṭau tadā tvoditarati-lalitau kakkhaṭī-gīḥ saśaṅkau
rādhā-kṛṣṇau satṛṣṇāv api nija-nija-dhāmny āpta-talpau smarāmi
At the end of the night, Vṛndā-devī, fearing the approach of day, indicates to the śuka (parrot), śārī (female parrot) and other birds to make sweet sounds to awaken Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. A cool, gentle, fragrant breeze is slowly blowing. With charming calls, the peacocks, peahens, śuka, sārī and papīhā (cuckoos) glorify Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. They say, “O Vrajarāja-nandana! O Nikuñjeśvarī! When will we receive Your darśana?” Although the Divine Couple have been aroused by the sweet chirping of the birds, They embrace each other in fear of being separated and again fall asleep, weary from amorous play. The more Vṛndā-devī tries to wake Them, the more They drowsily pretend to sleep deeply, for They do not desire to leave one another. At that time, the she-monkey Kakkhaṭī loudly cries “Jaṭilā! Jaṭilā!” and They awaken, filled with fear. (The meaning of “Jaṭilā” is “Morning has come and the sun-rays, which look like matted hair (jaṭā), are about to appear.” But it can also mean “Jaṭilā is coming”, Jaṭilā being Śrī Rādhā’s mother-in-law.) The nitya-sakhīs and prāṇa-sakhīs enter the kuñja. These mañjarī-sakhīs redecorate Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa with clothes and ornaments, concealing the signs of Their amorous pastimes, and then they call the priya-sakhīs and priya-narma-sakhīs. Kiśora and Kiśorī joke with each other, and Śrī Lalitā performs Their ārati. Thereafter They proceed to Their respective residences.
dekhiyā aruṇodaya, vṛndā-devī vyasta haya,
kuñje nānā rava karāila
śuka-sārī-padya suni, uṭhe rādhā nīlamaṇi,
sakhī-gaṇa dekhi hṛṣṭa hailā
kālocita sulalita, kakkhaṭīra rave bhīta,
rādhā-kṛṣṇa satṛṣṇa haiyā
nija-nija gṛhe gelā, nibhṛte śayana kailā,
dūṅhe bhaji se līlā smariyā
ei līlā smara āra gāo kṛṣṇa-nāma,
kṛṣṇa-līlā prema-dhana pābe kṛṣṇa-dhāma
Thus ends the Prathama-yāma-sādhana, Niśānta-bhajana, of Śrī Bhajana-rahasya.