Date: 02-April-2001 (Rāma-navamī)
Note from the Editor
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Sri Sri
Guru and Gauranga! For the pleasure of the dear devotees of Gauranga Mahaprabhu
we are offering this humble bindu, a drop from the ocean of nectarean hari-kathā,
as a service to the vaiṣṇava community. If we receive the blessings of guru and
Krishna we will make this a bi-monthly offering. Many devotees have appreciated
Sri Krishna-kathamrita magazine but would like to see it published more often.
We have found ourselves unable to satisfy this request. It is hoped these
regular drops of kṛṣṇa-kathā will at least partially satisfy the devotees.
In this dreadful material world we are always being put into
difficulties. The living entities here are forever searching out newer and newer
methods by which they can mitigate their suffering and attain happiness. We
follow the profound and simple advice of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Saraswati Thakur who said, “There is no shortage of anything in this world save
and except Krishna consciousness.” Similarly, his dear disciple Srila A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada has written:
It is essential for persons who are actually liberated to
hear about the pastimes of Krishna. That is the supreme relishable subject
matter for one in the liberated state. Also, if persons who are trying to be
liberated hear such narrations... then their path of liberation becomes very
clear. ...Lord Chaitanya has therefore advised His followers that their
business is to propagate kṛṣṇa-kathā.
In keeping with these desires of our previous ācāryas, the
purpose of this magazine is simply to propagate kṛṣṇa-kathā. As in the larger
Sri Krishna-kathamrita, this little version will also present topics from our
ongoing research into the history, holy places and literature of the Gaudiya
Vaishnava tradition, especially as found
in Orissa. We will consider our efforts successful if this publication is a
source of inspiration for the preachers of Krishna consciousness to continue
their efforts to push on Lord Chaitanya’s movement.
Nourishing the Devotees
Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Now we have got so many students and so many temples but I
am fearful that if we expand too much in this way we shall become weakened and
gradually the whole thing will become lost. Just like milk. We may thin it more
and more with water for cheating the customer, but in the end it will cease to
be any longer milk. Better to boil the milk now very vigorously and make it
thick and sweet. That is the best process. So let us concentrate on training
our devotees very thoroughly in the knowledge of Krishna consciousness from our
books, from tapes, by discussing always, and in so many ways instruct them in
the right propositions. — Letter to Hamsaduta
Now I want that we shall concentrate on making our devotees
Krishna conscious and ourselves becoming
Krishna conscious, and not be so much concerned with expanding ourselves widely
but without any spiritual content. Just like boiling the milk, it becomes
thicker and sweeter. Now do like that, boil the milk. — Letter to Rupanuga.
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada Vani
I have most probably given many people troubles in the mind. Some of them might have thought about me that I am their enemy because I was obliged to speak the plain truth for service and devotion towards the Absolute Godhead. I have given them all those troubles only for the reason that they may turn their face towards the Personality of Godhead without any desire for gain and with unalloyed devotion. I hope some day or other they may understand me rightly.
— Excerpt from the last lecture of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. Translated from the Bengali and printed in the first edition of BTG magazine By Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
The Holy Name is Everything
Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja
ataeva nāma mātra vaiṣṇavera dharmanāme prasphuṭita haya rūpa, guṇa, karma
Chanting the holy name is the prime religious activity of a
vaiṣṇava. From the holy name gradually blossom the Lord’s form, qualities and
pastimes. (1)
kṛṣṇa-nāma cintāmaṇi anādi cinmayayei kṛṣṇa, sei nāma—eka-tattva haya
Lord Krishna’s name is like an eternal and transcendental
touchstone. Krishna and His name are identical; They are one and the same
absolute truth. (2)
nāmera smaraṇa āra nāma-sankīrtanaei mātra dharma jīva karibe pālana
This is the only dharma in kali-yuga: chanting the holy name
and thinking of the holy name. Only this. This is the one dharma the jīvas in kali-yuga should perform. In all the Vedas it has been said, harināma-sāra, the
holy name is the essence. (3)
hare nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalamkalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā
In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of
deliverance is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. There is no other
way. There is no other way. There is no other way. (4)
pāibe paramā prīti ānanda apāra (5) — by chanting this holy
name of Krishna:
hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare harehare rāma hare rāma, rāma rāma hare hare
you’ll get extreme pleasure, supreme pleasure.
veda punaḥ bale, “yata mukti mahājanaparavyome sadā kare nāma-saṁkīrtana
Again the Vedas say that all the liberated mahājanas, always
chant Hare Krishna in the spiritual sky. (6)
yei kṛṣṇa, sei nāma — eka-tattva haya — there is no
difference between the name of Krishna and Krishna Himself — ‘bhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ.(7)
Cintāmaṇi means desire fulfilling touchstone. Whatever you desire the name will give you. kṛṣṇa-nāma
cintāmaṇi anādi cinmaya — the holy name is spiritual, transcendental, and
without beginning or end — anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (8) There is
no difference between the name of Krishna and Krishna Himself, and especially
in kali-yuga Krishna has incarnated Himself in the form of His holy name. No
other incarnation is there in kali-yuga. He is nāma-avatāra.
kali-kāle nāma-rūpe kṛṣṇa-avatāranāma haite haya sarva-jagat-nistāra
In this Age of Kali, the holy name of the Lord, the Hare
Krishna mahā-mantra, is the incarnation of Lord Krishna. Simply by chanting the
holy name one associates with the Lord directly. Anyone who does this is
certainly delivered.(9)
nāma vinu kali-kāle nāhi āra dharmasarva-mantra-sāra nāma, ei śāstra-marma
In this Age of Kali there is no religious principle other
than the chanting of the holy name, which is the essence of all Vedic hymns.
This is the purport of all scriptures.(10)
A vaiṣṇava chants only one name. He has only one dharma,
which is hari-nāma. If you chant the holy name without offense — in other
words, the pure name — then the all-beautiful form of Krishna, the
transcendental pastimes of Krishna, and the attributes of Krishna — everything
will be manifested to you. nāme prasphuṭita haya rūpa, guṇa, karma. The name is everything. The name is everything.·
Bibliography
1 Hari-nāma-cintāmaṇi,
chapter two, page 17. Sri Chaitanya Gaudiya Math edition.
2 Hari-nāma-cintāmaṇi,
chapter two. Page 14.
3 Hari-nāma-cintāmaṇi,
chapter one, page 12.
4 Bṛhad-nāradiya Purāṇa
3.8.126.
5 Hari-nāma-cintāmaṇi,
chapter seven page 72.
6 Hari-nāma-cintāmaṇi,
chapter seven page 73.
7 Padma-purāṇa quoted
in Cc. madhya 17.133.
8 Brahma-saṁhita 5.1.
9 Cc. ādi 17.22.
10 Cc. ādi 7.74.
11 Hari-nāma-cintāmaṇi,
chapter two. Page 17.
Janaka Maharaja’s Visit to Hell
[Editor's Note: Janaka Maharaja is the father of Sita and a great devotee of
Lord Ramachandra. It is described in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (6.3.20) that he is one
of the twelve great authorities on religious principles in this universe. The
following story from Padma Purāṇa (pātālakhaṇḍa 18.31-77) of how Janaka
Maharaja once visited hell illustrates the supreme potency of the holy name and
the association with saintly persons.]
Lord Ananta Sesa once narrated a wonderful account of how
King Janaka visited the abode of Yamaraja. After a long life, Janaka Maharaja
gave up his body through the process of yoga. A divine airplane decorated with
many bells descended and Janaka Maharaja boarded it. On the way the airplane
came near to the abode of Yamaraja, the lord of death. There, sinners were
suffering punishment in millions of hells. When the wind that had touched the
body of Janaka came to them they felt great joy and their misery disappeared.
Then those persons, oppressed by sins, wanting to keep Janaka’s association,
began to lament. They spoke piteously to Janaka Maharaja, “O blessed one.
Please do not leave. We who are greatly tormented are feeling happy due to
contact with the breezes that have touched your body.”
Hearing their words, the very righteous king became filled
with pity and thought to himself, “If due to the touch of the breezes that have
touched my body I am bringing some happiness to the residents here, then I will
stay in this place. This is heaven for me.”
Thinking like this, the king stayed there by the gateway to
hell. After some time, Yamaraja himself, who inflicts severe torment upon
sinners, came to that gateway. There he saw Maharaja Janaka, full of mercy and
a doer of great meritorious deeds, standing by the doorway.
Yamaraja smiled and said to Janaka, “O king! You are
sarva-dharma-śiromaṇi — the crest jewel of piety. Why have you come here? This
is a place for wicked sinners who cause harm to others. Men like you who
perform meritorious deeds do not come to this place. Only those persons who
deceive others, who are engaged in criticizing others, and who are intent on
stealing others’ wealth come here. A man who abandons a religious wife who is
serving him without fault comes here. One who, out of greed for wealth,
deceives his friend, comes here and receives intense punishment from me.”
Yamaraja then said, “Those persons who do not remember Lord
Ramachandra with their mind, words, or deeds I throw into hell and have boiled.
Those who have remembered the Lord of the goddess of fortune leave the
sufferings of hell and quickly go to Vaikuntha.
“O very intelligent king, my servants, unable to even look
at persons like you, bring those who are great sinners. Therefore you should
leave this place and go enjoy many pleasures. Enter the excellent airplane and
go reap the fruits of the religious merits you have earned.”
Hearing the words of Yamaraja, with great compassion Janaka
replied, “O lord, out of pity on these beings I shall not go to vaikuṇṭha. Although
situated in this place, they are feeling some comfort due to the breezes
blowing past my body. If you release all of these persons living in hell then I
shall be happy and will proceed to Vaikuntha.”
Hearing the words of Janaka, Yamaraja pointed out to him
each of those living in hell and said:
“This one had sex with his friend’s wife that had confided
in him, therefore I am having him roasted on an iron stake for thousands of
years. Afterwards he will be born as a pig. Then when he again takes birth in a
human body he will be a eunuch. This one repeatedly raped the wife of another
man. Therefore he will be roasted in the hell known as raurava for a hundred
years. This wicked one stole the wealth of others and enjoyed it. Therefore,
having cut off his hands, I shall cook him in pus and blood. This one did not
honor or welcome, even with words, a guest who had come to him, oppressed by
hunger. He will be dropped into the tāmisra hell, which is full of fire. There,
bees will torment him for a hundred years.
ayaṁ tavaṁ parasyoccair nindāṁ kurvanna lajjitaḥayam apyaśṛṇot karnau prerayan bahuśasta tām
“This shameless person loudly criticized another. This one
here, with great interest, listened to that criticism many times. Therefore
these two have fallen into a dark well.
“This one, who deceived his friend, is being roasted in the
hell known as raurava. After making all of these persons eat the fruit of their
sins, I shall release them. O best among men who have accumulated vast amounts
of religious merit, please leave this place.”
Having pointed out the sinful persons, Yamaraja became
quiet. With his eyes full of tears, Janaka, the great devotee of Lord Rama,
said, “Tell me, how can these miserable beings quickly be set free from hell
and attain happiness?”
Yamaraja replied,
“These persons have never worshiped Lord Vishnu. They have never listened to
the transcendental accounts of the Lord’s activities. How then can they be free
from hell? O great king, if you desire to release them, even though they are great
sinners, then give them the following religious merit possessed by you: Once,
upon getting up in the morning, you meditated with a pure heart upon Lord
Raghunath [Ramachandra], who is known as mahā-pāpa-harābhidhaḥ — the remover of
great sins. Give them the religious merit which you obtained that morning when
with a pure heart you uttered, “Rama, Rama.” Obtaining that merit, they will
get freedom from hell.”
Hearing these words of the intelligent Yamaraja, the great
king Janaka gave those persons the religious merit obtained by him from his
birth. Janaka said, “Let these persons be released from hell due to the
religious merit earned by me from birth by the worship of Raghunath.”
As soon as he said this, those persons dwelling in hell
immediately were freed from their suffering condition and obtained divine
bodies. They said to King Janaka, “O king, by your favor, in one moment we have
been freed from miserable hell and will now go to the highest position, paramaṁ
padam.”
Seeing those now-effulgent persons freed from hell, Janaka
Maharaja, who desired the welfare of all living beings, was very pleased in his
mind. All those persons praised the great King Janaka, the very treasure-house
of compassion, and went to the spiritual world.
— Translated from the Navabharat Publishers edition of Padma
Purāṇa, Calcutta, 1402 jyeṣṭha.
The Nectar of Your Pastimes
by Srila Rupa Goswami
kadāvṛndāraṇye mihira-duhituḥ saṅga-mahitemuhur bhrāmaṁ bhrāmaṁ carita-laharīṁ gokula-pateḥlapann uccair uccair nayana-payasāṁ veṇibhir ahaṁkariṣye sotkaṇṭho nividam upasekaṁ viṭapinām
When, filled with the longings of love, shall I continually
wander in the Vrindavan forest which is glorified by by the touch of the
Yamuna, loudly chanting the transcendental pastimes of Gokula’s king, Krishna,
and thickly sprinkling the trees with streams of tears from my eyes?
api sphārāmode pratipada-sudhā-koṭi-madhurepurāṇa-grāmāntar vahati tava līlā-rasa-jharemano-vatsaḥ pātuṁ viṣaya-viṣa-garte viśati mekṛpā-yaṣṭyā tūrṇaṁ damaya tam amuṁ tarṇaka-pate
Although the very sweet nectar stream of Your transcendental
pastimes swiftly flows through the Purāṇas, the calf of my mind has now entered
a ditch to drink the poison of material sense happiness. O Lord of the calves,
please quickly curb him with Your stick of mercy.
— Aṣṭādaśa-cchandaḥ-stava, texts 10-11. Translated by
Kusakratha Das
Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu #001 © Gopal Jiu Publications.
