Text 10

Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.103) states that nāma-ābhāsa destroys all sins and liberates one from material existence:

तं निर्व्याजं भज गुण-निधिं पावनं पावनानां श्रद्धा रज्यन्{ग्ल्_नोते:१४५१२५:}-मतिर् अतितराम् उत्तमः-श्लोक-मौलिम्
प्रोद्यन्न् अन्तः-करण-कुहरे हन्त यन्-नाम-भानोर् आभासो’पि क्षपयति महा-पातक-ध्वान्त-धाराम्

taṃ nirvyājaṃ bhaja guṇa-nidhiṃ pāvanaṃ pāvanānāṃ śraddhā rajyan^[1]-matir atitarām uttamaḥ-śloka-maulim
prodyann antaḥ-karaṇa-kuhare hanta yan-nāma-bhānor ābhāso’pi kṣapayati mahā-pātaka-dhvānta-dhārām

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 the cave of one’s heart, it destroys the darkness of great sins that are present there.

परम पावन कृष्ण ताङ्हार चरण
निष्कपट श्रद्धा सह करह भजन

parama pāvana kṛṣṇa tāṅhāra caraṇa
niṣkapaṭa śraddhā saha karaha bhajana

याङ्र नाम सूर्याभास अन्तरे प्रवेशि
ध्वंस करे महा-पाप अन्धकार राशि

yāṅra nāma sūryābhāsa antare praveśi
dhvaṃsa kare mahā-pāpa andhakāra rāśi

एइ शिक्षाष्टके कहे कृष्ण-लीला क्रम
इहाते भजन-क्रमे लीलार उद्गम

ei śikṣāṣṭake kahe kṛṣṇa-līlā krama
ihāte bhajana-krame līlāra udgama

प्रथमे प्रथम श्लोक भज किछु दिन
द्वितीय श्लोकेते तबे हओत प्रवीण

prathame prathama śloka bhaja kichu dina
dvitīya ślokete tabe haota pravīṇa

चारि श्लोके क्रमशः भजन पक्व कर
पञ्चम श्लोकेते निज-सिद्ध-देह बर

cāri śloke kramaśaḥ bhajana pakva kara
pañcama ślokete nija-siddha-deha bara

ऐ श्लोके सिद्ध-देहे राधा-पदाश्रय
आरम्भ करिया क्रमे उन्नति उदय

ai śloke siddha-dehe rādhā-padāśraya
ārambha kariyā krame unnati udaya

छय श्लोक भजिते अनर्थ दूरे गेल
तबे जान सिद्ध-देहे अधिकार हैल

chaya śloka bhajite anartha dūre gela
tabe jāna siddha-dehe adhikāra haila

अधिकार ना लभिया सिद्ध-देह भावे
विपर्यय बुद्धि जन्मे शक्तिर अभावे

adhikāra nā labhiyā siddha-deha bhāve
viparyaya buddhi janme śaktira abhāve

सावधाने क्रम धर यदि सिद्धि चाओ
साधुर चरित देखि शुद्ध-बुद्धि पाओ

sāvadhāne krama dhara yadi siddhi cāo
sādhura carita dekhi śuddha-buddhi pāo

सिद्ध-देह पेये क्रमे भजन करिले
अष्ट-काल सेवा-सुख अनायासे मिले

siddha-deha peye krame bhajana karile
aṣṭa-kāla sevā-sukha anāyāse mile

शिक्षाष्टक चिन्त, कर स्मरण कीर्तन
क्रमे अष्ट-काल सेवा हबे उद्दीपन

śikṣāṣṭaka cinta, kara smaraṇa kīrtana
krame aṣṭa-kāla sevā habe uddīpana

सकल अनर्थ याबे पाबे प्रेम-धन
चतुर्-वर्ग फल्गु-प्राय हबे अदर्शन

sakala anartha yābe pābe prema-dhana
catur-varga phalgu-prāya habe adarśana

Commentary: Bhajana-rahasya-vṛtti:

When the holy name is chanted without any desire other than for bhakti, when it is not covered by jñāna, karma and so forth, and when it is chanted in a favourable mood with a sense of one’s relationship with Śrī Kṛṣṇa, it is called the pure name, or śuddha-nāma. If it is not śuddha-nāma, it is called nāma-ābhāsa, a semblance of the holy name. When one’s chanting of the holy name is covered with ignorance, or in other words, when it has the defects of the tendency to commit mistakes (bhrama ) and the tendency to be illusioned (pramāda), it is called nāma-ābhāsa. Nāma-ābhāsa also refers to the chanting of the name when one is absorbed in matters unrelated to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. And when the holy name is chanted impurely, with desires for liberation and enjoyment due to the influence of impersonalism (māyāvāda ) and so on, it is called nāma-aparādha.

The semblance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s name is so powerful that it is capable of putting an end to the darkness of the greatest of sins. Nāma-ābhāsa enters the ears of the living entity, rises in his cavelike heart and liberates him. Moreover, if one who chants nāmaābhāsa gives up bad association and constantly remains in the association of pure devotees, he will very quickly attain pure bhakti and the topmost goal of life–kṛṣṇa-prema.

Nanda-nandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate limit of bhagavattā (the topmost form, or expression, of Godhead ). He is all-powerful and supremely merciful. Even a semblance of His name burns the most terrible sins to ashes and makes the heart pure and pleasant. It is therefore necessary to perform one’s bhajana sincerely and faithfully.

The process of gradually developing one’s kṛṣṇa-bhajana is described in Śrī Śikṣāṣṭaka. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes will progressively manifest in the heart of the sādhaka who is following this process. First, one should practise according to the rules of bhajana mentioned in the first verse. Thereafter, by faithfully following the second, third and fourth verses, one’s bhajana will gradually become mature. When that is achieved, one should perform bhajana according to the sentiments contained in the fifth verse, and one should contemplate one’s perfect spiritual body (siddha-deha ), which develops gradually by taking exclusive shelter of Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s lotus feet. By continuously performing bhajana in this way, all anarthas will be removed and one will receive the eligibility to attain one’s siddhadeha. As long as anarthas are present, one can never attain one’s siddha-deha. The intelligence of those who try to contemplate their siddha-deha without sufficient qualification becomes spoiled due to their lack of strength, and their entire bhajana is ruined. This is called sahajiyā-bhāva, and it is thoroughly opposed to pure bhajana. If there is an honest desire to attain perfection, one should carefully adopt the gradual process of bhajana as mentioned previously and follow the path of Śrī Rūpa, Śrī Raghunātha and other great personalities (mahājanas ) who are expert in bhajana.

By performing bhajana in this way and having obtained one’s siddha-deha, one easily attains the happiness of aṣṭa-kālīya-sevā, service in Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s eternal pastimes during the eight periods of the day. Therefore, contemplating the sentiments of Śrī Śikṣāṣṭaka through remembrance (smaraṇa ) and chanting (kīrtana ), one will gradually stimulate aṣṭa-kālīya-sevā. All anarthas will be removed by this process and one will easily be able to attain premadharma. At that time, the four ultimate goals of human life–religiosity (dharma ), economic development (artha ), sense gratification (kāma ) and liberation (mokṣa)–will appear very insignificant.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Some editions of Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu read śudhyan.