Chapter 17 - Nāma-tattva

The Supreme Lord is the Root of all Religion

17.1

dharma-mūlaṃ hi bhagavān sarva-vedamayo hariḥ
smṛtaṃ ca tad-vidāṃ rājan yena cātmā prasīdati

The Supreme Person is the root of all dharma, the essence of all the Vedas, and the meditation of all those great authorities who know the truth about the Supreme Lord, and whose opinions becomes scripture. This is evidence, O King, and by accepting this religious principle, everyone will attain the highest satisfaction of the soul, mind, and body. (Bhāg. 7.11.7)

Kṛṣṇa is the Only Way

17.2

tapastu tāpaiḥ prapatastu parvatā-daṭantu tīrthani paṭhastu cāgamān
yajastu yāgairvivadantu vādair hariṃ vinā naiva mṛtiṃ taranti

You may perform mountains of austerities, visit many holy places, study all the Vedas, and perform all kinds of Vedic sacrifices, but without devotion to Kṛṣṇa, none of these things can save you from death. (Bhāvārtha Dīpikā 10.87.27)

Chanting the Holy Name is the Eternal

and Highest Dharma for all Souls

17.3

etāvān eva loke 'smin puṃsāṃ dharmaḥ paraḥ smṛtaḥ
bhakti-yogo bhagavati tan-nāma-grahaṇādibhiḥ

It is recognized that the highest religious principle in human society is devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, beginning with the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, nāma-saākīrtana. (Bhāg. 6.3.22)

The Holy Name is the Essence of the Śrutis

17.4

nikhila-śruti-mauli rama-mālā-dyuti nīrājita-pādapaokajānta
ayi mukta-kulair upāsyamānaṃ paritas tvāṃ harināma saṃśrayāmi

O holy name, the tips of the toes of your lotus feet are eternally worshiped by the glowing effulgence of the Upaniṣads, the crest jewels of the Vedas. You are eternally adored and chanted by great liberated souls like Nārada and Śukadeva Gosvāmī. O Harināma, clearing myself of all offenses, I take complete shelter of You. (Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Kṛṣṇa-nāmāṣṭakam 1)

The Constitutional Nature of the Holy Name

17.5

nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ
pūrṇah-śuddho nitya-mukto'bhinnatvān nāma nāmiṇoḥ

The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is a transcendental wish fulfilling gem it bestows all spiritual benedictions, for it is Kṛṣṇa Himself. It is the personification of divine mellow, the fountainhead of all pleasure. The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is eternally liberated and spiritual. This is because the name of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa Himself are nondifferent. (Śrī Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Pūrva-Vibhāgaga 2.233)

17.6

ekam eva sac-cid-ānanda-rasādi-rūpaṃ tattvaṃ dvidhā-virbhūtam

The Supreme Absolute Truth is one reality whose form is eternal, fully cognizant, and ecstatic. That Absolute reality who is the origin of all rasa appears in two forms, as Kṛṣṇa Himself and as the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. These two forms are nondifferent manifestations of the same eternal reality Kṛṣṇa. (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Pūrva-Vibhāga 2.233, Jīva Gosvāmī's Durgama-saṛgamanī commentary)

The Vedas Sing the Glories of the Holy Name

17.7

oṃ āsya jānanto nāma cid-viviktan mahante viṣṇo sumatiṃ bhajāmahe
oṃ tat sat

This mantra means, "O Lord Visnu, Your name is conscious (cit) and therefore self-effulgent (mahas) and so even one with partial knowledge of the eternal nature of Your name, and incomplete understanding of the glory of proper chanting, can attain knowledge of You merely by repeating the syllables, because You, who are known by Om, are self-existent (sat)." Thus it is seen that the name liberates a person from fear and envy even if alluded to. (Bhagavata-Sandarbha 47)

17.7a

he viñṛo te tava nāma cita cit-svarupam ata eva mahaū sva-prakāśa-rupaṃ tasmāt asya nāmna ā īñadapi jānantaū ha tu samyak
uccṃra-mahātmayādi puruskāreṛa.
tathāpi vivaktan bruvāṛaū kevalaṃ tad-akṣarābhyāsa mātraṃ kurvāṛṃū sumantiā tad-viñayāṃ vidyāṃ bhajāmahe prāpnuyaū.
Ata eva bhayadveñṃdau śrī mḥrteū aphurter iva sṃnketyā-dṃvapasya muktidatvaṃ śruyate.

O Viṣṇu! Your holy name is of the nature of divine consciousness it is transcendental reality par-excellence. It is a manifestation of Your own divine form, even if someone utters the holy name without knowing the names complete glories. To utter the name without being fully aware of its glories means nāmābhāsa, or uttering the syllables of the holy name which are only the outer reflection. Even in such a positon we shall attain divine knowledge of the Lord, by such worship. Because this line contains the word oā it indicates that the use of the word "sat" means svata-siddaū. Therefore the divine form manifests upon one's having uttered the name (even when there is nānābhāsa because of sṃṅketya and so forth), and thus one attains liberation from the postion of fear and envy. (Bhagavata Sandarbha 4)

The Glories of the Holy Name in the Smṛti-śāstras

17.8

vede rāmāyaṇe caiva purāṇe bhārate tathā
ādāvante ca madhye ca hariḥ sarvatraḥ gīyate

Throughout the Vedas, the Rāmāyaṛa, the Purāṇas, and the Mahābhārata, from beginning to end, only the glories of the Supreme Lord Hari are sung. (Hari-vaāśa)

The Holy Name Grants All Perfection in Kali-yuga

17.9

kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ
kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṃ vrajet

My dear King, although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, there is still one good quality about this age: Simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom. (Bhāg. 12.3.51)

17.10

kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṃ tretāyāṃ yajato makhaiḥ
dvāpare paricaryāyāṃ kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt

What was attained in Satya-yuga through meditation, in Tretā-yuga through sacrifice, and in Dvāpara-yuga through Deity worship is realized in Kali-yuga through hari-kīrtana. (Bhāg. 12.3.52)

17.11

dhyāyan kṛte yajan yajñais-tretāyāṃ dvāpare 'rcayan
yadāpnoti tadāpnoti kalau saokīrtya keśavam

Whatever results was attained in Satya-yuga by meditation, in Treta-yuga by yajña, and in Dvāpara-yuga by arcaṛa, can only be attained in the Kali-yuga by hari-nāma-kīrtana, chanting the glories of Kṛṣṇa, who is known as Keñava. (Padma Purāṇa, Uttara-khaṇḍa, 42nd Adhyāya)

17.12

kali-kāle nāma-rūpe kṛṣṇa-avatāra
nāma haite haya sarva-jagat-nistāra
nāma vinu kali-kāle nāhi āra dharma
sarva-mantra-sāra nāma, ei śāstra-marma

In the age of Kali, Kṛṣṇa advents Himself in the form of the holy name. By the holy name, the entire universe is delivered. There is no other dharma in the age of Kali. The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is the essence of all mantras and the purport of all revealed scriptures. (Cc. Ādi 17.22 and 7.74)

Śrīdhara Svāmī on Glories of the Holy Name

17.13

aṃhaḥ saṃhara dakhilaṃ sakṛdudayādeva sakala-lokasya
taraṇiriva timira-jaladhim jayati jagan-maṅgalaṃ harer nāma

Let the all-auspicious glories of the holy name, which benedicts the entire universe, be victorious. Just as when the sun rises, it dispels the ocean of darkness, in the same way, when the holy name has only slightly risen within one's heart, all one's sins are completely destroyed. (Padyāvalī 16, Śrīdhara Svāmī)

17.14

jñānamasti tulitaṃ ca tulāyaṃ prema naiva tulitaṃ tu tulāyāṃ
siddhir eva tulitātra tulāyāṃ kṛṣṇa-nāma tulitaṃ na tulāyāṃ

Knowledge and yogic perfection can be compared to one another, but prema and kṛṣṇa-nāma have no comparison to anything within this world. They cannot be weighed on the scales of mundane consideration. (Padyāvalī 15, Śrīdhara Svāmī)

Rūpa Gosvāmī on the Glories of the Name

17.15

ākṛṣṭiḥ kṛta-cetasāṃ sumahatām-muccāṭanaṃ cāṃhasāṃ
ācaṇḍālamamūkaloka-sulabho vaśyaś ca mokṣaśriyaḥ
no dīkṣāṃ na ca dakṣināṃ na ca puraścaryāṃ manāgīkṣate
mantro'yaṃ rasanā spṛg eva phalati śrī kṛṣṇa nāmātmakaḥ

The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is an attractive feature for many saintly, liberal people. It is the annihilator of all sinful reactions and is so powerful that save for the dumb who cannot chant it, it is readily, available to everyone, including the lowest type of man, the caṇḍāla. The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is controller of the opulence of liberation, and it is identical with Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Simply by touching the holy name with one's tongue, immediate effects are produced. Chanting the holy name does not depend on initiation, pious activities, or the puraścaryā regulative principles generally observed before initiation. The holy name does not wait for all these activities. It is self-sufficient. (Padyāvalī 29, Rūpa Gosvāmī)

The Efficacy of Gāyatrī and the Holy Name

17.16

kṛṣṇa-mantra haite habe saṃsāra-mocana
kṛṣṇa-nāma haite pābe kṛṣṇera caraṇa

Through the gāyatrī mantra one attains liberation from material existence. Through the holy name one attains the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. (Cc. Ādi 7.73)

The Glories of Hari-kathā

17.17

śrutam-apy-aupaniṣadaṃ dūre hari-kathāmṛtāt
yan na santi dravac-citta-kampāśru-pulakādayaḥ

The Upaniṣads have ascertained nirviśeña brahma as the subject of the śruti, whereas they only take a distant view of hari-kathā. This is because through hearing and chanting about Brahman, one's heart is not moved, tears do not pour from the eyes, and the bodily hairs do not stand on end. (Padyāvalī 39)

The Glories of the Holy Name Surpasses that of Impersonal Brahman

17.18

yad brahma-sākṣāt-kṛti-niṣṭhayāpi vināśamāyāti vinā na bhogaiḥ
apaiti nāma-sphuraṇena tatte prārabhda-karmeti virauti vedaḥ

O holy name! The seeds from which sin sprouts within the heart are not burned to ashes by realization of Brahman or by constant meditation on eternal consciousness. But, O holy name, as soon as You appear on the tongue of a sincere chanter, all the karmic seeds of sin are burned to ashes. Thus all sinful reactions, past, present and future are finished. This is proclaimed by the Vedas. (Kṛṣṇa-nāmāṣṭakam, Rūpa Gosvāmī 4)

Kīrtana of the Holy Name is Best of All

17.19

aghaccit-smaraṇam viṣṇor-bahvāyāsena sādhyate
auṣṭhaspandana-mātreṇa kīrtanatu tato varam

The remembrance of Viṣṇu certainly cuts sin to pieces, but it is very difficult to attain perfection through remembering Viṣṇu. Only after great effort is such remembrance possible. However, simply by moving the lips, there is the kīrtana of the holy name of Viṣṇu, and therefore kīrtana is the topmost process of devotional service. (Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, 11.453)

The Holy Name Surpasses Worship and Meditation

17.20

jayati jayati nāmānanda-rūpaṃ murārer
viramita-nija-dharma-dhyāna-pūjādi-yatnam
kathamapi sakṛdāttaṃ muktidaṃ prāṇinā yat
param-amṛtam-ekaṃ jīvanaṃ bhūṣaṇaṃ me

All glories, all glories to the all-blissful holy name of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, which causes the devotee to give up all conventional religious duties, meditation, and worship. When somehow or other uttered even once by a living entity the holy name awards him liberation. The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is the highest nectar in my life and my only treasure. (Bṇhad-Bhāgavatṃmṇta 1.1.9)

17.21

yena janma śataiḥ pūrvaṃ vāsudevaḥ sanarcitaḥ
tan-mukhe hari-nāmāni sadā tiṣṭhanti bhārata

O descendant of Bhārata, one who has previously worshiped Lord Vāsudeva in hundreds of lifetimes can now chant the holy name eternally. (Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 11.454)

The Holy Name is not Regulated by Time, Place, and Circumstance

17.22 and 23

na deśa niyamo rājan na kāla niyamas tathā
vidyate nātra sandeho viṣṇor-nāmānu-kīrtane
kālo'sti dāne yajñe ca snāne kālo' sti saj jape
viṣṇu-saokīrtane kālo nāstyatra pṛṭhivītale

O king, there are no rules governing the time and place wherein the holy name of Viṣṇu can be chanted. Of this there can be no doubt. Charity and sacrifice are governed by various rules regarding time and place, as are the taking of one's bath and the silent uttering of different mantras. But the holy name of Viṣṇu can be chanted in saṅkīrtana at any time in any place on earth. (Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 11.412, 413)

17.24

na deśa-niyamas tasmin na kāla-niyamas-tathā
nocchiṣṭhādau niṣedho 'sti śrī harer-nāmni lubdhaka

O hunter, there are no restrictions on when or where the holy name of Śrī Hari may be chanted and no prohibitions regarding the uncleanness of the mouth from which the holy name comes forth. (Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 11.408)

17.25

etāvatālam agha-nirharaṇāya puṃsāṃ
saokīrtanaṃ bhagavato guṇa-karma-nāmnām
vikruśya putram aghavān yad ajāmilo 'pi
nārāyaṇeti mriyamāṇa iyāya muktim

It should be understood that one is easily relieved from all sinful reactions by chanting the holy name of the Lord and chanting of His qualities and activities. This is the only process recommended for relief from sinful reactions. Even if one chants the holy name of the Lord with improper pronunciation, he gets relief from material bondage if he chants without offenses. Ajāmila, for example, was extremely sinful, but while dying he merely chanted the holy name, and although calling his son, he achieved complete liberation because he remembered the name of Nārāyaṇa. (Bhāg. 6.3.24)

The Bhāgavatam on Loud Kīrtana

17.26

nāmāny anantasya hata-trapaḥ paṭhan
guhyāni bhadrāṇi kṛtāni ca smaran
gāṃ paryaṭaṃs tuṣṭa-manā gata-spṛhaḥ
kālaṃ pratīkṣan vimado vimatsaraḥ

[Nārada Muni said] Thus I loudly chanted the holy name of Kṛṣṇa in kīrtana, not caring for any social formalities. Such chanting and remembering of the holy name benedicts everyone. In this way, I traveled across the earth, fully satisfied, humble, and non-envious. (Bhāg. 1.6.26)

Loud Kīrtana is the Best

17.27

japato hari nāmāni sthāne śata-guṇādhikah
ātmānañ ca punāty-uccair-japan śrotṛn-punāti ca

Compared to that person who is attached to chanting japa, the person who performs loud chanting of the holy name of Śrī Hari is one hundred times better. This is because the person who chants japa purifies himself, whereas the person who chants the holy name loudly in kīrtana purifies himself, all those who are with him, and everyone else who hear the holy vibration. (Śrī Nāradīya, Prahlāda-vākya)

Loud Kīrtana Benefits the Chanter of the Holy Name

and Those Who Hear it

17.28

paśu-pakṣī-kīṭa-ādi balite nā pāre
śunile se harināma tā'ra saba tare
japile se kṛṣṇa-nāma āpani se tare
ucca-saokīrtane para-upakāra kare
ata eva ucca kari' kīrtana karile
śata-guṇa phala haya sarva-śāstre bole

The animals, birds, and insects cannot chant the holy name, but by hearing the holy name chanted they can benefit. Chanting the japa of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa purifies oneself, but the loud saṅkīrtana of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa benefits all living beings. Therefore, loudly chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa in kīrtana, and you will get one hundred times the benefit of chanting japa. This is the verdict of all the śāstras. (Cb. Ādi 11.275-277)

Mahāprabhu Loudly Chanted the Holy Name

17.29

hare kṛṣṇety uccyaiḥ sphurita-rasano nāmagaṇanā-
kṛta-granthi śreṇī-subhaga-kaṭi-sūtrojjvalakaraḥ
viśālākṣo dīrghārgala-yugala-kheloñcita-bhujaḥ
sa caitanyaḥ kiṃ me punarapi dṛśoryāsyati padam

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu loudly chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, which dance upon His tongue, as His radiant lotus hand counts the name by fingering the beads on the beautiful knotted counting string tied to His waist. His beautiful lotus eyes stretch to His ears and His arms reach to His knees. When will Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu again appear before my eyes? (Caitanyāñṭhakam 5, Rūpa Gosvāmī)

The Opinion of Baladeva on the Form of the Mahā-mantra

17.30

hare kṛṣṇeti mantra-pratīka-grahaṇaṃ.
Soḍaśa-nāmātmanā dvātrīṃśa-daksareṇa mantreṇoccair-uccāritena sphuritā kṛta-nṛtyā rasanā jihvā yasya sah.

When the sixteen names and thirty-two syllables of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra are loudly vibrated, Kṛṣṇa Himself dances on ones tongue. (Baladeva Vidyābḥñaṛa, Stava-mālṃ-vibhūñaṛa-bhāñya)

Hare Kṛṣṇa is the Mahā-mantra for the Age of Kali

17.31-37

hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare
ṣoḍaśaitāni nāmāni dvātriṃśad varṇakāni hi
kalau yuge mahā-mantraḥ sammato jīvatāraṇe
varjayitvā tu nāmaitad durjanaiḥ parikalpitam
chandobaddhaṃ susiddhānta viruddhaṃ nābhyaset padam
tārakaṃ brahma-nāmaitad brahmaṇā guruṇādinā
kalisantaraṇādyāsu śruti-svadhigataṃ hareḥ
prāptaṃ śrī brahma-śiṣyeṇa śrī nāradena dhīmatā
nāmaitad-uttamaṃ śrauta-pāramparyeṇa brahmaṇaḥ
utsṛjyaitan-mahā-mantraṃ ye tvanyat kaepitaṃ padam
mahānāmeti gāyanti te śāstra-guru laṇghanaḥ
tattva-virodha-saopṛktaṃ tādṛśaṃ daurjanaṃ matam
sravathā parihāryaṃ syādātma-hitārthinā sadā
hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare

Hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare, hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare: This sixteen-name, thirty-two syllable mantra is the mahā-mantra in the age of Kali by which all living beings can be delivered. One should never abandon chanting this mahā-mantra and take to other so-called purificatory processes which are practiced by rascals, or engage in chanting other metrical compositions of the name of Kṛṣṇa that are against the pure conclusions of the scriptures, or are filled with rasṃbhāsa. About this divinely spiritual mahā-mantra, which delivers one from material existence, the original guru, Lord Brahmā, has said, kali-santaraṛādi śrutite, "The śrutis have declared this mantra to be the best means of deliverance in the age of Kali". Having all heard this from Brahmā, the sons and disciples of Brahmā, beginning with Nārada, all accepted the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and, having meditated on it, attained perfection. (Ananta-Saṃhitā)

The Upaniṣads on the Hare Kṛṣṇa Mahā-mantra

17.38-39

hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare
iti soḍaśakaṃ nāmnāṃ kali-kalmaṣa-nāśanam
nātaḥ parataropāyaḥ sarva-vedeṣu dṛṣyate

The sixteen names of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra: hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare, hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare destroy all the inauspiciousness of the age of Kali. This is the conclusion of all the Vedas. (Kali-santaraṛa Upaniṣad)

The Purāṇas on the Hare Kṛṣṇa Mahā-mantra

17.40

hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
raṭanti halayā vāpi te kṛtārthā na saṃśayaḥ

Hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare: Whoever chants this mantra, even neglectfully, will attain the supreme goal of life. Of this there is no doubt. (Agni-Purāṇa)

Chanting the Holy Name Qualifies One for Deliverance

17.41

madhura-madhuram-etan-maṅgalaṃ maṅgalānāṃ
sakala-nigamavallī-sat-phalaṃ cit-svarūpam
sakṛdapi parigītaṃ śraddhayā helayā vā
bhṛguvara naramātraṃ tārayet kṛṣṇa nāma

The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is the sweetest of the sweet and the most auspicious of all auspicious things. It is the self-effulgent and beautiful fruit of the Vedic desire tree. O best of the Bhṛgus, when the holy name is uttered once without offense, either attentively or in attentively, it immediately ensures the deliverance of all human beings from the bondage of illusion. (Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 11.234, Skanda Purāṇa)

The Holy Name is to be Chanted in the Stage of

Practice and in Perfection

17.42

etan nirvidyamānānām icchatām akuto-bhayam
yogināṃ nṛpa nirṇītaṃ harer nāmānukīrtanam

O King, constant chanting of the holy name of the Lord after the way of the great authorities is the doubtless and fearless way of success for all, including those who are free from all material desires, those who are desirous of all material enjoyment, and those who are self-satisfied by dint of transcendental knowledge. (Bhāg. 2.1.11)

Things Unfavorable for Nāma-kīrtana

17.43

janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhir edhamāna-madaḥ pumān
naivārhaty abhidhātuṃ vai tvām akiñcana-gocaram

Those who are intoxicated by false ego on account of their good birth, wealth, learning, and beauty, cannot cry out Your name with sincere feeling. Only those who are materially bereft can chant Your name in purity. (Bhāg. 1.8.26)

The Characteristics of the Principal and Secondary Name

17.44

nāmnāmakāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis
tatrāpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ
etādṛṣi tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi
durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ

O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to the living beings, and thus You have hundreds and millions of names like Kṛṣṇa and Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies and there are no hard and fast rules for chanting Your name. O my Lord, out of kindness, You enable us to easily approach You by chanting Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attraction for them. (Sikṣṃñṭaka 2)

The Secondary Names of God and Their Symptoms

17.45

jaḍā kṛtira paricaye nāma yata
prakṛtir guṇe gauṇa vedera sammata
sṛṣṭi karttā paramātmā brahma sthiti kara
jagat saṃhartā pātā yajñeśvara hara

According to the Vedas, the secondary or inferior names of the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa are those which are in connection with the material world. For example: "God," "Creator of the Universe," "Paramātmā," "Supersoul," "Brahman," " Maintainer of the Universe," "Destroyer of the Universe," "Savior," and "Lord of Sacrifice," and "He who takes away," are some inferior or secondary names of Godhead. (Hari-nāma-cintṃmaṛi)

Fruits of the Principal and Secondary Names of the Lord

17.46

ei rūpa nāma, karma-jñāna-kāṇḍa-gata
punya mokṣa dāna kare śāstrera sammata
nāmera ye mukhya-phala kṛṣṇa-prema-dhana
tāra mukhya nāme mātra labhe sādhugaṇa

These inferior names of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Krsna are called upon by those who are on the paths of karma and jñāna. According to the scriptures, one who calls upon these names gets piety and liberation. On the other hand, the result of chanting the principal names of the Lord [Govinda, Gopṃla, Rāma, Nandanandana, Rādhānātha, Hari, Yaśomati-prānadhana, Madana-mohana, Śyāmasundara, Mādhava, Gopīnātha, Vrajogopa, Rakhala, and Yadava] is kṛṣṇa-prema. In this way, the saintly attain love of Godhead by chanting the principal names of Godhead [while those attached to karma and jñāna get mere piety and impersonal liberation by chanting inferior and secondary names because their conception of Godhead is also secondary and inferior.] (Hari-nāma-cintṃmaṛi)

The Principal Name

17.47

aghadamana-yaśodānandanau nandasūno
kamala-nayana-gopīcandra-vṛndāvanendrāḥ
praṇata-karuṇa-kṛṣṇāv ity aneka-svarūpe
tvai mama ratir uccair vardhatāṃ nāmadheya

O killer of the demon Agha, O son of Yaśoda, O son of Nanda, O lotus-eyed, O moon of the gopīs, O Lord of Vṇndṃvana, O merciful to the submissive, O Kṛṣṇa, You have manifest Yourself in innumerable forms out of Your infinite mercy. Let my devotion to You go on increasing without any impediment. (Kṛṣṇa-nāmāṣṭakam, Rūpa Gosvāmī 5)

The Fruit of Offenselessly Uttering the Principal Name

17.48

tuṇḍe tāṇḍavinī ratiṃ vitanute tuṇḍāvalī-labdhaye
karṇa-kroḍha-kaḍamvinī ghaṭayate karṇārbudebhyaḥ spṛhām
cetaḥ prāṅgaṇa-saṅginī vijayate sarvendriyāṇāṃ kṛtiṃ
no jāne janitā-kiyadbhir amṛtaiḥ kṛṣṇeti varṇadvayi

"I do not know how much nectar the two syllables 'Kṇñ-ṛa' have produced. When the holy name of Krsna is chanted, it appears to dance within the mouth. We then desire many, many mouths. When that name enters the holes of the ears, we desire many millions of ears. And when the holy name dances in the courtyard of the heart, it conquers the activities of the mind, and therefore all the senses become inert." (Vidagdha-Mādhava 1.12)

The Sevenfold Results of Chanting the Principal Name

17.49

ceto‑darpaṇa‑mārjanaṃ bhava‑mahā‑‑dāvāgni‑nirvāpaṇam
śreyaḥ‑kairava‑candrikā‑vitaraṇaṃ vidyā‑vadhu‑jīvanam
ānandāmbudhi‑vardhanaṃ prati‑padaṃ pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaṃ
sarvātma‑snapanaṃ paraṃ vijayate śrī‑kṛṣṇa‑saokīrtanam

Chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa cleanses the mirror of the heart an extinguishes the fire of misery in the ocean of birth and death. At that time, real auspiciousness begins for the soul. Just as the evening lotus blooms in the moon's cooling rays, the heart begins to blossom in the nectar of the name, and at last the soul awakens in full knowledge of its real inner treasure a life of love with Kṛṣṇa in the highest mellows of devotion. Again and again tasting nectar, the soul dives and surfaces in the ever increasing ocean of joy. In this way, all phases of the self are fully satisfied and purified by bathing in the nectarean mellows of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, let the saākīrtana of the holy name be victorious. (Śikṣāṣṭaka 1)

The Principal Result of Chanting the Holy Name is Kṛṣṇa-prema,

Not Dharma, Artha, Kāma or Mokṣa

17.50

bhaktistvayi sthiratarā bhagavan yadi syād
daivena naḥ phalati divya-kiśora-mūrtiḥ
muktiḥ svayaṃ mukulitāñjali sevate'smān
dharmārtha-kāma-gatayaḥ samaya-pratīkṣāḥ

O Lord when a devotee, by good fortune, develops unflinching devotion to Your transcendentally beautiful, youthful form, then liberation herself waits with folded hands to be his maidservant. And right behind liberation, piety, economic development, and sense enjoyment will wait for the chance to serve. (Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta 107)

Nāma-kīrtana Fulfills all Aspects of Bhajana

17.51

mantratas tantrataś chidraṃ deśa-kālārha-vastutaḥ
sarvaṃ karoti niśchidram anusaokīrtanaṃ tava

[In the various kinds of Vedic sacrifice and worship mentioned in the Vedas] There may be discrepancies in pronouncing the mantras and observing the regulative principles, paraphernalia, but when Your Lordship's holy name is chanted, everything becomes faultless. (Bhāg. 8.23.16)

The Pure Name Arises Within the Association of Devotees

17.52-53

mamāham iti dehādau hitvāmithyārtha-dhīr matim
dhāsye mano bhagavati śuddhaṃ tat-kīrtanādibhiḥ
iti jāta-sunirvedaḥ kṣaṇa-saṅgena sādhuṣu
gaṅgā-dvāram upeyāya mukta-sarvānubandhanaḥ

{Ajāmila said] Simply because I chanted the holy name of the Lord in the association of devotees, my heart is now becoming purified. Therefore I shall not fall victim again to the false lures of sense gratification. Now that I am fixed in the Absolute Truth, I shall not identify myself with the body. I shall give up the false conception of "I" and "mine" and fix my mind on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Because of a moment's association with devotees [the Viṣṇudḥtas], Ajāmila detached himself from the material conception of life with determination. Thus freed from all material attraction, he immediately started for Hardwar. (Bhāg. 6.2.38-39)

17.54

sārvabhauma-saṅge tomāra 'kaluṣa' haila kṣaya
'kalmaṣa' ghucile jīva 'kṛṣṇa-nāma' laya

Because of the association of [a devotee like] Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, all your contamination is now vanquished. When a person's heart is cleansed of all contamination, he is able to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. (Cc. Madhya 15.276)

17.55

asādhu-saṅge bhāi "kṛṣṇa nāma" nāhi haya
"nāmākṣara" bāhirāya baṭe nāma kabhu naya

O brothers, the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is never to be found in the association of those who are un-saintly. The external sound of the holy name is never the name proper. (Prema-vivarta)

The Holy Name Cannot be Realized Through the Material Senses

17.56

ataḥ śrī kṛṣṇa nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ
sevon-mukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuratyadaḥ

Therefore the material senses cannot appreciate Kṛṣṇa's holy name, form, qualities, and pastimes. When a conditioned soul is awakened to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and renders service by using his tongue to chant the Lord's holy name and taste the remnants of the Lord's food, the tongue is purified, and one gradually comes to understand who Kṛṣṇa really is. In other words, the holy name of Kṛṣṇa can never be grasped by the material senses. Only by rendering devotional service, beginning with vibrating the Lord's glories upon the tongue, can one realize Kṛṣṇa, for he will reveal Himself directly to the sincere soul. The formula for perfection in chanting the holy name. (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.234)

17.57

tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā
amāninā mānadena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ

One should chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa in a humble state of mind, considering oneself to be lower than a blade of grass. One should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of false prestige, and offer all respect to others, without expecting any respect in return. In this way, one should always chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. (Śikṣāṣṭaka 3)

The Formula for the Favorable Culture of the Holy Name

17.58

syāt kṛṣṇa-nāma-caritādi-sitāpy avidyā-
pittopatapta-rasanasya na rocikā nu
kintv ādarād anudinaṃ khalu saiva juṣṭā
svādvī kramād bhavati tad-gada-mūla-hantrī

The holy name, character, pastimes, and activities of Kṛṣṇa are all transcendentally sweet like sugar candy. Although the tongue of one afflicted by the jaundice of ignorance cannot taste anything sweet, it is wonderful that simply by carefully chanting these sweet names every day, a natural relish awakens within this tongue, and his disease is gradually destroyed at the root. (Upadeśāmṛta 7)

Determination for Chanting the Holy Name

17.59

khaṇḍa khaṇḍa hai' deha yadi jaya prāṇa
tabu āmi vadane nā chāḍi harināma

Even if you cut my body into pieces, I should not give up chanting the holy name. (Cb. Ādi 11.91)

Kīrtana of the Holy Name Gradually Awakens the Form,

Qualities, and Pastimes of the Lord

17.60

kṛṣṇa-nāma dhare kata bala
viṣaya-vāsanānale mora citta sadā jale
ravintapta maribhūmi sama
karṇa-randhra patha diyā, hṛdi mājhe praveśiyā,
variṣaya sudhā anupama
hṛdaya haite bale, jihvāra agrete cale
śabda-rūpe nāca anukṣaṇa
kaṇṭhe mora bhaṅge svara, aṅga kāñpe thara thara,
sthira haite nāpāre caraṇa
cakṣe dhārā, dehe gharma, pulikata saba carma,
vivarṇa haila kalevara
mūrccita haile mana, pralayera āgamana,
bhāve sarva-deha jara jara
kari'eta upadrava, citte varṣ sudhāadrava,
more ḍāre premera sāgare
kichu nā bujhite dila, mora ta bātula kaila,
mora citta vitta saba hare
lainu āśraya yāñra, henu vyavahāra tāñ'ra
varṇite nāpāri ei sakala
kṛṣṇa-nāma icchāmaya, yāhe yāhe sukhī haya
sei mora sukhera sambala
premera kālikā nāma, adbhuta rasera dhāma
hena bala karaye prakāśa
īśat vikaśi' punaḥ, dekhāya nija rūpa-guṇa
citta hari' laya kṛṣṇa-pāśa
pūrṇa vikaśita haiñā, vraje more yāya laiñā,
dekhāya more svarūpa-vilāsa
more siddha-deha diyā, kṛṣṇa-pāśe rākhe giyā,
ei dehera kare sarva-nāśa
kṛṣṇa-nāma-cintāmaṇi, akhila rasera khani,
nitya-mukta, śuddha, rasamaya
nāmera bālāi yata, saba la'ye hai hata
tabe mora sukhera udaya

My heart is just like a desert, hot with the rays of the sun. This is my internal mental condition. The desire for mortal things cannot satisfy me because by nature they are death-producing. And not one or two, but thousands of such death-producing desires have taken shelter in my mind. So, my subconscious region is always burning. This is my condition. But somehow, by the grace of the sādhu and guru, the holy name of Kṛṣṇa with its infinite prospect has entered through the holes of my ears and reached the plane of my heart. And there, with some peculiar hope, with infinite, auspicious possibilities, it touched my heart with a new kind of nectar.

New hope is aroused by that sound. Then by force it comes form the heart towards the tongue. Not that by the endeavor of my tongue I am producing that sound no. What came from the heart of a saint through my ear, entered my heart, and that forcibly appeared on my tongue, and began to dance.

That is the holy name proper. It descends from above. It cannot be produced by the material tongue. It's source is above. And through an agent of the absolute it comes through the ear to the heart. From the heart it gathers some sympathy, then the holy name of Kṛṣṇa forcibly appears upon the tongue and begins to dance. With great force it comes to the end of the tongue, and that sweet sound begins its dancing.

The real effects of the divine name have been described here. If it is a real and living name, the voice will be choked up, there will be shivering in the body, and the legs will be unable to stand. Sometimes tears will flow in a current on the body, and one's hairs will stand on end. Sometimes changes of color will be found in the body, and we will be unable to find any trace of the mind or consciousness.

We may fall in a swoon, the whole body and mind will appear as if it is being attacked, shivering, and influenced in different ways.

Apparently it may seem that so many troubles are created in the body and the mind, but the real heart is overflowing with a particular kind of strange, sweet juice. Sometimes the devotee thinks, 'I am in an ocean of nectar. My whole existence is within an ocean of nectarean liquid. I am beside myself. I can't understand where I am. Where am I? What is this? What is all about me? It has almost made me mad. Am I a madman? Where is my past experience, my seriousness, my gravity, where are they? What am I? I have been converted wholesale by a foreign thing. I am a doll in the hands of a great force, which is also so affectionate to me. I can't ascertain how it is possible that by my faith I have entered this great, unknown environment, not experienced before. And at last I find that I am captivated. My entire being, within and without, has been captured by a particularly sweet force. I can't help being prey to such a sweet power. I can't give any proper description of this. I came to take shelter of Him and accept Him as my guardian; now at His hand I am being dealt with in such a merciless and despotic way.

Still, I feel that everything is very pleasing , beyond my experience. What is this? I can't resist anymore. I am fully captured. Let my fate go anywhere. I can't come out. I am a captive in the hand of a sweet friend; my whole independence is gone. There is no way left to me but to surrender. I am unable to describe my real position.

I find that He's an autocrat. Whatever He likes, He will do. Since it is not possible for me to give any resistance, I must surrender. Let me also cooperate with whatever He is pleased to do. Otherwise I find that the sweetness of the name is condensed like a blossoming flower, and very wonderful streams of sweet current are flowing from it. The holy name contains so many sweet variegated forms of current within Him, and He is wonderfully expressing Himself in different ways. Sometimes He emanates a peculiar type of color and figure, and disappears.

So many charming aspects are shown as if to my eyes within, and He forcibly takes me to surrender at the foot of that altar. He shows Himself in His full-fledged form, in Vṇndṃvana, in His Braja-līlā, with Rādhārāṇī, and He takes me there. I find that I am in the midst of His peculiar, very sweet and loving paraphernalia. And He says, 'You see! I have so many wonderful things. This is your home. I am not merely imagination, but concrete reality. You will find here that the environment is very favorable and sweet. You are to live here.' I see there that He is dealing in different ways with His associates, in different rasas. And I find that I have another body that has emerged from my previous one, and that has a permanent place here in His service.

Such a new life I find here. And then I find ultimately that all consideration of my past life and experience has vanished. And it is true: my real life is here. This is proper, and that was a sham, that life has vanished. Then I find that chanting the holy name gives me new encouragement, a new prospect, and new hope. Whatever we want, whatever is our internal demand, it is supplied by the name. If we take the name, all our internal hankerings will be fulfilled. It is eternal, it is the purest of the pure, and it is full of ecstasy.

Now I find I have been completely converted. How, my innermost hankering is this: Let whatever is against this sweet name vanish eternally from the world. If anything is in opposition to this sweet life, let it vanish, and if necessary, I will give my life to make it disappear from the world forever. Then others will be able to enjoy it at their free will. No hindrance should come to that fulfillment of life. It has no other second. So, everyone may come here, and if necessary, I will sacrifice myself to finish any opposition, so that all can smoothly, peacefully, and without any danger, enjoy this absolute, sweet, and blissful life. (Śaraṇāgati, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura)

The Four Kinds of Nāmābhāsa

17.61

sāoketyaṃ pārihāsyaṃ vā stobhaṃ helanam eva vā
vaikuṇṭha-nāma-grahaṇam aśeṣāgha-haraṃ viduḥ

One who chants the holy name of the Lord is immediately freed from the reactions of unlimited sins, even if he chants indirectly, to indicate something else, (as in using the holy name to count drumbeats on a mṇdaṛga, or to pace oneself while running), jokingly, for musical entertainment, or even neglectfully. This is accepted by all scholars of the scriptures. (Bhāg. 6.2.14)

The Results of Nāmābhāsa

17.62

taṃ nirvyājaṃ bhaja guṇa-nidhiṃ pāvanaṃ pāvanānāṃ
śraddhā-śudhyan-matir-itirām-uttama-śloka-maulim
udyan anantaḥ-karaṇa-kuhare hanta yan-nāma-bhānor-
ābhāso'pi kṣapayati mahāpātaka-dhvāntadhārām

[Vidura said to Drthrastra] My dear brother, O ocean of good qualities, just fix your mind on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, and worship Him with great faith. He is worshiped with poetic hymns by great saints and scriptural authorities. Kṛṣṇa is the supreme savior amongst all other saviors. In the same way that even a slight glimpse of the sun's rays dissipates the darkness of night, even a dim dawning of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, will immediately dissipate all the darkness of ignorance and free one from even the blackest contamination of sinful activity. (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Dakṣina Vibhāga, 1.103)

17.63

yad ābhāso' pyudyan kavalita-bhavadhvānta-vibhavo
dṛśaṃ tat tvāndhānām api diśati bhakti-praṇayinīm
janas-tasyodāttaṃ jagati bhagavan-nāma-taraṇe
kṛtī te nirvaktuṃ ka iha mahimānaṃ prabhavati

O divine sun of the holy name, even a slight reflection of You can dispel the darkest ignorance from the minds of those who are sunk in worldliness and grant the spiritual vision upon those who are spiritually blind. Who, then, can find the end of Your infinite glories? Who is there expert enough to completely sing the limits of Your greatness? [Just as the twilight before the sunrise dispels darkness and all kinds of fears and troubles, so the dim reflection or the dawning of the holy name (nāmābhāsa) removes all sorts of evils or anārthas arising from forgetfulness of the true nature of the self and the Supreme Lord. (Kṛṣṇa-nāmāṣṭakam, Rūpa Gosvāmī 3)

17.64

haridāsa kahena,—"yaiche sūryera udaya
udaya nā haite ārambhe tamera haya kṣaya
caura-preta-rākṣasādira bhaya haya nāśa
udaya haile dharma-karma-ādi parakāśa
aiche nāmodayārambhe pāpa-ādira kśaya
udaya kaile kṛṣṇa-pade haya premodaya

Haridāsa Ṭhākura said, "As the sun begins to rise, even before being visible it dissipates the darkness of night. With the first glimpse of sunlight, fear of thieves, ghosts, and demons immediately disappears, and when the sun is actually visible everything is manifest, and everyone begins performing his religious activities and regulative duties. Similarly, the faint dawning of the holy name (nāmābhāsa) dissipates the reactions of sinful life immediately. And when one chants the holy name purely, the complete dawning of the pure holy name takes place, and one awakens to devotional service in kṛṣṇa-prema at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. (Cc. āntya 3.183-86)

The Results of the Pure Holy Name and Nāmābhāsa

17.65

nāmaikaṃ yasya cihnaṃ smaraṇa-pathagataṃ śrotra-mūlaṃ gataṃ vā
śuddhaṃ vāśuddha-varṇaṃ vyavahitarahitaṃ tārayaty eva satyam
tac ced deha-dravinajani-tālobha-pākhaṇḍa-madhye
nikṣiptaṃ syān na phala-janakaṃ śīghram evātra vipra

[Sanat-Kumara told Nārada] If a person only once hears, chants or remembers the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, he will certainly be delivered from the ocean of birth and death and attain liberation whether the holy name is pronounced properly or improperly, with correct or incorrect grammar, and whether it is properly joined or only vibrated in part. O brāhmaṇa, such are the glories of the holy name. If one chants the syllables of the holy name for personal benefit, however, for material wealth and followers, or out of greed, or in the association of atheists, such offensive chanting will not soon produce the supreme goal of life [kṛṣṇa-prema]. (Padma Purāṇa, Brahma-khaṇḍa, 25.24)

The Results of Nāmābhāsa and Nāmāparādha

17.66

yathā nāmā-bhāsabalenājāmilo durācāro'pi vaikuṇṭhaṃ prāpitas-tathaiva smārtādāyāḥ sadācārāḥ śāstrajñā api bahuśo nāma grāhiṇo'pyarthavāda-kalpanādi-nāmāparādha-balena ghora-saṃsāram eva prāpyante

Note: In Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 6.2.9-11, the Viṣṇudutas say: "The chanting of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa is the best process of atonement for a thief of gold or other valuables, for a drunkard, for one who betrays a friend or relative, for one who kills a brāhmaṇa or for one who indulges in sex with the wife of his guru or another superior.

It is also the best method of atonement for one who murders women, the king or his father, for one who slaughters cows, and for all other sinful men. Simply by chanting the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa, such sinful persons may attract the attention of the Supreme Lord, who therefore considers, 'Because this man has chanted My holy name, My duty is to give him protection.'

By following the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies or undergoing atonement, sinful men do not become as purified as by chanting once the holy name of Lord Hari. Although ritualistic atonement may free one from sinful reactions, it does not awaken devotional service, unlike the chanting of the Lord's names, which reminds one of the Lord's fame, qualities, attributes, pastimes, and paraphernalia."]

Commenting of this section of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam , Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura remarks as follows on the different results attained by nāmābhāsa or offenseless chanting as opposed to nāmāpradha, or offensive chanting.]

Although Ajāmila was great sinner, by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa in nāmābhāsa that is, offenselessly the ultimately attained Vaikuṛṭha. But all the good deeds of the smārtas, their knowledge of the śāstra, and even their chanting of the holy name many times will not bring them to the same end, because they chant the holy name offensively. They may continue chanting in that way for many millions of year, but because of nāmāparādha, offenses to the holy name, the holy name does not appear in their impure hearts, and they do not attain the goal. Rather, they simply suffer again and again repeated birth and death in the ghastly material world. (Bhāg. 6.2.9-10, Sārārtha-darśinī commentary)

The Proper Mentality for Chanting Without Offense.

17.67

tad aśma-sāraṃ hṛdayaṃ batedaṃ
yad gṛhyamāṇair hari-nāma-dheyaiḥ
na vikriyetātha yadā vikāro
netre jalaṃ gātra-ruheṣu harṣaḥ

Certainly that heart is steel-framed which, in spite of one's chanting the holy name with concentration, does not melt when ecstasy takes place, tears do not fill the eyes and the hairs do not stand on end. (Bhāg. 2.3.24)

17.68

aśrupulakāveva cit-tadravaliogamityapi na śakyate vaktum;
yad uktaṃ śrīmad rūpa gosvāmi caraṇaiḥ:
"nisargapicchila svāste tad abhyāsaparo pi ca
sattvābhāsaṃ vināpi syuḥ kvāpyaśru-pulakādayaḥ"

(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 2.3.89)

...tataś ca bahir aśu-pulakayoḥ satorapi yaddha dayaḥ na vikriyeya, tad aśmasārimiti vākyārthaḥ tataśca hṛdaya-vikriyā lakṣmaṇānya-sādhāraṇāni kṣātināmagrahaṇāsakty ādīnyeva jñeyāni... kaniṣṭhādhikāriṇāṃ samat sarāṇāstu sāparādha-vittatvān-nāma-grahaṇa-bāhulye'pi tan-mādhury-ānubhavābhāve cittaṃ naiva vikriyeta, tad vyañjakāḥ kṣātyādayo 'pi na bhavanti, teṣām eva aśup-pulakādimattve 'pyaśma-sāra-hṛdayatayā nindaiṣā. kiñca, teṣām api sāhu-saṅgenānartha-vivṛtti-niṣṭhārucyādibhumikārūḍhānāṃ kālena ciccadrave sati cittasyāśma-sāratvamapagacchatyeva. yeśāstu cittadrave 'pi sati cittasyāśmasāratātiṣṭhadeva, te tu duścikitsyā eva jñeyāḥ

[This is from Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura's commentary on Bhāg. 2.3.24 quoted as 17.67]

In Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Rūpa Gosvāmī analyzes the appearance of the symptoms of divine ecstasy in non-devotees. He refers to these symptoms as sattvābhāsa, or a dim reflection of ecstasy. Sometimes it is seen that staunch logicians, without any trace of devotional service and without actually understanding the transcendental glories of the Lord, sit down to hear the glories of the Lord, they appear to be melting and shedding tears. In this connection there is a statement by a devotee who is addressing the Lord as follows:

"My dear Mukunda, I cannot properly express the glories of Your pastimes. Even when non-devotees hear of Your glorious pastimes they become affected and shed tears and start to tremble." Rūpa Gosvāmī comments on this by saying.] "Such non-devotees are not actually melted; they are hard-hearted. But the influence of the glories of the Lord is so great that even the non-devotees sometimes shed tears.

Sometimes it is found that a non-devotee who has practically no taste for Kṛṣṇa and who follows no rules or regulations can, by practice, make a show of devotional symptoms, even crying in an assembly of devotees. This shedding of tears is not actually an ecstatic loving expression. However, it is done simply by practice and is only a dim reflection of true ecstatic symptoms. For example impersonalists may sometimes show symptoms of ecstasy while chanting the holy name Kṛṣṇa, but this is not accepted as actual ecstasy, but only a dim reflection (Sattvābhāsa).

Note:Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has very critically discussed all these displays of ecstasy in connection with some unscrupulous neophyte's imitating the above symptoms for cheap appreciation. Not only Viśvanātha Cakravartī but also Rūpa Gosvāmī has treated them very critically.

Sometimes all the above eight symptoms of ecstasy are imitated by the mundane devotees, but the pseudo symptoms are at once detected when one see the pseudo-devotee addicted to so many forbidden things. Even though decorated with the signs of a devotee, a person addicted to smoking, drinking or illegitimate sex with women cannot have all the above mentioned ecstatic symptoms. But it is seen that sometimes these symptoms are willingly imitated, and for this reason Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī accuses the imitators of being stone-hearted. They are sometimes even affected by the reflection of such transcendental symptoms, yet if they still do not give up the forbidden habits, then they are hopeless cases for transcendental realization.

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu met Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya of Kavaur on the bank of the Godāvarī, the Lord developed all these symptoms, but because of the presence of some non-devotee brāhmaṇas who were attendants of the Rāya, the Lord suppressed these symptoms.

So sometimes they are not visible even in the body of the first-class devotee for certain circumstantial reasons. In Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.3.11) Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī explains that real, steady bhāva is definitely displayed in the matter of cessation of material desires (kṣṃnti), utilization (avyātha-kālatvam), eagerness for glorifying the Lord constantly (nāma-gṃne sadṃ ruci), attraction for living in the land of the Lord (prītis tad-vasati sthale), complete detachment from material happiness (virakti), and pridelessness (māna-śḥnyatṃ). One who has developed all these transcendental qualities is really possessed by the bhāva stage, as distinguished from the stone-hearted imitator or mundane devotee.

The whole process can be summarized as follows: The advanced devotee who chants the holy name of the Lord in a perfectly offenseless manner and is friendly to everyone can actually relish the transcendental taste of glorifying the Lord. And the result of such realization is reflected in the cessation of all material desires, etc., as mentioned above.

The neophytes, due to their being in the lower stage of devotional service, are invariable envious, so much so that they invent their own ways and means of devotional regulations without following the ācāryas. As such, even if they make a show of constantly chanting the holy name of the Lord, because they commit offenses to the holy name, they cannot relish the transcendental taste of the holy name.

Therefore, the show of tears in the eyes, trembling, perspiration or unconsciousness, etc., is condemned. They can, however, get in touch with a pure devotee of the Lord and rectify their bad habits; otherwise they shall continue to be stone hearted and unfit for any treatment. A complete progressive march on the return home, back to Godhead, will depend on the instructions of the revealed scriptures directed by a realized devotee. (Bhāg. 2.3.24, Sārārtha-darśinī commentary)

The Ten Offenses to the Holy Name

17.69-75

satāṃ nindā nāmnaḥ paramam aparādham vitanute
yataḥ khyātiṃ kathamu sahate tad-vigarahām
śivasya śrī viṣṇorya iha guṇa-nāmādi sakalaṃ
dhiyā bhinnaṃ paśyet sa khalu harināmā-hitakaraḥ
guroravajñā śruti-śāstra-nindanaṃ tathārthavādo hari-nāmni kalpanam
nāmno balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhir na vidyate tasya yamair hi śuddhiḥ
dharma-vrata-tyāgahutādi-sarva-śubha-kriyā-sāmyamapi pramādaḥ
aśraddha-dhāno vimukho'py-śṛṇvati yaś copadeśaḥ śivanāmāparādhaḥ
śrutvāpi nāma-mahātmyaṃ yaḥ prītirahito 'dhamaḥ
ahaṃ mamādiparamo nāmni so'py aparādha-kṛt
jāte nāmāparādhe tu pramāde tu kathañcana
sadā saokīrtayan-nāma tad eka śaraṇo bhavet
nāmāparādha-yuktānāṃ nāmānyeva harah-tyagham
avaśrānti-prayuktāni tāny evārtha karāṇi yat

(1) To blaspheme the devotees who have dedicated their lives for propagating the holy name of the Lord.

(2) To consider the names of demigods like Lord Śiva or Lord Brahmā to be equal to, or independent of, the name of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

(3) To disobey the orders of the spiritual master.

(4) To blaspheme the Vedic literature or literature in pursuance of the Vedic version.

(5) To consider the glories of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa as an exaggeration.

(6) To concoct interpretations of the holy name of the Lord.

(7) To commit sinful activities on the strength of chanting the holy name of the Lord.

(8) To consider the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa to be on the same level as the ritualistic karmic activities mentioned in the Vedas.

(9) To instruct the faithless in the glories of the holy name.

(10) To not have complete faith in the chanting of the holy names and thus maintain material attachments. Even if in the beginning one chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra with offenses, one will become free from such offenses by chanting again and again [and faithfully serving the pure devotee]. (Padma Purāṇa, Brahma-Khaṇḍa, 25.15-18, 22-23)

The Principal Offense to the Holy Name

17.76

nāścaryam etad yad asatsu sarvadā mahad-vinindā kuṇapātma-vādiṣu
serṣyaṃ mahāpūruṣa-pāda-pāṃsubhir nirasta-tejaḥsu tad eva śobhanam

It is not wonderful for persons who have accepted the transient material body as the self to engage always in deriding great souls. Such envy on the part of materialistic persons is not very good because that is the way they fall down. They are diminished by the dust of the feet of great personalities. (Bhāg. 4.4.13)

17.77

ye go-gardabhādaya iva viṣayesvevendriyāṇi sadā cārayanti ko bhagavān, kā bhaktiḥ ko gurur iti svapne 'pi na jānanti, teṣām eva nāmābhāsādir ītyā gṛhīta-hari-nām-nām-ajāmilādīnām iva niraparādhānāṃ guruṃ vināpi bhavatye oddhāraḥ. Harir-bhajanīya eva, bhajanaṃ tat-prāpakam eva tadupadeṣṭā gurur eva, gurupadiṣṭā bhaktā eva pūrve hariṃ prāpuriti viveka-viśeṣavatve 'pi "no dīkṣāṃ na ca sat-kriyāṃ na ca puraścaryāṃ manāgīkṣate. Mantro'yaṃ rasanā spṛga eva phalati śrī kṛṣṇa nāmātmakaḥ" Iti (Padyāvalī 18 Aokadhṛk Svāmikṛta-śloka) pramāṇa-dṛṣṭyā ajāmilādi-dṛṣṭāntena ca kiṃ me guru-karaṇaśrameṇa nāma-kīrtana-ādibhir eva me bhagavat-prāptir-bhāvin īti manyamān astu gurvavajñā lakṣaṇa-mahāparādhā-deva bhagavantaṃ sati śrī guru-caraṇāśrita eva prāpnotīti."

Those persons who are like cows and asses, who wander about always engaged in chasing the objects of the senses, who have no idea even in dreams of what is Bhagavān, what is bhakti, or what is guru, can all be delivered if they chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa offenselessly in nāmābhāsa, as did Ajāmila, even if they have no association of devotees, or any contact with a genuine spiritual master.

One may attain the worshipable object, Śrī Hari, by practicing the means to worship him in pursuance of the instruction of the guru. By carefully following the orders of Sri guru, many devotees in the past have attained Śrī Hari. It has , however, been said: "no dīkṣāṃ na ca satkriyāṃ na ca puraścaryāṃ manāgīkṣate. mantro 'yaṃ rasanā-spag eva phalati śrī kṛṣṇa-nāmātmakaḥ."

For one who knows reality and the real nature of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and actually realizes the fruit of taking the holy name upon the tongue (sevon-mukhe hi jivādau), the holy name is not at all dependent upon dīkṣā, initiation, religious activities, the rules and regulations of the scriptures, or purificatory procedures. About this the scriptures have given many different examples as evidence. For instance, Ajāmila without benefit of a guru chanted the holy name of Kṛṣṇa in nāmābhāsa and attained liberation.

Seeing all these conclusions, a person might ask, "Why should I go to such great trouble to carefully follow the orders of the guru while performing kīrtana? [if by chanting neglectful, without regard for any rules and regulations or the order of the guru, Ajāmila attained perfection, why should I work so hard? Let me follow the example of Ajāmila and neglectfully chant the holy name, and so attain liberation.]" Those who cultivate this sort of mentality commit the great offense of disregarding the orders of the gurudeva. As a result of this offense they are cheated out of any hopes of attaining Bhagavān, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. But if in this birth or the next they beg pardon from gurudeva, take shelter of his lotus feet and gain forgiveness for such a great offense, then it may be possible for them to attain the Lord. (Bhāg. 6.2.9, Sārārtha-darśinī commentary)

Who Offends Devotees Does not Chant the Real Name

17.78

hena vaiṣṇavera nindā kare yai jana
sei pāya duḥkha-janma jīvana-maraṇa
vidyā-kula-tapa-saba viphala tāhāra
vaiṣṇava nindaye ye ye pāpī durācāra
pūjā o tāhāra kṛṣṇa nā kare grahaṇa
vaiṣṇavera nindā kare ye pāpiṣṭha-jana

One who commits offenses against Vaiṣṇavas attains only misery, life after life. His learning and austerity bears no fruit. Blasphemy of Vaiṣṇavas is the worst kind of sinful behavior. One who engages in blasphemy of Vaiṣṇavas will find that Kṛṣṇa does not accept his worship. A person who blasphemes Vaiṣṇavas is therefore the worst kind of sinner. (Cb. Madhya 4.360)

17.79

śūlapāṇi-sama yadi vaiṣṇavere ninde
tathāpiha nāśa yāya, kahe śāstra-vṛṇde
ihā nā māniyāye sujana-nindā kare
janme janme se pāpiṣṭha deva-doṣe mare

It is the conclusion of all the revealed scriptures that one who blasphemes a devotee is doomed. For such a person, everything is torn to pieces by the powerful trident of his sinful reactions. A sinful person who disregards this principle and insults great souls will suffer birth after birth for his offense. (Cb. Madhya 22.54,56)

Vaiṣṇava-aparādhis are Punished Forever

17.80

prabhu bale, vaiṣṇava nindaye yei jana
kuṣṭharoga kon tāra śātiye likhana
āpātataḥ śāstri kichu haiyāche mātra
āra kata āche yama-yātanāra pātra
caurāśī sahasra yama-yātanā pratyekse
punaḥ punaḥ kari" būñje vaiṣṇava-nindake

Mahāprabhu said, "It is written that one who blasphemes the Vaiṣṇavas will suffer from leprosy, after which he will be punished by the agents of Yamarāja again and again, in thousands of births. (Cb. Madhya 4.375-377)

Six Kinds of Vaiṣṇava-aparādha

17.81

nindāṃ kurvanti ye mūdhā vaiṣṇavānāṃ mahātmanām
patanti pitṛbhiḥ sārdhaṃ mahāraurava-saṃjñite
hanti nindati vai dveṣṭhi vaiṣṇavān-nābhi-nandati
krudhyate yāti no harṣaṃ darśane patanāni ṣaṭ

A fool who blasphemes Vaiṣṇavas goes to the worst kind of hell along with generations of his ancestors. One who kills a devotee, as well as one who blasphemes devotees, or one who is envious of devotees, or one who fails to offer obeisances to Vaiṣṇavas upon seeing them, or one who becomes angered at a Vaiṣṇava, or who does not become joyful upon seeing a Vaiṣṇava these six classes of men are all considered to be candidates for falling down into hell. (Skanda Purāṇa)

Vaiṣṇava-aparādhis Should Have Their Tongues Cut Out

17.83

karṇau pidhāya nirayād yad akalpa īśe
dharmāvitary asṛṇibhir nṛbhir asyamāne
chindyāt prasahya ruśatīm asatīṃ prabhuś cej
jihvām asūn api tato visṛjet sa dharmaḥ

[Sati said] If one hears an irresponsible person blaspheme the guardian of devotion (dharmāvitarya or dharma-rakṣaka), one should block his ears and go away if unable to punish him. But if one is able to kill, then one should by force cut out the blasphemer's tongue and kill the offender, and after that one should give up his own life. (Bhāg. 4.4.17)

The Great Fault of Hearing Blasphemy of Vaiṣṇavas

17.84

"vaiṣṇava nindā śravane 'pi doṣa uktaḥ" (Bhāg. 10.74.40)

nindāṃ bhagavataḥ śṛṇvan tat parasya janasya vā
tato nāpaiti yaḥ so 'pi yātyadha sukṛtāt cyutaḥ
tato'pagamaś cāsamarthasya eva; samarthena tu nindakajihvā chettavyā; tatrāpy asamarthena svaprāṇaparityāgo 'pi kartavyaḥ

The Śrīmad Bhāgavatam says that it is a great fault to hear blasphemy of Vaiṣṇavas. It states: "He who does not leave the place where devotees of the Lord are blasphemed, but continues to hear such blasphemy, is guilty of a great sin. He is deprived of all his piety and falls down into hell." It is enjoined that one must leave the place of blasphemy. But that is for a person who is not a capable person. If capable one should cut out the tongue of the blasphemer. If unable to do that one should give up his life rather than continue to hear such blasphemy. (Bhakti Sandarbha 265)

The Way to Overcome Vaiṣṇava-aparādha

17.85

ye vaiṣṇava-sthāne aparādha haya yāra
puna se kṣamile a parādha ghuce tāra

If one offends a Vaiṣṇava, the only way to get free from the offense is to go back that Vaiṣṇava and beg his forgiveness. (Cb. Madhya 22.32)

17.86

kāñṭā phuṭe yei mukhe, sei mukhe yāya
pāye kāñṭā phuṭile ki kāndhe bāhirāya

Just as it takes a thorn to remove a thorn, the offense committed by the mouth [against a Vaiṣṇava] must be cured with the mouth [by begging forgiveness]. (Cb. Antya 4.380)

The Second Offense to the Holy Name

17.87-88

śivaḥ śakti-yutaḥ śaśvat tri-liogo guṇa-saṃvṛtaḥ
vaikārikas taijasaś ca tāmasaś cety ahaṃ tridhā
harir hi nirguṇaḥ sākṣāt puruṣaḥ prakṛteḥ paraḥ
sa sarva-dṛg upadraṣṭā taṃ bhajan nirguṇo bhavet

Lord Śiva is always associated with his śakti. He is invested with the three modes of nature sattva, rajas, and tamas and is the presiding deity of the three kinds of cosmic ego characterized by sattva, rajas, and tamas. Lord Hari, on the other hand, is unaffected by the three modes and hence devoid of the attributes of material nature. He is omniscient and is a witness to everything. A person who worships him becomes free from all material qualities. (Bhāg. 10.88.3,5)

The Third Offense to the Holy Name

17.89-80

rajas tamaś ca sattvena sattvaṃ copaśamena ca
etat sarvaṃ gurau bhaktyā puruṣo hy añjasā jayet
yasya sākṣād bhagavati jñāna-dīpa-prade gurau
martyāsad-dhīḥ śrutaṃ tasya sarvaṃ kuñjara-śaucavat

One must conquer the modes of passion and ignorance by developing the mode of goodness, and then one must become detached from the mode of goodness by promoting oneself to the platform of śuddha-sattva. All this can be automatically done if one engages in the service of the spiritual master with faith and devotion. In this way one can conquer the influence of the modes of nature. The spiritual master should be considered to be directly the Supreme Lord because he gives transcendental knowledge for enlightenment. Consequently, for one who maintains the material conception that the spiritual master is an ordinary human being, everything is frustrated. His enlightenment and His Vedic studies and knowledge are like the bathing of an elephant. (Bhāg. 7.15.25,26)

The Fourth Offense to the Holy Name

17.91

śraddhāṃ bhāgavate śāstre 'nindām anyatra cāpi hi

One should have firm faith that he will achieve all success in life by following those scriptures that describe the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavān. At the same time, one should avoid blaspheming other Vedic scriptures. (Bhāg. 11.3.26)

17.92

namaḥ pramāṇa-mūlāya kavaye śāstra-yonaye
pravṛttāya nivṛttāya nigamāya namo namaḥ

We offer our obeisances again and again to You, who are the basis of all authoritative evidence, who are the author and ultimate source of the revealed scriptures, and who have manifested Yourself in those Vedic literature's encouraging sense gratification as well as in those encouraging renunciation of the material world. (Bhāg. 10.16.44)

The Fifth Offense to the Holy Name

17.93

prāyeṇa veda tad idaṃ na mahājano 'yaṃ
devyā vimohita-matir bata māyayālam
trayāṃ jaḍī-kṛta-matir madhu-puṣpitāyāṃ
vaitānike mahati karmaṇi yujyamānaḥ

[If chanting the holy name is sufficient for liberation, then why haven't the Vedic sages stressed this in their teachings?] Because they are bewildered by the illusory energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Yajñavalkya and Jaimini and other compilers of the religious scriptures cannot understand the transcendental value of performing devotional service or chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Because their minds are attracted to the ritualistic ceremonies mentioned in the Vedas especially the Yajur Veda, Sṃma Veda, and ṇg Veda their intelligence became dull. Thus they are busy collecting the ingredients for ritualistic ceremonies that yield only temporary benefits, such as elevation to Svargaloka for material happiness. They are not attracted to the saṅkīrtana movement; instead, they are interested in dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa. (Bhāg. 6.3.25)

Other Processes of Purification are a Waste of Time

17.94

prāyaścittāni cīrṇāni nārāyaṇa-parāomukham
na niṣpunanti rājendra surā-kumbham ivāpagāḥ

My dear King, as a pot containing liquor cannot be purified even if washed in the waters of many rivers, non-devotees cannot be purified by processes of atonement even if they perform them very well. (Bhāg. 6.1.18)

The Sixth Offense to the Holy Name

17.95-96

taj janma tāni karmāṇi tad āyus tan mano vacaḥ
nṛṇāṃ yena hi viśvātmā sevyate harir īśvaraḥ
kiṃ janmabhis tribhir veha śaukra-sāvitra-yājñikaiḥ
karmabhir vā trayī-proktaiḥ puṃso 'pi vibudhāyuṣā

Nārada said, "When a living entity is born to engage in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the supreme controller, this birth, all his fruitive activities, his life-span, his mind and his words are all factually perfect. A civilized human being has three kinds of births. The first birth is by a pure father and mother, and this birth is called birth by semen. The next birth takes place when one is initiated by the spiritual master and this birth is called savitra. The third birth, called yajṛika, takes place when one is given the opportunity to worship Lord Viṣṇu. Despite the opportunities of attaining such births, even if one gets the life-span of a demigod, if one does not actually engage in the service of the Lord, everything is useless. Similarly, one's activities may be mundane or spiritual, but they are useless if they are not meant for satisfying the Lord. (Bhāg. 4.31.9-10)

Auspicious Activities Other than Chanting the

Holy Name in Full Surrender are Useless

17.97

avismitaṃ taṃ paripūrṇa-kāmaṃ svenaiva lābhena samaṃ praśāntam
vinopasarpaty aparaṃ hi bāliśaḥ śva-lāṅgulenātititarti sindhum

Free from all material conceptions of existence and never wonderstruck by anything, the Lord is always jubilant and fully satisfied by His own spiritual perfection's. He has no material designations, and therefore He is steady and unattached. That Supreme Personality of Godhead is the only shelter of everyone. Anyone desiring to be protected by others is certainly a great fool who desires to cross the sea by holding a dog's tail. (Bhāg. 6.9.22)

The Seventh Offense to the Holy Name

17.98

manye dhanābhijana-rūpa-tapaḥ-śrutaujas-
tejaḥ-prabhāva-bala-pauruṣa-buddhi-yogāḥ
nārādhanāya hi bhavanti parasya puṃso
bhaktyā tutoṣa bhagavān gaja-yūtha-pāya

[Prahlāda Mahārāja prayed to Lord Nṇsiāhadeva] One may possess wealth, an aristocratic family, beauty, austerity, education, sensory expertise, luster, influence, physical strength, diligence, intelligence, and mystic power, but I think that even by all these qualifications one cannot satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However, one can satisfy the Lord simply by devotional service. Gajendra did this , and thus the Lord was satisfied with him. [In other words, the real qualification to worship the Lord is faith.] (Bhāg. 7.9.9)

The Eight Offense to the Holy Name

17.99

kvacin nivartate 'bhadrāt kvacic carati tat punaḥ
prāyaścittam atho 'pārthaṃ manye kuñjara-śaucavat

Sometimes one who is very alert so as not to commit sinful acts is victimized by sinful life again. I therefore consider this process of repeated sinning and atoning to be useless. It is like the bathing of an elephant, for an elephant cleanses itself by taking a full bath, but then throws dust over its head and body as soon as it returns to the land. (Bhāg. 6.1.10)

The Ninth Offense to the Holy Name

17.100

tasmāt sarvātmanā rājan hariḥ sarvatra sarvadā
śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca smartavyo bhagavān nṛṇām

O King, it is therefore essential that every human being hear about, glorify, and remember the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, always and everywhere, with all one's attention, committing heart, mind and soul in dedication to the holy name. (Bhāg. 2.2.36)

The Tenth Offense to the Holy Name

17.101

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke
sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ
yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij
janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ

One who believes this body, which is composed of mucus, bile, and air, is the self, who thinks of his wife and children as his bodily expansions, and who considers the land of his birth worshipable, who visits the holy places simply to go swimming, without seeking shelter of the holy saints who live there, is no better than a cow or an ass. (Bhāg. 10.84.13)

17.102

'kṛṣṇa-nāma' kare aparādhera vicāra
kṛṣṇa balile aparādhīra nā haya vikāra

There are offenses to be consider while chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Therefore, simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, one does not become ecstatic. (Cc. Ādi 8.24)

17.103

tāra madhye sarva-śreṣṭha nāma-saokīrtana
niraparādhe nāma laile pāya prema-dhana

Of the nine processes of devotional service, the most important is to always chant the holy name of the Lord. If one does so, avoiding the ten kinds of offenses, one very easily obtains the most valuable love of Godhead. (Cc. Antya 4.71)

17.104

bahu janma kare yadi śravaṇa, kīrtana
tabu ta' nā pāya kṛṣṇa-pade prema-dhana

If one is infested with the ten offenses in the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, despite his endeavor to chant the holy name for many births, he will not get the love of Godhead which is the ultimate goal of this chanting. (Cc. Ādi 8.16)

17.105

'eka' kṛṣṇa-nāme kare sarva-pāpa nāśa
premera kāraṇa bhakti karena prakāśa
anāyāse bhava-kṣaya, kṛṣṇera sevana
eka kṛṣṇa-nāmera phale pāi eta dhana

Simply by chanting one name of Kṛṣṇa [purely] all one's sins are destroyed. Thus bhakti, which is the cause of kṛṣṇa-prema, is manifest. (Cc. Ādi 8.26,28)

17.106

hena kṛṣṇa-nāma yadi laya bahu-bāra
tabu yadi prema nahe, nahe aśrudhāra
tabe jāni, aparādha tāhāte pracura
kṛṣṇa-nāma-bīja tāhe nā kare aokura

If one chants the exalted holy name of the Lord again and again and yet his love for the Supreme Lord does not develop and tears do not appear in his eyes, it is evident that because of his offenses in chanting, the seed of the holy name of Krsna does not sprout. (Cc. Ādi 8.29.30)

The Real Holy Name of Kṛṣṇa Can Never Awaken in Māyāvadis

17.107

ataeva tāra mukhe nā āise kṛṣṇa-nāma
'kṛṣṇa-nāma', 'kṛṣṇa-svarūpa'—duita 'samāna'
'nāma; 'vigraha', 'svarūpa'—tina eka-rūpa
tine 'bheda' nāhi,—tina 'cid-ānanda-rūpa'
deha-dehīra, nāma-nāmīra kṛṣṇe nāhi 'bheda'
jīvera dharma—nāma-deha-svarūpe 'vibheda'
ataeva kṛṣṇera 'nāma', 'deha', 'vilāsa'
prākṛtendriya-grāhya nahe, haya sva-prakāśa

[Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, "Māyāvādī impersonalists are great offenders unto Lord Kṛṣṇa; therefore they simply utter the words Brahman, ātmā, and Caitanya.] The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is not manifest in their mouths because the are offenders to Kṛṣṇa, who is nondifferenct from His name. The Lord's holy name, His form, and His personality are all one and the same. There is no difference between them. Since all of them are absolute, they are transcendentally blissful. There s no difference between Kṛṣṇa's body and Himself or between His name and Himself. As far as the conditioned soul is concerned, everything is different. One's name is different from the body, from one's original form and so on. (Cc. Madhya 17.130-132,134)

Through Chanting the Holy Name of Kṛṣṇa

and Dancing One Gains Life.

17.108-109

gīta-nṛtyāni kurvīta dvija-devādi tuṣṭaye
na jīvanāya yuñjīta vipraḥ pāpabhiyā kvacit
kvacit kadācid api jīvanāya nijavṛttyarthaṃ na yuñjīta
na kuryāt: tatra hetuḥ pāpādbhiyā, tathā sati pāpaṃ syādityarthaḥ

A twice born, dvija, should sing and dance for the satisfaction of the Lord. But he should do not do so for his livelihood fearing sinful reaction.

Commentary: Kvacit never; jīvanāya for his own maintenance; he should never do so. The reason stated in pṃpabhiya. The meaning is if he does so he will be implicated in sins. (Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 8.265 and Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī's commentary)

17.110

dhana-śiṣyādibhir-dvārair yāṃ bhaktir upapādyate
vidūratvād uttamatāhānya tasyāś ca nāṅgatā

If one relies on one's disciples or wealth to attain bhakti, his devotional practice will certainly become slackened. One cannot claim that one is engaged in devotional service simply on the basis of engaging one's money or disciples in bhakti. To rely on money and disciples to perform devotional service in one's place is not considered to be a branch of pure devotion. (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Pūrva-Vibhāga 2.259)

One who Eagerly Dedicates Mind, Body, and Soul in Kṛṣṇa-bhakti Experiences the Topmost Mercy and Auspiciousness

17.111

etāvaj janma-sāphalyaṃ dehinām iha dehiṣu
prāṇair arthair dhiyā vācā śreya-ācaraṇaṃ sadā

[The Lord said] That a person should sacrifice his life, wealth, intellect, and speech for doing what is beneficial to others, is the farthest limit of the usefulness of embodied beings for their fellow creatures. (Bhāg. 10.22.35)

17.112

prāṇinām upakārāya yathaiveha paratra ca
karmaṇā manasā vācā tad eva matimān vadet

Through one's work, mind, and words one should act in such a way that it will bring benefit to all living beings such is the behavior of the intelligent. (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 3.12.45)

The Qualification for Being Jagad-guru

17.113

āpane ācare keha, nā kare pracāra
pracāra [PVD1]karena keha, nā karena ācāra
'ācāra', 'pracāra',—nāmera karaha 'dui' kārya
tumi—sarva-guru, tumi jagatera ārya

Some practice, but do not preach; some preach but do not practice you both practice the chanting of the holy name and preach it as well. Because you practice what you preach, you are the jagad-guru, the guru of the entire universe, for you are the most advanced devotee in the world. (Cc. Antya 4.102-103)

Gaurasundara's Followers Preach the Holy Name.

By Doing so, They Attain the Eternal Association of the Lord,

who is the Father of the Saṅkīrtana Movement.

17.114

yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa' upadeśa
āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa
kabhu nā vādhibe tomāra viṣaya-taraṅga
punarapi ei ṭhāñi pābe mora saṅga

Instruct whoever you meet in the science of Kṛṣṇa. Teach them the instructions of Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā, and the teachings about Kṛṣṇa in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. In this way, on my order, become a guru and liberate everyone in the land. If you follow this instruction, the waves of materialism within this world will not affect you. Indeed, if you follow my order, you will soon attain my association. (Cc. Madhya 7.128-129)

Those who Have Taken Birth in the Land of India

Should Show Mercy to Others by Eagerly Preaching

the Glories of the Holy Name of Śrī Kṛṣṇa

17.115

bhārata bhūmite haila manuñya janma yā'ra
janma sṃrthaka kari' kara para-upakāra

One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India should make his live successful and work for the benefit of all other people by preaching nāma-saṅkīrtana, the chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. (Cc. Ādi 9.41)

Thus ends the Seventeenth Jewel of Gauḍīya-Kaṇṭhahāra, entitled Nāma-tattva.