Sharanagati

(from a lecture of Swami Tirtha, 04.05.2018, Rila) 

(continues from the previous Monday)

We have to refer to the shastras – what they say about the nature of the holy name.

“Nama chintamanih krishnash chaitanya-rasa-vigraha[1] – The holy name is like a transcendental wish-fulfilling touchstone, which provides all the possible blessings, because it is non-different from Krishna. And all the different transcendental mellows are embodied by the holy name. The holy name is perfect and full in all respects. Immaculately pure, eternal and blessed, because there is no distinction between the name and the person named.”

So, nam, nama, the name, is chintamani – a touchstone. Nam, the name, is a very touchy question in Indian philosophy. They say that the manifested material world is divided by name and form. Therefore, we can know what is what and who is who – because it is arranged by the name and the form. If this doesn’t happen, it would be like a soup – everything would be one in this soup, it’s creamy. So, the distinction is provided by the name and the form. The soup is the soup, but there are some carrots and some other stuff inside. And it brings more taste. Babies are satisfied with this generic soup, a paste. Of course, nobody asks the babies whether they like it or not. This is what they get. But if you have to eat the same stuff throughout your whole lifetime, you will not be satisfied. You want distinction, you want separate things.

Very similarly, if in the beginning of your spiritual quest you are informed that there is a unity principle behind all the different manifestations, it might satisfy you. But later you need the carrots. You are searching for something real inside this generic liquid. Тhen you specify your spiritual search more precisely. Though we can agree that you cannot call transcendence by any name. Maybe it has only one name: impossible to understand. But your compassionate God, personal saviour, you can call by a name. Therefore, the name of God, the divine name, is totally different from the material names – like name and form. Because the material names have to set the limits of a certain thing in order to be able to identify it. So in one sense, the name and the form are a kind of limitation. But for Krishna His name is not a limitation, this is a dimension that He uses to express Himself. Therefore it is said that the holy name, the divine name, is chintamani – whatever is touched by the holy name is transformed into a different category.

And it will give all the possible blessings. What kind of blessings do you want? Some cheap material stuff – you can have it. Well, I won’t say: ‘Chant the holy names, if you have some material ambitions’, but anyway people do it. Sometimes the chanting is, let’s say, mixed or not pure. It’s called mishra-bhakti. When some other ambitions are included in your spiritual practice, it’s called mishra-bhakti. Mishra means ‘mishmash’. And you know what mishmash is – when you don’t have anything specific. So, mishra-bhakti will not lead us to the ultimate goal, but it might provide some intermediate results. We have to specify the motivation in our chanting, in our connection with the holy name.

(to be continued)

[1] Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya, 17.133