Sharanagati

(from a lecture of Swami Tirtha, 17.08.2017 morning, Ludasto)

The favorable environment. We started from that point – how to create a favorable environment for the worship of the Supreme Lord with His beloved devotees. There are some external conditions. Shrila Prabhupada describes what are the external conditions that are favorable for pure chanting of the holy names. He describes that you have to find an isolated and beautiful place, on the bank of a lake, full of ducks, swans and other birds who sing nicely and move nicely, so that everything is beautiful around you and the external environment provides this natural beauty of nature. Because then your heart and mind are more peaceful and then you can concentrate more easily on your service and on your beloved God.

Here, in Ludasto, the isolation is provided. A certain level of beauty is also given. Ducks are missing, as well as water. We are sitting on a bank of a lake, but there is no water –what can we do? But the swans are here. It is you, pure souls. And many times they also appear in the sky during our morning meditation. So, I think all the external conditions are provided basically.

But what are the inner conditions for chanting the holy names? I think it is always very good to remind ourselves a little bit about the importance of the holy name, the nature of the holy name, the practice of the holy name, because this is one essence of our path. Favorable environment means external and internal environment as well. Beauty outside and peace inside.

So, let me quote one senior disciple of Shrila Prabhupada. This is from Gour Govinda Swami, “The chief result of Nama”.

“When we speak about the holy name, three categories are there: offensive chanting, namabhasa and offensless chanting. For those who are chanting with offences, the name will fulfill their material desires. So called religiosity, economic development and fulfillment of one’s material desires are all given by the offensive name. If one attains the namabhasa stage, he will get mukti. The name gives these four: dharma, artha, kama and moksha. But this is not the chief result of nama. All these are secondary results and they are automatically achieved. For example, you plant a mango tree, so your chief purpose is to get the mango. The secondary result though is that when a mango tree grows into a big tree and it spreads its twigs and branches it will give you cool shade and fuel as well. Your chief purpose is to get the ripe mango, but the secondary purposes are automatically fulfilled. Similarly the name will give you dharma, artha, kama and moksha, but that is not the chief result of nama.

 The chief result of nama is krishna-prema. If your chanting is offenseless and pure, you will get krishna-prema, that is Krishna. Especially in Kali Yuga, because the holy name is the incarnation of Krishna. There is no other incarnation.

“There is no difference between the Name of Krishna and Krishna Himself. That means the pure name, shuddha-nama. If you chant the pure name, you will get krishna-prema and thereby get Krishna as well. Automatically you will also get dharma, artha, kama and moksha, but the pure devotee never wants it.”

So it is not only the practice that we follow, this is the quality of the practice. Once Gurudev mentioned that in India even the politicians know that the mantras are very powerful. When Indira Gandhi was out of power, she had one advisor who went on a tapas to chant the mahamantra in order for her to regain the power. And Gurudev said: This is a political chanting. Not a pure nama, because the goal is something different. It’s an election campaign in a secret manner.

So, it is not simply the practice – like chanting – but how you chant. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. There are so many different mentalities how we chant.

(to be continued)