Text 3

tam upaśrutya ninadaṁ
jagad-bhaya-bhayāvaham
pratyudyayuḥ prajāḥ sarvā
bhartṛ-darśana-lālasāḥ

Translation

The citizens of Dvārakā, having heard that sound which threatens fear personified in the material world, began to run towards Him fast, just to have a long desired audience with the Lord, who is the protector of all devotees.

Purport

As already explained, the citizens of Dvārakā who lived at the time of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s presence there were all liberated souls who descended there along with the Lord as entourage. All were very anxious to have an audience with the Lord, although because of spiritual contact they were never separated from the Lord. Just as the gopīs at Vṛndāvana used to think of Kṛṣṇa while He was away from the village for cowherding engagements, the citizens of Dvārakā were all immersed in thought of the Lord while He was away from Dvārakā to attend the Battle of Kurukṣetra. Some distinguished fiction writer in Bengal concluded that the Kṛṣṇa of Vṛndāvana, that of Mathurā and that of Dvārakā were different personalities. Historically there is no truth in this conclusion. The Kṛṣṇa of Kurukṣetra and the Kṛṣṇa of Dvārakā are one and the same personality.

The citizens of Dvārakā were thus in a state of melancholy due to the Lord’s absence from the transcendental city, as much as we are put in a state of melancholy at night because of the absence of the sun. The sound heralded by Lord Kṛṣṇa was something like the heralding of the sunrise in the morning. So all the citizens of Dvārakā awoke from a state of slumber because of the sunrise of Kṛṣṇa, and they all hastened towards Him just to have an audience. The devotees of the Lord know no one else as protector.

This sound of the Lord is identical with the Lord, as we have tried to explain by the nondual position of the Lord. The material existence of our present status is full of fear. Out of the four problems of material existence, namely the food problem, the shelter problem, the fear problem and the mating problem, the fear problem gives us more trouble than the others. We are always fearful due to our ignorance of the next problem. The whole material existence is full of problems, and thus the fear problem is always prominent. This is due to our association with the illusory energy of the Lord, known as māyā or external energy, yet all fear is vanished as soon as there is the sound of the Lord, represented by His holy name, as it was sounded by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in the following sixteen words:

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

We can take advantage of these sounds and be free from all threatening problems of material existence.

HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj :

So this verse describes the response of the people of Dwaraka when they heard the conch shell of the Lord being blown. So when they heard that sound, suddenly they became very excited and they all began to move towards the Lord to see him.

As śrīla Prabhupāda explains in the purport, the sound of the Lord and the Lord himself are non-different. Of course, many things are non-different from the Lord. The form of the Lord and the Lord are non-different.

The activities of the Lord and the Lord are non-different. The name of the Lord and the Lord are non-different.

Of course, ultimately we say the whole spiritual world and the Lord are non-different. Through the Lord’s Cit Śakti, he produces, forms, qualities, activities, spiritual world. And that Cit Śakti  is non-different from Kṛṣṇa.

At the same time, we see distinctions. So yes, the Śakti of the Lord and the Lord are non-different. At the same time, there is some distinction.

And because of those distinctions, we can distinguish a particular form of the Lord.and we can also name him. If the śakti does not exist, we do not see any form of the Lord, nor have a name for the Lord. So, when we realize Brahman, we also realize the Lord, but minus his Cit Śakti .

So, we do not realize the name, form and qualities of the Lord there. It is still the Lord, but without those Śaktis manifesting anything. And so, Brahman is the Lord, Bhagavān is the Lord. They are both the Lord. But with Bhagavan, Śakti manifests form, qualities and activities.

What is the difference? The difference is that Bhagavān is a superior expression of bliss. So Jīva, If he chooses to realize Bhagavān, he will experience greater bliss. So, the Lord is important, but his Śakti is also very, very important.

So this Śakti creates some differences, but at the same time, it is non different from the Lord. And thus it is some time difficult for the person in material world to understand the Lord In the material world, things are quite different.

Sound is sound, form is form. They are very different. But in the spiritual world, sound can be form.

So, we utter the word Kṛṣṇa, it is Kṛṣṇa’s form. So, all this is because of the Śakti, the Cit-Śakti of the Lord. And it does things which break the rules of the material world.

It doesn’t actually break the rules of the material world. The rules of the material world are simply a fabrication for this world, and they don’t apply anywhere else.

The rules of the material world are convenient for the Jivas. However, they are not useful in the spiritual world. We cannot always understand all the actions of Kṛṣṇa and all the actions of Bhakti.

To some degree, we can hear the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa and understand.

And the more we practice Bhakti, the deeper our realization, the more we can understand the truth. And thus it is said that the Bhāgavatam can be understood by a devotee, but not by a non-devotee.

Similarly, a devotee can explain the Bhāgavatam, but a non-devotee cannot. So, the Bhāgavatam is also sound. But it is also a spiritual sound.

So, of course, we hear a material sound with the ear. Can we hear a spiritual sound with the material ear? Logically, no. You need spiritual ear to hear a spiritual sound.

You need spiritual eye to see the spiritual form of the Lord. This makes it quite impossible for anyone in the material world to understand or appreciate the Lord. So, the Lord is very merciful and therefore He gives us the means by which we are able to understand something about the Lord, even if we are in the material world.

If our material mind and material intelligence and our material ear are combined with some devotion, then we can hear the spiritual sound. And thus it is said that the one who is a devotee of the Lord can understand the Bhāgavatam. But devotees are also in different levels.

Those on a higher level can understand more of the spiritual import of the Bhāgavatam. Those who are less advanced get less understanding. Nevertheless, there is at least some approach to the spiritual meaning of the Bhāgavatam for any devotee.

The Lord is even more merciful. He gives a simpler and more powerful sound for the people of the material world. That is the name of the Lord.

We don’t even have to understand all these words of the Bhāgavatam or the grammar or the word for word or the sentences. The name of the Lord includes form of the Lord and pastime of th Lord ,

So this is the simplest possible way of realizing the Lord. But unlike Bhāgavatam or any scripture, whereyou have to have some bhakti to understand. Even if you don’t have bhakti, name has influence.

And thus Ajāmila destroyed all of his karmas. He wasn’t a devotee, but he simply uttered the name and heard the name of Nārāyaṇa.

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu has recommended chanting of the name of the Lord as the most practical method for the people of Kali Yuga. It is non-different from the Lord. Of course, Bhāgavatam is non-different from the Lord, deity is non-different from the Lord, but name is the simplest possible thing which is non-different from the Lord.

And it has influence on people even if they don’t have devotion, even if they don’t have faith. So that is why it is recommended for everyone. Of course, this does not mean that the devotee rejects other processes of bhakti.

No, he can also do it. But the name is the easiest approach. Because it is the easiest, we should not think it is inferior.

Just like if you go to the jewellery store, you can get fake gold and buy things very cheaply. But if you want real gold, you have to pay lots of money and you don’t get so much. A real gold is rare and not so much available, therefore you pay a price. So name is available everything like imitation gold, everyone can have it for free with no charge. But it is not fake, it is the real thing. And more than that, it is even better than the most precious thing.

We know that there is nondifference between Kṛṣṇa Mantra and Kṛṣṇa. And it is so powerful that it purifies you.

And unless don’t have the mantra and purify yourself, you cannot worship the deity. But to get the mantra, you have to have high qualification. So therefore, it is less available for everybody.

But yes, it is less available. We should not think that therefore it is better because it is less available. Mantra gives Kṛṣṇa, but the name gives more of Kṛṣṇa.

So therefore, by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, we get a much higher realization of Kṛṣṇa than we get through the mantras. To get the mantra, you need dīkṣā Chanting the name, no dīkṣā.

But then, the result of chanting the name is greater than from the dīkṣā. So that is why in Caitanya caritāmṛta, it is said that the name does not depend on dīkṣā at all. It gives highest level of prema.

Mantra cannot give you the same level as prema. So how can name be dependent on mantra then? It cannot be. Kṛṣṇa is higher than any other form of the Lord.

He is more powerful. He is sweeter. So how can it be dependent on devatas? It cannot be.

And it cannot depend on any other form of the Lord. It cannot be. So similarly, name is in a high position.

But there are many names of the Lord. Some have more power, some have less power.

The most powerful name is Kṛṣṇa. It is quite suitable because Kṛṣṇa is the highest form also. Caitanya does not just say, chant the name of the Lord. He says, chant the name of Kṛṣṇa. Name is most powerful. Name of Kṛṣṇa is most, most powerful.

We see that name of course, name of Nārāyaṇa, even by chanting by Ajāmila, he got free of his karmas. So by just chanting for the people who are not devotees, they can get liberation. But chanting the name of Kṛṣṇa gives you much more than that.

So śiṣupāla was a demon, but he chanted the name of Kṛṣṇa. He went beyond liberation, he got a form in the spiritual world. So the name of Kṛṣṇa is most powerful of all.

Of course, the devotees of Kṛṣṇa are not much interested in powers. They are interested in sweetness. So by chanting Kṛṣṇa’s name, the devotee realizes the highest sweetness in Kṛṣṇa.

By chanting Kṛṣṇa’s name, the devotee realizes the highest sweetness in Kṛṣṇa. Why is sweetness so important? All the Jīvas like sweetness. There are many tastes like salty, bitter, sour, etc., but sweetness is the best.

So therefore, the sweetest object is the most attractive object. So thus, chanting the name of Kṛṣṇa gives us the sweetest object. And it is most attractive.

So the purpose of Bhāgavatam is to reveal the sweetness of Kṛṣṇa. And by presenting that sweetness, the people of Kali Yuga can get attracted to Kṛṣṇa. So this is the simplest possible means of spiritual advancement to get the highest possible goal.

So the fortunate person who gets the opportunity to chant the name of Kṛṣṇa, then he should take advantage of that. And through that, the devotee can experience the highest, sweetest bliss.

Q & A

1)In Bhagavad Gīta, Kṛṣṇa says in the last, Whoever glorifies my qualities to others, they are very dear to me. At the same time, in the spiritual world also, the gopīs are very dear to Kṛṣṇa. So how we can understand the gopīs in the spiritual world are dear to Kṛṣṇa, and in the material world, the devotees who are spreading the message of Kṛṣṇa are dear to Kṛṣṇa. How we can understand the spiritual world and the material world.

In the spiritual world, the devotees are always glorifying the Lord. They can never stop glorifying the Lord. This is an expression of their love for the Lord. And of course, everybody is already a devotee, so there is no ulterior purpose in that glorifying the Lord.

We are not preaching to anybody because everybody is also glorifying the Lord. But if one hears that glorification of the Lord in the spiritual world, one also becomes more inspired to love the Lord. So therefore, everybody is constantly hearing the glorification as well as glorifying.

Kṛṣṇa gives instruction in bhagavad gītāthat you should glorify the Lord, but he says, only to the faithful people, only to devotees, not to others. So that is something like the spiritual world, because there is glorification among the devotees. However, the name of Kṛṣṇa is a little special.

And people who don’t have faith can hear that name and they get great benefit. So that makes Nāma Sankīrtan the greatest preaching tool for people even who don’t have faith in the material world.

2)With regard to what Prabhupāda often says, by concentrating the mind on the sound vibration of the Hare Kṛṣṇa Mahāmantra, everything will be revealed one after another, namely the form, qualities and pastimes. For a sādhaka, should you understand that is it the form, qualities and pastimes? Is it in the same sequence it happens or it’s not like that?

So that’s the general progress of realization. First we realize Kṛṣṇa in the name. But as we progress in chanting in the name, we realize the form.

And as we continue to chant, not only realize the form, but the qualities of Kṛṣṇa. And we continue to chant the name, form, qualities and activities. So that is quite reasonable.

Because we cannot appreciate qualities or activities unless there is a form. Once we realize the form of Kṛṣṇa, then we can appreciate the qualities and activities.

3) We do appreciate, we acknowledge the personal form of the Lord. Being devotees, we are able to appreciate the form of the Lord. At the same time, hearing the Bhāgavatam and the scriptures, it apparently appears easy to appreciate the qualities and pastimes, even before appreciating the personal form. Because the manifestation of the personal form is not so easy. I may recognize that you are deities, but personal form. In that sense, qualities and pastimes helps one to appreciate the personal form of the Lord. How do you understand the question?

 No, they are all related and they are all absolute. So we cannot really separate them.

But if we read about the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa and the Bhāgavatam, we cannot even conceive of the pastimes unless Kṛṣṇa has a form. If we are thinking a deep thought of doing the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, it doesn’t make sense. To appreciate the Bhāgavatam, we have to accept the form, qualities and activities of Kṛṣṇa.

We have heard this statement in the Bhāgavatam, that Kṛṣṇa woke up in the morning and enthusiastically goes to the forest to the cowherd boys. So there are activities, but we have to accept that Kṛṣṇa has a form. Otherwise, how can he go to the forest?

 If we only appreciate Līla , we cannot ultimately separate that from his qualities also. Why does Kṛṣṇa perform pastimes? He is merciful to his devotees. He is manifesting qualities to do the pastimes.

So they are all connected.  

4)You have mentioned in the lecture that for Harināma, that Dīkṣā is not required, initiation is not required. But in the ISKCON, we follow Harinama Dīkṣā. The second question is that for deity worship, we need the Dīkṣā. But our holy name doesn’t require any material rules. It is sweet. It is higher than anything else. So, why do we require this deity worship Dīkṣā when we are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa Mantra? Why do we need this? We need to have Dīkṣā for doing the deity worship when one is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa Mantra.

So, technically we don’t need. Srila Prabhupāda went to America. He did not establish deities. He chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa in the park.

Lord Caitanya, what did he preach? Harer Nāmaiva kevalam. He didn’t go and worship deities. He said, chant the holy name. But as I mentioned, we chant the holy name but

we do not reject other angas of bhakti. So, they are always helpful for the devotee because they are also bhakti. But the main element is Nāma Sankirtana. It doesn’t depend on the other elements for success. We see in bṛhad bhāgavatāmṛta, Gopukumar chanted mantra.

But he never worshipped the deity. When he went to Vaikuṁṭha, Nārada said, if you want to go to Goloka, do Nāma Sankirtana.

So, in that way, Nāma is independent in giving its result of prema. But we also don’t reject the other angas of bhakti, which are very useful for the devotee also.

5)We understand that śiṣupāla was Jaya and he was at a high position in Vaikuṇṭha. How to understand that he entered into Sāyuja Mukti when Kṛṣṇa killed him?

That was just a temporary arrangement.

From there he went to Vaikuṇṭha. Similarly, it is described that Agāsura was killed by Kṛṣṇa. He merged into Kṛṣṇa.

But it is also described later, he went to Vaikuṇṭha and got a form there.

6)Practically, what happens during first initiation? Because we are already chanting, but again we receive the same Harināma during initiation. What actually happens during first initiation?

Actually, nobody knows. It is not explained in scripture. The ācāryas didn’t have a ceremony like that.  It was introduced by Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswati Thākur. So, it was a method of encouraging people to identify with his movement. And of course, the people who accept, he didn’t call it Dīkṣā, of course. They just get some beads and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. When they are already chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa anyway, but they become a little more serious.

7)Why did Srila Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswati Thākur divide the initiation into two parts, first and second?

He didn’t divide it into two parts. Dīkṣā was Dīkṣā and Harināma was Harināma. It was not Dīkṣā. So, there were no two parts to it. So, this Harināma dhan was an introduction to the movement.

8)Ajamila called his son’s name Nārāyaṇa and got the Sukṛti of chanting Lord’s name. Being the case, any person who has his name as Lord’s name, will he get the same unknown Sukṛti?

If anyone chants the name of the Lord accidentally, with no faith, but with no offence, then he can destroy all of his karmas.

9)We are told to chant Guru Praṇāma Mantra and Prabhupāda Praṇāma Mantra before chanting the holy name. Being the case, does the holy name depend on these mantras? 

Ultimately not. We see Ajāmila didn’t chant any Praṇāma Mantra to anybody.

He said Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa, my son, and he got the effect. However, if we want to get prema. If we want to get prema, and we chant the name, we do have to chant purely.

We have to chant with devotion. So, accepting Guru, then we accept his instructions, by which we can chant purely.

10)Can you please explain the significance of receiving a dāsa Nāma during initiation?

So, of course, in Lord Caitanya’s time, when Caitanya got Dīkṣā, he did not get a name. Nityānanda got Dīkṣā Mantra, he did not get a name. So, it was not that you had to get a name to get Dīkṣā. The main thing was mantra. However, there is a process in Pañcarātra called Pañcasamskāra.

So, along with the deity mantra, one can get a name. Some can say it is part of the Pañcarātra process of dīkṣā.

11)If a devotee sincerely practices Bhakti and receives the seed of Bhakti from Guru, and if he chants purely, will he go back to Godhead without Dīkṣā?

Yes, as Caitanya  caritāṁṛta, Nāma is independent of dīkṣā, and through the name, we get all perfection.

But, as I said, to get the highest perfection, prema, you also need knowledge. That knowledge may not be through the Dīkṣā Guru, it could be through a sikṣā Guru.

So, we see in Nectar of Devotion, there are 64 Angas of Bhakti. The first Anga is, take shelter of a Guru. So, generally to get teachings, knowledge for chanting, then we have to take some Guru. So, apart from that, of course, if one wants to do Deity worship, then he should take dīkṣā as well.

Devotees: Grantharaj Srimad Bhagavatam Ki.. Jai ! Srila Prabhupad Ki.. Jai !! HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj Ki.. Jai !!