Nija-sarva-śakti and the Vraja-devīs
Now we will hear and discuss the second verse of Śikṣāṣṭakam.
nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis
tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ
etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavān mamāpi
durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ
Śikṣāṣṭakam 2
My Lord, in Your holy names there is all good fortune for the living entity, and therefore You have many names, such as Kṛṣṇa and Govinda, by which You expand Yourself. You have invested all Your potencies in these names, and there are no hard and fast rules for remembering them. O Lord, although You bestow such mercy upon the fallen, conditioned souls by giving Your powerful holy names, I am so unfortunate that I have no taste for chanting.
This verse is very sweet. The first verse ends with paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam, but in this verse, nāma comes at the very beginning. What is the meaning of nāmnām? Does this refer to the names of the Lord, like Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Vāmana, Kalki, and so forth. Nāma means kṛṣṇa-nāma, and akāri means form or Deity. What is the Deity? It is nija-sarva-śaktiḥ. The meaning of this is that Kṛṣṇa did not come alone. He came with all His potencies, sarva-śakti, the Vraja-devīs. All the gopīs and mañjarīs came along with Him. Someone who chants the holy name is very lucky, for all the gopīs, mañjarīs, and Vrajavāsīs come and give him affection, shelter, and maintenance. Bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktiḥ. Not one, but all His śakti. Which śakti? Does this refer to Durgā, Kali, Caṇḍi, or Umā, Satya, Śacī, Rukmiṇī? No, no. Nija-sarva-śaktiḥ. Kṛṣṇa’s own, nija, very intimate śakti. Kṛṣṇa came Himself, along with His nija-sarva-śaktiḥ—Rūpa, Rati, Lavaṅga, Kastūrī, Anaṅga, Kamala, Ramaṇa, Vinoda, Nayana, and Lalitā, Viśākhā, Citrā, Campakalatā, Sudevī, Raṅgadevī, Tuṅgavidyā, and so forth. All of Kṛṣṇa’s expansions and śakti came along with Him. All of them take care of us and therefore we are very lucky.
Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas chant their japa on a mālā made of 108 beads. Each of these beads represents a different gopī. The first eight beads are the group leaders, the eight prominent sakhīs. Each of these sakhīs has eight mañjarīs and four sakhīs in their group. Eight times twelve equals ninety-six, plus the eight group leaders makes a hundred and four. Finally, there are the four primary mañjarīs of Śrīmatī Rādhārānī. All together this makes a total of 108 sakhīs and mañjarīs. Whoever touches their feet and prays to them while chanting harināma will automatically receive the flow of svarūpa-śakti in his heart.
Tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ. There are no rules and regulation for the chanting of Kṛṣṇa’s holy name. During the day or night, in a contaminated state—one can chant the holy name wherever and whenever. The holy name can take us to the guidance of whichever Vrajavāsīs we feel attracted to.
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī glorified kṛṣṇa-nāma as follows:
agha-damana-yaśodā-nandanau nanda-sūno
kamala-nayana-gopī-candra-vṛndāvanendrāḥ
praṇata-karuṇa-kṛṣṇāv ity aneka-svarūpe
tvayi mama ratir uccair vardhatāṁ nāmadheya
Nāmāṣṭaka 5
O Nāma, possessor of inconceivable glories, may my affection for You continue to increase, day and night. O Aghadamana! O Yaśodā-nandana! O Nanda-sūnu! O Kamala-nayana! O Gopīcandra! O Vṛndāvanendra! O Praṇata-karuṇa! O Kṛṣṇa! You have innumerable forms, may my attachment to them always increase.
There are so many holy names, and these names are all so powerful. Who will bring and give us these names? Who? Akāra, these divine personalities will, Mahāprabhu’s eternal associates: Sañjaya, Mukunda, Svarūpa Dāmodara, Rāya Rāmānanda, Śikhi Māhiti, Brahmānanda Bhāratī, Śri Rūpa, Dhyānacāndra, Kavi Karṇapūra, Nākula Brahmacārī—all the Gauḍiya Vaiṣṇavas will help us when we chant and sincerely pray to Mahāprabhu.
Durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ. “Alas! I have no anurāga for the holy names.” How will we develop anurāga? Only by the mercy of the Vaiṣṇavas and Vrajavāsīs. How can I go close to them and make a relationship with them? Therefore, Mahāprabhu teaches us this second verse.
By staying near Gurudeva or even remembering Śrīla Gurudeva, we will get bhakti-rasa, which cannot be found anywhere else. This is like a seed that is planted. At first, you cannot see any result. But in due course, when the sprout rises, and then becomes a tree, and the fruits ripen on the tree, then you can appreciate the sweetness of this rasa. It may take many years to mature to tasting the fruit, but once you have planted that seed, if you cultivate it, in due course, you will certainly relish that bhakti-rasa and anurāga. Not only that, but many more seeds will come from just one fruit, and in this way, the flow of bhakti-rasa and anurāga will be incessant. Then you will understand the beauty and glory of the tree. In this way, Mahāprabhu’s disciplic succession continues on, generation after generation. This line is so powerful, that once you enter and begin practicing bhakti, even if you fall away, you never lose what you gained, and later, you will begin again from where you left off in your sādhana.
tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer
bhajann apakvo ’tha patet tato yadi
yatra kva vābhadram abhūd amuṣya kiṁ
ko vārtha āpto ’bhajatāṁ sva-dharmataḥ
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 15.17
One who has forsaken his material occupations to engage in the devotional service of the Lord may sometimes fall down while in an immature stage, yet there is no danger of his being unsuccessful. On the other hand, a non-devotee, though fully following his dharma, does not gain anything.
Tyatvā sva-dharmam. If one follows bhakti a little bit and then later leaves the process, whatever bhakti he performed will continue to germinate and will sprout again after some time. During the heat of summer everything becomes dry, but when the rainy season comes, everything starts sprouting. Similarly, sometimes one may fall from the process and think that his bhakti and bhajana are finished, and may even give up one’s body without again following bhakti, but even then, there is another young body ready for you that is favorable for bhakti, and after some time more love and affection will come and Kṛṣṇa will arrange good opportunities to chant harināma, do kīrtana, and serve mahā-prasāda. If you only once chant harināma, visit the holy dhāma, and take mahā-prasāda, this will never be lost.
Kṛṣṇa says:
nehābhikrama-nāśo ’sti
pratyavāyo na vidyate
svalpam apy asya dharmasya
trāyate mahato bhayāt
Bhagavad-gītā 2.40
Endeavors on the path of bhakti-yoga are neither fruitless nor subject to loss. Even a little progress frees one from great fear in the form of this material world.
Mahāprabhu said: nāmnām akāri. Akāri means form. If you chant the mahāmantra, soon Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa will be present with you. How do They come at first? They come in the form of a Deity. Without asking, Śalagram, Girirāja, or the Deities of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa or Gaura-Nitāi will be presented to you.