Protecting Our Bhakti Through Prayer and Respect
Nāmnām akāri. Why is Kṛṣṇa present in so many different names and forms? In every yuga, Kṛṣṇa incarnates in a different form. All these incarnations come together in the form of Caitanya Mahāprabhu and offer their combined and powerful help. Mahāprabhu therefore taught His devotees to respect all these incarnations. For example, Lord Rāma is helpful for learning proper etiquette, Lord Varāhadeva destroys all anarthas, and Nṛsiṁhadeva protects us from the influence of things that hamper our bhakti. In order to receive the help of all these incarnations, the followers of Caitanya Mahāprabhu follow Rāma-navamī, Nṛsiṁha-jayantī, Varāha-dvādaśī, Vāmana-dvādaśī, and so forth.
Kṛṣṇa sends all His śakti to help a jīva who cries out, “He Govinda! He Gopinātha! He Madana-mohana! O Rādhānātha! O Rādhā-vallabha! O Rādhā-kanta!” But there is one condition—the sādhaka has to carefully avoid nāma-aparādha, sādhu-nindā, guru-avajña, and offenses to śāstra, the dhāma, and so forth.
Though someone may have so much honor and respect for harināma, if he disrespects the Guru-varga and Vaiṣṇavas, and thus engages in nāma-aparādha, then he will not be able to spiritually progress. He may acquire so many material things, but these are only impediments in the development of bhakti. One can achieve wealth and mystic perfections by chanting nāma-aparādha. One may have many disciples, temples, and opulence. But this is all external without a true, loving relationship. Therefore, we should respect all those who chant the holy names, then we can taste the sweetness of harināma.
madhura-madhuram etan maṅgalaṁ maṅgalānāṁ
sakala-nigama-vallī-sat-phalaṁ cit-svarūpam
sakṛd api parigītaṁ śraddhayā helayā vā
bhṛguvara nara-mātraṁ tārayet kṛṣṇa-nāma
Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 11.234
Kṛṣṇa-nāma is the sweetest of the sweet and the most auspicious of all that is auspicious. It is the flourishing creeper, the eternal, fully-ripened fruit of the bhāgavata and the embodiment of knowledge, cit-śakti. O Bhṛgu! Even if someone chants the holy name only once, either with faith or indifference, he is immediately delivered from this ocean of birth and death!
nāmaś cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ
pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya-mukto ‘bhinnatvān nāma nāmiṇoḥ
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Pūrva Vibhāga 2.233
Kṛṣṇa-nāma is cintāmaṇi, a transcendental wish-fulfilling gem, for it is Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Himself, the personification of rasa. It is complete, beyond illusion and eternally liberated, because kṛṣṇa-nāma (Kṛṣṇa’s name) and nāmī (Kṛṣṇa Himself) are non-different.
ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ
sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayaṁ eva sphuraty adaḥ
Padma-Purāṇa
The nāma-rūpa-guṇa-līlā of Śrī Kṛṣṇa can never be perceived by the material senses of the conditioned soul. Only for one whose mind and senses have been purified by chanting and serving under the guidance of Śrī Guru, will Kṛṣṇa’s name, form, qualities and pastimes become manifest. Śrī Harināma will manifest on the tongue of such a sevonmukha-sādhaka naturally by itself.
Kṛṣṇa-nāma first bestows pure consciousness and knowledge, then svarūpa-siddhi, and then kṛṣṇa-nāma reveals its own identity. In this way the sādhaka will make a sweet relation with Kṛṣṇa and His devotees. Kṛṣṇa-nāma is non-different to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa will never neglect or reject somebody who chants His name. He will always help him. After the sādhaka achieves pure consciousness and svarūpa-siddhi, he realizes his eternal relationship and enters kṛṣṇa-līlā.
A person who does not chant harināma, however, is very proud of his worldly qualities and wealth. These things make his heart hard like a rock. The true followers of Caitanya Mahāprabhu have pure consciousness and knowledge, and therefore their hearts can never be hard, for they never collect material things, false ego, and anarthas. Because they never see the faults of the jīvas, these faults or bad moods and desires of the jīvas stay away from them, and thus they never get disturbed. A sincere sādhaka understands that māyā, or the mundane world, is filled with things that have no value for the true self, and thus feels no attraction and attachment to it. He will not have any relation with karma, jñāna, material yoga, and such activities.
It is not our duty to correct those who have faults. Our duty is nāma-sevā, vaiṣṇava-sevā, guru-sevā, and dhāma-sevā. We are not authorities. If we are sad to see wrong behavior, we can pray to Kṛṣṇa to help this person and change him. We can request Nāma Prabhu to help them, but we should personally not be against them or take sides. Being against means that we are becoming involved. Then we will think about it and forget our harināma. By this, material things come and acquire our hearts, and we will become the followers of this misbehaving person because we gave him a place in our hearts and minds. Then we will become crazy and depressed, and thus distance ourselves from Kṛṣṇa. If we do not have the power to change people, we should not think about their faults. So many people in this world do bad things. If we think about them, this nature will gradually come to us. But if we continuously chant harināma and have a relationship with Hari, then it is not possible for such things to come to us.
Nija-sarva-śakti means that we should pray to all the Vaiṣṇavas of the past, present, and future. Don’t think that you are superior to them and therefore do not need their help.
haiyachena haibena prabhura jata dāsa
sabāra caraṇa vandoṅ dante kari’ ghasa
Pray to everyone who follows bhakti and taste in chanting harināma. Bhakti is niṣkiñcana, akiñcana. There is no condition or selfishness. The devotee whose only desire is to serve and please Kṛṣṇa will be imbued with all good qualities. He will not be proud and his false ego will not trick him. He will be humble and always protect his bhakti. A wealthy man hires a gatekeeper and body guards for his protection. Similarly, an intelligent sādhaka carefully protects his bhakti and continuously chants harināma.