03 Only one empowered by the Lord can propagate the holy name

Only One Empowered By The Lord Can Propagate The Holy Name

Unless empowered by Krsna, one cannot propagate the holy name:

[Vallabha Bhatta to Lord Caitanya]: "The funtamental religious system in the age of Kali is the chanting of the holy name of Krsna. Unless empowered by Krsna, one cannot propagate the sankirtana movement. You have spread the sankirtana movement of Krsna consciousness. Therefore it is evident that You have been empowered by Lord Krsna. There is no question about it. You have manifested the holy name of Krsna throughout the entire world. Anyone who sees You is immediately absorbed in ecstatic love of Krsna."

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati thakura explains that unless one is directly empowered by the causeless mercy of Krsna, one cannot become the spiritual master of the entire world (jagad−guru). One cannot become an acarya simply by mental speculation. The true acarya, the spiritual master of the entire world, must be considered an incarnation of Krsna's mercy. Indeed, he is personally embracing Krsna

– Sri Caitanya caritamrta Antya lila 7.11−13

Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate. The Supreme Lord has multipotencies, which the Lord bestows on His fortunate devotees. The Lord has a special potency by which He spreads the Krsna consciousness movement. This is also explained in Caitanya−caritamrta (Antya lila 7.11). Krsna−sakti vina nahe tara pravartana: "One cannot spread the holy name of Krsna without being specifically empowered by Lord Krsna." A devotee who receives this power from the Lord must be considered very fortunate. The Krsna consciousness movement is spreading to enlighten people about their real position, their original relationship with Krsna. One requires Krsna's special power in order to be able to do this. People forget their relationship with Krsna and work under the spell of maya life after life, transmigrating from one body to another. This is the process of material existence. The Supreme Lord, Sri Krsna, personally descends to teach people that their position in the material world is a mistaken one. The Lord again comes as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to induce people to take to Krsna consciousness. The Lord also empowers a special devotee to teach people their constitutional position.

– Sri Caitanya caritamrta Madhya lila 19.114


In this age of Kali, real religious propaganda should induce people to chant the Hare Krsna maha mantra. This is possible for someone who is especially empowered by Krsna. No one can do this without being especially favored by Krsna. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Ṭhakura comments in this regard in his Anubhasya, wherein he quotes a verse from the Narayana-samhita:

dvapariyair janair visnuh pancaratrais tu kevalaih
kalau tu nama-matrena pujyate bhagavan harih

"In Dvapara-yuga, devotees of Lord Visnu and Kṛsna rendered devotional service according to the principles of Pancaratra. In this Age of Kali, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is worshiped simply by the chanting of His holy names."Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati thakura comments: "Without being empowered by the direct potency of Lord Krsna to fulfill His desire and without being specifically favored by the Lord, no human being can become the spiritual master of the whole world. He certainly cannot succeed by mental concoction, which is not meant for devotees or religious people. Only an empowered personality can distribute the holy name of the Lord and enjoin all fallen souls to worship Krsna. By distributing the holy name of the Lord, he cleanses the hearts of the most fallen people; therefore he extinguishes the blazing fire of the material world. Not only that, he broadcasts the shining brightness of Krsna's effulgence throughout the world. Such an acarya, or spiritual master, should be considered nondifferent from Krsna−that is, he should be considered the incarnation of Lord Krsna's potency. Such a personality is krsnalingita−vigraha−that is, he is always embraced by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. Such a person is above the considerations of the varnasrama institution. He is the guru or spiritual master for the entire world, a devotee on the topmost platform, the maha−bhagavata stage, and a paramahamsa−thakura, a spiritual form only fit to be addressed as paramahamsa or thakura."

– Sri Caitanya caritamrta Madhya lila 25.9

[King Prataparudra and Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya]: The King said, "According to evidence given in revealed scriptures, it is concluded that Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Lord Krsna Himself. Why, then, are learned scholars sometimes indifferent to Him?" Bhattacarya replied, "Only a person who has received but a small fraction of mercy from the Lord can understand that Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna. No one else can. If the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is not bestowed upon a person−regardless of how learned a scholar that person may be and regardless of his seeing or listening he cannot accept the Lord as the Supreme Personality of Godhead."

The sankirtana movement can be spread by a person who is especially favored by Lord Krsna (krsna−sakti vina nahe tara pravartana). Without first obtaining the mercy of the Lord, one cannot spread the holy name of the Lord. One who can spread the Lord's name is called labdha−caitanya in the words of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. The labdha−caitanya is one who has actually awakened his original consciousness, Krsna consciousness. The influence of the pure devotees in Krsna consciousness is such that it can awaken others to become immediately Krsna conscious and engage themselves in the transcendental loving service of Krsna. In this way the descendants of pure devotees increase, and Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu takes much pleasure in seeing the increase of His devotees. The word sumedhasah means "sharply intelligent." When one's intelligence is sharp, he can increase the interests of common men in loving Caitanya Mahaprabhu and through Him in loving Radha−Krsna. Those not interested in understanding Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are simply material in their attempts at professional chanting and dancing for money, despite their supposed artistry. If one does not have full faith in Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he cannot properly chant and dance in the sankirtana movement. Artificial chanting and dancing may be due to sentiments or sentimental agitation, but this cannot help one advance in Krsna consciousness. The same principles can be applied to demoniac persons, even though they be in the sampradaya of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Without receiving the Lord's special power, one cannot preach His glories all over the world. Even though one may celebrate himself as a learned follower of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and even though one may attempt to preach the holy name of the Lord all over the world, if he is not favored by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu he will find fault with the pure devotee and will not be able to understand how a preacher is empowered by Lord Caitanya.

– Sri Caitanya caritamrta Madhya lila 11.101−3


One must become empowered by Lord Caitanya and request everyone to chant the maha mantra:

Whoever heard Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu chant, "Hari, Hari," also chanted the holy name of Lord Hari and Krsna. In this way, they all followed the Lord, very eager to see Him. After some time, the Lord would embrace these people and bid them to return home, after investing them with spiritual potency. Being thus empowered, they would return to their own villages, always chanting the holy name of Krsna and sometimes laughing, crying and dancing. These empowered people used to request everyone and anyone−whomever they saw−to chant the holy name of Krsna. In this way all the villagers would also become devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

In his Amrta−pravaha−bhasya, Srila Bhaktivinoda thakura explains that this spiritual potency is the essence of the pleasure potency and the eternity potency. By these two potencies, one is empowered with devotional service. Lord Krsna Himself, or His representative, the unalloyed devotee, can mercifully bestow these combined potencies upon any man. Being thus endowed with such potencies, one can become an unalloyed devotee of the Lord. Anyone favored by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was empowered with this bhakti−sakti. Thus the Lord's followers were able to preach Krsna consciousness by divine grace.

In order to become an empowered preacher, one must be favored by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu or His devotee, the spiritual master. One must also request everyone to chant the maha mantra. In this way, such a person can convert others to Vaisnavism, showing them how to become pure devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

– Sri Caitanya caritamrta Madhya lila 7.98−101


One who follows in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya and the acaryas will be able to preach the holy name all over the universe:

Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates of the Panca−tattva distributed the holy name of the Lord to invoke love of Godhead throughout the universe, and thus the entire universe was thankful.

Here it is said that Lord Caitanya made the entire universe thankful to Him for propagating the sankirtana movement with His associates. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu has already sanctified the entire universe by His presence five hundred years ago, and therefore anyone who attempts to serve Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu sincerely by following in His footsteps and following the instructions of the acaryas will successfully be able to preach the holy names of the Hare Krsna maha mantra all over the universe.

– Sri Caitanya caritamrta Adi lila 7.163


Persons who, endowed with the power of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, spread the holy name throughout the world are sometimes called avesa−avataras or incarnations:

Thus by direct meetings, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu delivered the three worlds. Some people, however, could not go and were entangled in material activities. To deliver people in regions throughout the universe who could not meet Him, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally entered the bodies of pure devotees. Thus He empowered living beings [His pure devotees] by manifesting in them so much of His own devotion that people in all other countries became devotees by seeing them.

As stated in Caitanya caritamrta (Antya lila 7.11):

kali−kalera dharma−krsna−nama−sankirtana
krsna−sakti vina nahe tara pravartana

Unless one is empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, one cannot spread the holy names of the Hare Krsna maha mantra throughout the world. Persons who do so are empowered. Therefore they are sometimes called avesa−avataras or incarnations, for they are endowed with the power of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

– Sri Caitanya caritamrta Antya lila 2.12−14


Only one who is empowered by Lord Krsna (avesa or saktyavesa) can broadcast the holy name throughout the world:

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu bestows His causeless mercy upon His devotees in three features: His own direct appearance [saksat], His prowess within someone He empowers [avesa], and His manifestation [avirbhava].

There are many hundreds and thousands of devotees of Lord Caitanya among whom there are no special symptoms, but when a devotee of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu functions with specific prowess, he displays the feature called avesa. The Caitanya−caritamrta states that in this age of Kali the only spiritual function is to broadcast the holy name of the Lord, but this function can be performed only by one who is actually empowered by Lord Krsna. The process by which a devotee is thus empowered is called avesa, or sometimes it is called saktyavesa.

– Sri Caitanya caritamrta Adi lila 10.56, 59


Author: ISKCON Desire Tree

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