08 The holy name cleanses the heart and frees one from material contamination
The holy name cleanses the mirror of the heart: [Lord Caitanya to Svarupa Damodara and Ramananda Raya]:¯ “Let there be all victory for the chanting of the holy name of Lord Krsna, which can cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing flre of material existence…” – Sri Caitanya caritamrta Antya lila 20.12 One is purified by hearing the holy name of the Lord: [Durvasa Muni to King...
17 The holy name invokes an attitude of service to the Lord
The test of successful chanting is eagerness to render service to the Lord: [Muhammadan governor to Lord Caitanya]: The Muhammadan governor then said, “Since you have so kindly accepted me, please give me some order so that I can render You some service.” The Muhammadan governor then prayed for liberation from the unlimited sinful actirities he had previously incurred by being envious of brahmanas and Vaisnavas and killing...
10 The holy name liberates one from the miseries of material existence
To escape the ocean of material miseries and illusion, we must chant the maha mantra: We are all pure spirit, part and parcel of the Supreme. God is pavitram, pure, and we are also pure. Somehow or other, however, we have fallen into this material ocean, and as the waves toss, we suffer. Actually we have nothing to do with the tossing waves of material miseries. We must simply pray, “Krsna, please pick me up.” As soon as...
20 The holy name evokes love of God
Liberation and freedom from sinful reactions are merely by−products of chanting the holy name. The real result is ecstatic love of Krsna: It was mentioned in the assembly that Haridasa thakura chanted the holy names of Krsna 300,000 times a day. Thus all the learned scholars began to discuss the glories of the holy name. Some of them said, “By chanting the holy name of the Lord, one is freed from the reactions of all sinful...
27 The holy name protects one from danger and fear
To be free from danger, one should chant the Hare Krsna mantra: [Sukadeva Gosvami to King Pariksit]: My dear King, wherever people in any position perform their occupational duties of devotional service by chanting and hearing [sravanam kirtanam visnoh SB 7.5.23], there cannot be any danger from bad elements. Therefore there was no need for anxiety about Gokula while the Supreme Personality of Godhead was personally present. Srila...
15 By chanting, one associates with the Lord directly
We can associate with Krsna through His vibrational presence: Some people complain that when they pray to God they do not feel His presence. We should know that this is due to our incapacities, not God’s. There are two conceptions of presence−the physical conception and the vibrational conception. The physical conception is temporary, whereas the vibrational conception is eternal. When we enjoy or relish the vibration of...