Chanting

Published on December 6th, 2023 | by HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

5

Prabhupada’s Magic: He Got the Whole World Chanting Hare Krishna!

Throughout the whole world we are chanting Hare Krishna. Is not that magic? Foreign countries, foreign religion, and they are accepting Krishna and chanting Hare Krishna. Is not that magic?

Tamala Krishna: He was asking that… He was hoping that because he had heard that you had some mystical powers, so he was hoping that you could help his situation by demonstrating some of these mystical powers.

Prabhupada: Some magic. Our magic is already there. Throughout the whole world we are chanting Hare Krsna. Is not that magic? Foreign countries, foreign religion, and they are accepting Krsna and chanting Hare Krsna. Is not that magic?

Indian man (1): It is.

Prabhupada: And still more magic? The world is chanting Hare Krsna. Boliye?

yoginam api sarvesam
mad-gatenantar-atmana
sraddhavan bhajate yo mam
sa me yuktatamo matah

He is yogi. There are many varieties of yogis. And Krsna concludes, “Of all the yogis, big, big yogis, the person who is always remembering Krsna and chanting Hare Krsna maha-mantra is first class.” This is said by Krsna, not by me. Therefore it is authorized statement. Without Krsna consciousness, all these mystic powers… They may be temporarily some magic, but Krsna says that “One who is always remembering Me,” satatam kirtayanto mam yatantas ca drdha-vratah, “he is first-class yogi.” So all these persons who are chanting Hare Krsna according to the prescribed rules and regulations, without any offense… There are ten kinds of offenses. So in the beginning there may be offenses. It doesn’t matter. It will be rectified. Offenseless chanting means mukti, and then pure chanting means love of Godhead. There are three stages. In the beginning, when one begins chanting, it is not pure. There are so many offenses. But chanting, chanting, the offenses become purified. Offenseless chanting is not purified completely, but it is offenseless. So offenseless chanting makes one liberated, and then pure chanting makes one lover of God. This is the process. So chanting is definite mystic power. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has recommended, ceto-darpana-marjanam: “By chanting, your heart becomes purified.” Ceto-darpana. We are suffering in this material world on account of… (background talking) (aside:) Ask him not to talk loudly. On account of impurities… (aside:) What is the use of talking? The first impurity is identifying… (aside:) Stop him. Don’t talk at all.

Indian man (1): It is one gentle…, one person. He says, “I am Bengali.” And he has got some trouble. He was told that “If you have got any physical trouble, go to the medical practitioners.”

Prabhupada: Yes.

Indian man (1): “If you have got any spiritual, then you can stay.” He is continuing. That is all.

Prabhupada: (aside:) Don’t talk. Why you are talking? So our real trouble is that we have become conditioned by the material identification, “I am this body.” Everyone is thinking, “I am Indian,” “I am American,” “I am brahmana,” “I am sannyasi,” everything, identification with the body. That is the dirty thing. So one has to purify, that “I am neither American, neither Indian, nor brahmana, or so many designations.” Then it is called cleansing the heart. Sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam. That is mukti, when you don’t identify with this material body. And so long you identify with this material body, either you become a sannyasi with some beard or a grhastha without some beard, the same thing, identifying with the body. So ceto-darpana-marjanam means to become free from the bodily designation. And sastra says, yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke. This body is composition of three dhatu, kapha, pitta, vayu, according to Ayur Veda; and according to medical science, it is skin and then muscle, blood, bone, and marrow, stool, urine, those, combination. So I am not this combination of stool, bone, skin, blood. But people are taking that. When they are diseased, they take care of the body. Of course, it is not that we should not take care. But that is superficial. Real care should be taken of the soul within the body. Dehino ‘smin yatha dehe. Dehinah, dehi. Dehinah and deha. So anyone who is identifying with this body in either… According to Vedic civilization, the bodily identification is divided into eight: brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra, brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, and sannyasa. Varnasrama-dharma. So human civilization begins, according to Vedic understanding, when there is varnasrama system. Otherwise it is not human civilization. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita it is stated, catur-varnyam maya srstam. This system should be followed. Then, gradually, one has to come to the spiritual. Chaotic society cannot help us. There must be systematic social order: brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra, catur-varnyam, and brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, and sannyasa. Sannyasa is not voluntary, but it is compulsory. At the last stage one must take sannyasa. After fiftieth year one must take to vanaprastha, vanam vrajet. This is system. So… System of purification, how to become designationless. And if we keep the designation, then, sastra says, sa eva go-kharah: “One who keeps the bodily designation, he’s no better than the cows and the asses, animal.” So Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommends that… Caitanya Maha… This is the shastric, Vedic culture, that we have to purify ourselves from the bodily designation. That is called ceto-darpana-marjanam, cleansing the dirty things within the core of the heart, that “I am this”–“I am Indian,” “I am American,” “I am brahmana,” “I am sannyasi,” “I am grhastha,” “I am white,” “I am black.” These are the dirty things. So these dirty things can be cleansed by chanting this Hare Krsna mantra. Srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah. This chanting and hearing is punya-sravana. If you do not know anything about, if you simply chant and hear, you become purified, punya, because on account of dirty things, impious life, you have become covered by different bodies. Mrtyu-samsara-vartmani. Different bodies means the way of birth and death. That you have to stop. And that is stopped when you get Krsna; otherwise not. Therefore Krsna says, I think, in the Ninth Chapter… Find out this verse, asraddadhanah purusa dharmasyasya parantapa, mam aprapya. You cannot get Krsna. If you have no faith in Bhagavad-gita, then you cannot get Krsna. If you don’t care for Krsna, that is another thing, but if you want to get Krsna, then what Krsna says, you follow. Read.

Tamala Krsna:

asraddadhanah purusa
dharmasyasya parantapa
aprapya mam nivartante
mrtyu-samsara-vartmani

Translation: “Those who are not faithful on the path of devotional service cannot attain Me, O conqueror of foes, but return to birth and death in this material world.”

Prabhupada: Purport?

Tamala Krsna: Purport: “The faithless cannot accomplish this process of devotional of service. That is the purport of this verse. Faith is created by association with devotees. Unfortunate people, even after hearing all the evidence of Vedic literature from great personalities, still have no faith in God.” (break)

Prabhupada: Pure bhakti.

anyabhilasita-sunyam
jnana-karmady-anavrtam
anukulyena krsnanu-
silanam bhaktir uttama

There should be no mixture of jnana and karma or even yoga. Anukulyena krsnanu… Simply to cultivate Krsna consciousness favorably. Favorably means what Krsna wants. That is favorable. If you do what Krsna wants, that is favorable. And if you do what Krsna does no want, that is unfavorable; that is not bhakti. Just like Kamsa. He was always thinking of Krsna, but that was not favorably. He was thinking otherwise, how to kill Krsna, and that is not bhakti. The gopis were also thinking of Krsna, how to make Him happy, and that is favorable. So anukulyena krsnanusilanam bhaktir uttama. Without any mixture, adulteration of jnana and karma, that is pure devotion. Then?

Tamala Krsna: “Those who have no faith, even after hearing about Krsna and the excellence of devotional service, who think that it is simply eulogy, find the path very difficult even if they are suppose…” (break)

Prabhupada: So without this faith, nobody can achieve the association of Krsna. There are two things. You become associate of Krsna, or you become associate of this material world.

So if you do not become associate of Krsna, then the next step is this association of material world. And association of material world means accepting one type of body and enjoy or suffer for some time; then you get another body. Mrtyu-samsara-vartmani. Now we have to make our choice, whether you want to stop this material way of life and attain the eternal spiritual life…

mam upetya punar janma
duhkhalayam asasvatam
napnuvanti mahatmanah
samsiddhim paramam gatah

If you get the association of Krsna, then you haven’t got to come here, this material world. Duhkhalayam. Krsna says it is duhkhalayam. Either you take birth in a very rich, aristocratic family, born in the upper planetary system as demigods–Brahma, Indra, Candra, like that–or you take your birth, an insignificant ant; wherever you are in material body, it is duhkhalayam. That you cannot avoid. Duhkhalayam asasvatam. And you cannot make any compromise that “Never mind it is very much miserable. I shall enjoy.” So that also will not be allowed. Asasvatam. Your tendency is to live forever. So that will not be allowed. Asasvata. So this requires knowledge, intelligence, that “If I am eternal,” na hanyate hanyamane sarire, “I am not destroyed even this body is destroyed,” then you should seek after eternal happiness. Why temporary? That is not in your interest. That happiness is there when you go back to Krsna; otherwise not. These are the statement in the Bhagavad-gita. So if we do not try to understand the real purpose of Bhagavad-gita, and if we theorize, “Bhagavad-gita means nonviolence. Bhagavad-gita means to become patriot,” these are materialism. We should avoid this wrong interpretation, misguiding direction of blind leaders. We’ll not get any benefit out of it. So we are trying to rectify this. That’s all. Everything is there. Any question is solved by Krsna. Politics, economics, religion, culture, philosophy–everything is discussed very thoroughly. Simply one has to understand. Then he becomes fixed up in Krsna consciousness. People are generally after yoga, especially the Westerners.

I think they have come here for perfection of yoga. But here it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, mayy asakta-manah partha yogam yunjan mad-asrayah. That is first class, to increase your attachment for Krsna. Mayy asakta-manah partha yogam yunjan. This is yoga, how to increase the attachment for Krsna. This is called bhakti-yoga. So this yoga can be practiced–mayy asakta-manah par…, yogam, mad-asrayah, not anyone’s other’s asraya. Mad-asrayah. Taking shelter of Krsna or taking shelter of Krsna’s personal person, personal associates, mat-para. Mat-para means one who has dedicated his life for Krsna. He is called mat-para. Or directly under Krsna. Directly under Krsna is difficult. Because we do not understand Krsna, therefore we have to take shelter of a person who is already under the shelter of Krsna.

Indian man (1): Mat-para people are very seldom available.

Prabhupada: No. How do you know? If you do not know what is the meaning of mat-para, how you can say “seldom”? Do you know what is mat-para? Unless you know who is mat-para, how you can say like that? You have no knowledge. Mat-para means a simple thing, one who has fully surrendered to Krsna. That’s all. This is very seldom? There are so many. But you have decided, “seldom.” Why seldom? Here you see so many young men, our association. They are fully surrendered to Krsna. They do not know anything else than Krsna. So why it is seldom? You won’t take. That is your fault. Rather, they are coming to you. They are canvassing. But you are so stubborn, you’ll not take it. That is your fault. They are canvassing door to door. Why do you say, “It is seldom”? It is very easily available. But you won’t take. That is your fault. Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally came, and He canvassed door to door. He sent His men door to door. We are sending all over the world. But you do not come. Mat-para is not seldom. At least at the present moment, it has become very easily available. But you take. That is your fault. (break) Ceto-darpana-marjanam. That is… Caitanya Mahaprabhu say. Ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni…, sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam, anandambudhi-vardhanam. Anandambudhi. Ambudhi means sea. You do not find that the sea is increasing. But this transcendental sea of blissful life increases. Anandambudhi-vardhanam sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam. Very simple thing. You take to sri-krsna-sankirtanam and see the result. Why you say it is seldom? It is very easy, but you won’t take. Seldom we find the followers. Otherwise it is very cheap. Rupa Gosvami worshiped Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu with these words,

namo maha-vadanyaya
krsna-prema-pradaya te
krsnaya krsna-caitanya-
namne gaura-tvise namah

“My Lordship, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, You are the most magnanimous person of charity.” Why? Now, krsna-prema-pradaya: “One cannot understand Krsna, and You are directly delivering love of Krsna.” It is not seldom. If you want to love somebody, you must know him. Love is not with the air. If you want to love somebody, then you must know what he is and why should I love him. So nobody can understand Krsna. Where is the question of love? If you do not understand what is Krsna, the question of loving Him does not arise. But here Caitanya Mahaprabhu is giving directly love of Krsna. That means Krsna understanding is automatically–finished. Therefore He is addressed as the most magnanimous. So it is not at all seldom. As the age is fallen, the most magnanimous incarnation is Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and He is giving directly Krsna, Krsna-prema. You take it. Why don’t you take it? It is not seldom. You do not like to take it. That is the disease. And that is asraddadhana. There is no sraddha. Asraddadhanah purusah, mam aprapya. How you can get Krsna? There is no sraddha. Therefore they must suffer in the cycle of birth and death. Nivartante mrtyu-samsara. So you voluntarily accept this cycle of birth; you don’t accept Krsna. Then who can help you? If you have decided to cut your own throat, how can I help you? You’ll do it. Whenever you’ll get opportunity, you’ll cut your throat. How much I can give you protection? That is going on. They have no faith in the words of Krsna. They’ll manufacture ideas. It is not “seldom.” It is my dog’s obstinacy that is checking. We cannot give up. Krsna has…, sarva-dharman parityajya. That you cannot do. You want to keep in the same position, and at the same time, you want to understand Krsna. That is not possible. In this Hrishikesh, tirtha-ksetra, everyone comes to get some spiritual enlightenment, but who is talking of Krsna? Am I right? And there is Gita-bhavan, Gita this, Gita that. What is that “Gita“? Gita commentation. Nobody’s interested. They don’t like to hear even about Krsna. This is the position. So mat-para is not seldom. (laughs) The followers are seldom. But Krsna says, mat-para. “If you want to practice this yoga…” Mayy asakta-manah partha yogam… This is yoga. Imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam. This is real yoga. So nobody’s interested. Then what can be done? My Guru Maharaja used to say that “If one is selling langlam(?), and he’s canvassing, ‘Please come here. Take langlam. There is no price for it,’ then people will not take. ‘Why langlam he’s distributing free?’ ” So that is the position. We are going to door to door: “Take Krsna.” They think, “It is very cheap thing. What is the use? Let us practice some other yoga.” Krsna says, yoginam api sarvesam. We don’t take. So langlam is not seldom, but the person who take langlam is seldom. This is the difficulty. Krsna says, “By this practice of yoga…” Aiye.

mayy asakta-manah partha
yogam yunjan mad-asrayah
asamsayam samagram mam
yatha jnasyasi tac chrnu

(indistinct) He says, “How you can understand Me perfectly,” samagram, “and,” asamsayam, “without any doubt.” So Krsna is speaking about Him, which is without any doubt and without any difficulty, in fullness, but who is hearing Him? That is seldom. Otherwise Krsna has become very easily available. Namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te. Even krsna-prema. But we won’t take. Is it seldom?

Indian man (1): Our fault.

Prabhupada: Hm? Yes.

Indian man (1): Our fault.

Prabhupada: It is our fault we won’t take. A man has fallen in the blind well, and he’s crying, “Save me! Save me!” and when somebody comes and gives him a rope–“You catch it. I shall lift you”–but he’ll not touch it. Then who can save him? The rope is there, the man is there, and he is crying, but when we request that “You take it,” he won’t take. Aiye. So how he can be saved? And Krsna said, mad-asrayah. But he’ll not take mad-asrayah. He’ll take asraya of something else. This is the position. Mayy asakta-manah partha. People are harassed to understand God, whether there is God or not God, who is God. When I first went to America, the theory was going that “God is dead.” And what was the…

Tamala Krsna: There was a newspaper…

Prabhupada: Paper… Yes?

Tamala Krsna: When Prabhupada first did the first public kirtana, they said that “We thought God is dead, but now we see that Swami Bhaktivedanta has made God alive again.”

Prabhupada: This was the first remark. Then, gradually, these boys joined. They were after God, but they were given to understand that “God is dead. Now you take LSD.” So the… God is speaking:

mayy asakta-manah partha
yogam yunjan mad-asrayah
asamsayam samagram mam
yatha jnasyasi tac chrnu

“Take perfect knowledge of God from Me.” Why don’t you do that? Boliye. What is the reason? Boliye, Swamiji. When God is speaking that “You take from Me perfect and complete knowledge of God,” so why don’t you take it?

Indian man (1): We are still attached to material side.

Prabhupada: Whatever it may be, but we are denying. Is it not? When… Suppose a big man. You do not know what he is. But if the man says, “You want to know me? All right, I shall disclose all my secrets to you.

Try to understand.” So why don’t you…, do not take it? If you want to know the person, and the person is explaining himself, why don’t you take it? Why theorize that “God is like this. God is like this”? What is the meaning? When the person has come to explain about himself… Asamsayam samagram mam yatha jnasyasi tac chrnu: “Hear.” Hearing is the process of knowledge. Therefore our Vedas are called sruti. The knowledge has to be acquired through ear. My Guru Maharaja used to say that “Don’t try to see a sadhu by your eyes. You try to see a sadhu by ears.” Karne sadhu dekhi. (Hindi) Tavac ca sobhate murkhah yavat kincin na bhasate. (Hindi) For real perfect knowledge, one has to hear. Srotriyam brahma-nistham. Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum eva abhigacchet, srotriyam brahma-nistham. Sabde pare ca nisnatam brahmany upasamasrayam. That is guru. One who has heard perfectly from the authority, he is guru. Tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam. And who is guru? Sabde pare ca nisnatam brahmany upasamasrayam. Everything direction is there.

tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam
jnaninas tattva-darsinah

So about from… Apart from sastra, the vedanta-krt, vedanta-vit, Krsna, He is speaking. Asamsayam samagram mam yatha jnasyasi tac chrnu: “Just hear.” And He’s vedanta-vit, vedanta-krt. He knows what is Vedanta, and He has compiled Vedanta, and He is ready to speak. We don’t hear Krsna. How much unfortunate we are. (aside:) Here.

Indian man (2): (Hindi)

Prabhupada: (Hindi) (Hindi conversation) So naturally he’ll be averse to maya. He’s no more interested. (Hindi) This is the test. Krsna-bhaktih paresanubhavah. (Hindi) There is no need of separate endeavor. (Hindi) The first line Krsna says that asocyan anvasocas tvam prajna-vadams ca bhasase, gatasun agatasums ca nanusocanti. (Hindi) (Hindi conversation) Find out this, tesam evanukampartham, mrtyu-samsara-sagarat. (Hindi) Read it.

Tamala Krsna:

tesam aham samuddharta
mrtyu-samsara-sagarat
bhavami na cirat partha
mayy avesita-cetasam

Prabhupada: No. Tesam evanukampartham.

Tamala Krsna:

tesam evanukampartham
aham ajnana-jam tamah
nasayamy atma-bhava-stho
jnana-dipena bhasvata

“Out of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.”

Prabhupada: Is there any purport?

Tamala Krsna: Yes, Srila Prabhupada. Purport by Srila Prabhupada: “When…” (break)

Prabhupada: So let us stop today. Somebody kirtana. (kirtana begins) (end)

[Evening Darsana May 13, 1977, Hrishikesh]

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Tags: Chanting, Hare Krishna, kirtan, magic, mantra, Prabhupada, Preaching

About the Author

HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Founded the Hare Krishna Movement in 1966 in New York. In only 11 years he spread the movement all over the world. He wrote more than 80 books including Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Sri Isopanisad. Prabhupada's books constitute a complete library of Vedic philosophy, religion, literature and culture.

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