The Power of the Holy Name
Chanting the holy names, hari-nama sankirtana, is described as the principle of religion in the age of Kali in the Vedas, Upanishads, Smritis, and Puranas. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu descended in this age to show by His own example that loudly chanting and singing this great mantra is superior to any other religious activity.
Haridasa Thakura
khanda khanda deha mora jaya yadi prana
tathapitha vadane na chari hari-nama
"My body may be cut into tiny pieces and my life air may leave it. Even then, I will never give up chanting the Holy Names."
— Chaitanya-bhagavata 1.14.135
📜 Padma Purana
namaikam yasya vaci smarana-patha-gatam...
"If a person has once uttered the Holy Name of the Lord... without any doubt it will liberate him from material bonds. However, if a person utters the Holy Name with offenses, such chanting will not provide the desired result at the same speed."
🎵 "Kṛṣṇa-nāma dhare kata bala?" (Sharanagati)
isat vikasi’punah, dekhay nija-rupa-guna...
"When the Holy Name is revealed even slightly, it shows me my spiritual form. It steals my mind and takes me directly to Vraja, where it shows me my personal role in the eternal pastimes. (Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura)"
Why don't we get results?
So why are we so unsuccessful? Why don't we see the fruits of our chanting right here? The reason is clear: we are offending the Holy Name.
The Three Stages of Chanting
Nāmāparādha
Chanting with offenses. The chanting of an impersonalist or a hedonist.
Nāmābhāsa
The stage where offenses decrease (like the glow of sunrise). Bestows liberation.
Śuddha-nāma
Chanting without offenses – bestows kṛṣṇa-prema (love for God).
Forms of Nāmābhāsa (Shadow Chanting):
- Saṅketya – indirect chanting. When a person repeats the name with something else in mind (e.g., calling someone else by that name).
- Parihāsya – jokingly or mockingly. Even those who laugh "Hey you, Hari Krishnas" gradually receive the benefit.
- Helana – indifferent, negligent chanting, without showing proper respect.
Haridasa Thakura explains that nāmābhāsa means when the sun is still below the horizon. It is so powerful that it is capable of bestowing liberation.
Anarthas
Following the path of devotional service, a devotee reaches the stage of anartha-nivṛtti where they need to overcome various obstacles on their path to Krishna. These obstacles are called anarthas.
1. Due to sinful activity
Manifests as 5 types of klesha: ignorance, false ego, attachment, hatred, bad habits.
2. Due to pious activity
Attachment to results, desire to enjoy in the mode of goodness and the desire for liberation.
3. Due to offenses
Specifically from nama-aparadhas – offenses to the Holy Name.
4. Due to imperfect service
Arising from imperfectly performed devotional service.
Instruction of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
tṛṇād api sunīcena
taror api sahiṣṇunā
amāninā mānadena
kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ
"One who is humbler than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree, who demands no respect for himself but gives all respect to others, can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly."
Ten Offenses to the Holy Name
Daśa vidha nāma aparādha – ten offenses described in the Padma Purana:
To blaspheme or criticize a pure devotee of the Lord. This is the greatest offense.
Bhaktivinoda Thakura distinguishes 4 types of vaiṣṇava-aparādha:
- Criticizing for low birth or nationality.
- Criticizing for an accidental slip.
- Criticizing for remaining past habits.
- Criticizing for sins committed before becoming a devotee.
Skanda Purana (6 ways to offend):
To kill, to criticize, to envy, not to bow down, to become angry, or not to feel joy upon seeing a Vaishnava.
Comparing demigods to Krishna
To think that there are many Gods and Shiva, Brahma, and other demigods' names are equal to Krishna's name. Krishna is original and unique.
Guror avajñā
To consider the spiritual master an ordinary person and not to carry out his instructions. One who commits this offense is called a resident of hell.
Śruti-śāstra nindā
To blaspheme the Vedic literature and literature following the Vedic traditions.
Interpreting the Holy Name
To interpret the Holy Name of the Lord in one's own sense. To find new meanings in the holy name.
"Any person who, having heard various descriptions of the benefits... thinks that these benefits are exaggerated, I cast into perpetual suffering..." — Brahma Samhita
Nāma artha vāda
To consider the glory of the Holy Name imaginary. To think that the scriptural descriptions of the power of the holy name are exaggerated.
Sins while relying on the Name
To commit sinful acts relying on the power of the Holy Name. To think that one can sin and then simply repeat the mantra.
Comparison with karma-kanda
To equate the chanting of the Holy Name with material activity described in the karma-kanda section. To seek a material result by chanting the mantra.
Preaching to the unfaithful
To tell of the glory of the Holy Name to an unbeliever or one who is not interested. This can provoke them to offend God.
Maintaining attachments
To not have firm faith in the chanting of the Holy Name and to maintain many attachments, even after understanding the Vedic teachings.
Inattentive Chanting
The cause of all offenses is considered to be inattentive chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that there are three types of inattentive chanting:
Indifference
Unwillingness to follow sadhana principles
Laziness
Sleepiness during chanting
Distraction
Redirecting attention to extraneous objects
Remedy for Offenses
Sincere and earnest chanting of the Holy Name is the remedy for all committed offenses. If by oversight or for any other reason a person has committed an offense, he must take absolute shelter of the Holy Name and always chant the Holy Name.
The Mercy of Pancha Tattva
For materialistic people, reciting the maha-mantra with offenses, it is recommended to recite the Pancha-tattva maha-mantra before it, since it is said that the name of Krishna accepts offenses, while the names of Gauranga and Nityananda never accept offenses.
Questions
Self-Check Questions
- List and explain the ten offenses of the Holy Name.
- What are the three stages of chanting the Holy Name?
- How to avoid offenses?
- What are the categories of anarthas?