Instructions on chanting the holy name,... [Letter 54]

A True Servant鈥擜 True Master

by Swami Bhaktivedanta Madhava Maharaja | 2021 | 174,865 words

This page relates 鈥業nstructions on chanting the holy name,...鈥� of book鈥�"A True Servant, A True Master" which offers a collection of 128 handwritten letters by Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Vamana Gosvami Maharaja鈥攁 revered figure in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. This book showcases the profound spiritual insights and practical guidance on executing devotional service and addresses both Sadhakas (male practitioners) and Sadhikas (female practitioners) with equal respect.

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Letter 54 - Instructions on chanting the holy name,...

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Instructions on chanting the holy name 鈥� The bliss derived from chanting cannot be explained to anyone 鈥� The mercy of 艢谤墨 Hari, guru, and 痴补颈峁ａ箛补惫补蝉 is essential 鈥� The qualification to perform 苍腻尘补-办墨谤迟补苍补 鈥� Praying to be absorbed in meditating on 艢谤墨艢谤墨搁腻诲丑腻-Govinda

啶多啶班 啶多啶班 啶椸啶班-啶椸啶班ぞ啶權啶椸 啶溹く啶む

艣谤墨艣谤墨 guru-gaur膩峁単au jayata岣�

艢谤墨 Madana-mohana 顿腻蝉腻诲丑颈办腻谤墨骋谤腻尘补+P.O. Barobisha (Jalpaiguri) 艢谤墨艢谤墨 Viraha-tithi 5/10/1979

厂苍别丑腻蝉辫补诲腻蝉耻鈥�

M膩鈥斺€�! 鈥� I hope that by the grace of 叠丑补驳补惫腻苍 you are all well. 鈥� After leaving 艢谤墨惭别驳丑腻濒补测补惭补峁环补 with a party on 2/9/79, I went preaching in Dhubri, Gauripur, Golakganj, Bilasipara, Basugaon and other places, and then arrived at this address three or four days ago. From here, I will go preaching in Koch Bihar. I will be in Sapatgram on the 10th of 碍腻谤迟颈办补, then Golakganj. After that, on the 14th, I will go to Dhubri. From there, I will reach the Siliguri 尘补峁环补 in the first week of Agrah膩ya峁嘺-尘腻蝉补 [November鈥揇ecember] via Jalpaiguri, Maynaguri, and Mathabhanga. Afterwards, I will return to 狈补惫补诲惫墨辫补 by the first week of 笔补耻峁 [January鈥揊ebruary] via Chittaranjan, Asansol, and Bardhaman.

I am particularly delighted to know that you are chanting one lakh 苍腻尘补 [100,000 names, or 64 rounds] every day. You must put all manner of worldly tasks aside and chant one lakh daily, perform 辫奴箩腻 and arcana of the deity, study various sacred texts, and go to the 尘补峁环补 to take advantage of hearing 艣谤墨丑补谤颈-办补迟丑腻. This is the special purpose of 碍峁涐梗峁嘺鈥檚 蝉补峁僺腻谤补, 叠丑补驳补惫腻苍鈥檚 蝉补峁僺腻谤补. Many believe that one lakh (濒补办峁) of 苍腻尘补 means setting one鈥檚 濒补办峁补 (focus) and chanting. But that is a one-sided notion. Chanting a fixed amount of 艣谤墨苍腻尘补 means chanting with a steady heart, crying and weeping anxiously. One must complete one鈥檚 fixed number of rounds in that manner [with absorption]. 艢谤墨man 惭补丑腻辫谤补产丑耻 gave His devotees the instruction to chant one lakh 苍腻尘补 daily. N膩m膩c膩rya 艢谤墨la 贬补谤颈诲腻蝉补峁琱腻办耻谤补 used to chant three lakh of 苍腻尘补 daily. The six 骋辞蝉惫腻尘墨蝉 and the 腻肠腻谤测补蝉 under their guidance have all put importance on 艣谤墨苍腻尘补-japa. This is 蝉腻诲丑补苍补-产丑补箩补苍补, a part of 补产丑测腻蝉补-yoga. If one utters 艣耻诲诲丑补-苍腻尘补 (the pure holy name) with a tongue composed of pure consciousness, then one obtains direct audience of 苍腻尘墨 Parabrahma 艢谤墨叠丑补驳补惫腻苍 and the qualification to serve Him directly. At first, when the 蝉腻诲丑补办补 and 蝉腻诲丑颈办腻 still have anarthas, they cannot chant 艣耻诲诲丑补-苍腻尘补 as they keep chanting 苍腻尘补-apar膩dha. But if they keep chanting like that in a manner that is full of attachment, then they obtain 苍腻尘腻产丑腻蝉补, and later, 艣耻诲诲丑补-苍腻尘补 manifests in their hearts. Whether or not you are chanting 艣耻诲诲丑补-苍腻尘补 is something you will be able to realize yourself at some point.

When eating, it is not appropriate to ask if your stomach is full or not, because by eating, your stomach fills up, and if you do not eat properly, your stomach stays hungry. You don鈥檛 need to explain to everyone, though, exactly how you fill your stomach. Just as a person who is eating experiences satisfaction, nourishment, and the alleviation of hunger with every morsel, only the 蝉腻诲丑补办补 or 蝉腻诲丑颈办腻 can experience and realize within their heart the bliss they are deriving from chanting 艣谤墨苍腻尘补. It is not possible to explain this to anyone.

Besides the mercy of 艢谤墨 Hari, guru, and 痴补颈峁ａ箛补惫补蝉, there is no other route by which we will attain our ultimate auspiciousness.

This is why it is has been said in invocation:

啶灌ぐ啶�-啶椸啶班-啶掂啶粪啶｀さ鈥斷い啶苦え啷囙ぐ啶膏啶ぐ啶�, 啶むた啶ㄠ啶� 啶膏啶ぐ啶｀ 啶灌く啶掂た啶樴啶�-啶掂た啶ㄠぞ啶多え
hari-guru-vai峁ａ箛ava鈥攖inera smara峁嘺, tinera smara峁噀 haya vighna-vin膩艣ana^[1]

鈥淏y remembering 艢谤墨 Hari, guru, and 痴补颈峁ａ箛补惫补蝉, all obstacles are destroyed.鈥�

啶むじ啷嵿ぎ啶距い啷� 啶膏ぐ啷嵿さ-啶啶班く啶む啶ㄠ啶� 啶椸啶班啶-啶忇さ啶啶班じ啶距う啶啶む
Tasm膩t sarva-prayatnena gurum-eva pras膩dayet^[2]

鈥淚n all endeavours, one must aim to please guru.鈥�

啶涏ぞ啶∴た啶ぞ啶掂啶粪啶｀さ-啶膏啶掂ぞ, 啶ㄠた啶膏啶むぞ啶� 啶啶啶涏 啶曕啶ぞ?
Ch膩岣峣y膩 vai峁ａ箛ava-sev膩, nist膩ra peyeche keb膩?^[3]

鈥淲ho has ever attained deliverance by abandoning the service of the devotees?鈥�

By any means, we must become illuminated in the service and merciful gaze of 艢谤墨 Hari, guru, and 痴补颈峁ａ箛补惫补蝉 and absorb our minds in bhajana of 碍峁涐梗峁嘺

啶啶� 啶曕啶ㄠぞ啶啶 啶夃お啶距く啷囙え啶え啶� 啶曕啶粪啶｀ 啶ㄠた啶掂啶多く啷囙い啷�

yena ken膩py up膩yena mana岣� k峁涐梗峁噀 nive艣ayet^[4].

This is the quintessence. If we gain the mercy of 艣谤墨 guru and 痴补颈峁ａ箛补惫补蝉, we gain success in 蝉腻诲丑补苍补-bhajana. The qualification for mercy is simplicity, an absence of duplicity.

啶啶椸啶い啶� 啶掂た啶氞ぞ啶班, 啶曕た啶涏 啶ㄠぞ啶灌た啶, 啶む啶ぞ啶� 啶曕ぐ啷佮ぃ啶� 啶膏ぞ啶�; 啶曕ぐ啷佮ぃ啶� 啶ㄠぞ啶灌啶侧, 啶曕ぞ虄啶︵た啶ぞ啶曕ぞ虄啶︵た啶ぞ, 啶啶班ぞ啶� 啶ㄠぞ啶班ぞ啶栢た啶 啶嗋ぐ

Yogyat膩 vic膩re, kichu n膩hi pai, tom膩ra karu峁嚹� s膩ra; karu峁嚹� n膩 haile, k膩虄diy膩 k膩虄diy膩, pr膩峁嘺 n膩 r膩khibo 膩ra^[5]

鈥淚n considering my qualifications, I find nothing. Your mercy is essential. If you are not merciful to me, weeping and weeping, I will no longer maintain my life.鈥�

This sort of humility is what grants the qualification to attain mercy. Knowingly and unknowingly, we commit so many types of mistakes, errors, offences, and wrongs towards guru and 痴补颈峁ａ箛补惫补蝉.

However:

啶む啶ぞ啶膏啶ムぞ啶ㄠ 啶呧お啶班ぞ啶р€斷い啷佮ぎ啶� 啶曕ぐ啷� 啶曕啶粪く{

tom膩 sth膩ne apar膩dha鈥攖umi karo k峁ya^[6]

鈥淵ou expunge offences committed to You.鈥�

Besides this prayer, we have no other recourse. Giving satisfaction to 艣谤墨 guru and 痴补颈峁ａ箛补惫补蝉 is service, and that is bhajana-蝉腻诲丑补苍补. Only if we obtain their causelessly merciful glance will our condition of material existence dissipate and the attainment of bhagavad-bhakti or bhagavat-prema be possible.

If you understand that humility is the ornament or decoration of the 痴补颈峁ａ箛补惫补, or bhakta, then someday you will be able to abandon pride and mundane ego.

There are four qualities that are absolutely necessary to obtain the qualification to perform 艣谤墨苍腻尘补-办墨谤迟补苍补:

啶︵啶ㄠ啶�, 啶︵く啶�, 啶呧え啷嵿く啷� 啶ぞ啶�, 啶啶班い啶苦し啷嵿啶�-啶掂ぐ啷嵿啶�, 啶氞ぞ啶班た-啶椸啶｀ 啶椸啶｀ 啶灌 啶曕ぐ啶灌 啶曕啶班啶むえ

dainya, day膩, anye m膩na, prati峁ａ弓h膩-varjana, c膩ri-gu峁噀 gu峁嚹� hai karaho 办墨谤迟补苍补^[7]

鈥淓ndowed with the qualities of humility, compassion, respect for others, and shunning prestige, perform 办墨谤迟补苍补.鈥�

In the conditioned state, in the material existence wrought by 尘腻测腻, we simply must tolerate blow after blow. In the midst of that, the idea 鈥淚 came to this world to worship 碍峁涐梗峁嘺鈥�k峁涐梗峁嘺-bhajib膩ra tare sa峁僺膩re 膩inu鈥�^[8] will transport us to our real objective. You have heard so much hari-办补迟丑腻 from the 痴补颈峁ａ箛补惫补蝉, which is why you have written such beautiful tattva-蝉颈诲诲丑腻苍迟补. If you do not hear, how will you do 办墨谤迟补苍补? When I come to know 丑补谤颈-办补迟丑腻, then I will be able to write you something. Even now I have not come to know, learn, and understand it. Once that concludes, there will be no purpose in conversing with all of you. Then, silently, with eyes closed, I will remain absorbed in meditation on 艢谤墨搁腻诲丑腻-Govinda.

Convey to me and tell me in a simple manner, without hesitation, all of your joys and sorrows. That way, your burdened heart will become light. You will be able to perform 艣谤墨苍腻尘补 without concerns.

Then you will genuinely be able to sing:

啶膏啶膏ぞ啶� 啶啶曕ぞ啶�, 啶曕ぞ啶｀ 啶� 啶ざ啶苦が啷�, 啶︵啶�-啶班啶� 啶︵啶班 啶班が啷�

蝉补峁僺腻谤补 phuk膩ra, k膩峁噀 na pa艣ibe, deha-roga d奴re rabe^[9]

鈥淭he call of material existence will not enter my ears, and the disease of this body will remain far away.鈥�

Accept my affectionate blessings. Iti鈥�

Your eternal well-wisher,
艢谤墨 Bhaktived膩nta 痴腻尘补苍补