Chanting the Holy Name Across Religions
А. Ч. Бхактиведанта Свами Прабхупада · Калькутта · 1975
Главы
Recent travels and interfaith dialogue
Prabhupāda: So this time within two months, from 26th February?
Devotee: Twenty-fourth January.
Prabhupāda: 24th January to 15th March—less than two months—I had the opportunity to go round over the world.
From Bombay I went to Hong Kong, then from Hong Kong to Tokyo, Japan; from Tokyo to Honolulu, Honolulu to Mexico City, then Venezuela. Caracas... Caracas?
Śrutakīrti: Yes.
Prabhupāda: I forget name also. [laughs] South America. Then I was to go to Trinidad, West Indies, but there was no time. The West Indies people came to see me. Mostly they are Indians.
And then Miami, then from Miami to Dall..., Atlanta, Atlanta. From Atlanta to Dallas, our gurukula; then to New York, then to London, and from London to Bombay again.
Śrutakīrti: Tehran.
Prabhupāda: Tehran. Yes. I forgot. He has come. Here is the Tehran representative. Yes. So there was very nice meeting in Tehran. Many scholar, Muhammadan, came to see me. So everyone is understanding the importance of this movement.
Understanding the names of God
So in Tehran I discussed about chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that there are many names. Nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktiḥ [Śikṣāṣṭaka 2]. Kṛṣṇa's name, manyfold.
So I pleaded to the Muslim audience that "You can chant the name of Allah also.
Not necessarily that you have to chant the Kṛṣṇa name, but any name indicating the Supreme Lord can be chanted." Because in the śāstra it is said, harer nāma, harer nāma the holy name of the Lord.
But it must be the name of the Lord. Actually, Kṛṣṇa has thousands of names, and His names are enumerated by His activities.
Just like Kṛṣṇa accepted to become the son of Mother Yaśodā; therefore He is called Yaśodā-nandana.
Kṛṣṇa accepted Vasudeva as His father, or Nanda Mahārāja; therefore He is called Nanda-nandana, Vāsudeva or Devakī-nandana. Kṛṣṇa acted as the charioteer of Arjuna; He is called Partha-sarathi.
So Kṛṣṇa's name means attached with the activities along with His devotees. This is Kṛṣṇa's name. So if the Muhammadans' aim, the Supreme Lord, Allah-u akbar, "God the great..." Just like we say Parabrahman.
Brahman means the biggest, bṛhatvāt bṛhannatvāt. On account of being very big, including everything, that God's another name is Parabrahman. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān
Arjuna addressed Kṛṣṇa as Parabrahman. So Allah-u akbar means Parabrahman. So we do not make any distinction that this type of religion is better than that type of religion.
Defining the essence of religion
Any religion which teaches how to love God, that is first-class religion. That is the injunction of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. SB 1.2.6स वै पुंसां परो धर्मो यतो भक्तिरधोक्षजे ।अहैतुक्यप्रतिहता ययाऽत्मा सुप्रसीदति ॥ ६sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmoyato bhaktir adhokṣajeahaituky apratihatāyayātmā suprasīdatiThe supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam does not name any particular type of religion.
It says, "That religion, that system of religion, is first class," sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ, "transcendental." This Hinduism, Muslimism, Christianism, they are all prākṛta, mundane.
But we have to go, transcend, this prākṛta, or mundane conception of religion—"We are Hindus," "We are Muslim," "We are Christian." Just like gold. Gold is gold.
Gold cannot be Hindu gold or Christian gold or Muhammadan gold. Nobody...
Because a lump of gold is in the hand of Hindu or in the Muslim, nobody will say, "It is Muslim gold," "It is Hindu gold." Everyone will say, "It is gold." So we have to select gold—not the Hindu gold or Muslim gold or Christian gold.
When Lord Kṛṣṇa said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja He did not mean this Hindu religion or Muslim religion. These are designated.
So we have to come to the platform where it is pure; there is no designation. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa." This is real religion.
Without this conception, any kind of designated religion, that is prākṛta. That is not transcendental.
So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is transcendental, paro dharmaḥ. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. Para means "above," above the so-called religious system. So this is not our manufactured things.
It is said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the beginning, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavaḥ atra: "Any kind of kaitavaḥ, pretentious or false, illusory," kaitavaḥ. Kaitavaḥ means cheating.
"Cheating type of religion is rejected, thrown away," projjhita. Prākṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa ujjhita. Just like we sweep over the floor, we take the last particle of dust and throw it away, similarly, to become Kṛṣṇa conscious means we have to give up all these so-called or cheating type of religious system.
Because experience has shown that following the so many different designated religious systems, nobody has attained the platform of how to love God. Nobody has attained. This is practical experience.
It is Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He introduced.
But Lord Kṛṣṇa gave hint that "This is real religion, mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. This is religion." Any other religion, system of religion, which does not train the followers how to love God, that is cheating type of religion.
Awakening love through Vedic literature
To... Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, premā pum-artho mahān. And Bhāgavata says also same thing. Real achievement of success in life is how to love God, or Kṛṣṇa. That is the highest perfection of life.
So lokasya ajānataḥ. The foolish people, they do not know it.
Lokasya ajānataḥ vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām. Because people, they do not know what is religion, what can give them actual relief, therefore vidvān, Vyāsadeva, vidvān, Vedavyāsa, vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām... The sātvata-saṁhitām. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is sātvata-saṁhitā.
SB 1.7.6अनर्थोपशमं साक्षाद्भक्तियोगमधोक्षजे ।लोकस्याजानतो विद्वांश्चक्रे सात्वतसंहिताम् ॥६॥anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣādbhakti-yogam adhokṣajelokasyājānato vidvāmścakre sātvata-saṁhitāmThe material miseries of the living entity, which are superfluous to him, can be directly mitigated by the linking process of devotional service. But the mass of people do not know this, and therefore the learned Vyāsadeva compiled this Vedic literature, which is in relation to the Supreme Truth.
People are suffering from anartha, unwanted things. They do not know how to get relief from this entanglement.
Therefore vidvān, the most learned scholar, Vyāsadeva, compiled Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Bhagavate mahā-muni-kṛte. Mahā-muni is Vyāsadeva.
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to preach this sātvata-saṁhitā. Saṁhitā means Vedic scripture.
Global expansion and spiritual education
Sātvata-saṁhitā. So people are responsing, especially in the Western countries. In Africa also, they are responding. Many Africans, they have become Vaiṣṇava now. That is the latest news. And they are receiving very well.
So by Caitanya Mahāprabhu's grace, with the cooperation of the Western youths, this movement is going on.
I have traveled all over the countries, as I reported, and everywhere I saw, I was very much pleased that saṅkīrtana is going on. And it is improving. It is not declining.
That is my greatest encouragement, that even in my absence, things are going on very nicely, improving. That is very hopeful. Not only that—from the gurukula we are training small children.
There are about more than hundred children in Dallas. They are rising early in the morning, attending maṅgala āratik, boys and girls not more than ten years, not more than five, six years. So that is very hopeful.
In future they will become nice Vaiṣṇava. And many children are taking birth. They are very nice devotees.
In last, our Śrīpāda Ātreya Muni's small child, about six months old, as soon as I shout out, "Hare Kṛṣṇa," immediately he'll... He'll laugh. Very nice. There are many such children.
So all these children, they are Vaiṣṇavas. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭaḥ sanjāyate That is the... They are given chance to take birth in the family of Vaiṣṇava father and mother.
From the very beginning of life, they are getting encouragement. We had such opportunity. Somehow or other, we have come to this stage.
Similarly, these children, they are getting opportunity from the very beginning of their life. So on the whole, it is very hopeful that in the Western countries...
Not only Western countries—especially Western countries—we have sown some seed, that a community, Vaiṣṇava community, is now established. That is very hopeful.
A Vaiṣṇava community, and they are, in America, they are now addressed, "American Hindus," these American boys and girls.
So by the grace of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, this much has been done, and they are improving more and more. They are serving Kṛṣṇa.
Preserving culture through divine service
Prāṇair arthair dhiyā vācā. This, our Gurukṛpā Mahārāja, has contributed large sum of money for our Vṛndāvana construction, and this time also, I have brought a very large sum of money, about fifty lakhs. So this will be utilized for Kṛṣṇa's business.
And these people, Western people, they are serving this cause with life, prāṇair; arthair, by money; dhiyā, by intelligence; and by words.
SB 10.22.35एतावज्जन्मसाफल्यं देहिनामिह देहिषु ।प्राणैरर्थैर्धिया वाचा श्रेयआचरणं सदा ॥ ३५ ॥etāvaj janma-sāphalyaṁdehinām iha dehiṣuprāṇair arthair dhiyā vācāśreya-ācaraṇaṁ sadāIt is the duty of every living being to perform welfare activities for the benefit of others with his life, wealth, intelligence and words.
This is success of life, that we should fully engage our life, our money, our intelligence and our words for the service of the Lord. That is called sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
So time is very bad at the present moment everywhere, especially in India. Of course, India's original culture is all right. But unfortunately, our modern leaders, they are killing the original culture.
They want to introduce Western culture. Now it is openly there are beef shop, wine shop. So what can be done? It is Kali-yuga. Everything is possible.
But those who are intelligent—kṛṣṇa yei bhaje sei baḍa-catura—they should take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and be successful of this human form of life.
Hari hari bifale, janama goṅāinu, manuṣya-janama pāiyā, rādhā-kṛṣṇa na bhajiyā, jāniyā śuniyā biṣa khāinu. Anyone who is not taking to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, surely he is taking poison knowingly.
That is the fact. Everyone, harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā no qualification. The so-called education has no meaning, no value. So it is not a whim, that one may take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and one may not. No.
It is compulsory. One must take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness; otherwise his life is spoiled, śrama eva hi kevalam. SB 1.2.8धर्म: स्वनुष्टित: पुंसां विष्वक्सेनकथासु य: ।नोत्पादयेद्यदि रतिं श्रम एव हि केवलम् ॥ ८dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁviṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥnotpādayed yadi ratiṁśrama eva hi kevalamThe occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead.
One may think of executing his religious principles very nicely, but if he does not awaken his dormant love for Kṛṣṇa, then all activities in that direction is supposed to be simply waste of time.
Simply waste of time, spoiling. Jāniyā śuniyā biṣa khāinu. [Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura] So our request to everyone, especially who are a little bit inclined to Krsna Con... [break] [end]