19810720 Gītāñjali Singers Mr.Rao - Madhura Harināma

The following is a South Indian Bhajana performance with the explanations given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on July 20, 1981 in Madras, India.

~*devotee sings bhajana*~

Jayapatākā Swami: Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has also advised the same thing as here, Nāgarī Dāsa from Vṛndāvana of the Śrī-Sampradāya, that one should chant nirantara – constantly – kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ. sarala bhāva se hari bhaje – with a pure mind, with a simple mind, one should chant the holy name, worship the holy name, taste the nectar of the holy name. This is a process so one can constantly be absorbed in thoughts about the Lord, the transcendental personality, Sri Kṛṣṇa.

Again and again, he is requesting us to chant constantly, bhajo madhura nirantara, hari sukha hi hari śānti. The only happiness in life, the only peace in life, is obtainable through chanting the holy name of the Lord. We should take the advice of Nāgarī Dāsa and chant constantly, the holy name.

This is actually the purpose of human life, that we should concentrate our consciousness on the transcendental Lord. This process of chanting is meant for being chanted not only in the evening, not only in the morning, but constantly. While we are working, while we are going to work, while we are coming back from work, while we are at home, even while we are asleep we can be thinking of the Lord. We can be in our dreams chanting and doing Hari-bhajana. Twenty-four hours a day, we can be absorbed. Bhajo! The sweet nectar of the holy name. Worship the holy name. The holy name is non-different from Kṛṣṇa.

nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇas caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ 
pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya-mukto 'bhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ
(Cc. Madhya 17.133)

The name and the Lord are non-different. Nāma nāmino abhinna – there is no difference between the name and the named, when it is the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, of the Lord. Therefore when the devotees are telling one to worship the name, that this name is the most merciful form of the Lord, the name is eternally liberated, transcendental, filled with transcendental nectar.

That nectar when it is realized by the devotee, then it’s why he’s saying madhura-nāma – the sweet name. Not that only he is saying some sentiment. Factually he is realizing the sweetness. That is the advanced stage, ruci - to have the taste for the holy name.

To achieve that platform of taste for the holy name, one has to follow regulative principles and become purified from all types of unwanted habits, and reach fixed devotional service, called niṣṭhā. From that fixed devotional service, as one further purifies himself,he develops this taste called ruci where one can achieve the realization of how sweet – madhura-nāma – is this holy name of the Lord. So, absorbed in that transcendental nectar, let everyone chant and worship the holy name

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

This is the mahā-mantra which we can chant constantly and taste the nectar, as well as so many transcendental songs written by great devotees of the Lord. Let us follow in the footsteps of the great devotees and constantly chant hare Kṛṣṇa (*kīrtana*) 

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare 

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

hari haraye namaḥ Kṛṣṇa yādavāya namaḥ 
gopāla govinda rāma śrī-madhusūdana

hari haraye namaḥ Kṛṣṇa yādavāya namaḥ 
gopāla govinda rāma śrī-madhusūdana

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

jaya oṁ viṣṇu-pāda paramahaṁsācārya aṣṭottara-śata śrī śrīmad bhaktivedānta svāmī prabhupāda—kī jaya.

ananta koṭi vaiṣṇava-vṛnda—kī jaya.

ISKCON ācārya pratiṣṭhata, Śrīla Prabhupāda—kī jaya.

nāmācārya haridāsa ṭhākura—kī jaya.

prem-se kaho śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu nityānanda śrī advaita, gadādhara, śrīvāsādi gaura-bhakta-vṛnda—kī jaya.

śrī śrī rādha-kṛṣṇa, gopa-gopīnatha, śyāma-kuṇḍa, rādhā-kuṇḍa giri-govardhana—kī jaya.

śrī vṛndāvana dhāma—kī jaya.

navadvīpa-māyāpur dhāma—kī jaya.

mathura-dhama—kī jaya.

jagannātha-puri—kī jaya.

gaṅgā-mayī—kī jaya.

yamunā-mayī—kī jaya.

tulasī-devī—kī jaya.

bhakti-devī—kī jaya.

hari-nāma-mahā-mantra—kī jaya.

hari-nāma saṅkīrtana—kī jaya.

hari-nāma madhu-saṅkīrtana—kī jaya.

samāveta bhakta-vṛnda—kī jaya.

All glories to the assembled devotees.

All glories to the assembled devotees.

All glories to Śrī Guru and Śrī Gaurāṅga.

All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Devotee: jaya oṁ viṣṇu-pāda paramahaṁsa parivrājakācārya aṣṭottara-śata śrī śrīmad, śrīla jayapataka swami ācāryapāda, guru-mahārāja—kī jaya.

śrīla jayapataka swami ācāryapāda guru-mahārāja—kī jaya.

ācāryapāda—kī jaya.

Jayapatākā Swami: Very nice. I understand that you are meeting regularly. Very nice you are singing these bhajanas to the Lord. Of course, you have this culture, but on behalf of our spiritual master I would like to request… Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, he always requested those who are chanting that they should take the chanting and the bhajana very seriously.

Sometimes we find that people take it up like a hobby, like a musical practice only. And what happens is when anyone chants the name of the Lord that is like a bath. It is like a purification, just like standing in the waterfall, it is mentioned. One is cleansed of all kinds of dirt. But then if one doesn’t take it seriously, then it is described as a hāti-snāna - like the bathing of an elephant. The elephant goes in the water and bathes and when it comes out, he takes the dust and throws it on itself.

So if we sing the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, and the rest of our day, the rest of the week, if actually we do not actually try to develop ourselves in the devotional service to Kṛṣṇa, then we are not getting the full benefit that we could be getting. So our request is that everyone take this very seriously and the… make the maximum benefit by becoming fully absorbed in the mood of these different bhajanas and become situated in pure devotional service. That will be the real gain.

Of course, even by chanting for a short time one will feel great peace. Will feel transcendental happiness. According to one’s sincerity and one’s purity, that happiness will grow and grow. When one is actually on the pure platform of really wanting to please the Lord, really wanting to develop this transcendental consciousness and avoiding forbidden type of activities which are detrimental to developing this consciousness. Then in that pure platform, the actual taste as mentioned here – The madhu-harināma – that taste will be developed. That taste will develop in such a way that one will become mad after the Lord.

Actually one will become completely absorbed in transcendental consciousness. Doesn’t matter whether one is a man or whether one is a woman, whether one is young or whether one is old, it is a matter of concentration, it is a matter of… as it said here, sarala - being sincere and simple.

So the maximum sincerity is to try to do everything which is pleasing to the Lord throughout one’s day and then come together whenever it is possible and sing His glories. And in glorifying the Greatest, one becomes great. This is a natural… When we glorify the greatest, we become great. So I hope that all of you in glorifying the greatest, will become glorified yourself.

You are all glorified–

jaya samāveta bhakta-vṛnda—kī jaya.

jaya samāveta saṅkīrtanakari —kī jaya.

jaya madhu-harināma —kī jaya.

Thank you very much.