Freedom Through the Holy Name Holy Name God’s names are a divine gift that can lift us from the conditions of material life and return us to our original spiritual freedom Ladi es and gentlemen, I thank you very much for kindly participating in this Krsna consciousness movement. This knowledge, bhagavatadharma, was spoken by Bhagavan Himself, Lord Sri Krsna. Bhagavan is a Sanskrit word. Bhaga means fortune, and van means one who possesses. So bhagavan means the supreme fortunate. There are six principal opulences: beauty, wealth, strength, fame, knowledge, and renunciation. One who possesses these in full, without any rival, is called Bhagavan.
Bhagavata-dharma means the relationship between the devotees and the Lord. The Lord is Bhagavan and the devotee is bhagavata, or in relationship with Bhagavan. Everyone is related with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, just as a father and son are related. That relation cannot be broken at any stage, but sometimes it happens that the son, out of his own independence, goes out of his home and forgets the affectionate relationship with the father. In your country it is not a very extraordinary thing. So many sons leave the father’s affectionate home. Everyone has that independence. Similarly, we are all sons of God, but we are, at the same time, independent. Not fully independent, but independent. We have the tendency of independence because God is fully independent and we are born of God. Although we cannot be absolutely independent, as God is, we have the tendency to think, “I shall become independent.”
We living entities are part of God. When we want to live independently of God, the conditional stage of our existence begins. “Conditional stage” means we accept a material body, which is conditioned in so many ways. For example, the body undergoes six kinds of change: It is born at a certain date, it remains for some time, it grows, it gives some byproducts, it dwindles, and at last it vanishes.
Besides these six changes of the body, we face many tribulations. There are the threefold miseries: those pertaining to the body and mind, those offered by other living entities, and those caused by natural disturbances. And the whole thing is summarized into four principles, namely birth, death, old age, and disease. Together these make up our conditional life.
Our Original Consciousness To get out of these conditions of life, we must revive our Krsna consciousness, or God consciousness. Krsna means the Supreme Lord. God consciousness, or Krsna consciousness, is our original consciousness. Just as it is natural to remember our father in this life, it is natural to remember our original father. But we forget the supreme father, Krsna, and we want to live independently to enjoy life according to our whims.
That is so-called independence. But by such independence we are never happy, so for this illusory happiness we transmigrate from one body to another. Each type of body has a particular facility for happiness. We want to fly in the sky. But because we are human beings, we have no wings and cannot fly. But the birds, although they are lower animals, can easily fly. If you analyze you’ll see that every type of body has a particular facility that others don’t. But we want all facilities of life. That is our inclination. For example, modern scientists are trying to go to other planets, but they’re conditioned, so they cannot go. There are millions and trillions of planets before usthe sun, the moon, Venus, Mars. Sometimes we wish, “How can I go there.” But because we are conditioned and not independent, we cannot go.
Originally, because we are spirit soul, we were free to go anywhere. For example, Narada Muni moves everywhere; he can go to any planet he likes. And there is a planet within this universe called Siddhaloka. The inhabitants of Siddhaloka can fly from one planet to another without an airplane. Even hatha-yogis who have practiced can go from anywhere to anyplace. They sit down in one place and immediately transfer to another place. They can take a dip in some river near here and can come out in some river in India. They dip here and they rise there. These are yogic powers.
We have immense independence, but we are now conditioned by this body. Therefore the human form of life is an opportunity to get back our original independence. That is called Krsna consciousness. That is freedom.
Two Kinds of Material Body We have our spiritual body within the material body. That is our real identification. Now we are covered by two kinds of material body. One is called the subtle body and the other is called the gross body. The subtle body is made of mind, intelligence, and false ego, and the gross body is made of earth, water, fire,air, and ether. Generally we can see the gross body; we cannot see the subtle body. I know that you have your mind. I know that you have intelligence. You know that I have a mind and intelligence. But I cannot see your mind, I cannot see your intelligence, I cannot see your determination, I cannot see your thoughts, feelings, and will. You see my gross body made of earth, water, air, and fire, and I can see your gross body. And when your gross body is changed and you are carried away by the subtle body, that is called death.
We say, “Oh, my father has gone away.”
“How do you see that your father has gone away? The body is lying here.”
But actually the father has gone away by means of the subtle body. Something similar happens at night. I am sleeping in a nice apartment, but my subtle body takes me away to the top of a mountain. Sometimes I am falling from a mountain. My gross body is sleeping in a nice, comfortable apartment, but the subtle body carries me. We have daily experience of this.
Similarly, death means we change the gross body. For example, you have your shirt and coat, and you may change the coat but keep the shirt. Similarly, we keep our subtle body and give up the gross body; that is called death. And by the laws of nature the subtle body carries us into the womb of another mother. Then we develop another gross body with materials supplied by the mother. And when the body is prepared, we come out of the womb to work again with our subtle and gross bodies.
Bhagavata-dharma means that we have to transcend both the gross and subtle bodies and come to the spiritual body. It is very scientific. And as soon as we come to our real, spiritual body, being freed from the gross and subtle bodies, then we actually feel happiness and independence.
The process of Krsna consciousness is the highest benediction for human society because it is trying to bring the human being to the platform of the spiritual body transcending the gross and subtle material bodies. That is the highest perfection. Human life is meant for coming to that platform, the spiritual platform, transcending the gross and subtle material bodily concept of life.
That perfection is possible, and it has been made easy in this age. Kali-yuga, the current age, is not a very good time. Simply disagreement, fighting, quarreling, misunderstanding. This age is full of all these. Therefore to come to the spiritual platform is very difficult in this age. Formerly, it was not so difficult. People were very easily trained by the Vedic process. But now people are not interested. They’re simply interested in the gross body or, for one a little advanced, the subtle body. But they have no information of the spiritual body. Although education has progressed, there is no education about the spiritual body. Education is simply concerned with the gross and subtle material bodies. Therefore this Krsna consciousness movement is very important. Those who have taken to it are very, very fortunate.
“I Am Wasting My Valuable Life” I shall explain a song sung by Narottama Dasa Thakura, one of our predecessor acaryas, or teachers. His songs are accepted in our Vais- nava society as Vedic truth. He has written in simple Bengali language, but it contains the Vedic truth. He has written many songs. One of them begins hari hari biphale janama gonainu: “My dear Lord, I am simply wasting my valuable life.”
Narottama Dasa is speaking for people in general. Although we have been born as human beings, we do not know how to use human life. We are just like animals. The animal eats; we simply make arrangements to eat unnaturally. That is our advancement. In the animal kingdom every animal has a particular type of food. A tiger eats flesh and blood, but if you give the tiger nice oranges or grapes, he’ll not touch them, because those are not his food. Similarly, a hog eats stool. If you give the hog nice halava, it will not touch it. You see? Every animal has a particular type of food.
Similarly, we human beings have our type of food. What is that? Fruits, milk, grains, vegetables. Our teeth are made for such foods. If you take a fruit, you can easily cut it into pieces with your teeth. If you take a piece of flesh, it will be difficult to cut with these teeth. But a tiger has a particular type of teeth, and he can immediately cut flesh into pieces.
We are advancing in education, but we do not even study our teeth. We simply go to the dentist, that’s all. This is our advancement of civilization. The tiger never goes to the dentist. Its teeth are so strong that immediately it can tear raw meat into pieces. But it doesn’t require a dentist, because it doesn’t eat anything unnatural for it. We eat anything; therefore we require the help of a dentist.
The human being has a particular type of business. That business is to study and discuss the bhagavata life. That is our natural business. We should try to understand Bhagavan, God. The relationship between Bhagavan and the bhakta, or devotee, is called bhagavatadharma. The business of human life is very easy: Simply hear about Krsna. Krsna is Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and we are part of Krsna.
Suppose I have forgotten my home. I left my home a long time ago and have forgotten my father. So if somebody reminds me, “Do you know such-and-such gentleman? He is your father. You were playing in such a way, your father was helping you . . .” In this way, if he simply talks of my father, I will remember my home. Similarly, we have forgotten our relationship with Krsna. If we simply hear about Him, then we will remember. It is a simple process. We simply have to hear about Krsna. Krsna is situated in everyone’s heart, and we have forgotten Krsna, our supreme father, on account of material contamination.
So hear about Krsna attentively. You are kindly doing that now. It is a very good opportunity. I thank you very much. You are all young boys and girls, but you are very fortunate. Your fathers and grandfathers do not come here. But you have come because you are fortunate. Continue this. Just try to hear about Krsna. Your life will be successful. You haven’t got to do anything else. It doesn’t require that you become an M.A. or a Ph.D. No. God has given you two ears, and if you kindly submissively hear from the realized souls, then your life will be successful.
The Power of Hearing Actually, that is happening. All these boys and girls have come to me in different parts of the world simply by hearing. I have not bribed them; I have no money. They are sacrificing everything for me. Why? Simply because they have heard from me, that’s all. Hearing is so strong. And they are educated boys and girls, university graduates. I’m not fooling them. But as they’re hearing, they’re understanding the gravity of this movement and gradually they’re becoming convinced and firmly situated in the practice. This is called bhagavata-dharma.
We are giving everyone the chance to hear about Krsna. Of course in your country it is new. But in my country, Indiaalthough India is fallen in so many waysif there is a bhagavata discourse, throngs of people will attend. We have held bhagavata discourses in Calcutta, Bombay, Delhi, Madras, Jaipurbig, big cities. In Calcutta and Bombay thirty thousand people attended daily for ten days. Although there is propaganda in India to forget Krsna consciousness, how can the people forget? They’re born in the land where Krsna appeared. They cannot forget. They have been given the opportunity of birth in India due to past pious activities.
But Krsna is for everyone. It is not that Krsna is only for Indians or Hindus. No. Krsna is for everyone. In your country this Krsna consciousness movement started in 1966 in New York, and gradually we are increasing the number of students and branches. So kindly continue this habit: Simply hear about Krsna. Then Krsna will help you. He is within your heart. He’ll help you in every way.
Krsna says, “If anyone is very serious and sincere, and constantly engaged in My devotional service, I give him intelligence.” Krsna is within everyone. Krsna is within your heartin my heart, your heart, everyone’s heart. So He gives you intelligence. What kind of intelligence? The intelligence to go back home, back to Godhead.
These bhagavata-dharma discourses are a constant call: “My dear sir, please get up, please get up.” Jiva jago jiva jago gauracandra bole. This is the message of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He says, “My dear jiva, living being, kindly get up. This is the opportunity.”
Deliverance by The Holy Name I was explaining Narottama Dasa Thakura’s song. Let me finish it. He says:
hari hari biphale janama gonainu
manusya-janama paiya
radha-krsna na bhajiya
janiya suniya bisa khainu
manusya-janama paiya
radha-krsna na bhajiya
janiya suniya bisa khainu
“My dear Lord, I received this valuable human form of life, but I have wasted it for nothing. This life is meant for understanding Radha and Krsna, but I did not do so. Therefore I have knowingly taken poison.” Sometimes a person takes poison to commit suicide. He knows that as soon as he’ll take the poison he’ll die. Similarly, one who is not taking to Krsna consciousness is drinking poison. This life is the opportunity to become Krsna conscious. And if you don’t use this opportunity, that means knowingly drinking poison.
Golokera prema-dhana harinama- sankirtana. Just as we receive radio sounds from different countries, from the spiritual world we receive the vibration of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Rati na janmilo kene tay: “I could not get my attachment to this transcendental vibration.” Saµsara-bisanale, diba-nisi hiya jwale, juraite na koinu upay: “I am suffering constantly with the poison of this materialistic way of life, and I did not try to get out of it by taking shelter of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.”
Then Narottama Dasa says, brajendra-nandana yei, saci-suta hoilo sei. “In this age, the same Supreme Personality of Godhead who appeared five thousand years ago as the son of Nanda Maharaja that Krsna has appeared in this age as the son of mother Saci.” Lord Caitanya’s mother’s name was Saci-devi. Balarama hoilo nitai: “The same Balarama who appeared as Krsna’s elder brother has appeared as Nityananda.”
What is the business of Lord Caitanya and Nityananda Prabhu? Dina-hina jata chilo, hari-name uddharilodelivering the lowly, wretched souls with the holy name. There are two kinds of people within the material world. One is committing sin and the other is suffering sinful reactions. Papi-tapi. That is our business. In this life, I am suffering the resultant action of my past impious activities and creating another set of impious activities so that I shall suffer next life. Hari-name uddharilo: But everyone can be delivered simply by chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.