The glorification of the holy name has been profusely done by our ācāryas throughout their writings. Many verses that glorify the holy name speak about the ease of access and the immense potency of the holy name.
For instance, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.1.14 explains that even unconscious chanting can free one from saṁsāra. In Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, it is said:
eka kṛṣṇa-nāme kare sarva-pāpa-kṣaya
One holy name can destroy all sinful reactions accumulated over millions of lifetimes – even those which we cannot commit. CC Madhya 15.107
Similarly, Devahūti, in her prayers, glorifies the holy name by explaining how it can purify anyone by chanting only once. (SB 3.33.6)
But does this mean we should be satisfied with a mediocre attempt in our chanting? If unconscious chanting purifies, and inattentive chanting has brought us this far, can perfection also be attained by the same quality of chanting? Why endeavor more?
Glorification is Not a Concession
When scriptures glorify something, that glorification is meant to encourage the practitioner to take that process seriously in daily life. Glorification is not a concession. It is a positive temptation to move ahead.
Interestingly, Rūpa Gosvāmī wrote the Nāmāṣṭaka, glorifying the holy name. In the second verse, he uses the word anādarād – meaning “without proper respect.” He writes, “Even if a person utters You only once disrespectfully, still You relieve his many extreme sufferings.”
Yet the same Rūpa Gosvāmī, in Upadeśāmṛta (Nectar of Instruction), instructs that the holy name should be chanted respectfully – ādarād and daily – anudinam.
So, which verse of Rupa Goswami to follow? The one of glorification, or the one of instruction. Sometimes, instructions are difficult to follow. We may want to follow whichever suits us the best !
Why to Trouble Krishna?
If we take glorification at face value, we may become content with a mediocre level of practice.
Once there was a boy chanting while lying on his bed. His mother asked, “My dear son, what is this way of chanting? You are sleeping and chanting!”
The boy replied, “When we are sleeping and chanting, Kṛṣṇa is sitting and hearing. When we are sitting and chanting, Kṛṣṇa is standing and hearing. When we are standing and chanting, Kṛṣṇa is dancing and hearing. And when we are dancing and chanting, we do not know what Kṛṣṇa will do! I heard this yesterday in a lecture. I did not want Kṛṣṇa to stand for me, so I am sleeping and chanting.”
The glorification mentioned in that lecture was meant to enthuse the hearer to chant more and more. But the boy took the glorification at face value and became lax in his spiritual practice.
Chant and Be Happy?
Srila Prabhupāda said, “Chant and be happy.” But the same Śrīla Prabhupāda also warned that if we are not chanting our sixteen rounds attentively, we can fall victim to māyā at any moment.
Therefore, when we hear the glorification of the holy name, it should not be taken as a concession but as a benediction. We have received such an easy and powerful process. We have received such grace. Then why not take the chanting of the holy name very seriously?
In Bhagavad-gītā 9.14, Kṛṣṇa says: satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ
His devotees are those who are always chanting His holy name with firm determination. Not those who chant once, but those who chant continuously.
Similarly, when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was asked how to identify a Vaiṣṇava, He replied in stages. First, one who chants the holy name once is a Vaiṣṇava. Then, one who chants continuously is a superior Vaiṣṇava. Finally, one by seeing whom we remember Kṛṣṇa is the topmost Vaiṣṇava. In Mahāprabhu’s gradation, the emphasis is on continuity.
Our ācāryas wrote wonderful glorifications of the holy name. But if we observe their lives, they did not chant once and become satisfied. They kept chanting. They deepened their chanting. They lived in the holy name.
Love Flows with Continuity
When you love someone, you are not satisfied by spending five or ten minutes with them. You want continuous association.
Similarly, when one is in love with Kṛṣṇa and His holy name, one does not want to give it up. One wants the holy name to remain constantly on the tongue and in the heart.
Śrīla Prabhupāda was one such devotee. Not only did he keep the holy name constantly on his tongue, but he made it accessible to the whole world. He did not merely glorify the holy name. He distributed it. In that sense, he was one of the greatest lovers of the holy name in our times – and therefore one of the greatest lovers of Kṛṣṇa.
The choice is ours – whether to be satisfied with a mediocre attempt of the Holy Name – even if I hear one mantra in sixteen rounds, or one mantra in one week, it is all right, or we can choose to put efforts to respect the Holy Name with every single syllable and float in the ocean of transcendental ecstasy.
