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| Srila Prabhupada Confidential |
| Devotee: Srila Prabhupada when you're not present with us, how is it possible to receive instructions? |
| Srila Prabhupada: Well the answers are there in my books. (Morning Walk, Los Angeles, 13/5/73) |
Shrila Prabhupada states:
"Vaisnavas consider Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu non-different from Radha-Krishna (sri-krsna-caitanya radha-krsna
nahe anya). Therefore *ONE WHO CHANTS THE MANTRA "GAURANGA" and ONE WHO CHANTS THE NAMES OF
RADHA AND KRSNA ARE ON THE SAME LEVEL." (Shrila Prabhupada in Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita Antya-lila 2.31
purport). Please throw some more light on this most important statement by Shrila Prabhupada.
A. by Swami Gaurangapada:
Shrila Prabhupada says that one who chants the Gauranga Mantra and one who chants the Holy Names of Radha
Krishna in the form of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra are on the same level. This statement is a confirmation of the
fact that Shri Radha Krishna have combined in the golden form of Shri Gauranga. So both the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra and the Gauranga Mantraraja are the Holy Names of the same Lord Gauranga Krishna and have
equal potency.
Those who give more importance to the Hare Krishna Mahamantra and reject or belittle the Gauranga Mantraraja
are accepting one form (Radha Krishna) of the Lord and rejecting the other form (Gauranga) of the same Lord and
vice versa is also true. This amounts to the philosophy of accepting only half of the hen i.e. the back part of the
hen which gives the egg and rejecting the front part which has to be fed. If one cuts the hen into two, then one
looses the eggs also. Similarly if one does not have full faith in Lord Gauranga and the chanting of His Holy Name,
then one will never be able to attain pure love of God even if one chants the Holy Names of Shri Shri Radha
Krishna in the form of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra with full faith for millions of lives. Similarly, one may chant the
Holy Name of Lord Gauranga with full faith but if one does not accept that Gauranga is actually Radha Krishna
combined then one will not achieve success in the chanting of Gauranga's Name.
When Shri Shri Radha Krishna have Themselves combined in the form of Lord Gauranga to taste that love, one
can imagine how sweet the Holy Name of Gauranga is actually is. It is verily the supreme combined nectar
essence of Radha and Krishna. That is why Shrila Prabhupada clearly states that Gauranga Mantra chanters are
on the same elevated spiritual level as Hare Krishna chanters or Radha Krishna chanters. Only those who
understand this spiritual truth of Kali Yuga can factually succeed in the offenseless chanting of the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra by the causeless mercy of Lord Gauranga and His Holy Name. Shrila Prabhupada being the
confidential associate of Lord Gauranga, is fully aware of this truth about the non difference of the Holy Name of
Gauranga from the Hare Krishna Mahamantra.
Q. Someone may argue, "Ok, agreed that Gauranga Mantra is on the same level as the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra, but since Shrila Prabhupada personally did not chant the Gauranga Mantra at least externally, I am
not so interested in the Gauranga Mantraraja."
A. by Swami Gaurangapada:
Though hardly any devotee may have seen Shrila Prabhupada chanting the Gauranga Mantraraja externally,
Shrila Prabhupada is certainly chanting the Gauranga constantly, in his spiritual form in the eternal spiritual
abodes of Navadvipa and Puri to worship Lord Gauranga just like he is constantly chanting the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra in his eternal spiritual form in Vrindavana to worship Shri Shri Radha Krishna. This is exactly what
Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura meant when he said that the souls have two spiritual bodies in Gauranga's pastimes
and Krishna's pastimes respectively.
It is mentioned in Jaiva Dharma that every conscious particle in Navadvipa is constantly chanting the Holy Names
of Nityananda and Gauranga. As described in Prema Vivarta, Shrila Shukadeva Goswami, in the form of a parrot,
would not stop chanting the Holy Name of Gauranga in Navadvipa even though Lord Gauranga Himself asked him
to chant the Holy Names of Radha Krishna instead thus immensely pleasing Lord Gauranga internally.
Shrila Shivananda Sena who is an incarnation of two gopies of Shri Shri Radha Krishna in madhurya rasa
(conjugal love) would not have chanted the Gauranga (Gaura Gopala) Mantraraja if the Gauranga Mantra was not
a madhurya rasika mantra on the topmost platform. He was factually worshiping both Shri Shri Radha Krishna and
Shri Gauranga within his heart by the constant chanting of his most worshipable ista Gauranga Mantraraja.
Q. "Shrila Prabhupada is saying the chanting the Gauranga Mantra and chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra
are on the same level. He is just making a theoretical and philosophical point, that's all. There is no reason to
take this statement so seriously and start chanting the Gauranga Mantra."
A. by Swami Gaurangapada:
Shrila Prabhupada is not just theoretically stating that the Gauranga Mantra chanting is on the same level as the
chanting of the Holy Names of Radha Krishna which include the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Some may consider
that this quote is only for academic purposes and thus not given serious attention to the Gauranga Mantraraja.
Then they stand to loose. When Shrila Prabhupada is stating that the Gauranga Mantra chanting is on the same
level as chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra, it is clear that Shrila Prabhupada is not only authorizing the
chanting of the Gauranga Mantraraja but also recommending it.
Q. "Then why did Shrila Prabhupada not personally, directly and openly tell devotees to chant the Gaura Gopala
Mantraraja?"
A. by Swami Gaurangapada:
The simple answer is that Shrila Prabhupada has said that everything which he wanted to instruct was in his
books. Sometimes an Acharya being an independent devotee of the Lord may not directly implement all the
instructions which he gives in his books. But all his instructions are absolute and can be universally applied. If
some devotee of Shrila Prabhupada accepts the above instructions of chanting the Gauranga Mantra along with
the Hare Krishna Mahamantra as his life and soul and wants to practically implement it for the benefit of all the
offensive conditioned souls of Kali Yuga, then it is the direct service of Shrila Prabhupada.
The conditioned souls who are struggling in a loosing battle against Maya in the most formidable ten offenses in
the chanting of the Holy Name of Krishna have very little chance to succeed unless they take very regular shelter
of the Holy Names of Nityananda Gauranga or if they constantly chant at least 64 rounds of the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra. The second option is very difficult for any person in this age due to a lack of time and interest.
Q. "Why should Gauranga Mantra chanters be given equal respect by Hare Krishna chanters and not offended in
any way?
A. by Swami Gaurangapada:
As per the above statement of Shrila Prabhupada in Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita, followers of Shrila Prabhupada
who understand it, should give equal respect to the devotees chanting the Gauranga Mantraraja along with the
Hare Krishna Mahamantra. It is easily understood that someone on an equal level should be given equal respect
not criticized or rejected. In addition the Nityananda Gauranga Mantra chanters are chanting the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra also as per the instructions of all the Acharyas so there is absolutely no reason to look down upon
them by anyone in creation.
Shrila Prabhupada respected anyone who was chanting a bonafide Holy Name of God irrespective of the external
group or religion that person belonged to so what to speak of that personality who is chanting "Gauranga" the
most merciful and offenseless Holy Name of the Lord along with the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Shrila
Bhaktivinoda Thakura writes, "Unadulterated or non sectarian Vaishnavism is the natural religion. In other words,
it is the eternal function of the soul."
Q. "Why did Shrila Prabhupada reveal this great mission of chanting and spreading the Holy Name of Gauranga
only in one commentary of Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita and not publicly to one and all?"
A. by Swami Gaurangapada:
We find in the great scripture Shri Navadvipa Dhama Mahatmya that Shripada Ramanujacharya wanted to spread
the Holy Name of Gauranga in the whole universe and make all the three worlds into Gauranga Bhaktas when he
heard the Holy Name of Gauranga from the lotus mouth of Lord Jagannatha Himself in Shri Puri Dhama.
But Lord Jagannatha who is Lord Gauranga Himself forbade him to do so because the proper time had not come
to fulfill this topmost mission. Lord Jagannatha said that after I advent as Lord Gauranga in Kali Yuga and
complete My pastimes, after that a time will come when My Holy Name of Gauranga will spread all over the world.
So the Acharyas are fully aware that Gauranga's Holy Name will be chanted and spread all over the world but
they also know that the Gauranga Nama Prabhu has to be revealed only at the appropriate time which the Lord
chooses.
Just like Shripada Ramanujacharya was instructed by the Lord to preach Vishishta Advaita philosophy for the time
being, the Acharyas complete the mission which was given to them by the Lord and may empower their future
followers to complete the future mission of the Lord which they themselves do not undertake directly even
though they are well aware of it. The direct mission of Lord Nityananda of spreading the glories of chanting
Gauranga's Holy Name can be considered in such a context. Shrila Prabhupada may have not directly undertaken
this mission but he laid the solid foundation for his followers to take it up by solidly establishing the chanting of
the Hare Krishna Mahamantra and the philosophy of Krishna consciousness.
After people understand who are Shri Shri Radha Krishna, then they can better understand who is Shri Gauranga.
This was Shrila Prabhupada's intention. Even Shrila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami in Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita
explains the glories of Shri Krishna first for the purpose to solidly establish the glories of Lord Gauranga. Thus
Shrila Prabhupada followed the footsteps of Shrila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami in this regard.
We are not saying that all followers of Shrila Prabhupada should compulsorily undertake this mission of spreading
Lord Gauranga's Name around the world but if some of his followers want to do it based on his teachings and
their realizations and inspirations of his teachings then their endeavors should be accepted, highly respected and
supported in every way.
Q. "Shrila Prabhupada has given us the Pancha Tattva Mantra which includes the Holy Names of Nityananda and
Gauranga so why do we need to chant the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas? I am anyway chanting the
Holy Names of Nityananda and Gauranga a few times a day in the form of the Pancha Tattva Mantra?" "
A. by Swami Gaurangapada:
Shrila Prabhupada most mercifully gave us the most beautiful Pancha Tattva Mantra but on the same hand he told
us not to chant the Pancha Tattva Mantra more than three times in the kirtana and also not as japa on beads
and instructed us to only chant it at the beginning of our japa. This is probably because there is no mention in
any scriptures about regular chanting of the Pancha Tattva Mantra on beads as japa by any of our Acharyas like
we have the scriptural descriptions for chanting the most authorized Gauranga (Gaura Gopala) Mantraraja as
japa and kirtana. Just like Harinama is the Hare Krishna Mahamantra likewise Gauranama is the Gauranga (Gaura
Gopala) Mantra.
Shrila Prabhupada says in Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita that the chanting of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's Holy
Name is more essential than chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra is Kali Yuga and also he states that
without "very regularly" chanting the Holy Names of Nityananda and Gauranga, no one should try to visit Shri
Vrindavana Dhama because one will commit offenses there.
So let us try to understand what is meant by Shrila Prabhupada's statement of chanting the Holy Names of
Nityananda Gauranga "very regularly". In Shrila Prabhupada's opinion, very regular chanting of Harinama means
the daily chanting of 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra which is equal to 16 (rounds) x 108 (mantras in
each round) x 16 (names in one mantra) = 27,648 times the Holy Names of Hare Krishna daily. So it is logically
understood that chanting the Holy Names of Nityananda and Gauranga "very regularly" means to chant Them at
least a few thousands of times daily if not 27,648 times like the Holy Names of Hare Krishna. If the chanting of
Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's Holy Name is more essential than the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra,
should it be performed only 10 to 20 times daily by chanting the Pancha Tattva Mantra or thousands of times daily
just like we do for the Hare Krishna Mahamantra? The second option sounds more logical and it is surely a better
understanding of Shrila Prabhupada's statements in this regard. Of course those who do not want to chant the
Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas in addition to the Hare Krishna Mahamantra and the Pancha Tattva are
free to continue as they are doing, but it should be understood that in the words of Shrila Prabhupada, one may
not get the full desired result unless one takes very regular shelter of the Holy Names of Nitai Gaura because of
the stringent ten offenses in the chanting of Hare Krishna.
Q. "Why are you saying ten offenses, ten offenses, ten offenses...? Just forget them and chant. Don't think of
them and they will go away."
A. by Swami Gaurangapada:
This is a foolish argument. If the ten offenses in the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra were just going to
go away on their own, then it does not make sense why Shrila Namacharya Haridasa Thakura has described
them in so much detail in Shri Hari Nama Chintamani on the request of the Supreme Lord Gauranga Himself and
told us to conscientiously avoid the ten offenses at all costs and at all times while chanting the Holy Names. Why
are the ten offenses mentioned in the Padma Purana is we do not need to know about them and avoid them with
all our effort. The ostrich which was being chased by the cheetah tried to put the neck and head into the sand on
becoming tired and tried to imagine that the cheetah has gone away. But the cheetah grabbed the ostrich and
devoured it. So simply ignoring to accept the great dangers of the ten offenses is not going to free us from them.
One has to find a way to destroy them and that is the chanting of the Holy Names of Nityananda and Gauranga.
Q. "Ok, all your replies are making a lot of sense, but why did Shrila Prabhupada not openly give Diksha in the
Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas to one and all if They are so important for Kali Yuga?"
A. by Swami Gaurangapada:
We have already explained that Shrila Prabhupada being a self-effulgent independent Acharya may not directly
implement all the instructions he has given in his books and may leave some for his followers to implement
depending on what the Lord instructs him to do at that time. Every Acharya has a specific mission laid out by the
Lord for him.
Gauranga Mantra Acharya Shrila Shivananda Sena was chanting the Gauranga Mantra constantly as his Ishta
Mantra so he must have received Gauranga Mantra Diksha from a Guru and he must have imparted Gauranga
Mantra Diksha to his disciples, even though this fact is not mentioned in the scriptures. There are so many
pastimes which may not be directly mentioned in the scriptures to avoid making them too voluminous. For those
who accept it, there is also the description about Lord Advaita Acharya initiating the mother and father of the
Supreme Lord Himself in the Gauranga Mantra before the Appearance of the Lord. So the sublime process of
Gauranga Mantra Diksha has been practiced by our Acharyas in the past and can be revived in the present times
by the mercy and desire of our whole Guru Parampara.
Shrila Prabhupada states in Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita that a Guru can choose a Mantra for his disciples
depending on the disciples' ability and qualification to chant different Mantras. Also he says that an expert
devotee can invent novel ways and means from the scriptures for the purpose of injecting Krishna consciousness
into the mass of the people.
What better way is there to inject offenseless and pure Krishna consciousness in the mass of the people, other
than preaching the chanting of the most magnanimous Holy Names of Nityananda Gauranga. Shrila Bhaktivinoda
Thakura confirms that without the regular chanting of the Holy Name of Gauranga, the offensive and fallen Kali
Yuga souls cannot be delivered either individually or collectively.
Though the chanting of Holy Names of Nityananda, Gauranga and Hare Krishna do not depend on initiation, and
can be chanted by anyone and everyone who can vibrate one's tongue, without taking the Holy Vow of
Gauranama Diksha of chanting a fixed number of Holy Names of Nityananda and Gauranga daily in front of Guru
and the Holy Names, one cannot easily become steadily fixed in chanting Gauranga's Holy Names just as one
requires Harinama Diksha to becomes steadily fixed in chanting 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra daily.
Just like Seventh Goswami Shrila Sacchidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura states, "ekaki amara nahi paya bala
harinama sankirtane.."O Gurudeva without your mercy, I do not have the strength to chant the Holy Names on
my own."
Shrila Prabhupada may have given the Hare Krishna Mahamantra Diksha directly but we have to understand that
he was directly empowered by Lord Gauranga to take the ten offenses of his disciples and destroy them. Even
then, we see so many thousands of his disciples have lost taste in chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra due to
the stringent ten offenses which are considered by the Holy Name of Lord Krishna.
Also there is a big spiritual danger for the Guru in initiating people directly in the Hare Krishna Mahamantra in the
normal case. The ten offenses committed by the disciple after receiving Diksha in the Holy Name of Krishna, may
block and destroy the devotion of the Guru himself if the Guru does not have very strong sedan (spiritual practice)
of his own. In such a case, only a very powerful Guru may be able to protect himself and burn up the ten offenses
of the hundreds and thousands of disciples. So this risk should be considered seriously by all Gurus whether they
are powerful or not unless they are specifically empowered by the Lord to directly give Diksha in the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra on a massive scale like Shrila Prabhupada and his own Gurudeva Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada.
One may ask why the Guru has to suffer for the ten offenses committed by the disciples. It is just like the
punishment inflicted by the King on the royal treasurer for giving the rubies in the royal treasury to an unworthy
monkey who does not understand the value of the rubies and thus crushes them into powder. If the treasurer
has considered the eligibility of the recipient before distributing the rubies, and thus not given them to the
unqualified in the first place, then this offense would never have occurred. So the majority of the blame for this
offense falls on the treasurer.
Similarly, the Diksha in the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas does not require any special qualification (just
the qualification to accept and start chanting the Holy Names), because the ten offenses are not considered in
the chanting of the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas. But Diksha in the Hare Krishna Mahamantra requires
the disciple to have full offenseless faith in the chanting of Hare Krishna Mahamantra because the ten offenses
are considered in the chanting of the Holy Name of Krishna.
So if the disciples chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra without adequately taking shelter of the Nityananda and
Gauranga Mantrarajas, then they will not get the desired result according to Shrila Prabhupada himself. The Holy
Names of Nityananda and Gauranga destroy all the ten offenses in the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra
and make the disciple qualified to properly approach the Hare Krishna Mahamantra without the fear of offenses.
The Nityananda Gauranga Mantra Diksha makes the spiritual position of the disciple as well as the Guru safe, and
since the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas destroy the ten offenses of the disciple in the chanting of the
Hare Krishna Mahamantra, the Guru and the disciple both will remain spiritually unaffected by the offenses which
may be committed by the disciple in the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra and disciple advances rapidly in
the science of the offenseless chanting of the Holy Names and the resultant realization of God understand the
guidance of the Guru.
So the Nityananda Gauranga Mantra Diksha in the most crucial strategic plan by the Guru in Kali Yuga in order to
give the disciple the best chance of succeeding in the offenseless chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra.
Those Gurus who decide to give the Hare Krishna Mahamantra directly to disciples without instructing them to
adequately chant the Holy Names of Nityananda and Gauranga have to instruct their disciples to strictly chant the
Hare Krishna Mahamantra constantly in multiples of 64 rounds daily just like the instruction of Shrila Haridasa
Thakura to the prostitute. Because constant chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra beginning with at least 64
rounds daily is the only other way to curb the ten offenses, though the constant chanting may be very difficult to
consistently perform for the souls of Kali Yuga who are totally immersed in materialistic activities day and night.
Also as per Hari Nama Chintamani, sometimes it is possible that a devotee may be chanting 64 rounds (100,000
Names) daily of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra for many lives but still not get any taste in the Holy Names due to
the formidable ten offenses. Thus the Holy Names of Nityananda and Gauranga are the easiest and surest
remedy for destroying the ten offenses and elevating the disciple to the stage of chanting the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra constantly. This explains the paramount importance of Nityananda Gauranga Diksha in the spiritual
lives of the disciple as well as the Nama Guru before accepting Initiation in the Hare Krishna Mahamantra.
Q. Why is Gau-ra-a-nga = Ra-dha-Krs-na = Ha-re-Krs-na according to Shrila Prabhupada?
A. by Swami Gaurangapada:
“Worshipers of Sri Gaurasundara accept the four syllables gau-ra-a-nga as the Gaura mantra, but pure
worshipers of Radha and Krsna accept the four syllables ra-dha krs-na as the Gaura-gopala mantra. However,
Vaisnavas consider Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu nondifferent from Radha-Krsna (sri-krsna-caitanya radha-krsna
nahe anya). Therefore one who chants the mantra “gauranga” and one who chants the names of Radha and
Krsna are on the same level.” (Srila Prabhupada in Chaitanya-charitamrita Antya-lila 2.31 purport)
It is very clear from this purport by Shrila Prabhupada that one who chants the Gauranga Mantraraja and one
who chants the Hare Krishna Mahamantra are both chanting the Names of Radha-Krishna and are thus on the
same level. Then why should one criticize the other? If Shrila Prabhupada says that both are equal then the
chanters of both the Mantras (Gauranga and Hare Krishna) have to be accepted on an equal level by all the
followers of Shrila Prabhupada.
Whenever Shrila Prabhupada uses the word “chant” it is applicable to both chanting japa on beads and chanting
or singing in kirtana unless he specifies for a particular case. So here the word “chant” is very clearly applicable
to japa also since many previous acharyas have chanted japa of Gauranga-Nama and thus it is the most
authorized process.
Some devotees state that Shrila Prabhupada said that simply the chanting of 16 rounds of Hare Krishna
Mahamantra will take us back to Godhead. But here are the exact words of Shrila Prabhupada in Sri Caitanya-
caritamrta Adi-lila 10.43 purport:
“Therefore we have prescribed in our society that all our students must chant at least sixteen rounds daily. Such
chanting must be offenseless in order to be of high quality. Mechanical chanting is not as powerful as chanting of
the holy name without offenses.”
So the offenselessly chanting of the Name is the key to going back to Godhead not just mechanical chanting. The
Hare Krishna Mahamantra considers the ten offenses mentioned in the Padma Purana whereas the Nityananda
and Gauranga Mantrarajas do not consider the offenses as confirmed in all the scriptures.
Someone may quote the following statement from Shrila Prabhupada and state that the way to remove the
offenses in the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra is the chanting of the Mahamantra Itself:
“The chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra is recommended even for persons who commit offenses, because if they
continue chanting they will gradually chant offenselessly. By chanting the Hare Krsna mantra without offenses,
one increases his love for Krsna.” (SB 6.3.24 purport)
But it is very important to note how the Hare Krishna Mahamantra has to be chanted to actually the destroy the
ten offenses. In the Hari-nama-chintamani, Namacharya Shrila Haridasa Thakura explains this point:
avisranta name nama-aparadha jaya;
tahe aparadha kabhu sthana nahi paya
“Only by continuous chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra day and night can the ten offenses against Krishna’
s Name be obliterated. By the constant chanting of Krishna’s Name, the ten offenses will not be able to again
implicate the chanter.”
Purport by Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura:
“Continuous chanting (avisranta nama)-Only one who chants the Name with great feeling all the time during the
day and night except during the time required for fulfilling the most basic bodily necessities like sleep etc. is able
to successfully destroy the ten offenses.”
So only the person who can chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra day and night with great feeling and attachment
without stoppage at all times except at the time of sleeping can factually destroy the ten offenses. Who can
accomplish this sadhana in the present circumstances in Kali-Yuga? A very very rare devotee may be able to do
this, maybe one in a million. So for the general people unless they can chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra
constantly in multiples of 64 rounds daily, they should take full shelter of chanting the Names of Nityananda and
Gauranga as that is the only other easier means of destroying the ten offenses other than the constant chanting
of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra Itself.
We know from the repeated statements of the Padma Purana, Hari-nama-cintamani, Chaitanya-Charitamrita,
Navadvipa-Dhama-Mahatmya etc. that there are basically two ways to destroy the formidable ten offenses in the
chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra, which are the only obstacles on the path of a sadhaka in the
achievement of Krishna-prema:
(1) To take shelter of very regularly chanting the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas.
(2) To chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra constantly day and night without stoppage in multiples of atleast 64
rounds daily.
The second process of constant chanting of the Mahamantra (atleast 64 rounds daily) is very difficult for the
conditioned souls of Kali-yuga who have to struggle to even complete their 16 rounds daily of the Mahamantra
because of lack of time which in turn is due to a lack of taste which in turn is due to the mountains of offenses in
their heart. It is obvious and clear that this process of constant chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra is
accepted by a devotee who is very advanced in bhakti due to his or her practicing bhakti for many, many births.
Ofcourse it is recommended that all the sadhakas should be able to raise one day to the level of chanting at least
100,000 names of the Lord daily but it may be practically implemented only by very, very few sincere souls in one
lifetime.
Hence the more practical and the most powerful solution for the neophyte and beginner in spiritual life as
suggested by Shrila Prabhupada himself is to thus take very regular shelter of the Nityananda and Gauranga
Mantrarajas, which means to chant Them at least 1000 times each (10 rounds) daily and increase the chanting to
16, 32, 64, 128 and 192 rounds daily in addition to increasing the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra from
1, 4, 8, 16, 32, 48, 64 rounds. This will enable the neophyte to quickly progress to the stage of chanting the Hare
Krishna Mahamantra without offenses. This is the verdict of Shrila Prabhupada, all the Acharyas, all the revealed
scriptures and of Lord Nityananda Himself.
Q. Please explain Shrila Prabhupada's statement that the Guru can choose the appropriate Mantras for his
disciples.
A. by Swami Gaurangapada:
“The spiritual master has to select a mantra for his disciple according to the disciple’s ability to chant different
mantras.” (Shrila Prabhupada in Cc Madhya 24.330)
It is the duty of the spiritual master to give those Mantras to the disciple which he or she is qualified to chant so
as to ensure that the disciple comes up to the level of chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra without offenses.
And the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas are the specific Mantras in Kali-Yuga which do not consider the
offensive mentality of the chanter and grant the chanter with qualification to render Krishna-bhakti and purely
chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra
Shrila Prabhupada in SB 1.5.16 purport:
“The expert devotees also can discover novel ways and means to convert the non-devotees in terms of particular
time and circumstance. Devotional service is dynamic activity, and the expert devotees can find out competent
means to inject it into the dull brains of the materialistic population. Such transcendental activities of the
devotees for the service of the Lord can bring a new order of life to the foolish society of materialistic men.”
Shrila Prabhupada in Cc Adi 7.31-32 purport:
“Here is an important point. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to invent a way to capture the Mayavadis and
others who did not take interest in the Krsna consciousness movement. This is the symptom of an acarya. An
acarya who comes for the service of the Lord cannot be expected to conform to a stereotype, for he must find the
ways and means by which Krsna consciousness may be spread.”
Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada introduced the system of Gayatri-Mantra-Diksha (Brahmana Diksha) for the
first time in our sampradaya even though he had not received it from his own guru. This was for the specific
purpose of stopping the Vaishnava-aparadha committed by the brahmanas in thinking themselves superior to the
Vaishnavas. Shrila Prabhupada also most mercifully and expertly introduced the chanting of the Pancha Tattva
Mantra even though the Mantra is not explicitly found anywhere in the revealed writings of Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada, Seventh Goswami Shrila Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura or the previous
Acharyas. We have also introduced this system of Gauranga-Mantra-Diksha (Gauranama Diksha) as the entrance
to Gauranga Dharma and Gauranga Bhakti Yoga, by the inspiration and order of all the acharyas and Lord
Nityananda in order to stop and totally destroy all the ten nama-aparadhas (offenses) of the devotees and
disciples and to make them rapidly achieve pure love for Krishna and qualification to chant the pure Hare Krishna
Mahamantra by regular chanting of the most authorized 4-syllable Gaura Gopala Mantra and the 5-syllable
Haladhara Balarama Mantra. Thus it is the right of every Guru to choose particular authorized Mantras for the
disciples’ rapid spiritual advancement and the people who criticize this are simply engaging in Vaishnava-ninda of
the devotees who are trying to spread the most merciful Names of the Lord: Nityananda and Gauranga. Of course
everyone can decide for oneself whether to chant the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas or not and can
remain neutral if they do not want to chant personally but the act of criticizing and minimizing those who are
genuinely chanting or preaching the glories of the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas in addition to the Hare
Krishna Mahamantra will spell spiritual doom for the unfortunate person who engages in such a supremely
inauspicious activity.
One should try to understand Shrila Prabhupada’s above quotes where he states that an expert devotee cannot
be forced to simply stick to a stereotype but his prime duty is to find out or invent or discover and introduce novel
ways and means from the scriptures to widely inject and spread Gauranga and Krishna consciousness into the
bloodstream of the suffering human society so that millions can take it up and rapidly progress in spiritual life.
The Acharyas who have directly descended from the spiritual world can directly give the Maha-mantra to the
aparadhi jivas (offensive souls) by making them directly qualified. Their activities should not be imitated by us but
their instructions in their books are to be followed. These instructions are clear that a neophyte should not
directly indulge in chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra only and if even he or she tries to do he will never
get the result due to his or her offenses. Instead they state that he or she should begin by very regularly
chanting the names of Nityananda and Gauranga. The acharyas have repeatedly given the instructions to chant
the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantras in their vani but they are not bound to implement their own instructions
and they are free to preach in whatever way they desire. Whereas we should try to strictly implement their
instructions rather than foolishly trying to imitate what they have done. For us their instructions are more
important than their incomprehensible and transcendental activities which can never be imitated.
An acharya may not rigidly follow his own instructions give in his books. Because he is as independent as the Lord
Himself. Similarly Shrila Prabhupada said that a neophyte student should not directly chant the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra but should take shelter of the names of Nityananda and Gauranga first. But Shrila Prabhupada need
not follow this standard given by his own self and can directly introduce the Mahamantra (which is what he did in
most cases) because he is independent being the direct associate of Lord Gauranga. But his followers can and
should follow his instructions in his books for their own rapid spiritual advancement and for preaching purposes
rather than simply trying to imitate what he did.
The Acharyas may have disapproved of chanting Mantras not authorized in the scriptures containing Nityananda
and Gauranga Names like bhaja nitai-gaura radhe-shyam...but those statements should never be applied to
chanting the most bonafide Gaura Gopala Mantra-Gauranga which has been chanted by all our acharyas and
mentioned in the authentic scriptures. Nor is there even a single evidence anywhere in the scriptures to prove
that Gauranga Mantraraja should only be chanted in kirtana and not on beads. In fact many acharyas like
Shivananda Sena and all the eternal associates of Lord Gauranga in Goloka, Parvati, Shiva, Sapta rishis,
Markendeya Rishi etc. have chanted japa of the Gauranga Mantraraja on beads and Shrila Prabhupada has
approved of it more than once as seen in the above quotes.
As per the comprehensive scriptural quotations the Gaura Gopala Mantraraja: “Gauranga” and the Haladhara
Balarama Mantraraja: “Nityananda” are authorized Mantras from the Vedic scriptures and are not unauthorized
Mantras like “bhaja nitai gaura radhe syama hare krsna hare rama” or “sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nitynanda hare
krsna hare rama sri-radhe govinda”.
Besides all the devotees who are chanting the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas are also chanting the
Pancha-tattva Mantra before beginning the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra in japa and kirtana as
recommended by Shrila Prabhupada in the above quote.
Also according to the scriptures one can have different Diksha Gurus for different mantras. Like for example,
Parvati got Diksha in the Ramamantra from Shiva, her husband (which she explicitly and clearly mentions in the
Chaitanya-Charitamrita Cc), in the Mahamantra from Shrila Haridasa Thakura again as described in Cc and in the
Gauranga Mantraraja from Lord Shiva (Navadvipa-dhama-mahatmya) after which she achieved the darshan of
Lord Gauranga in Navadvipa. So it is authorized by the scriptures. There should be only one Diksha Guru for one
Mantra though. That is the conclusion of the scriptures. Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada accepted Diksha in
the Nrisingha Mantra from his father Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in childhood and in the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra from Shrila Gaura Kishore Dasa Babaji. So devotees who have accepted Diksha in any bonafide
Vaishnava Mantra from any bonafide Vaishnava guru in any of the four sampradayas (please read our book
“Maha Mantra Yoga” for further details) can also accept Gauranga Mantra or Gauranama Mahadiksha into the
Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas since these two Mantrarajas destroy all the offenses and ensure our rapid
success in chanting of all the bonafide Vishnu Mantras in this world.
Of course the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas are so supremely powerful and independent that They do
not wait or depend on Diksha and can be chanted by anyone and everyone. Diksha is a process which hastens
up the purification of the spiritual aspirant as he or she chants the Mantrarajas received from the lips of a Guru
who is realized in chanting of the Mantrarajas and then chants under the merciful guidance and blessings of Shri
Gurudeva.
Some other points to understand the science of Nityananda Gauranga Mantra Diksha
(1) A Guru can choose particular Mantras for his disciple depending on the disciples' qualification to chant specific
mantras as per Shrila Prabhupada. (Cc Madhya 24.330: "The spiritual master has to select a mantra for his
disciple according to the disciple's ability to chant different mantras.")
(2) Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada introduced the system of Gayatri-Mantra-Diksha (Brahmana Diksha) for the
first time in our sampradaya even though he had not received it from his own guru. Because he wanted to stop
the Vaishnava-aparadha committed by the brahmanas in thinking themselves superior to the Vaishnavas.
Similarly we have introduced this system of Gauranga-Mantra-Diksha by the inspiration of all the acharyas and
Lord Nityananda in order to stop and totally destroy all the ten nama-aparadhas (offenses) of the devotees and
disciples and to make them rapidly achieve pure love for Krishna and qualification to chant the pure Maha-mantra.
(3) The Acharyas who directly descended from the spiritual world can directly give the Maha-mantra to the
aparadhi jivas by making them qualified but their activities should not be imitated but their instructions in their
books are to be followed which is that a neophyte should not directly indulge in chanting of the Maha-mantra only
and even if he tries to do he will never get the result due to his or her offenses. Instead they state that he or she
should begin by very regularly chanting the names of Nityananda-Gauranga. The acharyas have repeatedly given
the instructions to chant the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantras in their vani but they are not bound to implement
their own instructions and they are free to preach in whatever way they desire. Whereas we should try to strictly
implement their instructions rather than simply and foolishly saying that we should not because they have not
practically implemented it. For us their instructions are more important than their incomprehensible &
transcendental activities. Also Shrila Prabhupada said that a sannyasi should not attend marriage ceremonies but
he himself conducted some of the ceremonies. So an acharya may not rigidly follow his own instructions give in his
books. Because he is as independent as the Lord Himself. Similarly Shrila Prabhupada said that a neophyte
syudent should not directly chant the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra but should take shelter of the names of
Nityananda-Gauranga first. But Shrila Prabhupada may not follow this standard given by his own self and can
directly introduce the Maha-mantra (which is what he did) because he is independent being the direct associate
of Lord Gauranga. But his followers can follow his instructions in his books for their rapid spiritual advancement.
(4) An Acharya may want to do something but he may leave it for his followers to accomplish when the time is
ripe. Like Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada wanted the name of Lord Gauranga to spread all over the world but
he did not travel abroad and left that task for his disciple, Shrila Prabhupada. Similarly Prabhupada wanted that
the Gauranga Mantra spread all over the world as per his clear and repeated instruction but he left this mission
to his followers.
(5) As Prabhupada said that: "The expert devotees also can discover novel ways and means to convert the
nondevotees in terms of particular time and circumstance. Devotional service is dynamic activity, and the expert
devotees can find out competent means to inject it into the dull brains of the materialistic population. Such
transcendental activities of the devotees for the service of the Lord can bring a new order of life to the foolish
society of materialistic men." (SB 1.5.16 purport)
Shrila Prabhupada in Cc Adi 7.31-32 purport: "Here is an important point. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to
invent a way to capture the Mayavadis and others who did not take interest in the Krsna consciousness
movement. This is the symptom of an acarya. An acarya who comes for the service of the Lord cannot be
expected to conform to a stereotype, for he must find the ways and means by which Krsna consciousness may be
spread."
Note: Please note that here the words "discover or invent novel ways and means" is used so it means that an
expert devotee can preach Krishna and Gauranga consciousness by means (like Gauranga-Mantra- Diksha and
Gayatri-Mantra-Diksha etc etc) which may not have been practically adopted by the previous acharyas. Of course
the expert devotee does this due to the inspiration and the desire of the previous acharyas and Lord Nityananda
and no one should feel envious about the introduction of this sublime process of Nityananda Gauranga Mantra
Diksha for effectively destroying the ten offenses.
(6) Commentary of Shrila Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura to Aphorism 43 of Tattva Sutra:
"Devotees of the Supreme Lord are not controlled by the scriptures since their activities are congenial to the
Divine Wisdom. Therefore, when the advanced devotees ordain any new arrangements, they should be agreed
as the religious code, even if they are not found in the scriptural dictums of the previous sages. This is also
agreed by Manu."
TOP
"Vaisnavas consider Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu non-different from Radha-Krishna (sri-krsna-caitanya radha-krsna
nahe anya). Therefore *ONE WHO CHANTS THE MANTRA "GAURANGA" and ONE WHO CHANTS THE NAMES OF
RADHA AND KRSNA ARE ON THE SAME LEVEL." (Shrila Prabhupada in Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita Antya-lila 2.31
purport). Please throw some more light on this most important statement by Shrila Prabhupada.
A. by Swami Gaurangapada:
Shrila Prabhupada says that one who chants the Gauranga Mantra and one who chants the Holy Names of Radha
Krishna in the form of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra are on the same level. This statement is a confirmation of the
fact that Shri Radha Krishna have combined in the golden form of Shri Gauranga. So both the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra and the Gauranga Mantraraja are the Holy Names of the same Lord Gauranga Krishna and have
equal potency.
Those who give more importance to the Hare Krishna Mahamantra and reject or belittle the Gauranga Mantraraja
are accepting one form (Radha Krishna) of the Lord and rejecting the other form (Gauranga) of the same Lord and
vice versa is also true. This amounts to the philosophy of accepting only half of the hen i.e. the back part of the
hen which gives the egg and rejecting the front part which has to be fed. If one cuts the hen into two, then one
looses the eggs also. Similarly if one does not have full faith in Lord Gauranga and the chanting of His Holy Name,
then one will never be able to attain pure love of God even if one chants the Holy Names of Shri Shri Radha
Krishna in the form of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra with full faith for millions of lives. Similarly, one may chant the
Holy Name of Lord Gauranga with full faith but if one does not accept that Gauranga is actually Radha Krishna
combined then one will not achieve success in the chanting of Gauranga's Name.
When Shri Shri Radha Krishna have Themselves combined in the form of Lord Gauranga to taste that love, one
can imagine how sweet the Holy Name of Gauranga is actually is. It is verily the supreme combined nectar
essence of Radha and Krishna. That is why Shrila Prabhupada clearly states that Gauranga Mantra chanters are
on the same elevated spiritual level as Hare Krishna chanters or Radha Krishna chanters. Only those who
understand this spiritual truth of Kali Yuga can factually succeed in the offenseless chanting of the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra by the causeless mercy of Lord Gauranga and His Holy Name. Shrila Prabhupada being the
confidential associate of Lord Gauranga, is fully aware of this truth about the non difference of the Holy Name of
Gauranga from the Hare Krishna Mahamantra.
Q. Someone may argue, "Ok, agreed that Gauranga Mantra is on the same level as the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra, but since Shrila Prabhupada personally did not chant the Gauranga Mantra at least externally, I am
not so interested in the Gauranga Mantraraja."
A. by Swami Gaurangapada:
Though hardly any devotee may have seen Shrila Prabhupada chanting the Gauranga Mantraraja externally,
Shrila Prabhupada is certainly chanting the Gauranga constantly, in his spiritual form in the eternal spiritual
abodes of Navadvipa and Puri to worship Lord Gauranga just like he is constantly chanting the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra in his eternal spiritual form in Vrindavana to worship Shri Shri Radha Krishna. This is exactly what
Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura meant when he said that the souls have two spiritual bodies in Gauranga's pastimes
and Krishna's pastimes respectively.
It is mentioned in Jaiva Dharma that every conscious particle in Navadvipa is constantly chanting the Holy Names
of Nityananda and Gauranga. As described in Prema Vivarta, Shrila Shukadeva Goswami, in the form of a parrot,
would not stop chanting the Holy Name of Gauranga in Navadvipa even though Lord Gauranga Himself asked him
to chant the Holy Names of Radha Krishna instead thus immensely pleasing Lord Gauranga internally.
Shrila Shivananda Sena who is an incarnation of two gopies of Shri Shri Radha Krishna in madhurya rasa
(conjugal love) would not have chanted the Gauranga (Gaura Gopala) Mantraraja if the Gauranga Mantra was not
a madhurya rasika mantra on the topmost platform. He was factually worshiping both Shri Shri Radha Krishna and
Shri Gauranga within his heart by the constant chanting of his most worshipable ista Gauranga Mantraraja.
Q. "Shrila Prabhupada is saying the chanting the Gauranga Mantra and chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra
are on the same level. He is just making a theoretical and philosophical point, that's all. There is no reason to
take this statement so seriously and start chanting the Gauranga Mantra."
A. by Swami Gaurangapada:
Shrila Prabhupada is not just theoretically stating that the Gauranga Mantra chanting is on the same level as the
chanting of the Holy Names of Radha Krishna which include the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Some may consider
that this quote is only for academic purposes and thus not given serious attention to the Gauranga Mantraraja.
Then they stand to loose. When Shrila Prabhupada is stating that the Gauranga Mantra chanting is on the same
level as chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra, it is clear that Shrila Prabhupada is not only authorizing the
chanting of the Gauranga Mantraraja but also recommending it.
Q. "Then why did Shrila Prabhupada not personally, directly and openly tell devotees to chant the Gaura Gopala
Mantraraja?"
A. by Swami Gaurangapada:
The simple answer is that Shrila Prabhupada has said that everything which he wanted to instruct was in his
books. Sometimes an Acharya being an independent devotee of the Lord may not directly implement all the
instructions which he gives in his books. But all his instructions are absolute and can be universally applied. If
some devotee of Shrila Prabhupada accepts the above instructions of chanting the Gauranga Mantra along with
the Hare Krishna Mahamantra as his life and soul and wants to practically implement it for the benefit of all the
offensive conditioned souls of Kali Yuga, then it is the direct service of Shrila Prabhupada.
The conditioned souls who are struggling in a loosing battle against Maya in the most formidable ten offenses in
the chanting of the Holy Name of Krishna have very little chance to succeed unless they take very regular shelter
of the Holy Names of Nityananda Gauranga or if they constantly chant at least 64 rounds of the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra. The second option is very difficult for any person in this age due to a lack of time and interest.
Q. "Why should Gauranga Mantra chanters be given equal respect by Hare Krishna chanters and not offended in
any way?
A. by Swami Gaurangapada:
As per the above statement of Shrila Prabhupada in Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita, followers of Shrila Prabhupada
who understand it, should give equal respect to the devotees chanting the Gauranga Mantraraja along with the
Hare Krishna Mahamantra. It is easily understood that someone on an equal level should be given equal respect
not criticized or rejected. In addition the Nityananda Gauranga Mantra chanters are chanting the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra also as per the instructions of all the Acharyas so there is absolutely no reason to look down upon
them by anyone in creation.
Shrila Prabhupada respected anyone who was chanting a bonafide Holy Name of God irrespective of the external
group or religion that person belonged to so what to speak of that personality who is chanting "Gauranga" the
most merciful and offenseless Holy Name of the Lord along with the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Shrila
Bhaktivinoda Thakura writes, "Unadulterated or non sectarian Vaishnavism is the natural religion. In other words,
it is the eternal function of the soul."
Q. "Why did Shrila Prabhupada reveal this great mission of chanting and spreading the Holy Name of Gauranga
only in one commentary of Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita and not publicly to one and all?"
A. by Swami Gaurangapada:
We find in the great scripture Shri Navadvipa Dhama Mahatmya that Shripada Ramanujacharya wanted to spread
the Holy Name of Gauranga in the whole universe and make all the three worlds into Gauranga Bhaktas when he
heard the Holy Name of Gauranga from the lotus mouth of Lord Jagannatha Himself in Shri Puri Dhama.
But Lord Jagannatha who is Lord Gauranga Himself forbade him to do so because the proper time had not come
to fulfill this topmost mission. Lord Jagannatha said that after I advent as Lord Gauranga in Kali Yuga and
complete My pastimes, after that a time will come when My Holy Name of Gauranga will spread all over the world.
So the Acharyas are fully aware that Gauranga's Holy Name will be chanted and spread all over the world but
they also know that the Gauranga Nama Prabhu has to be revealed only at the appropriate time which the Lord
chooses.
Just like Shripada Ramanujacharya was instructed by the Lord to preach Vishishta Advaita philosophy for the time
being, the Acharyas complete the mission which was given to them by the Lord and may empower their future
followers to complete the future mission of the Lord which they themselves do not undertake directly even
though they are well aware of it. The direct mission of Lord Nityananda of spreading the glories of chanting
Gauranga's Holy Name can be considered in such a context. Shrila Prabhupada may have not directly undertaken
this mission but he laid the solid foundation for his followers to take it up by solidly establishing the chanting of
the Hare Krishna Mahamantra and the philosophy of Krishna consciousness.
After people understand who are Shri Shri Radha Krishna, then they can better understand who is Shri Gauranga.
This was Shrila Prabhupada's intention. Even Shrila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami in Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita
explains the glories of Shri Krishna first for the purpose to solidly establish the glories of Lord Gauranga. Thus
Shrila Prabhupada followed the footsteps of Shrila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami in this regard.
We are not saying that all followers of Shrila Prabhupada should compulsorily undertake this mission of spreading
Lord Gauranga's Name around the world but if some of his followers want to do it based on his teachings and
their realizations and inspirations of his teachings then their endeavors should be accepted, highly respected and
supported in every way.
Q. "Shrila Prabhupada has given us the Pancha Tattva Mantra which includes the Holy Names of Nityananda and
Gauranga so why do we need to chant the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas? I am anyway chanting the
Holy Names of Nityananda and Gauranga a few times a day in the form of the Pancha Tattva Mantra?" "
A. by Swami Gaurangapada:
Shrila Prabhupada most mercifully gave us the most beautiful Pancha Tattva Mantra but on the same hand he told
us not to chant the Pancha Tattva Mantra more than three times in the kirtana and also not as japa on beads
and instructed us to only chant it at the beginning of our japa. This is probably because there is no mention in
any scriptures about regular chanting of the Pancha Tattva Mantra on beads as japa by any of our Acharyas like
we have the scriptural descriptions for chanting the most authorized Gauranga (Gaura Gopala) Mantraraja as
japa and kirtana. Just like Harinama is the Hare Krishna Mahamantra likewise Gauranama is the Gauranga (Gaura
Gopala) Mantra.
Shrila Prabhupada says in Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita that the chanting of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's Holy
Name is more essential than chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra is Kali Yuga and also he states that
without "very regularly" chanting the Holy Names of Nityananda and Gauranga, no one should try to visit Shri
Vrindavana Dhama because one will commit offenses there.
So let us try to understand what is meant by Shrila Prabhupada's statement of chanting the Holy Names of
Nityananda Gauranga "very regularly". In Shrila Prabhupada's opinion, very regular chanting of Harinama means
the daily chanting of 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra which is equal to 16 (rounds) x 108 (mantras in
each round) x 16 (names in one mantra) = 27,648 times the Holy Names of Hare Krishna daily. So it is logically
understood that chanting the Holy Names of Nityananda and Gauranga "very regularly" means to chant Them at
least a few thousands of times daily if not 27,648 times like the Holy Names of Hare Krishna. If the chanting of
Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's Holy Name is more essential than the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra,
should it be performed only 10 to 20 times daily by chanting the Pancha Tattva Mantra or thousands of times daily
just like we do for the Hare Krishna Mahamantra? The second option sounds more logical and it is surely a better
understanding of Shrila Prabhupada's statements in this regard. Of course those who do not want to chant the
Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas in addition to the Hare Krishna Mahamantra and the Pancha Tattva are
free to continue as they are doing, but it should be understood that in the words of Shrila Prabhupada, one may
not get the full desired result unless one takes very regular shelter of the Holy Names of Nitai Gaura because of
the stringent ten offenses in the chanting of Hare Krishna.
Q. "Why are you saying ten offenses, ten offenses, ten offenses...? Just forget them and chant. Don't think of
them and they will go away."
A. by Swami Gaurangapada:
This is a foolish argument. If the ten offenses in the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra were just going to
go away on their own, then it does not make sense why Shrila Namacharya Haridasa Thakura has described
them in so much detail in Shri Hari Nama Chintamani on the request of the Supreme Lord Gauranga Himself and
told us to conscientiously avoid the ten offenses at all costs and at all times while chanting the Holy Names. Why
are the ten offenses mentioned in the Padma Purana is we do not need to know about them and avoid them with
all our effort. The ostrich which was being chased by the cheetah tried to put the neck and head into the sand on
becoming tired and tried to imagine that the cheetah has gone away. But the cheetah grabbed the ostrich and
devoured it. So simply ignoring to accept the great dangers of the ten offenses is not going to free us from them.
One has to find a way to destroy them and that is the chanting of the Holy Names of Nityananda and Gauranga.
Q. "Ok, all your replies are making a lot of sense, but why did Shrila Prabhupada not openly give Diksha in the
Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas to one and all if They are so important for Kali Yuga?"
A. by Swami Gaurangapada:
We have already explained that Shrila Prabhupada being a self-effulgent independent Acharya may not directly
implement all the instructions he has given in his books and may leave some for his followers to implement
depending on what the Lord instructs him to do at that time. Every Acharya has a specific mission laid out by the
Lord for him.
Gauranga Mantra Acharya Shrila Shivananda Sena was chanting the Gauranga Mantra constantly as his Ishta
Mantra so he must have received Gauranga Mantra Diksha from a Guru and he must have imparted Gauranga
Mantra Diksha to his disciples, even though this fact is not mentioned in the scriptures. There are so many
pastimes which may not be directly mentioned in the scriptures to avoid making them too voluminous. For those
who accept it, there is also the description about Lord Advaita Acharya initiating the mother and father of the
Supreme Lord Himself in the Gauranga Mantra before the Appearance of the Lord. So the sublime process of
Gauranga Mantra Diksha has been practiced by our Acharyas in the past and can be revived in the present times
by the mercy and desire of our whole Guru Parampara.
Shrila Prabhupada states in Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita that a Guru can choose a Mantra for his disciples
depending on the disciples' ability and qualification to chant different Mantras. Also he says that an expert
devotee can invent novel ways and means from the scriptures for the purpose of injecting Krishna consciousness
into the mass of the people.
What better way is there to inject offenseless and pure Krishna consciousness in the mass of the people, other
than preaching the chanting of the most magnanimous Holy Names of Nityananda Gauranga. Shrila Bhaktivinoda
Thakura confirms that without the regular chanting of the Holy Name of Gauranga, the offensive and fallen Kali
Yuga souls cannot be delivered either individually or collectively.
Though the chanting of Holy Names of Nityananda, Gauranga and Hare Krishna do not depend on initiation, and
can be chanted by anyone and everyone who can vibrate one's tongue, without taking the Holy Vow of
Gauranama Diksha of chanting a fixed number of Holy Names of Nityananda and Gauranga daily in front of Guru
and the Holy Names, one cannot easily become steadily fixed in chanting Gauranga's Holy Names just as one
requires Harinama Diksha to becomes steadily fixed in chanting 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra daily.
Just like Seventh Goswami Shrila Sacchidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura states, "ekaki amara nahi paya bala
harinama sankirtane.."O Gurudeva without your mercy, I do not have the strength to chant the Holy Names on
my own."
Shrila Prabhupada may have given the Hare Krishna Mahamantra Diksha directly but we have to understand that
he was directly empowered by Lord Gauranga to take the ten offenses of his disciples and destroy them. Even
then, we see so many thousands of his disciples have lost taste in chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra due to
the stringent ten offenses which are considered by the Holy Name of Lord Krishna.
Also there is a big spiritual danger for the Guru in initiating people directly in the Hare Krishna Mahamantra in the
normal case. The ten offenses committed by the disciple after receiving Diksha in the Holy Name of Krishna, may
block and destroy the devotion of the Guru himself if the Guru does not have very strong sedan (spiritual practice)
of his own. In such a case, only a very powerful Guru may be able to protect himself and burn up the ten offenses
of the hundreds and thousands of disciples. So this risk should be considered seriously by all Gurus whether they
are powerful or not unless they are specifically empowered by the Lord to directly give Diksha in the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra on a massive scale like Shrila Prabhupada and his own Gurudeva Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada.
One may ask why the Guru has to suffer for the ten offenses committed by the disciples. It is just like the
punishment inflicted by the King on the royal treasurer for giving the rubies in the royal treasury to an unworthy
monkey who does not understand the value of the rubies and thus crushes them into powder. If the treasurer
has considered the eligibility of the recipient before distributing the rubies, and thus not given them to the
unqualified in the first place, then this offense would never have occurred. So the majority of the blame for this
offense falls on the treasurer.
Similarly, the Diksha in the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas does not require any special qualification (just
the qualification to accept and start chanting the Holy Names), because the ten offenses are not considered in
the chanting of the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas. But Diksha in the Hare Krishna Mahamantra requires
the disciple to have full offenseless faith in the chanting of Hare Krishna Mahamantra because the ten offenses
are considered in the chanting of the Holy Name of Krishna.
So if the disciples chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra without adequately taking shelter of the Nityananda and
Gauranga Mantrarajas, then they will not get the desired result according to Shrila Prabhupada himself. The Holy
Names of Nityananda and Gauranga destroy all the ten offenses in the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra
and make the disciple qualified to properly approach the Hare Krishna Mahamantra without the fear of offenses.
The Nityananda Gauranga Mantra Diksha makes the spiritual position of the disciple as well as the Guru safe, and
since the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas destroy the ten offenses of the disciple in the chanting of the
Hare Krishna Mahamantra, the Guru and the disciple both will remain spiritually unaffected by the offenses which
may be committed by the disciple in the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra and disciple advances rapidly in
the science of the offenseless chanting of the Holy Names and the resultant realization of God understand the
guidance of the Guru.
So the Nityananda Gauranga Mantra Diksha in the most crucial strategic plan by the Guru in Kali Yuga in order to
give the disciple the best chance of succeeding in the offenseless chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra.
Those Gurus who decide to give the Hare Krishna Mahamantra directly to disciples without instructing them to
adequately chant the Holy Names of Nityananda and Gauranga have to instruct their disciples to strictly chant the
Hare Krishna Mahamantra constantly in multiples of 64 rounds daily just like the instruction of Shrila Haridasa
Thakura to the prostitute. Because constant chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra beginning with at least 64
rounds daily is the only other way to curb the ten offenses, though the constant chanting may be very difficult to
consistently perform for the souls of Kali Yuga who are totally immersed in materialistic activities day and night.
Also as per Hari Nama Chintamani, sometimes it is possible that a devotee may be chanting 64 rounds (100,000
Names) daily of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra for many lives but still not get any taste in the Holy Names due to
the formidable ten offenses. Thus the Holy Names of Nityananda and Gauranga are the easiest and surest
remedy for destroying the ten offenses and elevating the disciple to the stage of chanting the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra constantly. This explains the paramount importance of Nityananda Gauranga Diksha in the spiritual
lives of the disciple as well as the Nama Guru before accepting Initiation in the Hare Krishna Mahamantra.
Q. Why is Gau-ra-a-nga = Ra-dha-Krs-na = Ha-re-Krs-na according to Shrila Prabhupada?
A. by Swami Gaurangapada:
“Worshipers of Sri Gaurasundara accept the four syllables gau-ra-a-nga as the Gaura mantra, but pure
worshipers of Radha and Krsna accept the four syllables ra-dha krs-na as the Gaura-gopala mantra. However,
Vaisnavas consider Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu nondifferent from Radha-Krsna (sri-krsna-caitanya radha-krsna
nahe anya). Therefore one who chants the mantra “gauranga” and one who chants the names of Radha and
Krsna are on the same level.” (Srila Prabhupada in Chaitanya-charitamrita Antya-lila 2.31 purport)
It is very clear from this purport by Shrila Prabhupada that one who chants the Gauranga Mantraraja and one
who chants the Hare Krishna Mahamantra are both chanting the Names of Radha-Krishna and are thus on the
same level. Then why should one criticize the other? If Shrila Prabhupada says that both are equal then the
chanters of both the Mantras (Gauranga and Hare Krishna) have to be accepted on an equal level by all the
followers of Shrila Prabhupada.
Whenever Shrila Prabhupada uses the word “chant” it is applicable to both chanting japa on beads and chanting
or singing in kirtana unless he specifies for a particular case. So here the word “chant” is very clearly applicable
to japa also since many previous acharyas have chanted japa of Gauranga-Nama and thus it is the most
authorized process.
Some devotees state that Shrila Prabhupada said that simply the chanting of 16 rounds of Hare Krishna
Mahamantra will take us back to Godhead. But here are the exact words of Shrila Prabhupada in Sri Caitanya-
caritamrta Adi-lila 10.43 purport:
“Therefore we have prescribed in our society that all our students must chant at least sixteen rounds daily. Such
chanting must be offenseless in order to be of high quality. Mechanical chanting is not as powerful as chanting of
the holy name without offenses.”
So the offenselessly chanting of the Name is the key to going back to Godhead not just mechanical chanting. The
Hare Krishna Mahamantra considers the ten offenses mentioned in the Padma Purana whereas the Nityananda
and Gauranga Mantrarajas do not consider the offenses as confirmed in all the scriptures.
Someone may quote the following statement from Shrila Prabhupada and state that the way to remove the
offenses in the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra is the chanting of the Mahamantra Itself:
“The chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra is recommended even for persons who commit offenses, because if they
continue chanting they will gradually chant offenselessly. By chanting the Hare Krsna mantra without offenses,
one increases his love for Krsna.” (SB 6.3.24 purport)
But it is very important to note how the Hare Krishna Mahamantra has to be chanted to actually the destroy the
ten offenses. In the Hari-nama-chintamani, Namacharya Shrila Haridasa Thakura explains this point:
avisranta name nama-aparadha jaya;
tahe aparadha kabhu sthana nahi paya
“Only by continuous chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra day and night can the ten offenses against Krishna’
s Name be obliterated. By the constant chanting of Krishna’s Name, the ten offenses will not be able to again
implicate the chanter.”
Purport by Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura:
“Continuous chanting (avisranta nama)-Only one who chants the Name with great feeling all the time during the
day and night except during the time required for fulfilling the most basic bodily necessities like sleep etc. is able
to successfully destroy the ten offenses.”
So only the person who can chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra day and night with great feeling and attachment
without stoppage at all times except at the time of sleeping can factually destroy the ten offenses. Who can
accomplish this sadhana in the present circumstances in Kali-Yuga? A very very rare devotee may be able to do
this, maybe one in a million. So for the general people unless they can chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra
constantly in multiples of 64 rounds daily, they should take full shelter of chanting the Names of Nityananda and
Gauranga as that is the only other easier means of destroying the ten offenses other than the constant chanting
of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra Itself.
We know from the repeated statements of the Padma Purana, Hari-nama-cintamani, Chaitanya-Charitamrita,
Navadvipa-Dhama-Mahatmya etc. that there are basically two ways to destroy the formidable ten offenses in the
chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra, which are the only obstacles on the path of a sadhaka in the
achievement of Krishna-prema:
(1) To take shelter of very regularly chanting the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas.
(2) To chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra constantly day and night without stoppage in multiples of atleast 64
rounds daily.
The second process of constant chanting of the Mahamantra (atleast 64 rounds daily) is very difficult for the
conditioned souls of Kali-yuga who have to struggle to even complete their 16 rounds daily of the Mahamantra
because of lack of time which in turn is due to a lack of taste which in turn is due to the mountains of offenses in
their heart. It is obvious and clear that this process of constant chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra is
accepted by a devotee who is very advanced in bhakti due to his or her practicing bhakti for many, many births.
Ofcourse it is recommended that all the sadhakas should be able to raise one day to the level of chanting at least
100,000 names of the Lord daily but it may be practically implemented only by very, very few sincere souls in one
lifetime.
Hence the more practical and the most powerful solution for the neophyte and beginner in spiritual life as
suggested by Shrila Prabhupada himself is to thus take very regular shelter of the Nityananda and Gauranga
Mantrarajas, which means to chant Them at least 1000 times each (10 rounds) daily and increase the chanting to
16, 32, 64, 128 and 192 rounds daily in addition to increasing the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra from
1, 4, 8, 16, 32, 48, 64 rounds. This will enable the neophyte to quickly progress to the stage of chanting the Hare
Krishna Mahamantra without offenses. This is the verdict of Shrila Prabhupada, all the Acharyas, all the revealed
scriptures and of Lord Nityananda Himself.
Q. Please explain Shrila Prabhupada's statement that the Guru can choose the appropriate Mantras for his
disciples.
A. by Swami Gaurangapada:
“The spiritual master has to select a mantra for his disciple according to the disciple’s ability to chant different
mantras.” (Shrila Prabhupada in Cc Madhya 24.330)
It is the duty of the spiritual master to give those Mantras to the disciple which he or she is qualified to chant so
as to ensure that the disciple comes up to the level of chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra without offenses.
And the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas are the specific Mantras in Kali-Yuga which do not consider the
offensive mentality of the chanter and grant the chanter with qualification to render Krishna-bhakti and purely
chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra
Shrila Prabhupada in SB 1.5.16 purport:
“The expert devotees also can discover novel ways and means to convert the non-devotees in terms of particular
time and circumstance. Devotional service is dynamic activity, and the expert devotees can find out competent
means to inject it into the dull brains of the materialistic population. Such transcendental activities of the
devotees for the service of the Lord can bring a new order of life to the foolish society of materialistic men.”
Shrila Prabhupada in Cc Adi 7.31-32 purport:
“Here is an important point. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to invent a way to capture the Mayavadis and
others who did not take interest in the Krsna consciousness movement. This is the symptom of an acarya. An
acarya who comes for the service of the Lord cannot be expected to conform to a stereotype, for he must find the
ways and means by which Krsna consciousness may be spread.”
Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada introduced the system of Gayatri-Mantra-Diksha (Brahmana Diksha) for the
first time in our sampradaya even though he had not received it from his own guru. This was for the specific
purpose of stopping the Vaishnava-aparadha committed by the brahmanas in thinking themselves superior to the
Vaishnavas. Shrila Prabhupada also most mercifully and expertly introduced the chanting of the Pancha Tattva
Mantra even though the Mantra is not explicitly found anywhere in the revealed writings of Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada, Seventh Goswami Shrila Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura or the previous
Acharyas. We have also introduced this system of Gauranga-Mantra-Diksha (Gauranama Diksha) as the entrance
to Gauranga Dharma and Gauranga Bhakti Yoga, by the inspiration and order of all the acharyas and Lord
Nityananda in order to stop and totally destroy all the ten nama-aparadhas (offenses) of the devotees and
disciples and to make them rapidly achieve pure love for Krishna and qualification to chant the pure Hare Krishna
Mahamantra by regular chanting of the most authorized 4-syllable Gaura Gopala Mantra and the 5-syllable
Haladhara Balarama Mantra. Thus it is the right of every Guru to choose particular authorized Mantras for the
disciples’ rapid spiritual advancement and the people who criticize this are simply engaging in Vaishnava-ninda of
the devotees who are trying to spread the most merciful Names of the Lord: Nityananda and Gauranga. Of course
everyone can decide for oneself whether to chant the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas or not and can
remain neutral if they do not want to chant personally but the act of criticizing and minimizing those who are
genuinely chanting or preaching the glories of the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas in addition to the Hare
Krishna Mahamantra will spell spiritual doom for the unfortunate person who engages in such a supremely
inauspicious activity.
One should try to understand Shrila Prabhupada’s above quotes where he states that an expert devotee cannot
be forced to simply stick to a stereotype but his prime duty is to find out or invent or discover and introduce novel
ways and means from the scriptures to widely inject and spread Gauranga and Krishna consciousness into the
bloodstream of the suffering human society so that millions can take it up and rapidly progress in spiritual life.
The Acharyas who have directly descended from the spiritual world can directly give the Maha-mantra to the
aparadhi jivas (offensive souls) by making them directly qualified. Their activities should not be imitated by us but
their instructions in their books are to be followed. These instructions are clear that a neophyte should not
directly indulge in chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra only and if even he or she tries to do he will never
get the result due to his or her offenses. Instead they state that he or she should begin by very regularly
chanting the names of Nityananda and Gauranga. The acharyas have repeatedly given the instructions to chant
the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantras in their vani but they are not bound to implement their own instructions
and they are free to preach in whatever way they desire. Whereas we should try to strictly implement their
instructions rather than foolishly trying to imitate what they have done. For us their instructions are more
important than their incomprehensible and transcendental activities which can never be imitated.
An acharya may not rigidly follow his own instructions give in his books. Because he is as independent as the Lord
Himself. Similarly Shrila Prabhupada said that a neophyte student should not directly chant the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra but should take shelter of the names of Nityananda and Gauranga first. But Shrila Prabhupada need
not follow this standard given by his own self and can directly introduce the Mahamantra (which is what he did in
most cases) because he is independent being the direct associate of Lord Gauranga. But his followers can and
should follow his instructions in his books for their own rapid spiritual advancement and for preaching purposes
rather than simply trying to imitate what he did.
The Acharyas may have disapproved of chanting Mantras not authorized in the scriptures containing Nityananda
and Gauranga Names like bhaja nitai-gaura radhe-shyam...but those statements should never be applied to
chanting the most bonafide Gaura Gopala Mantra-Gauranga which has been chanted by all our acharyas and
mentioned in the authentic scriptures. Nor is there even a single evidence anywhere in the scriptures to prove
that Gauranga Mantraraja should only be chanted in kirtana and not on beads. In fact many acharyas like
Shivananda Sena and all the eternal associates of Lord Gauranga in Goloka, Parvati, Shiva, Sapta rishis,
Markendeya Rishi etc. have chanted japa of the Gauranga Mantraraja on beads and Shrila Prabhupada has
approved of it more than once as seen in the above quotes.
As per the comprehensive scriptural quotations the Gaura Gopala Mantraraja: “Gauranga” and the Haladhara
Balarama Mantraraja: “Nityananda” are authorized Mantras from the Vedic scriptures and are not unauthorized
Mantras like “bhaja nitai gaura radhe syama hare krsna hare rama” or “sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nitynanda hare
krsna hare rama sri-radhe govinda”.
Besides all the devotees who are chanting the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas are also chanting the
Pancha-tattva Mantra before beginning the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra in japa and kirtana as
recommended by Shrila Prabhupada in the above quote.
Also according to the scriptures one can have different Diksha Gurus for different mantras. Like for example,
Parvati got Diksha in the Ramamantra from Shiva, her husband (which she explicitly and clearly mentions in the
Chaitanya-Charitamrita Cc), in the Mahamantra from Shrila Haridasa Thakura again as described in Cc and in the
Gauranga Mantraraja from Lord Shiva (Navadvipa-dhama-mahatmya) after which she achieved the darshan of
Lord Gauranga in Navadvipa. So it is authorized by the scriptures. There should be only one Diksha Guru for one
Mantra though. That is the conclusion of the scriptures. Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada accepted Diksha in
the Nrisingha Mantra from his father Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in childhood and in the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra from Shrila Gaura Kishore Dasa Babaji. So devotees who have accepted Diksha in any bonafide
Vaishnava Mantra from any bonafide Vaishnava guru in any of the four sampradayas (please read our book
“Maha Mantra Yoga” for further details) can also accept Gauranga Mantra or Gauranama Mahadiksha into the
Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas since these two Mantrarajas destroy all the offenses and ensure our rapid
success in chanting of all the bonafide Vishnu Mantras in this world.
Of course the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas are so supremely powerful and independent that They do
not wait or depend on Diksha and can be chanted by anyone and everyone. Diksha is a process which hastens
up the purification of the spiritual aspirant as he or she chants the Mantrarajas received from the lips of a Guru
who is realized in chanting of the Mantrarajas and then chants under the merciful guidance and blessings of Shri
Gurudeva.
Some other points to understand the science of Nityananda Gauranga Mantra Diksha
(1) A Guru can choose particular Mantras for his disciple depending on the disciples' qualification to chant specific
mantras as per Shrila Prabhupada. (Cc Madhya 24.330: "The spiritual master has to select a mantra for his
disciple according to the disciple's ability to chant different mantras.")
(2) Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada introduced the system of Gayatri-Mantra-Diksha (Brahmana Diksha) for the
first time in our sampradaya even though he had not received it from his own guru. Because he wanted to stop
the Vaishnava-aparadha committed by the brahmanas in thinking themselves superior to the Vaishnavas.
Similarly we have introduced this system of Gauranga-Mantra-Diksha by the inspiration of all the acharyas and
Lord Nityananda in order to stop and totally destroy all the ten nama-aparadhas (offenses) of the devotees and
disciples and to make them rapidly achieve pure love for Krishna and qualification to chant the pure Maha-mantra.
(3) The Acharyas who directly descended from the spiritual world can directly give the Maha-mantra to the
aparadhi jivas by making them qualified but their activities should not be imitated but their instructions in their
books are to be followed which is that a neophyte should not directly indulge in chanting of the Maha-mantra only
and even if he tries to do he will never get the result due to his or her offenses. Instead they state that he or she
should begin by very regularly chanting the names of Nityananda-Gauranga. The acharyas have repeatedly given
the instructions to chant the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantras in their vani but they are not bound to implement
their own instructions and they are free to preach in whatever way they desire. Whereas we should try to strictly
implement their instructions rather than simply and foolishly saying that we should not because they have not
practically implemented it. For us their instructions are more important than their incomprehensible &
transcendental activities. Also Shrila Prabhupada said that a sannyasi should not attend marriage ceremonies but
he himself conducted some of the ceremonies. So an acharya may not rigidly follow his own instructions give in his
books. Because he is as independent as the Lord Himself. Similarly Shrila Prabhupada said that a neophyte
syudent should not directly chant the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra but should take shelter of the names of
Nityananda-Gauranga first. But Shrila Prabhupada may not follow this standard given by his own self and can
directly introduce the Maha-mantra (which is what he did) because he is independent being the direct associate
of Lord Gauranga. But his followers can follow his instructions in his books for their rapid spiritual advancement.
(4) An Acharya may want to do something but he may leave it for his followers to accomplish when the time is
ripe. Like Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada wanted the name of Lord Gauranga to spread all over the world but
he did not travel abroad and left that task for his disciple, Shrila Prabhupada. Similarly Prabhupada wanted that
the Gauranga Mantra spread all over the world as per his clear and repeated instruction but he left this mission
to his followers.
(5) As Prabhupada said that: "The expert devotees also can discover novel ways and means to convert the
nondevotees in terms of particular time and circumstance. Devotional service is dynamic activity, and the expert
devotees can find out competent means to inject it into the dull brains of the materialistic population. Such
transcendental activities of the devotees for the service of the Lord can bring a new order of life to the foolish
society of materialistic men." (SB 1.5.16 purport)
Shrila Prabhupada in Cc Adi 7.31-32 purport: "Here is an important point. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to
invent a way to capture the Mayavadis and others who did not take interest in the Krsna consciousness
movement. This is the symptom of an acarya. An acarya who comes for the service of the Lord cannot be
expected to conform to a stereotype, for he must find the ways and means by which Krsna consciousness may be
spread."
Note: Please note that here the words "discover or invent novel ways and means" is used so it means that an
expert devotee can preach Krishna and Gauranga consciousness by means (like Gauranga-Mantra- Diksha and
Gayatri-Mantra-Diksha etc etc) which may not have been practically adopted by the previous acharyas. Of course
the expert devotee does this due to the inspiration and the desire of the previous acharyas and Lord Nityananda
and no one should feel envious about the introduction of this sublime process of Nityananda Gauranga Mantra
Diksha for effectively destroying the ten offenses.
(6) Commentary of Shrila Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura to Aphorism 43 of Tattva Sutra:
"Devotees of the Supreme Lord are not controlled by the scriptures since their activities are congenial to the
Divine Wisdom. Therefore, when the advanced devotees ordain any new arrangements, they should be agreed
as the religious code, even if they are not found in the scriptural dictums of the previous sages. This is also
agreed by Manu."
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