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| The Secret of the Mantrarajas |
GAURANGA
GAURANGA
GAURANGA
GAURANGA
GAURANGA
GAURANGA
| NITYANANDA |
| NITYANANDA |
| NITYANANDA |
| NITYANANDA |
| NITYANANDA |
| NITYANANDA |
| “Simply by chanting the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas the sinful and crooked mentality will immediately leave in a very few days and one will achieve Radha-Krsna in Sri Vrindavan Dhama." |
| NITYANANDA |
GAURANGA
By Swami Gaurangapada
Lord Shri Shri Radha-Krishna advented as the supremely magnanimous combined golden form of Lord Shri
Gauranga Mahaprabhu on 18th February 1486. Lord Shri Balarama advented as Lord Shri Nityananda Prabhu on
11th January 1473, Shri Vrindavana-Dhama advented as Shri Navadvipa Dhama (130 kms north of Calcutta). All
the eternal associates of Radha-Krishna advented as the eternal associates of Nityananda-Gauranga, Shrimad-
Bhagavata advented as Shri Chaitanya-Bhagavata and the "Nityananda" & "Gauranga" Mantras advented as
the King of All Mantras (Mantrarajas) along with the Hare Krishna Mahamantra to deliver the entire universe in
Kali-Yuga.
The supreme glories of regular chanting the Nityananda Mantraraja and Gauranga Mantraraja on japa beads
and kirtana along with the Hare Krishna Mahamantra, all three of which are eternally effulgent in the spiritual
sky, is hereunder described with extensive scriptural references. As per Navadvipa-dhama-mahatmya, regular
chanting of the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas will remove the ten offenses in the chanting of the Hare
Krishna Mahamantra and this is the secret of all secrets about which the souls bewildered by Maya are not
aware. The golden and most confidential opportunity of chanting regularly the Nityananda (Haladhara Balarama)
Mantraraja and the Gauranga (Gaura Gopala) Mantraraja along with the Hare Krishna Mahamantra facilitates
rapid success in the achievement of Gauranga-Krishna-prema (love) because the offenses and unwanted things
in our hearts are instantly obliterated as per the verdict of all the revealed scriptures and acharyas as
delineated in this book. The glories of the Names of Nityananda and Gauranga is unlimited and even if we are
successful in touching just a infinitesimal fraction of a drop of those glories in this book, this effort will be
considered successful. As per Prema-vivarta, even the Supreme Lords Nityananda-Gauranga Themselves cannot
fully describe the supreme glories of Their Names then what to speak of any living entity who is an infinitesimal
part and parcel of Their Lordships.
Those who deliberately try not to understand the supreme value of this most confidential book, deliberately
neglect it or reject it or dare to minimize or criticize it in any way or deliberately try not to glorify this book or
deliberately do not read it even once after getting an opportunity to do so in this human form of life, will directly
be responsible for minimizing the most powerful Names of God: Nityananda and Gauranga, which are the only
hope for the souls of Kali-Yuga. In doing so they will be showing their averseness to the supreme process of
chanting the most powerful Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas. Thus the severe reactions for this
averseness to the process of chanting These most merciful Names will have to be borne by them life after life.
Shrila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada:
(Shrila Prabhupada in Cc Adi 8.31 purp) "A neophyte student who is not sufficiently educated or enlightened
should not indulge in the worship of Sri Sri Radha and Krsna or the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra. Even if
he does so, he cannot get the desired result. One should therefore chant the names of Nitai-Gaura and worship
Them without false prestige. In the beginning one should very regularly chant Sri Gaurasundara’s holy name and
then chant the holy name of Lord Nityananda. Thus one's heart will be cleansed of impure desires for material
enjoyment. Then one can approach Vrndavana-dhama to worship Lord Krsna."
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
Shrila Prabhupada is clearly stating that a neophyte student without sufficient realization should not directly
indulge in the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra without first taking full and very regular shelter of the
Names of Nityananda and Gauranga. Even if he or she does so, he or she cannot get the desired result in the
chanting of the Mahamantra which is the achievement of pure love for God because of not having taken
adequate shelter of the names of Nityananda and Gauranga. Shrila Prabhupada goes on to state that one
should very regularly and specifically chant the two Names of Nityananda and Gauranga to be able to become
qualified to chant the Mahamantra and go to Vrindavana-dhama to worship Lord Krishna. The chanting of the
Pancha-tattva Mantra contains these two names of the Lord but Shrila Prabhupada has specifically suggested
not to chant the Pancha-tattva Mantra very regularly by stating that it should not be chanted on beads as
rounds and only three times before beginning kirtana. On the other hand he explains that chanting the two
names of Nityananda and Gauranga very regularly will quickly grant a neophyte with the qualification to
approach the Name, Form, Pastimes and Abode of Their Lordships Radha-Krishna.
We firmly believe that simply chanting the Pancha-Tattva Mantra 20 to 30 times a day cannot be termed as 'very
regularly' as instructed by Shrila Prabhupada regarding the chanting of the Names of Nityananda and Gauranga.
The chanting of Krishna’s Names regularly means to chant at least 27,648 Names of Krishna (16 rounds of the
Hare Krishna Mahamantra) daily. So how can very regular chanting of Nityananda and Gauranga's Names mean
to chant Them just 20 or 30 times a day? They should be chanted at least 1000 times daily if not thousands of
times or constantly. Shrila Prabhupada states in a quote: "Always chanting Nitai-Gaura..." So all students and
devotees of Gauranga Dharma and Gauranga Yoga who are practicing the science of Bhakti yoga under our
guidance are instructed to daily chant at least 10 rounds each of the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas
(1000 times each Mantraraja = 2000 Names of Nityananda and Gauranga daily) and raise the chanting of the
Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas to the supreme and most powerful level of chanting 10 to 32 to 48 and
to 64 to 128 to 192 to 256 rounds each of the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas daily in addition or along
with the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Then the spiritual aspirant will very quickly achieve the stage
of offenseless chanting 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra daily.
The process of chanting the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas is very simple. Since the Nityananda
Mantraraja is the five-syllable (Ni-tya-a-na-nda) Haladhara Balarama Mantra, it is recommended to chant one
Mantra on one bead. The rosary or mala of 108 beads should be held in the middle of the middle finger of the
right hand with the thumb and on one bead one Mantra should be chanted. Then the mala should be pulled
inwards to go to the next bead and another Mantra should be chanted (see how to do Japa). In this way 108
Mantras should be chanted on the 108 beads. This is known as one round. When one reaches the biggest bead
(the Meru bead) which represents the Supreme Lord Himself, one should not cross it but simply turn around and
begin another round. The same process is to be repeated for the chanting of the Gauranga Mantraraja which is
the four-syllable Gaura Gopala Mantra (Gau-ra-a-nga)
Any intelligent person after reading the above statements of Shrila Prabhupada will ask this question: What
should a neophyte who does not have sufficient enlightenment and realization do as it is not recommended for
them to directly chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra? As per Shrila Prabhupada's instructions there is only
one solution: on one hand he or she has to chant the names of Nityananda and Gauranga very regularly and on
other hand he or she cannot chant the Pancha-tattva Mantra very regularly either on beads or in kirtana. Thus
the neophyte faces a big dilemma in his or her spiritual life. The solution to this dilemma is given by Shrila
Prabhupada himself in the following two quotes:
(1) Yoga student: "...to chant the names of Nitai-Gauranga before we encourage them so much to chant the
maha-mantra?"
Prabhupada: "No. Why? Now, what is the difference, Nitai-Gauranga and Hare Krsna? Nitai-Gauranga and Hare
Krsna, there is no difference. Nitai-Gauranga is also nice. Whatever he finds convenient let him chant."
(Shrila Prabhupada's Room Conversation with Yoga Student specifically regarding Japa, March 14, 1975, Iran).
This conversation is specifically about japa chanting the Mantras on beads. The yoga student is not only asking
about his own self but also how to preach to others about japa on beads. And in his response Shrila
Prabhupada recommends and authorizes the chanting of the two names of Nityananda and Gauranga on japa
beads (he clearly does not mention the Pancha-tattva Mantra) and states that chanting Nityananda and
Gauranga (either on japa or in kirtana) is actually non-different from the chanting of the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra. The spiritual aspirant can chant whatever he or she finds convenient. In the offensive stage it is
an undisputed fact that the Names of Nityananda and Gauranga are more convenient and beneficial than the
Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Even though They are completely non-different from each other, only the pure
offenseless and self-realized devotees will derive the same spiritual result by chanting either of Them. The
offensive devotee will get greater spiritual benefit by very regularly chanting Nityananda and Gauranga which do
not consider any offenses and become very quickly qualified to factually relish the pure Hare Krishna
Mahamantra.
(2) "It is very beneficial to chant the names sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda before chanting the Hare
Krsna maha-mantra because by chanting these two Holy Names -sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda-one
immediately becomes ecstatic, and if he then chants the Hare Krsna maha-mantra he becomes free of offenses."
(SP in Cc Adi 8.24 purport)
In the above purport and also in the first quote, Shrila Prabhupada specifically mentions that the two holy
names of Lord Gauranga and Lord Nityananda should be chanted very regularly before chanting the Hare
Krishna Mahamantra. To those who argue that the Pancha-tattva Mantra includes the two names of the Lord,
we have to point out that Shrila Prabhupada has more than once stopped the very regular chanting of the
Pancha-tattva Mantra on japa as well as in kirtana. He did not want rounds of Pancha-tattva Mantra to be
chanted on beads and also he wanted that the Pancha-tattva Mantra was chanted three times only at the
beginning of the kirtana. But regarding the two holy names of Nityananda and Gauranga which are bonafide
Mantrarajas from the scriptures, there is no such negative injunction regarding japa as well as kirtana anywhere
in the instructions of guru, sadhu and shastra. In fact Shrila Prabhupada has recommended to the Yoga student
that chanting the names of Nityananda and Gauranga on the beads is also very nice. So all the followers of
Shrila Prabhupada should also accept that the chanting of Nityananda and Gauranga is also very nice and at
least should not try to stop those who are chanting these two most beneficial Names of the Lord in addition to
the Hare Krishna Mahamantra even if they personally may not be able to chant due to some reason.
Srila Prabhupada in Cc Adi-lila 8.31 purport:
"It should be noted in this connection that the holy names of Lord Krishna and Gaurasundara are both identical
with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore one should not consider one name to be more potent than
the other. Considering the position of the people of this age, however, the chanting of Shri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu's name is more essential than the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra because Shri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the most magnanimous incarnation and His mercy is very easily achieved."
The simple point to be understood from the above quote of Shrila Prabhupada is that something more essential
than something else should be done at least in the same proportion or even more than the less important thing.
So if the chanting of Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu's Name is more essential than the chanting of the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra then why can the more essential Names of Nityananda and Gauranga not be chanted a few
thousands times daily as we are already chanting Krishna's names 27,648 times daily.
The Pancha-tattva Mantra has been given mercifully by Shrila Prabhupada to us but there is no specific mention
in the revealed scriptures or by the previous acharyas that it has been chanted by any of our acharyas on
beads. That is why Shrila Prabhupada has not recommended It for chanting on beads. But the Nityananda and
Gauranga Mantrarajas have been chanted very regularly on beads by great associates of the Lord and acharyas
like Shrila Shivananda Sena, Sapta Rishis, Lord Shiva and Parvati etc. and all the eternal associates of Lords
Nityananda and Gauranga in Navadvipa and is recommended to the Yoga student by Shrila Prabhupada himself.
Srila Prabhupada in Cc Antya-lila 2.31 purport:
"Worshipers of Sri Gaurasundara accept the four syllables gau-ra-an-ga 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 as not different 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."
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
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 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 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? Only a 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 (at least 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 lifetimes. Of
course 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 a very few sincere souls.
Hence the more practical and the most powerful solution for the neophyte and beginner in spiritual life as
suggested by Shrila Prabhupada himself in the first quote on page 3 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 32, 64, 128 and 256 rounds daily in addition to the chanting of the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra. This will enable the neophyte to quickly progress to the stage of chanting the Mahamantra without
offenses. This is the verdict of Shrila Prabhupada, all the Acharyas, all the revealed scriptures and of Lord
Nityananda Himself.
On board of the ship Jaladuta, September 13, 1965, Verse 3, by Shrila Prabhupada:
tara iccha balavan pascatyete than than
hoy jate gauranger nam
prthivite nagaradi asamudra nada nadi
sakalei loy krsna nam
"By his (my Guru Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada's) strong desire, THE HOLY NAME OF
GAURANGA will first spread throughout all the countries of the Western world. Then in all the cities, towns, and
villages on the earth, from all the oceans, seas, rivers, and streams, everyone will chant the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra."
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
Here Shrila Prabhupada is clearly stating that unless the conditioned and offensive people of this world regularly
chant the name of Gauranga, they will not be able to factually take up or become qualified for directly taking up
the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. And even if they do so they will be simply indulge in the
Mahamantra because of their offenses. Thus they will not get the desired results, benefits and taste in the
chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra and thus they may end up giving up the chanting process very soon.
We have seen this happening in innumerable cases in our past Vaishnava history. Thousands of devotees have
lost taste in chanting the Mahamantra and thus given up the chanting and developed their taste in material
pursuits. This is because of a lack of chanting the Names of Nityananda and Gauranga. Therefore the only
solution and the final conclusion of all the scriptures and acharyas is to very regularly chant the Names of
Nityananda and Gauranga before beginning the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra.
Shrila Prabhupada’s Letter to: Niranjana, Brooklyn, 21 May, 1973:
"You mention that they have not even heard of Lord Gauranga. So that is their misfortune, and our misfortune
also….in India, they could not preach Lord Gauranga's name all over India."
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
This letter from Shrila Prabhupada clearly proves that his mission was to first spread the Name of Gauranga in
this world. This is Lord Nityananda's mission as well and the mission of all the acharyas. And how will Lord
Gauranga's Name spread and become widely known like "Hare Krishna" unless people of this world very
regularly chant the Gauranga Mantraraja daily on beads? It is foolishness to think that Gauranga's Name can be
spread in this world without inducing the people of this world to chant the Name a fixed number of times daily.
Shrila Prabhupada wants the Name of Gauranga to be preached in this world and he has done it through his
books and instructions. Also sometimes the acharyas leave some particular mission for their followers to
accomplish when the time is ripe. Like Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada wanted to preach
in Western countries but he personally did not do that but did that through his followers, the most prominent
among them being Shrila Prabhupada. Similarly Shrila Prabhupada also wanted the Name of Gauranga to be
preached all over the world along with the Hare Krishna Mahamantra because it is Lord Nityananda's order.
So Shrila Prabhupada will surely empower some of his followers to spread the Name of Gauranga more directly
especially by the introduction of the process of very regular chanting the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas.
Shrila Prabhupada wanted to established Lord Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead through his
books and writings so that once people understand Lord Krishna widely they can fully and properly accept Lord
Gauranga, the most merciful and combined incarnation of Shri Shri Radha-Krishna. So spreading the Name of
Lord Gauranga was the second-phase plan of Shrila Prabhupada which he initiated himself and left to his
followers to spread the names of Nityananda and Gauranga all over the world.
Shrila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami also states a similar thing in Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita, Adi 2.119:
caitanya-prabhura mahima kahibara tare;
krsnera mahima kahi kariya vistare
"Just to enunciate the glories of Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu and universally establish Him as the Supreme
Personality of Godhead non-different from Lord Krishna, I have described in detail the glories of Lord Krishna as
the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
Shrila Prabhupada in 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."
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
It is the duty of the spiritual master to give those Mantras to the disciple which he or she sees 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 Krishna's Names.
Shrila Prabhupada’s Letter to: Shachimata, Bombay, 8 December, 1974:
"It is the advice of Narottama das Thakura to chant the holy name of Gauranga either if one remains at home or
in the forest. Similarly, do not forget the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra either you live in the temple or at
home."
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
Here Shrila Prabhupada uses the word "similarly" and he is making a direct comparison of the chanting of the
Gauranga Mantraraja with the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. He states that the Gauranga's Name
should be chanted in the same way as we chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra irrespective of where one is
located and what the time, place and circumstances are.
Shrila Prabhupada in Srimad-Bhagavatam Lecture 2.1.2, Vrndavana, March 17, 1974:
"Then you become gosvami. Then, as Narottama dasa Thakura says, grhe va banete thake ha gauranga bole
dake. Ha gauranga, 'Always chanting Nitai-Gaura, and thinking of Nitai-Gaura,' such person, Narottama dasa
Thakura says... Grhe va... 'He may be a sannyasi, or he may be a grhastha. It doesn't matter. Because he is
absorbed in the thought of Nitai-Gaura.' So narottama mage tanra sanga: 'Narottama is always desiring to
associate with such person.'"
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
The real qualification of a devotee is not whether he is a sannyasi or householder but whether he or she is
constantly chanting the Names of Nityananda and Gauranga. We should associate with such a qualified
devotee. Here Shrila Prabhupada and Shrila Narottama dasa Thakura want us to always chant Nityananda and
Gauranga's Name. Some argue that chanting means only with the mouth or singing but not chanting japa on
beads. But all our acharyas including Shrila Prabhupada have always used the word "chant" for both japa on
beads and kirtana. It is a foolish attempt to try to say that chanting in some cases means only singing and not
japa on beads. In specific cases where the acharyas did not want the japa on beads like for the Pancha-tattva
Mantra, they have stated it clearly and explicitly. But the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas have been
chanted on japa by many great acharyas like Shrila Shivananda Sena, Sapta Rishis, Parvati, Shiva, Markendeya
Rishi, Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya, Advaita Acharya, Suvarna Sena, Madhavendra Puri, Purushottama Pandita,
Balarama Acharya, Minaketana Ramadasa etc. and approved by Shrila Prabhupada in the above quoted Room
Conversation with the Yoga student specifically addressing a question about Japa in Iran on March 14, 1975. So
the word "chant" is applicable for both japa and kirtana for the Nityananda and Gauranga Nama just like it is for
Harinama in the form of the Mahamantra.
Shrila Prabhupada in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta class, Madhya-lila 20.102, Baltimore, July 7, 1976:
"If you simply chant Nitai-Gaura and dance, then you'll become happy. There is no difficulty. There is no difficulty."
Shrila Prabhupada inSri Caitanya-caritamrta class, Adi-lila 7.4, Mayapur, March 4, 1974:
"Narottama dasa Thakura is aspiring for the day when Nityananda Prabhu will be pleased upon him. Just like
Jagai-Madhai was delivered by the mercy of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, so we have to pray Nityananda Prabhu. He's
very merciful. He's so kind, Baladeva, He gives spiritual strength. Then we can approach the Supreme Lord.
Therefore we chant "Nitai-Gaura." This is the process. We cannot change this policy."
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
Here Shrila Prabhupada clearly states that the policy, teachings and instructions of all acharyas and scriptures is
to chant (japa and kirtana) of the two Names of Lord Nityananda and Lord Gauranga. And this cannot be given
up or neglected at any cost even if the whole world is against it or tries to stop it.
Shrila Prabhupada’s Purport to Gauranga Bolite Habe, Los Angeles, January 9, 1969:
"As soon as one will chant the name of Sri Krsna Caitanya, there will be shivering. This is the first symptom that
one is getting advanced in the perfection stage of Krsna consciousness. So Narottama dasa Thakura says,
gauranga bolite habe pulaka sarire. He's expecting. Although he was a great acarya, still, he was expecting,
"When that stage will come?" … The meaning is that there will be not only shivering as soon as I utter the name
of Gauranga, but there will be torrents of tears in my eyes as soon as I chant Hare Krsna. This is the
explanation."
Shrila Prabhupada’s Letter to: Dina Dayala, Nellore, 6 January, 1976:
"My Guru Maharaja always sees if Krishna's name or Lord Caitanya's name appeared in someone's writing and
would appreciate the writing for this alone."
Shrila Pprabhupada’s Purport to song, Los Angeles, Dec 29, 1968:
"He says: gauranga bolite habe pulaka-carera. This is the perfection of chanting, that as soon as we chant or
take the name of Lord Gauranga, who initiated the Sankirtana Movement, at once there will be a shivering in the
body."
Shrila Prabhupada in Krsna Book Chp 20, Description of Autumn:
"Shrila Narottama dasa Thakura prays that he will have the association of a person-either a householder or a
man in the renounced order of life - who is engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord and is
always crying the holy name of Lord Caitanya."
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
If one follows this instruction of Shrila Prabhupada in Krishna Book, then one's life will be perfect and sublime.
And that is to constantly chant the Name of Gauranga will feeling and devotion. Crying the Name of Gauranga
can be done while chanting on beads as well as in kirtana. In fact Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura states in Hari-
nama-chintamani that some quantity of our daily quota of chanting may also be chanted in kirtana to give us a
special taste and spiritual bliss to all our senses and one can even count the Names while chanting Them in
kirtana.
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 inCc 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."
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
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. Similarly we have 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. 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 given 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.
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.
Shrila Prabhupada writes in Shri Chaitanya-Charitamrita Adi-lila 7.4 purport:
"Taking advantage of Shri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, many unscrupulous devotees manufacture a maha-mantra of
their own. Sometimes they sing bhaja nitai gaura radhe syama hare krishna hare rama or sri-krishna-caitanya
prabhu-nityananda hare krishna hare rama sri-radhe govinda. Actually, however, one should chant the names of
the full Pancha-tattva (sri-krishna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-
vrinda) and then the sixteen words Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare
Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. But these unscrupulous, less intelligent men confuse the entire process. Of
course, since they are also devotees they can express their feelings in that way, but the method prescribed by
Shri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s pure devotees is to first chant the full Pancha-tattva mantra and then chant the
maha-mantra-Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama,
Hare Hare.”
As per the comprehensive scriptural quotations in the book, the Gaura Gopala Mantraraja: "Gauranga" and the
Haladhara Balarama Mantraraja: "Nityananda" are authorized Mantras from the Vedic scriptures and are not
manufactured Mantras like “bhaja nitai gaura radhe syama hare krishna hare rama” or “sri-krishna-caitanya
prabhu-nityananda hare krishna hare rama sri-radhe govinda”
Besides all the devotees of Gauranga Dharma and Gauranga Yoga 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 his 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 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.
In order not to cause any inconvenience to any Vaishnavas and avoid controversy, it is our personal decision
that we will encourage those devotees who have accepted Diksha into any Vishnu Mantra from another
bonafide and authentic Guru in any of the four Vaishnava sampradayas to just chant the Nityananda and
Gauranga Mantarajas without accepting Diksha in these Mantrarajas. Though it is perfectly in line with the
scriptures that they can accept Diksha into the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas from another Guru while
still worshiping their previous Guru, we will not impart them the Gauranga Mantra Mahadiksha unless they have
explicit and clear instructions and permission from their first Diksha Guru in this regard. If they seek our
guidance, these devotees will be encouraged to simply chant the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas. We
are specifically interested in spreading the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas among the new and fresh
spiritual candidates. If they want some instructions from us, we will simply request the old initiated devotees of
other bonafide Vaishnava Gurus to add the chanting of the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas to their daily
chanting unless of course it is the desire of their first Gurus that they accept Gauranga Mantra Mahadiksha from
us. So no one has to fear about any inconvenience caused by the preaching of the Nityananda and Gauranga
Mantrarajas. If there are any specific issues we would request the concerned devotees or Gurus of other
institutions to directly let us know by contacting us in a Vaishnava way so that we can sort out the matter
directly.
Shrila Prabhupada during a Room Conversation, August 14, 1971, London:
Prabhupada: No. We are recommending "Chant the holy name of God." So if you have got the holy name of God,
you can chant that.
Srila Prabhupada:
Anyway, if one chants Allah or Jesus Christ, we have no objection. We don't say that you stop it. We say that
you chant the holy name of God. If that name is of God, you chant.
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
Here Shrila Prabhupada is stating that one can chant any authentic Name of God. So what can be more
authentic than the Name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead: "Gauranga" which is the most merciful
combined Name of Their Lorships Shri Shri Radha-Krishna and also known as the Radha-Krishna-Yugala-
Mantraraja or the Gaura-Gopala-Mantraraja. And what can be more authentic than the supremely magnanimous
Name of the Supreme Personality of Servitor Godhead Lord Balarama: "Nityananda". So those who oppose the
chanting of these Names are opposing the chanting of the most authentic Names of the Supreme Lord.
Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada's purport to Chaitanya-Charitamrita Adi 8.31:
"The Hare Krsna Mahamantra considers the offenses whereas the Names of Gauranga-Nityananda don't
consider offenses. An offensive chanter will never achieve the fruit of chanting (pure love for Krsna) by chanting
the Hare Krsna Mahamantra. Therefore till the time he is committing offenses, he should chant the names of
Nityananda and Gauranga. Due to the repeated chanting of the names of Nityananda and Gauranga, the
offenses will be destroyed and he will achieve the fruit of chanting."
"The name of Krsna and Gauranga-Both are non-different than the named Lord. Those who think that Krsna is
any way inferior or limited than Gauranga are in gross ignorance. But in practical considerations with respect to
benefit awarded to the conditioned souls, the chanting of Sri Nityananda and Gauranga's Name is more useful
and helpful for everyone. The mercy of Krsna's names is generally only upon liberated or perfected souls who
are surrendered to Him. But the magnanimity of the Names of Lord Nityananda and Gauranga is especially for
the souls who are offenders and full of anarthas and desires for material sense-gratification. The chanting of
Lord Nityananda and Lord Gauranga's Names and Their worship quickly delivers the soul from all the offenses
and thus the soul achieves shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Gauranga-Krishna without any delay."
Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada in Shri Chaitanya-Bhagavata, Madhya-Khanda 3.134:
"Simply by chanting or hearing the name of Lord Nityananda, the sinful inclinations in the hearts of all the living
entities in the universe are permanently destroyed and their inherent purity is automatically awakened. On
chanting or hearing the name of Lord Nityananda, even the merchants, degraded, fallen and foolish people are
purified and immediately become realized in the Absolute Truth and devotees of the Lord."
Shrila Sacchidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura Navadvipa-dhama-mahatmya Chp 1:
kali jivera aparadha asankhya durvara;
gauranga-nama vina tara nahika uddhara
"The offenses and sins of the living entities in Kali-yuga are unlimited and absolutely insurmountable. That is
why the souls can never ever be delivered without the regular chanting the most merciful name of Gauranga."
Shrila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami (Cc Adi 8.31):
caitanya-nityanande nahi esaba vicara,
nama laite prema dena, vahe asrudhara
"But if one chants, with only some slight faith, the two holy names of Lord Gauranga and Nityananda, he or she
is very quickly cleansed of all offenses. Since in the chanting of the names of Nityananda and Gauranga there is
no consideration of offenses, one will very quickly come to the stage of love of God, simply by chanting Their
names and tears of pure love for Krishna will flow from the eyes."
‘nityananda’ balite haya krsna-premodaya;
aulaya sakala anga,asru-ganga vaya
(Chaitanya-charitamrita Adi-lila 8.23)
"Simply by chanting the name 'Nityananda' one awakens his love for Krsna. Thus all his bodily limbs are agitated
by ecstasy of love of God, and tears flow from his eyes like the waters of the Ganges."
Shrila Narottama dasa Thakura:
grhe ba vanete thake, ‘ha gauranga’ bo'le dake,
narottama mage tara sanga
"One may reside in the house or in the forest, but if he or she is constantly chanting the name of Gauranga,
then I (Narottama Dasa Thakura) want his association and want to serve him."
Shrila Narada Muni:
gauranga-nama na laiya, yei krsna bhaje giya;
sei krsna bahu kale paya
gauranga-nama laya jei, sadya krsna paya sei;
aparadha nahi rahe taya
"If someone endeavors to worship Krsna without regularly chanting the name of Lord Gauranga, then he or she
will achieve Krsna only after a very prolonged period of time. But if someone takes shelter of the Name of Lord
Gauranga, he or she will achieve Krsna very soon because his or her offenses will immediately cease to exist."
(real shelter of the names of Lord Nityananda and Lord Gauranga means to chant Them at least one thousand
times i.e. 10 rounds daily)
Lord Shri Nityananda Prabhu Himself:
bhaja gauranga kaha gauranga
laha gaurangera nama re
ye jana gauranga bhaje sei amara prana re
"Worship Gauranga, chant the Gauranga Mantraraja and take the Holy Name of Lord Gauranga. Those who will
worship Lord Gauranga in this way by constantly chanting His name are veritably My Life and Soul and I will give
them all protection."
Lord Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu Himself:
prthivite ache yata nagaradi-grama;
sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama
(Caitanya-bhagavata Antya 4.126)
"Very shortly My Name will be chanted, broadcasted and glorified in all various towns, villages, cities, countries
and continents of the world."
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
Here Lord Gauranga is stating "mora nama" means His Name of Gauranga, Nityananda, Hare Krishna etc. And as
per as Shrila Prabhupada's prediction on the Jaladuta, first Lord Gauranga's Name has to spread all over the
world for the people to become qualified to chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. This is the specific mission of
Gauranga Dharma or Gaurangaism or Gauranga Yoga which is the scientific, universal and eternal religion of the
soul realized through the process of Mahadiksha and Mantra Meditation on these three most powerful King of all
Mantras (Mantrarajas) in Kali Yuga:
(1)"Nityananda"(Haladhara Balarama Mantraraja)
(2) "Gauranga" (Gaura Gopala Mantraraja)
(3) "Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare"
(Hare Krishna Mahamantra)
Some of the references from the Vedic scriptures regarding the glories of the Nityananda and Gauranga
Mantrarajas are as follows:
(1) SHRILA SHIVANANDA SENA CHANTS JAPA OF THE 4-SYLLABLE GAURA-GOPALA-MANTRA
The four-syllable Gauranga (Gaura Gopala) Mantra is the most worshipable ista-mantra of Shrila Shivananda
Sena who chanted the Mantra constantly as per Shri Caitanya-caritamrita Antya-lila 2.24,31:
apane bolana more, iha yadi jani;
amara ista-mantra jani' kahena apani
‘gaura-gopala mantra’ tomara cari aksara;
avisvasa chada, yei kariyacha antara"
Nakula Brahmacari told Sivananda Sena, "You are chanting the Gaura Gopala Mantra, composed of four syllables
(which is your ista-mantra i.e. worshipable mantra). Now please give up the doubts that have resided within you
about the avesha of Lord Gauranga in me."
Purport by Srila Prabhupada:
"Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains the Gaura-Gopala mantra in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya. Worshipers of Sri
Gaurasundara accept the four syllables 'gau-ra-an-ga' 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 non-different 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."
Purport by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his Amrita-pravaha-bhashya:
gaura-gopala-mantra gauravadi gana 'gauranga' name catura-aksara
gaura-mantra ke uddesya karena; kevala krsnavadi gana ei
gaura-gopala-mantra sabde radha-krsnera
catura-aksara-mantrake uddesya karena
"The following is the explanation of the Gaura-gopala mantra. The followers of Lord Gauranga accept 'Gauranga'
as the four-syllable mantra and the followers of only Krsna accept 'Radha-Krsna' as the Gaura-gopala mantra.
The followers of both Lord Gauranga and Lord Krsna accept either one of them as the Gaura-gopala mantra
understanding that They are non-different from each other."
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
So it is very clear that the most intimate devotees of the Lord like Shrila Shivananda Sena were constantly
chanting the four-syllable 'gau-ra-an-ga' Mantra which is non-different than the four syllables of 'ra-dha-krs-na'
Mantra.
Thus the constant chanting of the Name or Mantra of 'Gauranga' is authorized in the revealed scriptures and
implemented by the previous acharyas. The great advantage is that the ultimate benefit of 'radha-krsna' or the
Hare Krishna Mahamantra can be realized by siddha and mukta (perfect and liberated) souls whereas the
'Gauranga' mantra is the most prayojaniya (useful) for anartha-yukta (offensive), badha (conditioned), patita
(fallen) souls according to Shrila Prabhupada's purport and specifically the Anubhashya purport of Shrila
Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada in Caitanya-caritamrita Adi 8.31. Just like the Hare Krishna Mantra is known as
Harinama as well as the Maha Mantra similarly the Gauranga Mantra is known as Gauranama as well as the
Gaura-Gopala-Mantra or Gauranga Mantra.
(2) CHAITANYA MANGALA: LORD GAURANGA IS WORSHIPED IN GOLOKA BY ALL HIS ETERNAL
ASSOCIATES BY THE CHANTING OF THE GAURANGA MANTRARAJA
The four-syllable Gauranga Mantra is chanted in Goloka Vrndavana by all the eternal associates of the Lord in
the direct worship of Lord Gauranga:
In Sri Caitanya-mangala Sutra-khanda Verse 527 by Shrila Locana Dasa Thakura, the four-syllable Gauranga-
mantra is described as the Mantra through which Lord Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu is worshipped in Goloka
Vrindavana, the topmost Vaikuntha planet in the spiritual world:
hema-gaura kalevara, mantra chari-akshara;
sahaja vaikuntha-natha shyama
"The Lord sits on a golden bejeweled throne. He possesses a complexion millions of times more brilliant than the
color of molten gold. He is worshipped by all His devotees by the chanting of the four-syllable Mantraraja
'Gauranga'."
Commentary of Swami Gaurangapada:
There has to be a specific Mantra through which the eternal residents of Shri Navadvipa Dhama in Goloka
Vrindavana worship Lord Gauranga, the combined incarnation of Shri Shri Radha-Krishna. Just like there are
specific Mantras for the worship of the different forms of the Lord like Rama, Nrisingha, Kurma, Varaha etc. there
has to be a specific Mantra to worship the golden Lord Gauranga who is the source of all the incarnations. And
this Mantra is described in Shri Chaitanya-Mangala as the supreme four-syllable Mantra: Gauranga Mantraraja.
(3) DIRECT ORDER OF THE SUPREME LORD ADI-GURU SHRI NITYANANDA BALARAMA TO CHANT THE
GAURANGA MANTRA ALWAYS
It is the direct, open and primary instruction of the Guru of all Gurus Adi-Guru, Sakshat-Mula-Sankarshana, origin
of the spiritual and material worlds Lord Shri Nityananda Balarama to all the moving and non-moving living
entities to take constant shelter of chanting the Gauranga Mantraraja.
Shrila Prabhupada quotes:
bhaja gauranga kaha gauranga
laha gaurangera nama re;
ye jana gauranga bhaje sei amara prana re
Lord Nityananda instructs all living entities: "Worship Gauranga, chant the 'Gauranga' Mantraraja and take the
Holy Name of 'Gauranga'. Those who will worship Gauranga in this way by constantly chanting the Gauranga
Mantraraja are veritably My life and soul and I personally give them all protection."
(This verse is also quoted by Shrila Prabhupada in his lecture, Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 7.5, Mayapur,
March 7, 1974)
"You can also chant the prayer you asked about. This was spoken by Lord Nityananda while He was preaching
in the town. He was addressing the people: 'My dear brothers, you simply worship Lord Caitanya; talk of Lord
Caitanya; speak Lord Caitanya's Name, so anyone who does so, he is my life and soul." (SP in Letter to:
Mahapurusa, Los Angeles, 7 March, 1968)
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
Lord Nityananda was sent to preach the Hare Krishna Mahamantra in Bengal by Lord Gauranga but He preached
the Gauranga Mantraraja first because He knew that only the name of Gauranga will impart the qualification to
the offensive and sinful souls of Kali-yuga to chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra.
We would like to quote here from the writings of Shrila Bhakti Rakshaka Shridhara Goswami Maharaja found in
his book "The Golden Volcano of Divine Love":
"Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was merged in tasting the sweetness of Radha-Govinda lila, and diving deep into that
reality, however, at the same time, He wanted to deliver all souls whose hearts had been devoured by the false
notions of renunciation and exploitation. He ordered Nityananda Prabhu, 'Go to Bengal and try to deliver them-
give them divine love for Radha and Krsna.'"
"He ordered Nityananda Prabhu to distribute divine love for Radha-Govinda, but instead, Nityananda began to
preach about Sri Gauranga. He thought, 'It will be better for them to worship Gauranga; that will help free them
from their offenses in their present position, and by doing so, they will automatically achieve a position in Radha-
Govinda lila.' "
"He was ordered to preach the name of Krsna, but instead began to preach the name of Gauranga. So for our
own welfare we bow down to Nityananda Prabhu in all humility."
"The aim of Sriman Mahaprabhu's descent was to distribute the devotional service of Vrndavana most
generously. On the other hand, Nityananda Prabhu used to sing the verse quoted above. (bhaja gauranga,
kaha gauranga, laha gaurangera nama re...)"
"In Vrindavan, the pastimes of Krsna are confined to a confidential circle, but in Navadvipa, those pastimes are
distributed openly to one and all. Gaura lila is more generous than Krsna lila."
"By the grace of Nityananda Prabhu (which comes by chanting His Name regularly), we develop our attraction for
Sri Gauranga. If we receive the grace of Sri Gauranga (again by chanting His Name), we receive everything to
the highest degree. And that is the safest way to approach Radha-Govinda. If we try to achieve Radha-Govinda
in some other way, our attempt will naturally be artificial and defective; if we approach Radha-Govinda directly,
avoiding Sri Gauranga, there will be great difficulty."
"Therefore, we should invest all our energy in the service of Sri Gauranga especially by chanting His Name. Then,
we shall automatically find ourselves being lifted towards the highest level. As much as we devote ourselves to
the lotus feet of Sri Gauranga and His Name, we will automatically achieve the nectarine service of Srimati
Radharani in Vrindavan."
"To bring Sri Gauranga nearer to our soul (which is exactly what happens by chanting the Name of Gauranga
regularly) is to get even unconsciously, a guarantee of our achievement in Krishna-lila. For the fallen souls it is
more useful to cultivate devotion for Sri Gauranga and chant His Name. That will give us the complete fulfillment
of life with the least trouble. Devotion to Gauranga by chanting His Name will not lead us to any haphazard or
misconceived Krishna consciousness, but real Krishna consciousness. We can have full Krishna consciousness by
the help of Gaura consciousness. By developing devotion to Sri Gauranga, we will be able to feel that Sri
Gauranga consciousness also includes Krishna consciousness - plus something more. What is that? The
distribution of Krishna consciousness."
Chaitanya-Charitamrita Madhya lila 1.29:
‘caitanya’ seva, ‘caitanya’ gao,
lao ‘caitanya’ nama
‘caitanye’ ye bhakti kare, sei mora prama
Lord Nityananda implored; "Serve Lord Gauranga, sing the Holy Name of Lord Gauranga and chant Lord
Gauranga's Name on japa. Those who worship Lord Gauranga in this way are My life and soul."
kasta nahi, vyaya nahi na pabe yatana;
srigauranga bali nace nahika bhavana
(Sri Navadvipa-dhama-mahatmya, Chp 1)
Lord Nityananda instructs all the living entities:
"There is no trouble or loss nor will you suffer anymore, if you forget yourself in bliss while dancing and chanting
the name of Gauranga."
TOP
Lord Shri Shri Radha-Krishna advented as the supremely magnanimous combined golden form of Lord Shri
Gauranga Mahaprabhu on 18th February 1486. Lord Shri Balarama advented as Lord Shri Nityananda Prabhu on
11th January 1473, Shri Vrindavana-Dhama advented as Shri Navadvipa Dhama (130 kms north of Calcutta). All
the eternal associates of Radha-Krishna advented as the eternal associates of Nityananda-Gauranga, Shrimad-
Bhagavata advented as Shri Chaitanya-Bhagavata and the "Nityananda" & "Gauranga" Mantras advented as
the King of All Mantras (Mantrarajas) along with the Hare Krishna Mahamantra to deliver the entire universe in
Kali-Yuga.
The supreme glories of regular chanting the Nityananda Mantraraja and Gauranga Mantraraja on japa beads
and kirtana along with the Hare Krishna Mahamantra, all three of which are eternally effulgent in the spiritual
sky, is hereunder described with extensive scriptural references. As per Navadvipa-dhama-mahatmya, regular
chanting of the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas will remove the ten offenses in the chanting of the Hare
Krishna Mahamantra and this is the secret of all secrets about which the souls bewildered by Maya are not
aware. The golden and most confidential opportunity of chanting regularly the Nityananda (Haladhara Balarama)
Mantraraja and the Gauranga (Gaura Gopala) Mantraraja along with the Hare Krishna Mahamantra facilitates
rapid success in the achievement of Gauranga-Krishna-prema (love) because the offenses and unwanted things
in our hearts are instantly obliterated as per the verdict of all the revealed scriptures and acharyas as
delineated in this book. The glories of the Names of Nityananda and Gauranga is unlimited and even if we are
successful in touching just a infinitesimal fraction of a drop of those glories in this book, this effort will be
considered successful. As per Prema-vivarta, even the Supreme Lords Nityananda-Gauranga Themselves cannot
fully describe the supreme glories of Their Names then what to speak of any living entity who is an infinitesimal
part and parcel of Their Lordships.
Those who deliberately try not to understand the supreme value of this most confidential book, deliberately
neglect it or reject it or dare to minimize or criticize it in any way or deliberately try not to glorify this book or
deliberately do not read it even once after getting an opportunity to do so in this human form of life, will directly
be responsible for minimizing the most powerful Names of God: Nityananda and Gauranga, which are the only
hope for the souls of Kali-Yuga. In doing so they will be showing their averseness to the supreme process of
chanting the most powerful Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas. Thus the severe reactions for this
averseness to the process of chanting These most merciful Names will have to be borne by them life after life.
Shrila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada:
(Shrila Prabhupada in Cc Adi 8.31 purp) "A neophyte student who is not sufficiently educated or enlightened
should not indulge in the worship of Sri Sri Radha and Krsna or the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra. Even if
he does so, he cannot get the desired result. One should therefore chant the names of Nitai-Gaura and worship
Them without false prestige. In the beginning one should very regularly chant Sri Gaurasundara’s holy name and
then chant the holy name of Lord Nityananda. Thus one's heart will be cleansed of impure desires for material
enjoyment. Then one can approach Vrndavana-dhama to worship Lord Krsna."
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
Shrila Prabhupada is clearly stating that a neophyte student without sufficient realization should not directly
indulge in the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra without first taking full and very regular shelter of the
Names of Nityananda and Gauranga. Even if he or she does so, he or she cannot get the desired result in the
chanting of the Mahamantra which is the achievement of pure love for God because of not having taken
adequate shelter of the names of Nityananda and Gauranga. Shrila Prabhupada goes on to state that one
should very regularly and specifically chant the two Names of Nityananda and Gauranga to be able to become
qualified to chant the Mahamantra and go to Vrindavana-dhama to worship Lord Krishna. The chanting of the
Pancha-tattva Mantra contains these two names of the Lord but Shrila Prabhupada has specifically suggested
not to chant the Pancha-tattva Mantra very regularly by stating that it should not be chanted on beads as
rounds and only three times before beginning kirtana. On the other hand he explains that chanting the two
names of Nityananda and Gauranga very regularly will quickly grant a neophyte with the qualification to
approach the Name, Form, Pastimes and Abode of Their Lordships Radha-Krishna.
We firmly believe that simply chanting the Pancha-Tattva Mantra 20 to 30 times a day cannot be termed as 'very
regularly' as instructed by Shrila Prabhupada regarding the chanting of the Names of Nityananda and Gauranga.
The chanting of Krishna’s Names regularly means to chant at least 27,648 Names of Krishna (16 rounds of the
Hare Krishna Mahamantra) daily. So how can very regular chanting of Nityananda and Gauranga's Names mean
to chant Them just 20 or 30 times a day? They should be chanted at least 1000 times daily if not thousands of
times or constantly. Shrila Prabhupada states in a quote: "Always chanting Nitai-Gaura..." So all students and
devotees of Gauranga Dharma and Gauranga Yoga who are practicing the science of Bhakti yoga under our
guidance are instructed to daily chant at least 10 rounds each of the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas
(1000 times each Mantraraja = 2000 Names of Nityananda and Gauranga daily) and raise the chanting of the
Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas to the supreme and most powerful level of chanting 10 to 32 to 48 and
to 64 to 128 to 192 to 256 rounds each of the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas daily in addition or along
with the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Then the spiritual aspirant will very quickly achieve the stage
of offenseless chanting 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra daily.
The process of chanting the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas is very simple. Since the Nityananda
Mantraraja is the five-syllable (Ni-tya-a-na-nda) Haladhara Balarama Mantra, it is recommended to chant one
Mantra on one bead. The rosary or mala of 108 beads should be held in the middle of the middle finger of the
right hand with the thumb and on one bead one Mantra should be chanted. Then the mala should be pulled
inwards to go to the next bead and another Mantra should be chanted (see how to do Japa). In this way 108
Mantras should be chanted on the 108 beads. This is known as one round. When one reaches the biggest bead
(the Meru bead) which represents the Supreme Lord Himself, one should not cross it but simply turn around and
begin another round. The same process is to be repeated for the chanting of the Gauranga Mantraraja which is
the four-syllable Gaura Gopala Mantra (Gau-ra-a-nga)
Any intelligent person after reading the above statements of Shrila Prabhupada will ask this question: What
should a neophyte who does not have sufficient enlightenment and realization do as it is not recommended for
them to directly chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra? As per Shrila Prabhupada's instructions there is only
one solution: on one hand he or she has to chant the names of Nityananda and Gauranga very regularly and on
other hand he or she cannot chant the Pancha-tattva Mantra very regularly either on beads or in kirtana. Thus
the neophyte faces a big dilemma in his or her spiritual life. The solution to this dilemma is given by Shrila
Prabhupada himself in the following two quotes:
(1) Yoga student: "...to chant the names of Nitai-Gauranga before we encourage them so much to chant the
maha-mantra?"
Prabhupada: "No. Why? Now, what is the difference, Nitai-Gauranga and Hare Krsna? Nitai-Gauranga and Hare
Krsna, there is no difference. Nitai-Gauranga is also nice. Whatever he finds convenient let him chant."
(Shrila Prabhupada's Room Conversation with Yoga Student specifically regarding Japa, March 14, 1975, Iran).
This conversation is specifically about japa chanting the Mantras on beads. The yoga student is not only asking
about his own self but also how to preach to others about japa on beads. And in his response Shrila
Prabhupada recommends and authorizes the chanting of the two names of Nityananda and Gauranga on japa
beads (he clearly does not mention the Pancha-tattva Mantra) and states that chanting Nityananda and
Gauranga (either on japa or in kirtana) is actually non-different from the chanting of the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra. The spiritual aspirant can chant whatever he or she finds convenient. In the offensive stage it is
an undisputed fact that the Names of Nityananda and Gauranga are more convenient and beneficial than the
Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Even though They are completely non-different from each other, only the pure
offenseless and self-realized devotees will derive the same spiritual result by chanting either of Them. The
offensive devotee will get greater spiritual benefit by very regularly chanting Nityananda and Gauranga which do
not consider any offenses and become very quickly qualified to factually relish the pure Hare Krishna
Mahamantra.
(2) "It is very beneficial to chant the names sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda before chanting the Hare
Krsna maha-mantra because by chanting these two Holy Names -sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda-one
immediately becomes ecstatic, and if he then chants the Hare Krsna maha-mantra he becomes free of offenses."
(SP in Cc Adi 8.24 purport)
In the above purport and also in the first quote, Shrila Prabhupada specifically mentions that the two holy
names of Lord Gauranga and Lord Nityananda should be chanted very regularly before chanting the Hare
Krishna Mahamantra. To those who argue that the Pancha-tattva Mantra includes the two names of the Lord,
we have to point out that Shrila Prabhupada has more than once stopped the very regular chanting of the
Pancha-tattva Mantra on japa as well as in kirtana. He did not want rounds of Pancha-tattva Mantra to be
chanted on beads and also he wanted that the Pancha-tattva Mantra was chanted three times only at the
beginning of the kirtana. But regarding the two holy names of Nityananda and Gauranga which are bonafide
Mantrarajas from the scriptures, there is no such negative injunction regarding japa as well as kirtana anywhere
in the instructions of guru, sadhu and shastra. In fact Shrila Prabhupada has recommended to the Yoga student
that chanting the names of Nityananda and Gauranga on the beads is also very nice. So all the followers of
Shrila Prabhupada should also accept that the chanting of Nityananda and Gauranga is also very nice and at
least should not try to stop those who are chanting these two most beneficial Names of the Lord in addition to
the Hare Krishna Mahamantra even if they personally may not be able to chant due to some reason.
Srila Prabhupada in Cc Adi-lila 8.31 purport:
"It should be noted in this connection that the holy names of Lord Krishna and Gaurasundara are both identical
with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore one should not consider one name to be more potent than
the other. Considering the position of the people of this age, however, the chanting of Shri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu's name is more essential than the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra because Shri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the most magnanimous incarnation and His mercy is very easily achieved."
The simple point to be understood from the above quote of Shrila Prabhupada is that something more essential
than something else should be done at least in the same proportion or even more than the less important thing.
So if the chanting of Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu's Name is more essential than the chanting of the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra then why can the more essential Names of Nityananda and Gauranga not be chanted a few
thousands times daily as we are already chanting Krishna's names 27,648 times daily.
The Pancha-tattva Mantra has been given mercifully by Shrila Prabhupada to us but there is no specific mention
in the revealed scriptures or by the previous acharyas that it has been chanted by any of our acharyas on
beads. That is why Shrila Prabhupada has not recommended It for chanting on beads. But the Nityananda and
Gauranga Mantrarajas have been chanted very regularly on beads by great associates of the Lord and acharyas
like Shrila Shivananda Sena, Sapta Rishis, Lord Shiva and Parvati etc. and all the eternal associates of Lords
Nityananda and Gauranga in Navadvipa and is recommended to the Yoga student by Shrila Prabhupada himself.
Srila Prabhupada in Cc Antya-lila 2.31 purport:
"Worshipers of Sri Gaurasundara accept the four syllables gau-ra-an-ga 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 as not different 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."
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
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 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 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? Only a 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 (at least 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 lifetimes. Of
course 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 a very few sincere souls.
Hence the more practical and the most powerful solution for the neophyte and beginner in spiritual life as
suggested by Shrila Prabhupada himself in the first quote on page 3 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 32, 64, 128 and 256 rounds daily in addition to the chanting of the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra. This will enable the neophyte to quickly progress to the stage of chanting the Mahamantra without
offenses. This is the verdict of Shrila Prabhupada, all the Acharyas, all the revealed scriptures and of Lord
Nityananda Himself.
On board of the ship Jaladuta, September 13, 1965, Verse 3, by Shrila Prabhupada:
tara iccha balavan pascatyete than than
hoy jate gauranger nam
prthivite nagaradi asamudra nada nadi
sakalei loy krsna nam
"By his (my Guru Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada's) strong desire, THE HOLY NAME OF
GAURANGA will first spread throughout all the countries of the Western world. Then in all the cities, towns, and
villages on the earth, from all the oceans, seas, rivers, and streams, everyone will chant the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra."
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
Here Shrila Prabhupada is clearly stating that unless the conditioned and offensive people of this world regularly
chant the name of Gauranga, they will not be able to factually take up or become qualified for directly taking up
the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. And even if they do so they will be simply indulge in the
Mahamantra because of their offenses. Thus they will not get the desired results, benefits and taste in the
chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra and thus they may end up giving up the chanting process very soon.
We have seen this happening in innumerable cases in our past Vaishnava history. Thousands of devotees have
lost taste in chanting the Mahamantra and thus given up the chanting and developed their taste in material
pursuits. This is because of a lack of chanting the Names of Nityananda and Gauranga. Therefore the only
solution and the final conclusion of all the scriptures and acharyas is to very regularly chant the Names of
Nityananda and Gauranga before beginning the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra.
Shrila Prabhupada’s Letter to: Niranjana, Brooklyn, 21 May, 1973:
"You mention that they have not even heard of Lord Gauranga. So that is their misfortune, and our misfortune
also….in India, they could not preach Lord Gauranga's name all over India."
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
This letter from Shrila Prabhupada clearly proves that his mission was to first spread the Name of Gauranga in
this world. This is Lord Nityananda's mission as well and the mission of all the acharyas. And how will Lord
Gauranga's Name spread and become widely known like "Hare Krishna" unless people of this world very
regularly chant the Gauranga Mantraraja daily on beads? It is foolishness to think that Gauranga's Name can be
spread in this world without inducing the people of this world to chant the Name a fixed number of times daily.
Shrila Prabhupada wants the Name of Gauranga to be preached in this world and he has done it through his
books and instructions. Also sometimes the acharyas leave some particular mission for their followers to
accomplish when the time is ripe. Like Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada wanted to preach
in Western countries but he personally did not do that but did that through his followers, the most prominent
among them being Shrila Prabhupada. Similarly Shrila Prabhupada also wanted the Name of Gauranga to be
preached all over the world along with the Hare Krishna Mahamantra because it is Lord Nityananda's order.
So Shrila Prabhupada will surely empower some of his followers to spread the Name of Gauranga more directly
especially by the introduction of the process of very regular chanting the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas.
Shrila Prabhupada wanted to established Lord Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead through his
books and writings so that once people understand Lord Krishna widely they can fully and properly accept Lord
Gauranga, the most merciful and combined incarnation of Shri Shri Radha-Krishna. So spreading the Name of
Lord Gauranga was the second-phase plan of Shrila Prabhupada which he initiated himself and left to his
followers to spread the names of Nityananda and Gauranga all over the world.
Shrila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami also states a similar thing in Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita, Adi 2.119:
caitanya-prabhura mahima kahibara tare;
krsnera mahima kahi kariya vistare
"Just to enunciate the glories of Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu and universally establish Him as the Supreme
Personality of Godhead non-different from Lord Krishna, I have described in detail the glories of Lord Krishna as
the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
Shrila Prabhupada in 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."
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
It is the duty of the spiritual master to give those Mantras to the disciple which he or she sees 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 Krishna's Names.
Shrila Prabhupada’s Letter to: Shachimata, Bombay, 8 December, 1974:
"It is the advice of Narottama das Thakura to chant the holy name of Gauranga either if one remains at home or
in the forest. Similarly, do not forget the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra either you live in the temple or at
home."
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
Here Shrila Prabhupada uses the word "similarly" and he is making a direct comparison of the chanting of the
Gauranga Mantraraja with the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. He states that the Gauranga's Name
should be chanted in the same way as we chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra irrespective of where one is
located and what the time, place and circumstances are.
Shrila Prabhupada in Srimad-Bhagavatam Lecture 2.1.2, Vrndavana, March 17, 1974:
"Then you become gosvami. Then, as Narottama dasa Thakura says, grhe va banete thake ha gauranga bole
dake. Ha gauranga, 'Always chanting Nitai-Gaura, and thinking of Nitai-Gaura,' such person, Narottama dasa
Thakura says... Grhe va... 'He may be a sannyasi, or he may be a grhastha. It doesn't matter. Because he is
absorbed in the thought of Nitai-Gaura.' So narottama mage tanra sanga: 'Narottama is always desiring to
associate with such person.'"
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
The real qualification of a devotee is not whether he is a sannyasi or householder but whether he or she is
constantly chanting the Names of Nityananda and Gauranga. We should associate with such a qualified
devotee. Here Shrila Prabhupada and Shrila Narottama dasa Thakura want us to always chant Nityananda and
Gauranga's Name. Some argue that chanting means only with the mouth or singing but not chanting japa on
beads. But all our acharyas including Shrila Prabhupada have always used the word "chant" for both japa on
beads and kirtana. It is a foolish attempt to try to say that chanting in some cases means only singing and not
japa on beads. In specific cases where the acharyas did not want the japa on beads like for the Pancha-tattva
Mantra, they have stated it clearly and explicitly. But the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas have been
chanted on japa by many great acharyas like Shrila Shivananda Sena, Sapta Rishis, Parvati, Shiva, Markendeya
Rishi, Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya, Advaita Acharya, Suvarna Sena, Madhavendra Puri, Purushottama Pandita,
Balarama Acharya, Minaketana Ramadasa etc. and approved by Shrila Prabhupada in the above quoted Room
Conversation with the Yoga student specifically addressing a question about Japa in Iran on March 14, 1975. So
the word "chant" is applicable for both japa and kirtana for the Nityananda and Gauranga Nama just like it is for
Harinama in the form of the Mahamantra.
Shrila Prabhupada in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta class, Madhya-lila 20.102, Baltimore, July 7, 1976:
"If you simply chant Nitai-Gaura and dance, then you'll become happy. There is no difficulty. There is no difficulty."
Shrila Prabhupada inSri Caitanya-caritamrta class, Adi-lila 7.4, Mayapur, March 4, 1974:
"Narottama dasa Thakura is aspiring for the day when Nityananda Prabhu will be pleased upon him. Just like
Jagai-Madhai was delivered by the mercy of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, so we have to pray Nityananda Prabhu. He's
very merciful. He's so kind, Baladeva, He gives spiritual strength. Then we can approach the Supreme Lord.
Therefore we chant "Nitai-Gaura." This is the process. We cannot change this policy."
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
Here Shrila Prabhupada clearly states that the policy, teachings and instructions of all acharyas and scriptures is
to chant (japa and kirtana) of the two Names of Lord Nityananda and Lord Gauranga. And this cannot be given
up or neglected at any cost even if the whole world is against it or tries to stop it.
Shrila Prabhupada’s Purport to Gauranga Bolite Habe, Los Angeles, January 9, 1969:
"As soon as one will chant the name of Sri Krsna Caitanya, there will be shivering. This is the first symptom that
one is getting advanced in the perfection stage of Krsna consciousness. So Narottama dasa Thakura says,
gauranga bolite habe pulaka sarire. He's expecting. Although he was a great acarya, still, he was expecting,
"When that stage will come?" … The meaning is that there will be not only shivering as soon as I utter the name
of Gauranga, but there will be torrents of tears in my eyes as soon as I chant Hare Krsna. This is the
explanation."
Shrila Prabhupada’s Letter to: Dina Dayala, Nellore, 6 January, 1976:
"My Guru Maharaja always sees if Krishna's name or Lord Caitanya's name appeared in someone's writing and
would appreciate the writing for this alone."
Shrila Pprabhupada’s Purport to song, Los Angeles, Dec 29, 1968:
"He says: gauranga bolite habe pulaka-carera. This is the perfection of chanting, that as soon as we chant or
take the name of Lord Gauranga, who initiated the Sankirtana Movement, at once there will be a shivering in the
body."
Shrila Prabhupada in Krsna Book Chp 20, Description of Autumn:
"Shrila Narottama dasa Thakura prays that he will have the association of a person-either a householder or a
man in the renounced order of life - who is engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord and is
always crying the holy name of Lord Caitanya."
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
If one follows this instruction of Shrila Prabhupada in Krishna Book, then one's life will be perfect and sublime.
And that is to constantly chant the Name of Gauranga will feeling and devotion. Crying the Name of Gauranga
can be done while chanting on beads as well as in kirtana. In fact Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura states in Hari-
nama-chintamani that some quantity of our daily quota of chanting may also be chanted in kirtana to give us a
special taste and spiritual bliss to all our senses and one can even count the Names while chanting Them in
kirtana.
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 inCc 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."
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
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. Similarly we have 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. 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 given 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.
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.
Shrila Prabhupada writes in Shri Chaitanya-Charitamrita Adi-lila 7.4 purport:
"Taking advantage of Shri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, many unscrupulous devotees manufacture a maha-mantra of
their own. Sometimes they sing bhaja nitai gaura radhe syama hare krishna hare rama or sri-krishna-caitanya
prabhu-nityananda hare krishna hare rama sri-radhe govinda. Actually, however, one should chant the names of
the full Pancha-tattva (sri-krishna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-
vrinda) and then the sixteen words Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare
Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. But these unscrupulous, less intelligent men confuse the entire process. Of
course, since they are also devotees they can express their feelings in that way, but the method prescribed by
Shri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s pure devotees is to first chant the full Pancha-tattva mantra and then chant the
maha-mantra-Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama,
Hare Hare.”
As per the comprehensive scriptural quotations in the book, the Gaura Gopala Mantraraja: "Gauranga" and the
Haladhara Balarama Mantraraja: "Nityananda" are authorized Mantras from the Vedic scriptures and are not
manufactured Mantras like “bhaja nitai gaura radhe syama hare krishna hare rama” or “sri-krishna-caitanya
prabhu-nityananda hare krishna hare rama sri-radhe govinda”
Besides all the devotees of Gauranga Dharma and Gauranga Yoga 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 his 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 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.
In order not to cause any inconvenience to any Vaishnavas and avoid controversy, it is our personal decision
that we will encourage those devotees who have accepted Diksha into any Vishnu Mantra from another
bonafide and authentic Guru in any of the four Vaishnava sampradayas to just chant the Nityananda and
Gauranga Mantarajas without accepting Diksha in these Mantrarajas. Though it is perfectly in line with the
scriptures that they can accept Diksha into the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas from another Guru while
still worshiping their previous Guru, we will not impart them the Gauranga Mantra Mahadiksha unless they have
explicit and clear instructions and permission from their first Diksha Guru in this regard. If they seek our
guidance, these devotees will be encouraged to simply chant the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas. We
are specifically interested in spreading the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas among the new and fresh
spiritual candidates. If they want some instructions from us, we will simply request the old initiated devotees of
other bonafide Vaishnava Gurus to add the chanting of the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas to their daily
chanting unless of course it is the desire of their first Gurus that they accept Gauranga Mantra Mahadiksha from
us. So no one has to fear about any inconvenience caused by the preaching of the Nityananda and Gauranga
Mantrarajas. If there are any specific issues we would request the concerned devotees or Gurus of other
institutions to directly let us know by contacting us in a Vaishnava way so that we can sort out the matter
directly.
Shrila Prabhupada during a Room Conversation, August 14, 1971, London:
Prabhupada: No. We are recommending "Chant the holy name of God." So if you have got the holy name of God,
you can chant that.
Srila Prabhupada:
Anyway, if one chants Allah or Jesus Christ, we have no objection. We don't say that you stop it. We say that
you chant the holy name of God. If that name is of God, you chant.
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
Here Shrila Prabhupada is stating that one can chant any authentic Name of God. So what can be more
authentic than the Name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead: "Gauranga" which is the most merciful
combined Name of Their Lorships Shri Shri Radha-Krishna and also known as the Radha-Krishna-Yugala-
Mantraraja or the Gaura-Gopala-Mantraraja. And what can be more authentic than the supremely magnanimous
Name of the Supreme Personality of Servitor Godhead Lord Balarama: "Nityananda". So those who oppose the
chanting of these Names are opposing the chanting of the most authentic Names of the Supreme Lord.
Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada's purport to Chaitanya-Charitamrita Adi 8.31:
"The Hare Krsna Mahamantra considers the offenses whereas the Names of Gauranga-Nityananda don't
consider offenses. An offensive chanter will never achieve the fruit of chanting (pure love for Krsna) by chanting
the Hare Krsna Mahamantra. Therefore till the time he is committing offenses, he should chant the names of
Nityananda and Gauranga. Due to the repeated chanting of the names of Nityananda and Gauranga, the
offenses will be destroyed and he will achieve the fruit of chanting."
"The name of Krsna and Gauranga-Both are non-different than the named Lord. Those who think that Krsna is
any way inferior or limited than Gauranga are in gross ignorance. But in practical considerations with respect to
benefit awarded to the conditioned souls, the chanting of Sri Nityananda and Gauranga's Name is more useful
and helpful for everyone. The mercy of Krsna's names is generally only upon liberated or perfected souls who
are surrendered to Him. But the magnanimity of the Names of Lord Nityananda and Gauranga is especially for
the souls who are offenders and full of anarthas and desires for material sense-gratification. The chanting of
Lord Nityananda and Lord Gauranga's Names and Their worship quickly delivers the soul from all the offenses
and thus the soul achieves shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Gauranga-Krishna without any delay."
Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada in Shri Chaitanya-Bhagavata, Madhya-Khanda 3.134:
"Simply by chanting or hearing the name of Lord Nityananda, the sinful inclinations in the hearts of all the living
entities in the universe are permanently destroyed and their inherent purity is automatically awakened. On
chanting or hearing the name of Lord Nityananda, even the merchants, degraded, fallen and foolish people are
purified and immediately become realized in the Absolute Truth and devotees of the Lord."
Shrila Sacchidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura Navadvipa-dhama-mahatmya Chp 1:
kali jivera aparadha asankhya durvara;
gauranga-nama vina tara nahika uddhara
"The offenses and sins of the living entities in Kali-yuga are unlimited and absolutely insurmountable. That is
why the souls can never ever be delivered without the regular chanting the most merciful name of Gauranga."
Shrila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami (Cc Adi 8.31):
caitanya-nityanande nahi esaba vicara,
nama laite prema dena, vahe asrudhara
"But if one chants, with only some slight faith, the two holy names of Lord Gauranga and Nityananda, he or she
is very quickly cleansed of all offenses. Since in the chanting of the names of Nityananda and Gauranga there is
no consideration of offenses, one will very quickly come to the stage of love of God, simply by chanting Their
names and tears of pure love for Krishna will flow from the eyes."
‘nityananda’ balite haya krsna-premodaya;
aulaya sakala anga,asru-ganga vaya
(Chaitanya-charitamrita Adi-lila 8.23)
"Simply by chanting the name 'Nityananda' one awakens his love for Krsna. Thus all his bodily limbs are agitated
by ecstasy of love of God, and tears flow from his eyes like the waters of the Ganges."
Shrila Narottama dasa Thakura:
grhe ba vanete thake, ‘ha gauranga’ bo'le dake,
narottama mage tara sanga
"One may reside in the house or in the forest, but if he or she is constantly chanting the name of Gauranga,
then I (Narottama Dasa Thakura) want his association and want to serve him."
Shrila Narada Muni:
gauranga-nama na laiya, yei krsna bhaje giya;
sei krsna bahu kale paya
gauranga-nama laya jei, sadya krsna paya sei;
aparadha nahi rahe taya
"If someone endeavors to worship Krsna without regularly chanting the name of Lord Gauranga, then he or she
will achieve Krsna only after a very prolonged period of time. But if someone takes shelter of the Name of Lord
Gauranga, he or she will achieve Krsna very soon because his or her offenses will immediately cease to exist."
(real shelter of the names of Lord Nityananda and Lord Gauranga means to chant Them at least one thousand
times i.e. 10 rounds daily)
Lord Shri Nityananda Prabhu Himself:
bhaja gauranga kaha gauranga
laha gaurangera nama re
ye jana gauranga bhaje sei amara prana re
"Worship Gauranga, chant the Gauranga Mantraraja and take the Holy Name of Lord Gauranga. Those who will
worship Lord Gauranga in this way by constantly chanting His name are veritably My Life and Soul and I will give
them all protection."
Lord Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu Himself:
prthivite ache yata nagaradi-grama;
sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama
(Caitanya-bhagavata Antya 4.126)
"Very shortly My Name will be chanted, broadcasted and glorified in all various towns, villages, cities, countries
and continents of the world."
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
Here Lord Gauranga is stating "mora nama" means His Name of Gauranga, Nityananda, Hare Krishna etc. And as
per as Shrila Prabhupada's prediction on the Jaladuta, first Lord Gauranga's Name has to spread all over the
world for the people to become qualified to chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. This is the specific mission of
Gauranga Dharma or Gaurangaism or Gauranga Yoga which is the scientific, universal and eternal religion of the
soul realized through the process of Mahadiksha and Mantra Meditation on these three most powerful King of all
Mantras (Mantrarajas) in Kali Yuga:
(1)"Nityananda"(Haladhara Balarama Mantraraja)
(2) "Gauranga" (Gaura Gopala Mantraraja)
(3) "Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare"
(Hare Krishna Mahamantra)
Some of the references from the Vedic scriptures regarding the glories of the Nityananda and Gauranga
Mantrarajas are as follows:
(1) SHRILA SHIVANANDA SENA CHANTS JAPA OF THE 4-SYLLABLE GAURA-GOPALA-MANTRA
The four-syllable Gauranga (Gaura Gopala) Mantra is the most worshipable ista-mantra of Shrila Shivananda
Sena who chanted the Mantra constantly as per Shri Caitanya-caritamrita Antya-lila 2.24,31:
apane bolana more, iha yadi jani;
amara ista-mantra jani' kahena apani
‘gaura-gopala mantra’ tomara cari aksara;
avisvasa chada, yei kariyacha antara"
Nakula Brahmacari told Sivananda Sena, "You are chanting the Gaura Gopala Mantra, composed of four syllables
(which is your ista-mantra i.e. worshipable mantra). Now please give up the doubts that have resided within you
about the avesha of Lord Gauranga in me."
Purport by Srila Prabhupada:
"Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains the Gaura-Gopala mantra in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya. Worshipers of Sri
Gaurasundara accept the four syllables 'gau-ra-an-ga' 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 non-different 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."
Purport by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his Amrita-pravaha-bhashya:
gaura-gopala-mantra gauravadi gana 'gauranga' name catura-aksara
gaura-mantra ke uddesya karena; kevala krsnavadi gana ei
gaura-gopala-mantra sabde radha-krsnera
catura-aksara-mantrake uddesya karena
"The following is the explanation of the Gaura-gopala mantra. The followers of Lord Gauranga accept 'Gauranga'
as the four-syllable mantra and the followers of only Krsna accept 'Radha-Krsna' as the Gaura-gopala mantra.
The followers of both Lord Gauranga and Lord Krsna accept either one of them as the Gaura-gopala mantra
understanding that They are non-different from each other."
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
So it is very clear that the most intimate devotees of the Lord like Shrila Shivananda Sena were constantly
chanting the four-syllable 'gau-ra-an-ga' Mantra which is non-different than the four syllables of 'ra-dha-krs-na'
Mantra.
Thus the constant chanting of the Name or Mantra of 'Gauranga' is authorized in the revealed scriptures and
implemented by the previous acharyas. The great advantage is that the ultimate benefit of 'radha-krsna' or the
Hare Krishna Mahamantra can be realized by siddha and mukta (perfect and liberated) souls whereas the
'Gauranga' mantra is the most prayojaniya (useful) for anartha-yukta (offensive), badha (conditioned), patita
(fallen) souls according to Shrila Prabhupada's purport and specifically the Anubhashya purport of Shrila
Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada in Caitanya-caritamrita Adi 8.31. Just like the Hare Krishna Mantra is known as
Harinama as well as the Maha Mantra similarly the Gauranga Mantra is known as Gauranama as well as the
Gaura-Gopala-Mantra or Gauranga Mantra.
(2) CHAITANYA MANGALA: LORD GAURANGA IS WORSHIPED IN GOLOKA BY ALL HIS ETERNAL
ASSOCIATES BY THE CHANTING OF THE GAURANGA MANTRARAJA
The four-syllable Gauranga Mantra is chanted in Goloka Vrndavana by all the eternal associates of the Lord in
the direct worship of Lord Gauranga:
In Sri Caitanya-mangala Sutra-khanda Verse 527 by Shrila Locana Dasa Thakura, the four-syllable Gauranga-
mantra is described as the Mantra through which Lord Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu is worshipped in Goloka
Vrindavana, the topmost Vaikuntha planet in the spiritual world:
hema-gaura kalevara, mantra chari-akshara;
sahaja vaikuntha-natha shyama
"The Lord sits on a golden bejeweled throne. He possesses a complexion millions of times more brilliant than the
color of molten gold. He is worshipped by all His devotees by the chanting of the four-syllable Mantraraja
'Gauranga'."
Commentary of Swami Gaurangapada:
There has to be a specific Mantra through which the eternal residents of Shri Navadvipa Dhama in Goloka
Vrindavana worship Lord Gauranga, the combined incarnation of Shri Shri Radha-Krishna. Just like there are
specific Mantras for the worship of the different forms of the Lord like Rama, Nrisingha, Kurma, Varaha etc. there
has to be a specific Mantra to worship the golden Lord Gauranga who is the source of all the incarnations. And
this Mantra is described in Shri Chaitanya-Mangala as the supreme four-syllable Mantra: Gauranga Mantraraja.
(3) DIRECT ORDER OF THE SUPREME LORD ADI-GURU SHRI NITYANANDA BALARAMA TO CHANT THE
GAURANGA MANTRA ALWAYS
It is the direct, open and primary instruction of the Guru of all Gurus Adi-Guru, Sakshat-Mula-Sankarshana, origin
of the spiritual and material worlds Lord Shri Nityananda Balarama to all the moving and non-moving living
entities to take constant shelter of chanting the Gauranga Mantraraja.
Shrila Prabhupada quotes:
bhaja gauranga kaha gauranga
laha gaurangera nama re;
ye jana gauranga bhaje sei amara prana re
Lord Nityananda instructs all living entities: "Worship Gauranga, chant the 'Gauranga' Mantraraja and take the
Holy Name of 'Gauranga'. Those who will worship Gauranga in this way by constantly chanting the Gauranga
Mantraraja are veritably My life and soul and I personally give them all protection."
(This verse is also quoted by Shrila Prabhupada in his lecture, Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 7.5, Mayapur,
March 7, 1974)
"You can also chant the prayer you asked about. This was spoken by Lord Nityananda while He was preaching
in the town. He was addressing the people: 'My dear brothers, you simply worship Lord Caitanya; talk of Lord
Caitanya; speak Lord Caitanya's Name, so anyone who does so, he is my life and soul." (SP in Letter to:
Mahapurusa, Los Angeles, 7 March, 1968)
Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:
Lord Nityananda was sent to preach the Hare Krishna Mahamantra in Bengal by Lord Gauranga but He preached
the Gauranga Mantraraja first because He knew that only the name of Gauranga will impart the qualification to
the offensive and sinful souls of Kali-yuga to chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra.
We would like to quote here from the writings of Shrila Bhakti Rakshaka Shridhara Goswami Maharaja found in
his book "The Golden Volcano of Divine Love":
"Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was merged in tasting the sweetness of Radha-Govinda lila, and diving deep into that
reality, however, at the same time, He wanted to deliver all souls whose hearts had been devoured by the false
notions of renunciation and exploitation. He ordered Nityananda Prabhu, 'Go to Bengal and try to deliver them-
give them divine love for Radha and Krsna.'"
"He ordered Nityananda Prabhu to distribute divine love for Radha-Govinda, but instead, Nityananda began to
preach about Sri Gauranga. He thought, 'It will be better for them to worship Gauranga; that will help free them
from their offenses in their present position, and by doing so, they will automatically achieve a position in Radha-
Govinda lila.' "
"He was ordered to preach the name of Krsna, but instead began to preach the name of Gauranga. So for our
own welfare we bow down to Nityananda Prabhu in all humility."
"The aim of Sriman Mahaprabhu's descent was to distribute the devotional service of Vrndavana most
generously. On the other hand, Nityananda Prabhu used to sing the verse quoted above. (bhaja gauranga,
kaha gauranga, laha gaurangera nama re...)"
"In Vrindavan, the pastimes of Krsna are confined to a confidential circle, but in Navadvipa, those pastimes are
distributed openly to one and all. Gaura lila is more generous than Krsna lila."
"By the grace of Nityananda Prabhu (which comes by chanting His Name regularly), we develop our attraction for
Sri Gauranga. If we receive the grace of Sri Gauranga (again by chanting His Name), we receive everything to
the highest degree. And that is the safest way to approach Radha-Govinda. If we try to achieve Radha-Govinda
in some other way, our attempt will naturally be artificial and defective; if we approach Radha-Govinda directly,
avoiding Sri Gauranga, there will be great difficulty."
"Therefore, we should invest all our energy in the service of Sri Gauranga especially by chanting His Name. Then,
we shall automatically find ourselves being lifted towards the highest level. As much as we devote ourselves to
the lotus feet of Sri Gauranga and His Name, we will automatically achieve the nectarine service of Srimati
Radharani in Vrindavan."
"To bring Sri Gauranga nearer to our soul (which is exactly what happens by chanting the Name of Gauranga
regularly) is to get even unconsciously, a guarantee of our achievement in Krishna-lila. For the fallen souls it is
more useful to cultivate devotion for Sri Gauranga and chant His Name. That will give us the complete fulfillment
of life with the least trouble. Devotion to Gauranga by chanting His Name will not lead us to any haphazard or
misconceived Krishna consciousness, but real Krishna consciousness. We can have full Krishna consciousness by
the help of Gaura consciousness. By developing devotion to Sri Gauranga, we will be able to feel that Sri
Gauranga consciousness also includes Krishna consciousness - plus something more. What is that? The
distribution of Krishna consciousness."
Chaitanya-Charitamrita Madhya lila 1.29:
‘caitanya’ seva, ‘caitanya’ gao,
lao ‘caitanya’ nama
‘caitanye’ ye bhakti kare, sei mora prama
Lord Nityananda implored; "Serve Lord Gauranga, sing the Holy Name of Lord Gauranga and chant Lord
Gauranga's Name on japa. Those who worship Lord Gauranga in this way are My life and soul."
kasta nahi, vyaya nahi na pabe yatana;
srigauranga bali nace nahika bhavana
(Sri Navadvipa-dhama-mahatmya, Chp 1)
Lord Nityananda instructs all the living entities:
"There is no trouble or loss nor will you suffer anymore, if you forget yourself in bliss while dancing and chanting
the name of Gauranga."
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