Chanting - The Only Way of Deliverance

The Diseased Condition

One day Govinda, the personal servant of Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu, went in great jubilation to deliver the remnants of Lord Jagannätha’s food to Haridäsa Öhäkura. When Govinda came to Haridäsa, he saw that Haridäsa Öhäkura was lying on his back and chanting his rounds very slowly.

“Please rise and take your mahä-prasädam,” Govinda said. “Today I shall observe fasting,” Haridäsa Öhäkura replied, “I have not finished chanting my regular number of rounds. How, then, can I eat? But you have brought mahä-prasädam, and how can I neglect it?” Saying this, he offered prayers to the mahä-prasädam, took a little portion, and ate it.

The next day, Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu went to Haridäsa’s place and inquired from him, “Haridäsa, are you well?” Haridäsa offered his obeisances to the Lord and replied, “My body is all right, but my mind and intelligence are not well.”

Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu further inquired from Haridäsa, “Can you ascertain what your disease is?” Haridäsa Öhäkura replied, “My disease is that I cannot complete my rounds.”

Çréla Prabhupäda explains:

If one cannot complete the fixed number of rounds he is assigned, he should be considered to be in a diseased condition of spiritual life. Çréla Haridäsa Öhäkura is called nämäcärya. Of course, we cannot imitate Haridäsa Öhäkura, but everyone must chant a prescribed number of rounds. In our Kåñëa consciousness movement we have fixed sixteen rounds as the minimum so that the Westerners will not feel burdened. These sixteen rounds must be chanted, and chanted loudly, so that one can hear himself and others. [CC Antya 11.23 Purport]

Chanting the Only Way of Deliverance

In Båhan-näradéya Puräëa, it is stated:

harer näma harer näma harer nämaiva kevalam

kalau nästy eva nästy eva nästy eva gatir anyathä

In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari.

In Kali-santaraëa Upaniñad, Brahmä explains to Närada:

hare kåñëa hare kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa hare hare

hare räma hare räma räma räma hare hare

iti ñoòaçakaà nämnäà kali-kalmaña-näçanaà

nätaù parataropäyaù sarva-vedeñu dåçyate

hare kåñëa hare kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa hare hare hare räma hare räma räma räma hare hare: These sixteen names composed of thirty-two syllables are the only means of counteracting the evil effects of the Kali-yuga. After searching through all the Vedic literature, one cannot find a method of religion for this age so sublime as the chanting of the Hare Kåñëa mantra.

Example of Välméki Muni

Välméki Muni was a dacoit, a plunderer. He used to plunder innocent men on the road, kill them and take everything. That was his business. But by chance, he was associated with Närada Muni. Even a dacoit like Välméki Muni, when he comes in touch with a devotee he becomes elevated. This Välméki Muni was given this mantra, "Räma." He could not chant it. Then he was advised to chant just the opposite, mära. Mära means dead body. So mära mära mära. Three mära means one "Räma" is there. So in this way he was initiated and he became a great sage. For sixty thousands of years he meditated simply on "Räma, Räma, Räma, Räma, Räma, Räma." And when he was liberated, he wrote this Rämäyaëa.

Example of Mågäri

Mågäri, the hunter who took great pleasure in half-killing animals, became a great devotee of the Lord, by virtue of his association with a great devotee Närada. Närada Muni requested Mågäri to sit down on the bank of the Ganges and chant Hare Kåñëa before a sacred tulasé plant. After meeting the great sage Närada, he became a devotee of Kåñëa and was not prepared to kill even an ant.

Verdict of Çrémad-Bhägavatam

kaler doña-nidhe räjann asti hy eko mahän guëaù

kértanäd eva kåñëasya mukta-saìgaù paraà vrajet

My dear King, although Kali-yuga is full of faults, there is still one good quality about this age: simply by chanting the Hare Kåñëa mahä-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom. [Çrémad-Bhägavatam 12.3.51]

kåte yad dhyäyato viñëuà tretäyäà yajato makhaiù

dväpare paricaryäyäà kalau tad dhari-kértanät

Whatever result one obtained in Satya-yuga by meditating on Viñëu, in Tretä-yuga by performing sacrifices and in Dväpara-yuga by serving the Lord's lotus feet one can also obtain in Kali-yuga simply by chanting the Hare Kåñëa mahä-mantra. [Çrémad-Bhägavatam 12.3.52]

Other Scriptural References

dväparéyair janair viñëuù païcarätrais tu kevalaiù

kalau tu näma-mätreëa püjyate bhagavän hariù

In the Dväpara-yuga people should worship Lord Viñëu only by the regulative principles of the Närada-païcarätra and other such authorized books. In the Age of Kali, however, people should simply chant the holy names of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. [Näräyaëa-saàhitä]

kali-käle näma-rüpe kåñëa-avatära

näma haite haya sarva-jagat-nistära

In this Age of Kali, the holy name of the Lord, the Hare Kåñëa mahä-mantra, is the incarnation of Lord Kåñëa. Simply by chanting the holy name, one associates with the Lord directly. Anyone who does this is certainly delivered. [Çré Caitanya-caritämåta Ädi-lélä 17.22]