Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.2.13

Nitāi: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [devotees repeat] Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Sixth Canto, Second Chapter, verse number thirteen. [leads chanting of verse, etc.]

athainaṁ māpanayata kṛtāśeṣāgha-niṣkṛtaṁ yad asau bhagavan-nāma mriyamāṅaḥ samagrahīt [SB 6.2.13]

[break] [02:17]

Prabhupāda:

athainaṁ māpanayata kṛtāśeṣāgha-niṣkṛtaṁ yad asau bhagavan-nāma mriyamāṅaḥ samagrahīt [SB 6.2.13]

The most important word here is mriyamāṅaḥ samagrahīt. Ordinarily there are discrimination of nāma, nāmābhāsa and nāmāparādha. Śuddha-nāma, pure name; nāmābhāsa, almost pure; and nāmāparādha, chanting the holy name with aparādha. There are ten kinds of offenses, that nāma... Nāmnād... Out of the ten kinds of offenses, the most offensive chanting is nāmnād balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhiḥ. One aparādha is guror avajñā. If we neglect the orders of guru and chant Hare Kṛṣṅa, then it is aparādha, offense. Guru-avajñā śruti-śāstra-nindanam. The Vedic literature, whatever injunction is there, if I don't obey or I decry—"Oh, there are many..., so many rules. It is not possible"—śruti-śāstra nindanam. Nāma artha-vāda. We interpret in our own way about the nāma. And to consider the holy name of Viṣṅu and other names equally potent, that is nāmāparādha. And nāmnād balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhiḥ. And because one is chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa, he thinks, "Even if I do something sinful, it will be counteracted," that is aparādha. And to instruct to a person who has no interest in hari-kīrtana, that is also aparādha. So we should not be very much interested to preach Kṛṣṅa consciousness if one is not very much interested. But tactfully, if you can, just try to give him a book. In this way there are ten kinds of offenses. We have discussed many times, and I think all of you know it.

So here it is said, mriyamāṅaḥ samagrahīt. Because at the time of death he has uttered "Nārāyaṅa," so now there is no question of offense. There is no question of. It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā that yeṣāṁ tu anta-gataṁ pāpam: by chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra, one gradually becomes free from all sinful reaction. Yeṣāṁ tu anta-gataṁ. Te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ [Bg 7.28].

[Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with determination.]

And the proof is, as it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā,

anta-kāle ca mām eva smaran muktvā kalevaraṁ yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ yāti nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ [Bg 8.5]

[And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.]

If at the time of death one can chant Hare Kṛṣṅa, then he is glorious. Nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ. Here is clearly said in the Bhagavad-gītā, nāsty atra. Anta-kāle: "At the time of..." I have several times said, the test will be examined at the time of death. They say in Bengal, bhajan koro pūjān koro murte jānle haya.[?] Your austerity, penances, chanting of the holy name, all these things... Just like there is examination. Before promotion to the higher class, one is examined in the school, and the..., if the marks are sufficient, then he is promoted. So our promotion will depend at the time of death, where we are going. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ [Bg 2.13].

[As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.]

We are going to change our... Death means we are going to change our body. So this change of body will be decided at the time of death. It is already decided what kind of body we are going to get, but the final decision will be taken at the time of death. That is said by Kṛṣṅa. So how the test... You... Everyone can understand. If at the time of death one chants Hare Kṛṣṅa, then you know certainly that he has gone to Vaikuṅṭha. There is no doubt about it. Anta-kāle. And even there is aparādha, that is not taken into consideration, because at the time of death he has uttered. This is special consideration. Anta-kāle.

Here it is said, yad asau bhagavan-nāma mriyamāṅaḥ samagrahīt. Sama means samak, "perfectly." "Now he is quite fit for going back to home, back to Godhead. So you do not touch him. He is completely free." So if we are serious about our life, the method is very easy. The prescription is man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru [Bg 18.65].

[Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.]

Where is the difficulty? We are now serious. Chant Hare Kṛṣṅa and hear Hare Kṛṣṅa. Then mind is fixed up. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṅa-padāravindayoḥ [SB 9.4.18].

[Mahārāja Ambarīṣa always engaged his mind in meditating upon the lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa, his words in describing the glories of the Lord, his hands in cleansing the Lord's temple, and his ears in hearing the words spoken by Kṛṣṅa or about Kṛṣṅa. He engaged his eyes in seeing the Deity of Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa's temples and Kṛṣṅa's places like Mathurā and Vṛndāvana, he engaged his sense of touch in touching the bodies of the Lord's devotees, he engaged his sense of smell in smelling the fragrance of tulasī offered to the Lord, and he engaged his tongue in tasting the Lord's prasāda. He engaged his legs in walking to the holy places and temples of the Lord, his head in bowing down before the Lord, and all his desires in serving the Lord, twenty-four hours a day. Indeed, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa never desired anything for his own sense gratification. He engaged all his senses in devotional service, in various engagements related to the Lord. This is the way to increase attachment for the Lord and be completely free from all material desires.]

Our business is to fix up my mind on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa. So this Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa chanting, will help us. As soon as we chant, we hear. It is not that simply by seeing Kṛṣṅa you become perfect. By hearing Kṛṣṅa also. This is also another sense. We gather knowledge from different senses. Suppose there is a good mango. So when you say, "Let me see how the mango is," but you are seeing. No, this seeing is imperfect. You take little portion of the mango and taste it; then you can understand. So experience is gathered from different senses. Why you are giving stress only on seeing? This is foolishness. Just like you can... Even if you do not taste—the mango seller may not allow you to taste—but you can smell. By smelling, you can understand whether the mango is good or bad. After all, you have to get experience.

So why we should stress upon seeing Kṛṣṅa? That is most foolish proposal. You have other senses. Kṛṣṅa is prepared to be perceived by you by other senses. What is that? If you hear Kṛṣṅa, then you must know there is Kṛṣṅa. There is Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa is not different from His name, from His form, either form or name or quality or paraphernalia, anything. He is Absolute. There is no duality. Anything you perceive, that is Kṛṣṅa. This Kṛṣṅa temple is also Kṛṣṅa. So we have no sufficient knowledge how to understand Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa is prepared to be understood by us in so many ways. So the Kali-yuga, therefore, name is so important. Kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā. Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam [Cc Ādi 17.21].

[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.]

This formula should be seriously taken.

Kṛtāśeṣa agha-niṣkṛtam. Aśeṣa. Unlimited amount or unlimited number of sinful activities are already finished. So the Yamadūta forbade them that "Don't touch him. He is not fit for going to Yamaloka, but he is fit for going to Viṣṅuloka." Bhagavan-nāma mriyamāṅaḥ. The most important thing is how to become successful, at the time of death chant Hare Kṛṣṅa. This should be there. Bhagavan-nāma mriyamāṅaḥ. That will be the perfection of life. Then they explain,

sāṅketyaṁ pārihāsyaṁ vā stobhaṁ helanam eva vā vaikuṅṭha-nāma-grahaṅam aśeṣāgha-haraṁ viduḥ [SB 6.2.14]

Sāṅketya. Just like sometimes on the street some outsider, seeing you, they chant Hare Kṛṣṅa only by the symbolic, sāṅketya. Because they see: "They have got tilaka, kaṅṭhī." Therefore these things are required. Don't become immediately paramahaṁsa—no tilaka, no kaṅṭhī and no bead bag. This is not good. Sāṅketya, so that others may understand, "Here is a Vaiṣṅava. Here is a Kṛṣṅa devotee." And if he is simple, he'll chant "Hare Kṛṣṅa." This chance should be given. Therefore it is necessary, how people can utter. That chanting may save him from the greatest danger.

Therefore it is said, sāṅketyaṁ pārihāsyam. If somebody jokes... Sometimes they do that. "Hare Kṛṣṅa" means he is not seriously chanting, but he is trying to joke the other party who is engaged in chanting. And that is also good, pārihāsya. During Caitanya Mahāprabhu's time, the Muslims, they used to joke the Hindus, "Hare Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa." So the practice made them chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa. And the police officer was informed by the constables that "These Hindus are chanting 'Hare Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa.' " The police officer asked him, "Then why you are chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa?" By imitating, they became practiced to chant Hare Kṛṣṅa. It is so nice. Even joking, symbolic, sāṅketyaṁ pārihāsyaṁ stobham. Or prema. Helanam eva vā. Without any care, "Hare Kṛṣṅa," any way if you chant Hare Kṛṣṅa, then vaikuṅṭha-nāma grahaṅam aśeṣa agha-haram [SB 6.2.14]. Agha. Agha means sinful activities.

So, so nice thing, Hare Kṛṣṅa movement, some way or other, if we can take it very seriously, then our life will be successful at the end of life if we can chant. Therefore Yamunācārya says... Not Yamunācārya; Kulaśekhara Mahārāja. He was also emperor.

kṛṣṅa tvadīya-pada-paṅkaja-pañjarāntam adyaiva viśatu me mānasa-rāja-haṁsaḥ prāṅa-prayāṅa-samaye kapha vāta pittaiḥ kaṅṭhāvarodhana-vidhau smaraṅaṁ kutas te [Mukunda-mālā-stotra 33]

[My Lord Kṛṣṅa, I pray that the swan of my mind may immediately sink down to the stems of the lotus feet of Your Lordship and be locked up in their network; otherwise at the time of my final breath, when my throat is choked up with cough, how will it be possible to think of You?]

He is praying, "My Lord, now I am healthy. I am quite conscious. So this time, if I absorb my mind in Your lotus feet and die, it is very good. It is very good because in the natural time of death, the three elements—kapha, vāta—they'll be dismantled, and there will be different sounds, and mind will be distracted, brain will be falling. So hardly there is possibility of chanting Your holy name. The best thing is: now I am feeling healthy—my whole system, physical system, is quite fit—let me chant and die immediately." This is desire of the devotee.

So we should keep ourself... Kṛṣṅa is also very kind. If you chant seriously, without offense, even the mental condition at the time of death is disordered, Kṛṣṅa will help you how to chant without any offense. So we must... The only qualification is that we must be very sincere. Even by symbolic chanting, by joking, if one can get the benefit, why not do it carefully? Why not do it carefully? What is the wrong there? Be serious and chant Hare Kṛṣṅa very carefully in order to get success of life at the time of death.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṅa.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. [end]