Adi17.1

TEXT 1

vande svairādbhutehaṁ taṁ

caitanyaṁ yat-prasādataḥ

yavanāḥ sumanāyante

kṛṣṇa-nāma-prajalpakāḥ

SYNONYMS

vande—let me offer my obeisances; svaira—completely independent; adbhuta—and uncommon; īham—whose activities; tam—unto Him; caitanyam—Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; yat—of whom; prasādataḥ—by the mercy; yavanāḥ—even the unclean; sumanāyante—are transformed into gentlemen; kṛṣṇa-nāma—of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa; prajalpakāḥ—taking to the chanting.

TRANSLATION

Let me offer my respectful obeisances to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, by whose mercy even unclean yavanas become perfectly well-bred gentlemen by chanting the holy name of the Lord. Such is the power of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

PURPORT

There is a persistent misunderstanding between caste brāhmaṇas and advanced Vaiṣṇavas, or gosvāmīs, because caste brāhmaṇas, or smārtas, are of the opinion that one cannot become a brāhmaṇa unless he changes his body. As we have discussed several times, it is to be understood that by the supremely powerful potency of the Lord, as described by Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, everything is possible. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is as fully independent as Kṛṣṇa. Therefore no one can interfere with His activities. If He wants, by His mercy He can convert even a yavana, an unclean follower of non-Vedic principles, into a perfectly well-behaved gentleman. This is actually happening in our propagation of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. The members of the present Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement were not born in India, nor do they belong to the Vedic culture, but within the short time of four or five years they have become such wonderful devotees, simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, that even in India they are well received as perfectly well-behaved Vaiṣṇavas wherever they go.

Although less intelligent men cannot understand it, this is the special power of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Actually, the body of a Kṛṣṇa conscious person changes in many ways. Even in the United States, when our devotees chant on the street, American ladies and gentlemen inquire from them whether they are actually Americans because no one could expect Americans to become such nice devotees all of a sudden. Even Christian priests are greatly surprised that all these boys from Jewish and Christian families have joined this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement; before joining, they never regarded any principles of religion seriously, but now they have become sincere devotees of the Lord. Everywhere people express this astonishment, and we take great pride in the transcendental behavior of our students. Such wonders are possible, however, only by the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. They are not ordinary or mundane.

Adi17.2

TEXT 2

jaya jaya śrī-caitanya jaya nityānanda

jayādvaitacandra jaya gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

SYNONYMS

jaya jaya—all glories; śrī-caitanya—to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; jaya—all glories; nityānanda—to Lord Nityānanda Prabhu; jaya advaita-candra—all glories to Advaita Ācārya; jaya gaura-bhakta-vṛnda—all glories to the devotees of Lord Caitanya.

TRANSLATION

All glories to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu! All glories to Lord Nityānanda Prabhu! All glories to Advaita Ācārya! And all glories to the devotees of Lord Caitanya!

Adi17.3

TEXT 3

kaiśora-līlāra sūtra karila gaṇana

yauvana-līlāra sūtra kari anukrama

SYNONYMS

kaiśora-līlāra—of the activities before His youth; sūtra—synopsis; karila—I have done; gaṇana—an enumeration; yauvana-līlāra—of the pastimes of youth; sūtra—synopsis; kari—I enumerate; anukrama—in chronological order.

TRANSLATION

I have already given a synopsis of the kaiśora-līlā of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Now let me enumerate His youthful pastimes in chronological order.

Adi17.4

TEXT 4

vidyā-saundarya-sad-veśa-

sambhoga-nṛtya-kīrtanaiḥ

prema-nāma-pradānaiś ca

gauro dīvyati yauvane

SYNONYMS

vidyā—education; saundarya—beauty; sat-veśa—nice dress; sambhoga—enjoyment; nṛtya—dancing; kīrtanaiḥ—by chanting; prema-nāma—the holy name of the Lord, which induces one to become a devotee; pradānaiḥ—by distributing; ca—and; gauraḥ—Lord Śrī Gaurasundara; dīvyati—illuminated; yauvane—in His youth.

TRANSLATION

Exhibiting His scholarship, beauty and fine dress, Lord Caitanya danced, as He chanted and distributed the holy name of the Lord to awaken dormant love of Kṛṣṇa. Thus Lord Śrī Gaurasundara shone in His youthful pastimes.

Adi17.5

TEXT 5

yauvana-praveśe aṅgera aṅga vibhūṣaṇa

divya vastra, divya veśa, mālya-candana

SYNONYMS

yauvana-praveśe—on the entrance of His youth; aṅgera—of the body; aṅga—limbs; vibhūṣaṇa—ornaments; divya—transcendental; vastra—garments; divya—transcendental; veśa—dress; mālya—garland; candana—(smeared with) sandalwood pulp.

TRANSLATION

As He entered His youth, the Lord decorated Himself with ornaments, dressed Himself in fine cloth, garlanded Himself with flowers and smeared Himself with sandalwood.

Adi17.6

TEXT 6

vidyāra auddhatye kāhoṅ nā kare gaṇana

sakala paṇḍita jini’ kare adhyāpana

SYNONYMS

vidyāra auddhatye—because of pride in education; kāhoṅ—anyone; nā—does not; kare—do; gaṇana—care; sakala—all; paṇḍita—learned scholars; jini’-conquering; kare—does; adhyāpana—studies.

TRANSLATION

By dint of pride in His education, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, not caring for anyone else, defeated all kinds of learned scholars while executing His studies.

Adi17.7

TEXT 7

vāyu-vyādhi-cchale kaila prema parakāśa

bhakta-gaṇa lañā kaila vividha vilāsa

SYNONYMS

vāyu-vyādhi—disease caused by disturbance of the air in the body; chale—on the plea of; kaila—made; prema—love of Godhead; parakāśa—manifestation; bhakta-gaṇa—the devotees; lañā—taking with Him; kaila—did; vividha—varieties of; vilāsa—pastimes.

TRANSLATION

In His youth, the Lord exhibited His ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa on the plea of disturbances of the bodily airs. Accompanied by His confidential devotees, He enjoyed various pastimes in this way.

PURPORT

According to Āyur-vedic treatment, the entire physiological system is conducted by three elements, namely, vāyu, pitta and kapha (air, bile and mucus). Secretions within the body transform into other secretions like blood, urine and stool, but if there are disturbances in the metabolism, the secretions turn into kapha (mucus) by the influence of the air within the body. According to the Ayur-vedic system, when the secretion of bile and formation of mucus disturb the air circulating within the body, fifty-nine varieties of disease may occur. One of such diseases is craziness.

On the plea of disturbance of the bodily air and metabolism, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu acted as if crazy. Thus in His school He began to explain the grammar of verbs through Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Explaining everything in grammar in relationship to Kṛṣṇa, the Lord induced His students to refrain from worldly education, for it is better to become Kṛṣṇa conscious and in this way attain the highest perfectional platform of education. On these grounds, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī later compiled the grammar entitled Hari-nāmāmṛta-vyākaraṇa. People in general consider such explanations crazy. Therefore the Lord’s purpose in His attitude of craziness was to explain that there is nothing within our experience but Kṛṣṇa consciousness, for everything may be dovetailed with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. These pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu have been very vividly described in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya-khaṇḍa, Chapter One.

Adi17.8

TEXT 8

tabeta karilā prabhu gayāte gamana

īśvara-purīra saṅge tathāi milana

SYNONYMS

tabeta—thereafter; karilā—did; prabhu—Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; gayāte—to Gayā; gamana—travel; īśvara-purīra saṅge—with Īśvara Purī; tathāi—there; milana—meeting.

TRANSLATION

Thereafter the Lord went to Gayā. There He met Śrīla Īśvara Purī.

PURPORT

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to Gayā to offer respectful oblations to His forefathers. This process is called piṇḍa-dāna. In Vedic society, after the death of a relative, especially one’s father or mother, one must go to Gayā and there offer oblations to the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu. Therefore hundreds and thousands of men gather in Gayā daily to offer such oblations, or śrāddha. Following this principle, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu also went there to offer piṇḍa to His dead father. Fortunately He met Īśvara Purī there.

Adi17.9

TEXT 9

dīkṣā-anantare haila, premera prakāśa

deśe āgamana punaḥ premera vilāsa

SYNONYMS

dīkṣā—initiation; anantare—immediately after; haila—became; premera—of love of Godhead; prakāśa—exhibition; deśe—in His home country; āgamana—coming back; punaḥ—again; premera—of love of God; vilāsa—enjoyment.

TRANSLATION

In Gayā, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was initiated by Īśvara Purī, and immediately afterwards He exhibited signs of love of Godhead. He again displayed such symptoms after returning home.

PURPORT

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to Gayā, accompanied by many of His disciples, He became sick on the way. He had such a high fever that He asked His students to bring water that had washed the feet of brāhmaṇas, and when they brought it the Lord drank it and was cured. Therefore everyone should respect the position of a brāhmaṇa, as indicated by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Neither the Lord nor His followers displayed any disrespect to brāhmaṇas.

The followers of the Lord must be prepared to offer brāhmaṇas all due respect. But preachers of Lord Caitanya’s cult object if someone presents himself as a brāhmaṇa without having the necessary qualifications. The followers of Lord Caitanya cannot blindly accept that everyone born in a brāhmaṇa family is a brāhmaṇa. Therefore one should not indiscriminately follow the Lord’s example of showing respect to brāhmaṇas by drinking water that has washed their feet. Gradually the brāhmaṇa families have become degraded because of the contamination of Kali-yuga. Thus they misguide people by exploiting their sentiments.

Adi17.10

TEXT 10

śacīke prema-dāna, tabe advaita-milana

advaita pāila viśvarūpa-daraśana

SYNONYMS

śacīke—unto mother Śacīdevī; prema-dāna—giving love of Godhead; tabe—thereafter; advaita—with Advaita Ācārya; milana—meeting; advaita—Advaita Ācārya; pāila—received; viśva-rūpa—of the universal form of the Lord; daraśana—vision.

TRANSLATION

Thereafter the Lord delivered love of Kṛṣṇa to His mother, Śacīdevī, nullifying her offense at the feet of Advaita Ācārya. Thus there was a meeting with Advaita Ācārya, who later had a vision of the Lord’s universal form.

PURPORT

One day Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was sitting on the throne of Viṣṇu in the house of Śrīvāsa Prabhu, and in a mood of His own He said, “My mother has offended the lotus feet of Advaita Ācārya. Unless she nullifies this offense at the lotus feet of a Vaiṣṇava, it will not be possible for her to achieve love of Kṛṣṇa.” Hearing this, all the devotees went to bring Advaita Ācārya there. While coming to see the Lord, Advaita Ācārya was glorifying the characteristics of mother Śacīdevī, and thus upon arriving He fell down on the ground in ecstasy. Then, under the instruction of Lord Caitanya, Śacīdevī took advantage of this situation to touch Advaita Ācārya’s lotus feet. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very much pleased by His mother’s action, and He said, “Now My mother’s offense at the lotus feet of Advaita Ācārya has been rectified, and she may have love of Kṛṣṇa without difficulty.” By this example Lord Caitanya taught everyone that although one may be very much advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if one offends the lotus feet of a Vaiṣṇava his advancement will not bear fruit. We should therefore be very much conscious not to offend a Vaiṣṇava. Caitanya-caritāmṛta has described such an offense as follows:

yadi vaiṣṇava-aparādha uṭhe hātī mātā
upāḍe vā chiṇḍe, tāra śukhi’ yāya pātā

Adi17.11

TEXT 11

prabhura abhiṣeka tabe karila śrīvāsa

khāṭe vasi’ prabhu kailā aiśvarya prakāśa

SYNONYMS

prabhura—of the Lord; abhiṣeka—worship; tabe—after that; karila—did; śrīvāsa—of the name Śrīvāsa; khāṭe—on the cot; vasi’-sitting; prabhu—Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; kailā—did; aiśvarya—opulence; prakāśa—manifestation.

TRANSLATION

Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura then worshiped Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu by the process of abhiṣeka. Sitting on a cot, the Lord exhibited transcendental opulence.

PURPORT

Abhiṣeka is a special function for the installation of the Deity. In this ceremony the Deity is bathed with milk and water and then worshiped and given a change of dress. This abhiṣeka function was especially observed at the house of Śrīvāsa. All the devotees, according to their means, worshiped the Lord with all kinds of paraphernalia, and the Lord gave benedictions to each devotee according to his desire.

Adi17.12

TEXT 12

tabe nityānanda-svarūpera āgamana

prabhuke miliyā pāila ṣaḍ-bhuja-darśana

SYNONYMS

tabe—thereafter; nityānanda-svarūpera—of the Personality of Godhead Nityānanda; āgamana—appearance; prabhuke—Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; miliyā—meeting; pāila—obtained; ṣaṭ-bhuja-darśana—a vision of the six-armed Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TRANSLATION

After this function at the house of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, Nityānanda Prabhu appeared, and when He met with Lord Caitanya He got the opportunity to see Him in His six-armed form.

PURPORT

The form of Ṣaḍ-bhuja, the six-armed Lord Gaurasundara, is a representation of three incarnations. The form of Śrī Rāmacandra is symbolized by a bow and arrow, the form of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is symbolized by a stick and flute like those generally held by a cowherd boy, and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is symbolized by a sannyāsa-daṇḍa and kamaṇḍalu, or waterpot.

Śrīla Nityānanda Prabhu was born in the village of Ekacakra in the district of Birbhum as the son of Padmāvatī and Hāḍāi Paṇḍita. In His childhood He played like Balarāma. When He was growing up, a sannyāsī came to the house of Hāḍāi Paṇḍita, begging to have the paṇḍita’s son as his brahmacārī assistant. Hāḍāi Paṇḍita immediately agreed and delivered his son to him, although the separation was greatly shocking, so much so that Hāḍāi lost his life after the separation. Nityānanda Prabhu traveled on many pilgrimages with the sannyāsī. It is said that for many days He lived at Mathurā with him, and at that time He heard about Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s pastimes in Navadvīpa. Therefore He came down to Bengal to see the Lord. When Lord Nityānanda came to Navadvīpa, He was a guest at the house of Nandana Ācārya. Understanding that Nityānanda Prabhu had arrived, Lord Caitanya sent His devotees to Him, and thus there was a meeting between Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu.

Adi17.13

TEXT 13

prathame ṣaḍ-bhuja tāṅre dekhāila īśvara

śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-padma-śārṅga-veṇu-dhara

SYNONYMS

prathame—at first; ṣaṭ-bhuja—six-armed; tāṅre—unto Him; dekhāila—showed; īśvara—the Lord; śaṅkha—conchshell; cakra—disc; gadā—club; padma—lotus flower; śārṅga—bow; veṇu—flute; dhara—carrying.

TRANSLATION

One day Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu exhibited to Lord Nityānanda Prabhu a six-armed form bearing a conchshell, disc, club, lotus flower, bow and flute.

Adi17.14

TEXT 14

tabe catur-bhuja hailā, tina aṅga vakra

dui haste veṇu bājāya, duye śaṅkha-cakra

SYNONYMS

tabe—thereafter; catuḥ-bhuja—four-armed; hailā—became; tina—three; aṅga—body; vakra—curved; dui haste—in two hands; veṇu bājāya—blowing the flute; duye—in two (hands); śaṅkha-cakra—conchshell and disc.

TRANSLATION

Thereafter the Lord showed Him His four-armed form, standing in a three-curved posture. With two hands He played upon a flute, and in the other two He carried a conchshell and disc.

Adi17.15

TEXT 15

tabe ta’ dvi-bhuja kevala vaṁśī-vadana

śyāma-aṅga pīta-vastra vrajendra-nandana

SYNONYMS

tabe—thereafter; ta’-certainly; dvi-bhuja—two-handed; kevala—only; vaṁśī—flute; vadana—on the mouth; śyāma—bluish; aṅga—body; pīta-vastra—yellow dress; vrajendra-nandana—the son of Nanda Mahārāja.

TRANSLATION

Finally the Lord showed Nityānanda Prabhu His two-armed form of Kṛṣṇa, the son of Mahārāja Nanda, simply playing on His flute, His bluish body dressed in yellow garments.

PURPORT

Śrī Caitanya-maṅgala vividly elaborates upon this description.

Adi17.16

TEXT 16

tabe nityānanda-gosāñira vyāsa-pūjana

nityānandāveśe kaila muṣala dhāraṇa

SYNONYMS

tabe—thereafter; nityānanda—of the name Nityānanda; gosāñira—of the Lord; vyāsa-pūjana—worshiping Vyāsadeva or the spiritual master; nityānanda-āveśe—in the ecstasy of becoming Nityānanda; kaila—did; muṣala dhāraṇa—carrying a plowlike weapon called a muṣala.

TRANSLATION

Nityānanda Prabhu then arranged to offer Vyāsa-pūjā, or worship of the spiritual master, to Lord Śrī Gaurasundara. But Lord Caitanya carried the plowlike weapon called muṣala in the ecstasy of being Nityānanda Prabhu.

PURPORT

By the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu arranged for Vyāsa-pūjā of the Lord on the night of the full moon. He arranged for the Vyāsa-pūjā, or guru-pūjā, through the agency of Vyāsadeva. Since Vyāsadeva is the original guru (spiritual master) of all who follow the Vedic principles, worship of the spiritual master is called Vyāsa-pūjā. Nityānanda Prabhu arranged for the Vyāsa-pūjā, and saṅkīrtana was going on, but when He tried to put a garland on the shoulder of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He saw Himself in Lord Caitanya. There is no difference between the spiritual positions of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu, or Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. All of Them are but different manifestations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. During this special ceremony, all the devotees of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu could understand that there is no difference between Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda Prabhu.

Adi17.17

TEXT 17

tabe śacī dekhila, rāma-kṛṣṇa--dui bhāi

tabe nistārila prabhu jagāi-mādhāi

SYNONYMS

tabe—thereafter; śacī—mother Śacīdevī; dekhila—saw; rāma-kṛṣṇa—Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma; dui bhāi—two brothers; tabe—thereafter; nistārila—delivered; prabhu—the Lord; jagāi-mādhāi—the two brothers Jagāi and Mādhāi.

TRANSLATION

Thereafter mother Śacīdevī saw the brothers Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma in Their manifestation of Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda. Then the Lord delivered the two brothers Jagāi and Mādhāi.

PURPORT

One night Śacīdevī dreamt that the Deities in her house, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, had taken the forms of Caitanya and Nityānanda and were fighting one another, as children do, to eat the naivedya, or offering to the Deities. On the next day, by the will of Lord Caitanya, Śacīdevī invited Nityānanda to take prasāda at her house. Thus Viśvambhara (Lord Caitanya) and Nityānanda were eating together, and Śacīdevī realized that They were none other than Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Seeing this, she fainted.

Jagāi and Mādhāi were two brothers born in Navadvīpa in a respectable brāhmaṇa family who later became addicted to all kinds of sinful activities. By the order of Lord Caitanya, both Nityānanda Prabhu and Haridāsa Ṭhākura used to preach the cult of Kṛṣṇa consciousness door to door. In the course of such preaching they found Jagāi and Mādhāi, two maddened drunken brothers, who, upon seeing them, began to chase them. On the next day, Mādhāi struck Nityānanda Prabhu on the head with a piece of earthen pot, thus drawing blood. When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu heard of this, He immediately came to the spot, ready to punish both brothers, but when the all-merciful Lord Gaurāṅga saw Jagāi’s repentant behavior, He immediately embraced him. By seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face and embracing Him, both the sinful brothers were at once cleansed. Thus they received initiation into the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra from the Lord and were delivered.

Adi17.18

TEXT 18

tabe sapta-prahara chilā prabhu bhāvāveśe

yathā tathā bhakta-gaṇa dekhila viśeṣe

SYNONYMS

tabe—thereafter; sapta-prahara—twenty-one hours; chilā—remained; prabhu—the Lord; bhāva-āveśe—in ecstasy; yathā—anywhere; tathā—everywhere; bhakta-gaṇa—the devotees; dekhila—saw; viśeṣe—specifically.

TRANSLATION

After this incident, the Lord remained in an ecstatic position for twenty-one hours, and all the devotees saw His specific pastimes.

PURPORT

Adi17.19

TEXT 19

varāha-āveśa hailā murāri-bhavane

tāṅra skandhe caḍi’ prabhu nācilā aṅgane

SYNONYMS

varāha-āveśa—the ecstasy of becoming Varāhadeva; hailā—became; murāri-bhavane—in the house of Murāri Gupta; tāṅra skandhe—on the shoulders of Murāri Gupta; caḍi’-riding; prabhu—the Lord; nācilā—danced; aṅgane—in the yard.

TRANSLATION

One day Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu felt the ecstasy of the boar incarnation and got up on the shoulders of Murāri Gupta. Thus they both danced in Murāri Gupta’s courtyard.

PURPORT

One day Caitanya Mahāprabhu began to cry out, “Śūkara! Śūkara!” Thus crying out for the boar incarnation of the Lord, He assumed His form as the boar incarnation and got up on the shoulders of Murāri Gupta. He carried a small gāḍu, a small waterpot with a nozzle, and thus He symbolically picked up the earth from the depths of the ocean, for this is the pastime of Lord Varāha.

Adi17.20

TEXT 20

tabe śuklāmbarera kaila taṇḍula-bhakṣaṇa

’harer nāma’ ślokera kaila artha vivaraṇa

SYNONYMS

tabe—thereafter; śuklāmbarera—of Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī; kaila—did; taṇḍula—raw rice; bhakṣaṇa—eating; harer nāma ślokera—of the verse celebrated as such; kaila—did; artha—of the meaning; vivaraṇa—explanation.

TRANSLATION

After this incident the Lord ate raw rice given by Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī and explained very elaborately the import of the “harer nāma” śloka mentioned in the Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa.

PURPORT

Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī resided in Navadvīpa on the bank of the Ganges. When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was dancing in ecstasy, he approached the Lord with a begging bag containing rice. The Lord was so pleased with His devotee that immediately He snatched the bag and began to eat the raw rice. No one forbade Him, and thus He finished the entire supply of rice.

Adi17.21

TEXT 21

harer nāma harer nāma

harer nāmaiva kevalam

kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva

nāsty eva gatir anyathā

SYNONYMS

hareḥ nāma—the holy name of the Lord; hareḥ nāma—the holy name of the Lord; hareḥ nāma—the holy name of the Lord; eva—certainly; kevalam—only; kalau—in the Age of Kali; na asti—there is none; eva—certainly; na asti—there is none; eva—certainly; na asti—there is none; eva—certainly; gatiḥ—destination; anyathā—otherwise.

TRANSLATION

" ’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.’

Adi17.22

TEXT 22

kali-kāle nāma-rūpe kṛṣṇa-avatāra

nāma haite haya sarva-jagat-nistāra

SYNONYMS

kali-kāle—in this Age of Kali; nāma-rūpe—in the form of the holy name; kṛṣṇa—Lord Kṛṣṇa; avatāra—incarnation; nāma—holy name; haite—from; haya—becomes; sarva—all; jagat—of the world; nistāra—deliverance.

TRANSLATION

"In this Age of Kali, the holy name of the Lord, the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, is the incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Simply by chanting the holy name, one associates with the Lord directly. Anyone who does this is certainly delivered.

Adi17.23

TEXT 23

dārḍhya lāgi’ ’harer nāma’-ukti tina-vāra

jaḍa loka bujhāite punaḥ ’eva’-kāra

SYNONYMS

dārḍhya lāgi’-in the matter of emphasizing; harer nāma—of the holy name of Lord Hari; ukti—there is utterance; tina-vāra—three times; jaḍa loka—ordinary common people; bujhāite—just to make them understand; punaḥ—again; eva-kāra—the word eva, or “certainly.”

TRANSLATION

"This verse repeats the word ’eva’ [’certainly’] three times for emphasis, and it also three times repeats ’harer nāma’ [’the holy name of the Lord’], just to make common people understand.

PURPORT

To emphasize something to an ordinary person, one may repeat it three times, just as one might say, “You must do this! You must do this! You must do this!” Thus the Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa repeatedly emphasizes the chanting of the holy name so that people may take it seriously and thus free themselves from the clutches of māyā. It is our practical experience in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world that many millions of people are factually coming to the spiritual stage of life simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra regularly, according to the prescribed principles. Therefore our request to all our students is that they daily chant at least sixteen rounds of this harer nāma mahā-mantra offenselessly, following the regulative principles. Thus their success will be assured without a doubt.

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