Chanting the Names of God - Kirtanananda Swami Bhaktipada

Question: Why do you chant Hare Krishna all the time?

Srila Bhaktipada: Chanting is the best means for remembering the Lord, especially in this age. In fact, chanting is called the yuga-dharma, the way to salvation in this very difficult age of Kali, an age of ignorance and quarrel. Who can deny that chanting is a very practical method for everyone? If you don’t like the name Krishna, you can chant whatever bona fide name of God you prefer. You can continue to be a Christian, Muslim, or Buddhist. You don’t have to qualify before some examining board.You don’t have to be educated or rich. Chanting doesn’t cost anything, and it can be done anytime, anyplace. There are no material impediments. Anyone can chant the names of the Lord and receive the highest benefit.

Question: What do you mean when you say that Krishna and His names are non-different?

Srila Bhaktipada: Because God is absolute, He is not different from His names. In this relative material world, everything depends on something else. My existence depends on my father, and his existence depends on his father, but God is the original Father, the cause of all causes. His existence depends on nothing outside Himself. There is no difference between Krishna and Krishna’s form, nor between Krishna and His name, nor between Krishna and His activities. In the material world, there is a difference between a word and its referent. If we chant, "water, water," we will continue to be thirsty. But God’s name is not like this. If we chant God’s names, we can immediately feel the Lord’s presence. This is due to God’s absolute nature. God and anything relating to God is the same. His names therefore are filled with spiritual potency. They are God incarnate in sound.

© "Christ and Krishna : The Path of Pure Devotion" by Kirtanananda Swami Bhaktipada, published by Bhaktipada Books, USA. Reprinted with permission.

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