Tirtha in Prison The Great Chanters

A thoughtful person can understand how the entire world, Vaisnavas and non-Vaisnavas alike, owe a great debt of gratitude to Srila Prabhupada for spreading Krsna consciousness and establishing ISKCON centers all over the world. We likewise owe a similar debt of gratitude to Srila Prabhupada's disciples, who wholeheartedly took up Prabhupada's order and assisted him in his preaching mission. There would be no refuge of the ISKCON centers/temples were it not for the tireless efforts of Srila Prabhupada and his dedicated followers. Without their mercy our human lives would have been lost like so many countless others, drowned in an ocean of material misery.

When a person has the good fortune to be introduced to the Krsna conscious philosophy, everything is arranged and presented in such a way as to favorably induce that person to begin chanting the Lord's holy names. Once the process of chanting has thus begun, the new chanter is slowly introduced to a succession of rules and guidelines constructed with an aim of helping the candidate improve upon his/her chanting of the holy names. In time, if the candidate follows closely, he will take formal Hari-nama initiation, therefore promising to henceforth chant a minimum number of Hari-nama names and follow the four regulative principles: no meat-eating, no gambling, no illicit sex and no intoxication. They are the basic rules to help keep the chanter pure in his quest to serve the holy name.

When Lord Caitanya introduced the sankirtana movement of chanting Hari-nama, He provided us with an overview of how to achieve success in our chanting. In truth, "overview" is not exactly accurate, as the Siksastaka is much more than that. Contained within the eight verses of the Siksastaka prayers is a guide, a detailed blueprint of how we should proceed in the conduct of our chanting.

In the third sloka, or verse, of the Siksastaka, Lord Caitanya says, "trnad api sunicena, taror iva sahisnuna, amamina mana-dena, kirtaniyah sada harih." His Holiness Mahanidhi Swami has commented on this in his book, "The Art of Chanting Hare Krsna," as follows: "Lord Caitanya describes four requisite qualities for successful chanting (humility, tolerance, pridelessness and respect). Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur explains that when the queen of bhakti appears in the heart, then saintly qualities manifest automatically like maidservants attending a queen."

So the great chanters of the holy name always see themselves as being the humble servants of those in their midst. They truly exemplify this all-important sloka. We can readily see these good qualities in devotees as they advance in Krsna consciousness. Advancing in Krsna consciousness means that one is advancing in his/her chanting of the holy names.

If our lives are not actually centered on chanting the holy names, we can easily lose our proper spiritual perspective and appreciation for the sadhus in our midst. Our offenses toward the Vaisnavas, our chanting will immediately suffer. Likewise, if we lose focus and chant inattentively we will certainly fail to appreciate the Vaishnavas. We may start to take the devotees for granted, even becoming overtly familiar with them to the point of being derisive while joking. As devotees, we may have occasion to deride ourselves but never other sadhus. The level of respect that we show for one another is the level of respect that we show for the holy name. Since the holy name is identical with Krsna, we should show all respect to Him and to His devotees as well. This level of respect should be shown to all of Srila Prabhupada's representatives, indeed all living entities. In this regard, our hearts should be tender. Such tenderness manifests as we develop our bhakti in the mood of sincere humility.

"The tenderness of the heart experienced towards Krsna is known as bhakti. All other jivas are servants of Krsna, and tenderness of the heart experienced toward them is compassion (daya). Therefore, compassion is included within bhakti. Forgiveness (ksama) is the bhava situated between humility and compassion. 'I am so wretched an insignificant myself, so how can I inflict punishment upon others?' When this attitude combines with compassion, forgiveness appears automatically. Forgiveness is also included within bhakti." (Jaiva Dharma Ch. 8)

In particular, we see how Radhanath Swami exudes a spiritual sweetness that is greatly attractive. In his book, Mahanidhi Swami also points out, "Humility and compassion are not separate qualities, but are included within bhakti. 'I am a servant of Krsna, I am destitute, I have nothing, Krsna is my all in all.' The bhakti that is expressed in these attitudes is itself humility." When we see a Vaisnava manifest such humility we should be gladdened and glorify him. From such an example the devotee bears witness to the truth of this Siksastaka verse. Of all the thousands of slokas, this one is so important that Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami says it should be hung around the neck for constant remembrance: "Raising my hands, I declare, 'Everyone please hear me! String this verse [trnad api sunicena...] on the thread of the holy name and wear it on your neck for constant remembrance.'" (Cc. Adi 17.32)

If we endeavor with all seriousness to improve our chanting, it follows that we will feel drawn to improve our relationships with devotees. As our humility in serving the devotees gains maturity, so too will our chanting. Our devotee relationships build upon our successful chanting, and our successful chanting will automatically fortify our relationships with fellow devotees. All of this is a part of the natural, progressive process of chanting Krsna's holy names. It is the identical process that all of the world's great chanters have always followed. We live today by the mercy of these great chanters. The balance of the world subsequently depends on the great chanters of today.

Your worthless servant,
Tirtha dasa