By Palaka das
Many devotees within ISKCON are now chanting this Hare Krishno and Hare Ramo style of kirtans all around the world. Most simply follow what they are being shown by the leading men and think nothing of it. It’s become the norm as these kirtan leaders explain it away as nothing more than a simple Bengali pronunciation, so there is no harm. Yes, it is true that in Bengali language an “a” can sound like an “o”. However, this Hare Krishna maha-mantra is not a Bengali mantra, it is a Sanskrit mantra. Thus an “a” remains an “a” not an “o”.
Our founder acharya, Srila Prabhupada, also a native Bengali, does not chant this Hare Krishno, Hare Ramo Bengali style in any of his kirtans. Nor will we find any examples of this type of chanting in the multitude of his recordings. Neither in any of those same recordings do we hear his early followers respond back with anything other than Hare Krishna and Hare Rama. And on that extremely rare occasion where a disciple dared to deviate, Prabhupada quickly put an end to it.
In this connection, there is a not so publicized pastime which took place between Srila Prabhupada and his leading kirtan man, Vishnujana Swami, which now should be told.
Vishnujana Swami was singing the Hare Krsna mantra where he had deliberately changed Hare Rama to Hare Ramo because he had heard it being sung that way in India. When Srila Prabhupada noticed this change, he immediately stopped him by asking “Who is this Ramo?”.
Vishnujana Swami looked up and said nothing as Srila Prabhupada rebuked his disciple with these exact words, “YOU ARE RUINING OUR MOVEMENT”. With that, Srila Prabhupada continued to correct Vishnujana Swami by saying, “It’s Rama” and then went on his way. (told by Vishnujana Swami to Mahamuni das)
I had heard this pastime told before, but I could not honestly write about it until I was certain I had traced it back as close to the original source as possible. After much research, I was lead to my old friend, Mahamuni das prabhu. When we finaly talked, it turned out Mahamuni prabhu personally heard this “Ramo” pastime directly from Vishnujana Swami himself. One day Vishnujana Swami was glorifying the Holy Name and revealing some of his realizations when he decided to shared this as well as other valuable instruction Srila Prabhupada personally gave him on chanting Hare Krishna.
For the record, Mahamuni prabhu was one of the bus drivers for Radha Damodara Traveling Sankirtana Party and had a close friendship with Vishnujana Swami. Those who knew Mahamuni prabhu will also know how he is very outspoken about changing Rama to Ramo especially when he hears it happening. Having been personally told this Ramo instruction by Vishnujana Swami, Mahamuni prabhu was one of the few devotees to speak out against it when it first was being introduced in ISKCON kirtans back in the 80’s. Thirty years later, we see it has reaching epidemic status primarily because most devotees just never heard what Srila Prabhupada had to say.
When we chant on our japa beads, we never chant Hare Krishno or Hare Ramo so why should we be chanting this way in kirtan, especially now since we know what Srila Prabhupada told his leading kirtan man, Vishnujana Swami?
Dear Palaka prabhu, please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada (and his krtana/chanting standards)!
I cannot thank you enough for this wonderful, convincing and sobering article (message). What worries me is the fact that ISKCON leaders (GBC) has not reacted to this serious deviation even to this day. Obviously, the Maha-mantra is being consciously and unconsciously watered down. I find it alarming. Maybe we should start a petition to convince (remind) the GBC that Srila Prabhupada’s standards must be preserved at any cost (?)
YS. Vrsabha das
Yes, we should not make it a habit to say “Krsno” “Ramo”.
We should also not make a habit to say “Krsnaa” and “Raamaa”. In Sanskrt the short “a” is pronounced like “u” in “butter”, not like “o” in “mommy”. Often I hear devotees saying Krsnaa, which is a different word.
But actually we should not be sticklers about the pronunciation of others. I agree we should pronounce the Maha Mantra correctly, especially when we teach it to newbies. But ultimately it is more important to avoid offenses than to have perfect pronunciation.
I was looking at some old movies from the 1960s, and the devotees were saying “Kreeshna”. Actually even when I first started hearing about Hare Krsna, American devotees were still saying “Kreeshna” and they were known as the “Kreeshna People”. It seems funny to us now, but it still had the potency to spread the movement among the youth like wildfire in those days.
Many people from different parts of India have their own way of pronouncing. Many Northerners drop the final “a” to make it “Ram” (common) or sometimes even “Krsn” (less common). Some South Indians say something closer to “Krushna” or “Nrushimhadeva”. (And they may know Sanskrt very well).
But I agree with the article that there is a tendency for fads to develop, and if we start saying “Ram-o” too much, we might start hearing the mantra chanted that way more and more often. We should stick to Raama (with the short “a” at the end).
Akruranatha says :
Oct 11, 2013 at 4:50 pm
Yes, we should not make it a habit to say “Krsno” “Ramo”.
We should also not make a habit to say “Krsnaa” and “Raamaa”. In Sanskrt the short “a” is pronounced like “u” in “butter”, not like “o” in “mommy”. Often I hear devotees saying Krsnaa, which is a different word.
REPLY: Not according to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He pronounces it RAMA, not Ramu (like butter).
Regional languages in India are derived from Sanskrit but have differences. In Sanskrit we would say “Arjuna” but in Hindi “Arjun.” In Hindi the final vowel is dropped. But someone from the Hindi belt if they were speaking in Sanskrit would say “Arjuna.” So it is not that they are pronouncing Sanskrit words in a different way, they are speaking a different language that is derived from Sanskrit and Persian with Turkish and Arabic influences.
Hare Krishna
PAMHO, AGTSP
I think the premise of “RAMO” in the posting has been taken out of proportion and context. Relax, Prabhus, it’s not that “alarming”. This is simply a matter of pronunciation. In Bengali, most people pronounce “RAMA” as “RAM”; however, while signing as part of the Mahantantra, they pronounce it as “RAMO” (I do not know why) and I believe this where the “RAMO” originated. Listen to how Srila Prabhupada sings the Mahamantra. Bengali has their own way of pronunciation. If you read many of the Bengali Vaisvana literatures, they are often written in regional version of Bengali instead of the so called proper Bengali as we are habituated in reading in newspapers and in the mundane books and literatures. I am a Bengali and I have heard more than 10 different ways of speaking the same Bengali language depending on which district of the Bengal (s)he lives. Haribol.
In regards to the proper pronunciation of the Maha-mantra I’d like to share an experience we had almost twenty years ago whilst doing a shoot for Lift Off, a children’s television show for the Australian national broadcaster. We were invited to chant on the show.
I recall Kesava was leading the kirtana and as is his want sometimes he chants Hare Ramo. We had only chanted a few mantras when the director called a stop to the kirtana. To our surprise he said, “What is this Hare Ramo? That’s not the chant. Everyone knows it is Hare Rama. Please chant properly.”
Not being particularly fond of chanting Hare Ramo, myself, I took it as Krsna’s arramgement that this person was representing Krsna and reminding us that we should chant the Maha-mantra properly following Prabhupada’s example. That is, Hare Rama not Ramo.
“According to Srila Jiva Goswami, it is mentioned in the Madhyandina-sruti that all the Vedas, namely the Sama, Atharva, Rg, Yajur, Puranas, Itihasas, Upanisads, etc., are emanations from the breathing of the Supreme Being. The only differences are that the Vedic mantras mostly begin with pranava omkara and that it requires some training to pronounce the metrical accent, without which the mantras cannot be successfully chanted. Although Srila Suta Goswami was a preacher of the first order, he did not bother much about the metrical pronunciation of the Vedic mantras. But that does not mean Srimad-Bhagavatam is of less importance than the Vedic mantras. On the contrary, it is the ripened fruit of all the Vedas, as stated before.” (S.B.1.4.13, Purport)
I agree with the article that we should pronounce the Maha-Mantra as Srila Prabhupada taught us, but I just wanted to add this perspective.
The Hare Krsna Maha Mantra, though found in the Upanisads, is not like one of the Vedic mantras used for ritualistic fruitive activities, which have to be pronounced in proper metrical accent in order to bring about a material result. When Lord Caitanya says that there are not even hard and fast rules for chanting the holy names, that is proof that it is not that sort of mantra. For successful chanting, the ten offenses must be avoided, but perfect pronunciation is not required, or at least not in that sense of successfully invoking some effective material vibration.
I am not advocating lazy chanting or sloppy pronunciation, but trying to properly glorify how magnanimous is the holy name. To pronounce it correctly one must pronounce it with prema, but one need not be an expert in Vedic Sanskrt. The prayers of Narotamma Das Thakur, though written in simple Bengali language, are accepted by our acaryas with as much reverence as Vedic hymns.
When Lord Caitanya refers to “hard and fast rules” that is not in regard to pronunciation. All mantras must be pronounced properly. What Lord Caitanya is referring to is that other mantras may have restrictions and stipulations regarding adhikara – who is allowed to chant them (pancamas, vratyas, women and sudras and restricted from certain mantras), time, season or ritual purity, etc. But a “maha mantra” doesn’t have such restrictions and can be chanted by anyone, at any time or place or in any condition of ritual purity or impurity. But it must be pronounced properly to your best ability.
Allen Ginsberg: But there is a limit to how much the pronunciation of Kṛṣṇa will spread. I think there’s a limit.
Prabhupāda: Hm? No limit. You can pronounce in any way Kṛṣṇa. K-r-i-s-h-n-a. That’s all. Any way. Niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ.
Allen Ginsberg: The limit is people’s prejudice…
Prabhupāda: So we don’t say that why you are chanting Kṛṣṇa like this? We never say that. We simply say, please try to chant Kṛṣṇa.
http://vanisource.org/wiki/690512_-_Conversation_-_Columbus
There is one pastime where one gentleman is complaining to Prabhupada that some of his disciples are not pronouncing Krishna’s name properly and Prabhupada responded along the lines of:
‘don’t worry Krishna knows who they’re calling’
And here is a another pastime from the Vedabase:
“The senior students like Jayananda, Visnujana, and Tamal Krsna receive the sacred thread initiation. But the gayatri mantras are not so easy to chant for these new brahmanas. Jayananda especially is having difficulty and requests an appointment with Srila Prabhupada to reveal his problem with the mantras.
“So let me hear you say them,” Prabhupada requests.
Jayananda attempts to read the Sanskrit mantras from the sheet Prabhupada has given the new initiates. After some encouragement, Prabhupada finally leans back laughing.
“It is hopeless,” he admits. “You boys will never be able to speak in Sanskrit. But it does not matter because your feelings are genuine and Krsna is accepting. Go on doing it, never mind.” Prabhupada laughs again, not bothering to correct Jayananda’s awful pronunciation”
Ys Praghosa dasa
Someday, the direct disciples of Srila Prabhupad will all have passed on, and so some of the direct advice which is not in his books will be lost…so, I want to share this with you. As Srila Prabhupad’s secretary and more than once in any case, I sat before Srila Prabhupad chanting my japa. Sometimes we hear people, and myself, saying “Hare Ram, Hare Ram, Ram Ram Hare Hare”. Srila Prabhupad would stop me and (more than once) say to me:
“Chant the entire mantra” and he would proceed to do so. It is Ra-ma.
Pusta Krishna das
Dear Palak Pr.
Please Accept my Humble Obeisance.
Thanks a lot for the thought provoking article. Exceptions (Bengali accent/others) are always there but one always needs to strive for the standard, irrespective of region etc. It’s better late than never to follow authority & move in right direction.
Thanks once Again !
Y/s
PR Das
I appreciated this article as I’ve been singing ‘Ramo’ for years without thinking about it. I had never heard the point discussed before. Hopefully it will register. At the same time I appreciate the point that essentially Krishna wants to see our motivation. We were already familiar with a word like Ramo: Rambo!! I guess the conditioned soul is wandering around thinking he’s some kind of cool hero. Just joking here :-)
With all due respect, the comments made by Srila Prabhupada to his most influential kirtan leader of the day, Vishnujana Swami, have nothing to do with simple mispronunciation or accents. Was Srila Prabhupada correcting this American tendency to constantly introduce change, “The Change Disease” as he often referred to it? It is very clear that Srila Prabhupada was not pleased with his disciple’s deliberate changing of the accepted Rama to something new, this Ramo.
Now on another level, far beyond mere pronunciation or accents, we should know Srila Prabhupada took serious issue with sahajiya’s and professional chanters. My understanding why Srila Prabhupada would use such a harsh statement “You are ruining our movement” to Vishnujana Swami is that he was protecting his movement from outside influences. We have another example of this during the 1977 Mayapura festival, where a group of leading disciples organized what they called the “Hari Bowl”. This Hari Bowl, obviously a play on this famous American Super Bowl, was a kirtan competition. The idea was to pit temple kirtan parties against one another as well as local kirtan groups to ultimately select a winner . The performances were broadcast live over the PA system so all could hear the various types and extravagant styles of kirtans. After a day and a half, Srila Prabhupada abruptly put an end to the competition and made a heavy statement about how they were only singing for sex life.
It is my understanding that Srila Prabhupada was trying to PROTECT his society from influence creeping into his society. Simply because if he allowed one little seemingly harmless deviation, Ramo, it then opens the flood gates of all types of bogus influences to be accepted as authorized kirtan styles just because Srila Prabhupada did not check them. However, we hear Srila Prabhupada stopped this Ramo influence with these heavy words, “you are ruining our movement” . He also stopped others who in his presence started to chant this Hare Ramo in kirtan. Our godbrother Shambhu Das prabhu, who also traveled India with Srila Prabhupada, has given witness where Srila Prabhupada stopped a kirtan because the leader was singing Ramo and ordered someone else to take over. There is another pastime where a disciple changed the accepted kirtan in Srila Prabhupada’s presence and Prabhupada actually stopped it and made his disciple apologize to all the devotees right then and there.
Its obvious to me that as far as our Srila Prabhupada is concerned, there are indeed hard and fast rules with regard to how the Holy Names should be chanted by his followers, especially his kirtan leaders.
“Whatever action is performed by a great man, common men follow in his footsteps. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues.” Bg 3.21
All Glories To Srila Prabhupada !
Godhead is light, nescience is darkness. Where there is Godhead (light) there is no darkness or ignorance. When we are “fortunate” that the Holy Name will incarnate or appear to us, on our tongues and in our ears, we are associating with Krishna personally. The tendency to be the center ourselves, to be the enjoyer, might lead us to try to feel the bliss our selves. We are surrounded by people who are doing yoga or practicing some form of self-realization techniques for their own bliss or peace. However, that is not the mood for chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Our Sampradaya is teaching that the Holy Name is a spiritual prayer for divine loving service. Our richest fulfillment is reawakening our identity as eternal servant of the servant…of the Lord the the Braja gopis. Krishna is inviting us to love Him, and to be loved by Him. That is rasa, and it is the confidential destiny of the pure devotees.
Living with faith that Krishna will protect us, that Krishna is the Supreme Enjoyer and Proprietor of everything, may help us to awaken the proper mood in approaching Sri Krishna. Truly, Lord Chaitanya Himself expressed that His gurudeva considered Him a fool and that He must chant the Holy Mahamantra. So, on His gurudeva’s order (and not for our own pleasure), we must take the Holy Names. Mahaprabhu in His Sishastakam gives the formula (trinadapi sunicena…). Time is limited, and if yearning will fortunately appear within our hearts to associate with Sri Krishna, He will hear our prayers. (sevon mukhe hi jivadau, svayam eva sphurati adah). Bhakti yoga invites us to express the soul’s heart. What more could one ever want from spiritual practice in this life?
Good discussion and it can bring out many worthwhile sentiments. Hare Krishna.
Pusta Krishna das
Dear Pusta Krsna prabhu,
In all due respect, whenever Srila Prabhupada (it is ironic that you spelled it Prabhupad – without the “a” at the end :-) would chant japa or speak of Lord Ram or Lord Balaram, he would always drop the “a” at the end. It is quite clear on all the japa tapes that Srila Prabhupada said quite loudly “Hare RAM”. So perhaps, just perhaps since I cannot speculate on Srila Prabhupada’s intentions, perhaps you were chanting something else a little bit incorrectly or not audibly enough and Srila Prabhupada was encouraging you in that way. Obviously I don’t know, and it is quite wonderful that you had such close association with Srila Prabhupada. But what we do know is how Srila Prabhupada sounds on japa tapes and on hundreds of occasions when he spoke of Lord Ram and Krishna Balaram. So as for me, I think after over 40 years, I will continue chanting my japa in that way. I don’t think there is any harm in saying “Hare Ram, Hare Ram, Ram Ram, Hare Hare” as Srila Prabhupada did. Jaya Prabhupad! Hare Krishna.
daso ‘smi,
nama prabhu das
Part One:
We know that there are 16 names and 32 syllables of the maha-mantra. Is one deriving less benefit from this maha-mantra by pronouncing Ram instead of Rama? By pronouncing Ram, one is chanting 28 syllables instead of 32. Is this improper?
Would chanting of Ramo also count as chanting 28 instead of 32 syllables? If Srila Prabhupada reacted so strongly to the chanting of Ramo, as the above anecdote describes, is he directing this mainly to his western followers in particular? Otherwise, those of his Bengali followers whose accent causes the Ramo pronunciation must not be following properly, according to this.
Is it that Srila Prabhupada specifically denoted the need for 32 syllables for all his followers in ISKCON? Are there exceptions to the (this) rule?
Those of his followers who are deaf or partially hearing may not hear the maha-mantra at all, or at least partially hear it. A deaf devotee’s chanting of the maha-mantra will not at all sound like the maha-mantra to the trained ear. Would this then mean that such devotees are devoid of the mercy of the holy name?
Those who cannot hear high frequency sounds like s’s will not hear the …sh… in Krishna when they chant the maha-mantra. Are they also deprived because of this? What to speak of a child saying the maha-mantra ‘incorrectly’ with broken language? How about various animals chanting in their barks, meeoows, grunts, mooing or whatever?
We can also consider how many devotees are quite sure (arguably) that Srila Prabhupada does chant the full 32 syllables when chanting japa. Because of the speed of his chanting, we may not hear the full 32 syllables with clarity. With this speed, the long a’s in Rama may sound like Ram. This is what devotees tell me. We may struggle to hear each of the 32 syllables with distinction when we hear other experienced devotees chant with speed.
Although Srila Prabhupada expected the full 32 syllables to be chanted correctly with proper accent, he also said the following in relation to the maha-mantra:
Ys Kesava Krsna Dasa.
Part Two:
“This chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra is directly enacted from the spiritual platform, and thus this sound vibration surpasses all lower status of consciousness—namely sensual, mental, and intellectual. There is no need, therefore, to understand the language of the mantra, nor is there any need for mental speculation, nor any intellectual adjustment for chanting this maha-mantra. It is automatic, from the spiritual platform, and as such, anyone can take part in the chanting without any previous qualification and dance in ecstasy. We have seen this practically. Even a child can take part in the chanting, or even a dog can take part in it…”
We want to follow and practice Srila Prabhupada’s standard for chanting the maha-mantra, but he is well aware that the maha-mantra has full “automatic” potencies. This means that the holy name can reach where we are unable to reach, and penetrate that which we cannot – the hearts of deaf, mute, stone like hearts of animate and inanimate creatures.
Of course, the Vaisnavas are carriers and transmitters of the holy name, but even devotees can marvel at the effects of the holy name on unlikely receptacles that might defy our expected 32 or 28 syllable standards. In spite of these standards, who are we to judge, who, or who has not received Sri Nama Prabhu’s mercy in each and every unique and exceptional case?
Having said this, it would be wise that we follow Srila Prabhupada’s standard of chanting. Problem is, there are differing views on his standards. What are we to do? Rather than take one side or another, we allow and witness the holy name to uplift and purify where we least expect it to. Do we have the power to “allow” the holy name to do what He wants to do? Realization of our power-less status should remind us that there are no Definites when it comes to chanting.
Ys Kesava Krsna Dasa,
Dear Nama Prabhu,
Dandavats, and all glories to Srila Prabhupada! (“a” included for sake of harmony). I can only relate my experience as it was. At least twice I had the same criticism/correction by Srila Prabhupada personally when I excluded the “a” at the end of Rama. His Divine Grace would say, “Chant the whole mantra”. What more can I say? Hare Krishna
Pusta Krishna das
Hare Krishna, please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
It would be helpful to see the sanskrit version of the Holy Name as all doubts and confusion can be avoided.
Sanskrit vowels cannot be translated into english nor other western languages – “ri” is somewhere between “ri” and “ru”, there is long “a” and short “a” and so on. Although, even englisch and german both do have long and short “a”, still they pronounce many sanskrit words wrongly. Anyway, in sanskrit “Rama” has a long “a” first, and a short, hardly audible “a” in the end. So it is logical to hear somehing between “Rama” and “Ram” (raama). Therefore you will hear Indians say “Raamchandra” and rarely “Ra-ma-chandra”. They also say “Devki” instead of “Devaaki”, for example. And that .is correct. One has to look at the sanskrit original. “Hare Ramo” I would not sing. Why imitate Bengalis? The correct pronounciation is very important, only then the words have the meaning and the power. Hare Krishna
A comment on this forum could unintentionally, ever so slightly, question Srila Prabhupada’s chanting. Some devotees could have doubts whether in his fast chanting, all syllables were properly pronounced or even that he completed every word in the mahamantra.
This fast chanting of a pure devotee can be understood against Srila Rupa Goswami’s statement where he says that when the holy name is chanted, Krsna dances on the tongue and one aspires to have millions of tongues to have Krsna dance on it constantly and also millions of ears to hear sufficiently.
A pure devotee fully realized in the holy name would chant so fast so not to miss out on relishing Krsna personally on the tongue even for one moment. Srila Prabhupada was a pure devotee and relished the holy name and it is inconceivable to us how he may seemingly not complete a syllable sometimes but at the same time he completes it in the race to get Krsna dancing on his tongue every second. For him, the mind races forward with the name of Krsna before the tongue can complete the pronunciation.
Haridas Thakura chanted very fast to complete 175 rounds a day and still have time to associate with Lord Caitanya and other devotees and rest. So it is inconceivable for conditioned souls like us to understand how pure devotees could have Krsna dancing on the tongue even for what is seemingly an incomplete syllable or mantra.
We cannot imitate. Therefore Srila Prabhupada’s instructions to Pusta Krishna Prabhu that he even pronounces the “Rama” complete. Although “Ram” could be acceptable, in the beginning stages, chanting Ram would encourage missing syllables or even words in the mahamantra. Just try it – when someone chants “Rama” in the mahamantra, a slight pause is forced upon the chanter and after that it is very difficult not to complete the mahamantra properly. So Srila Prabhupada instructed Pusta Krishna Prabhu accordingly.
As for chanting “Ramo”, Praghosa Prabhu quotes Srila Prabhupada saying “don’t worry Krsna knows who they’re calling.” Certainly this is true. Even Eastern Europeans pronounce the holy names with a different accent but they say it naturally from their heart, it is not imitating the latest trend. So devotees calling Krsna in their natural way, even the partially deaf or even animals with their barks, meeoows and grunts – certainly Krsna knows they are calling him. But for devotees wanting to imitate the latest fashion trend – this is unacceptable by Srila Prabhupada.
The outsider-nondevotee was criticizing Srila Prabhupada’s disciples for “mispronouncing” the Mahamantra. In my opinion, Srila Prabhupad could not tolerate such criticism, and so protected the honor of his disciples in the face of a rascal. Even when imperfectly performed, devotional service is non-material activity for the satisfaction of the Lord. Nonetheless, Srila Prabhupada is our instructor-Acharya and is intimately teaching his disciples the proper way to proceed. His Divine Grace would not tolerate minimizing the devotional efforts of his disciples! Pusta Krishna das
Also:
Who is this “Raadhaa-MudHUV”?
(That’s really all that i want to comment, but the minimum acceptable comment is 100 characters – hence this additional parenthetical comment)
We also have heard this important instruction “Srila Prabhupada expressed some displeasure about the chanting of so many different mantras. ‘They can chant Nitai-Gaur, Hari-Bols’ but I will chant Hare Krishna and go back to Godhead” – “What is the Difficulty”, Entry 54, Page 87 by Srutakirti dasa
Also never do we find our Srila Prabhupada ending a kirtan with this ever so popular Radheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Shyammm
Hare Krishna, very thoughtful article. We have to pronounce it as Rama and not Ramo…
Please forgive me for interjecting this, but it is something that I have learned over the years, and something which I need to relearn each and every day. One who is initiated in the chanting of the Mahamantra, is chanting on the order of their spiritual master. In fact, everything that one does in Krishna consciousness can be thought of in this manner…doing something on the order of the spiritual master. This is not an issue of sadhana or raganuga bhakti, this is the fact of devotional service under the protection of one’s spiritual protector. Even in the spiritual world, I hope that this mood of following as the “servant of the servant of the servant…of the Lord of the gopis”, remains the predominant mood of the soul. Therefore, there is no question of deviation from this principle. Arguments that “Krishna will hear us in any case, etc, etc, are symptoms that one must re-evaluate their chanting in the first place. On the order of the spiritual master, every time, every day, now and forever. Hare Krishna. Pusta Krishna das
sāṅketyaṁ pārihāsyaṁ vā
stobhaṁ helanam eva vā
vaikuṇṭha-nāma-grahaṇam
aśeṣāgha-haraṁ viduḥ
SYNONYMS
sāṅketyam—as an assignation; pārihāsyam—jokingly; vā—or; stobham—as musical entertainment; helanam—neglectfully; eva—certainly; vā—or; vaikuṇṭha—of the Lord; nāma-grahaṇam—chanting the holy name; aśeṣa—unlimited; agha-haram—neutralizing the effect of sinful life; viduḥ—advanced transcendentalists know.
TRANSLATION
One who chants the holy name of the Lord is immediately freed from the reactions of unlimited sins, even if he chants indirectly [to indicate something else], jokingly, for musical entertainment, or even neglectfully. This is accepted by all the learned scholars of the scriptures. SB 6.2.14
Then there is this:
Suppose one is using the two words “halaṁ riktam.” Now the syllable ha in the word “halam” and the syllable ri in “riktam” are separately pronounced, but nevertheless it will act because one somehow or other utters the word “hari.” Similarly, in the word “rāja-mahiṣī,” the syllables rā and ma appear in two separate words, but because they somehow or other appear together, the holy name rāma will act, provided there are no offenses. Antya 3.60 Sri Caitanya-caritamrta – 1975 Edition
And:
in the purāṇic age there must also have been mlecchas and yavanas (meateaters), and the words “hā rāma,, meaning “condemned,” were also uttered in those days. Thus Haridāsa Ṭhākura gives evidence that even a meat-eater who condemns something by uttering the words “hā rāma” gets the benefit of chanting the holy name that the devotee chants to mean “O my Lord Rāma.” Antya 3.56 Sri Caitanya-caritamrta – 1975 Edition
And further:
“If a devotee once utters the holy name of the Lord, or if it penetrates his mind or enters his ear, which is the channel of aural reception, that holy name will certainly deliver him from material bondage, whether vibrated properly or improperly, with correct or incorrect grammar, and properly joined or vibrated in separate parts. O brāhmaṇa, the potency of the holy name is therefore certainly great. However, if one uses the vibration of the holy name for the benefit of the material body, for material wealth and followers, or under the influence of greed or atheism-in other words, if one utters the name with offenses-such chanting will not produce the desired result very soon. Therefore one should diligently avoid offenses in chanting the holy name of the Lord.’ “
“Offense is that what is spoken by the ācāryas, if you do not follow, that is offense. Guror avajñā. That is offense. To chant Gaura-Nitāi is no offense. But if our previous gurus have chanted śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu nityānanda why should we go beyond that? Even there is no aparādha, because guru, Kavirāja Gosvāmī, has sung like that and my guru has sung, we should follow that. We should not make any deviation.”
(Garden Conversation, September, 1976)
Thank you for this important article I hope that devotees take it seriously.