Pranam....In the book Jaiva Dharma, the following statement is made:
"It is an offense to give the holy names to others who are faithless and those who are averse or disinclined to hear about it.Instruction on Harinam should not be given to those whose faith will not be kindled"
However, most of the time when we preach to others, we do obviously offer them the holy names and we encourage them to chant the holy names,we are not very certain about their faith and interest yet we do encourage people to chant the holy names of the Lord....Now, is it an offense against the holy name? According to the above mentioned scripture, it is.....
On the other hand, we have many evidences from the past how holy name reformed a totally faithless person into great devotees...for instance, in the case of Jagai and Madai...so how do we justify this? Apart from that, we have learned that during the sankirtana period of Mahaprabhu, holy name was given to whoever is seen...regardless their faith, religion, background and so on....
I would really appreciate if devotees can kindly share your knowledge on this....
JAI JAGANNATH.....
Replies
The litmus test in all of this is your compassion for the other person (looking out for his/her interests). If your approach (methods and words) will cause the other person to develop feelings against the Hare Krishna's (and thus against Krishna) it's best that we don't disturb their faith. Eventually (maybe lifetimes later) their path will inexorably lead to Krishna. On the other hand if we persisted, and they developed an aversion to Krishna, we have only delayed their eventual return to Godhead.
yhs
Rupamrita-sindhu das
MATAJI!
knowingly or unknowlingly you have glorified the preachers of the caitanya movement!
This is the compassion and greatness of preachers, the reason why Srila Prabhupada said that the best service is preaching and he always looked forward to our preaching mood.
A preacher is that devotee who out of compassion for the fallen souls of kaliyuga, broacast publicy the glories of the lord's name, fame, forms and pastimes to anyone. In the mood of the servant of the servant of the gopis (rupanuga bhakti), one does not care whether one has to suffer hellish conditions for any kind of aparadh, only thing which matters is pleasure of Sri Guru and Gauranga. This is true iskcon mood. Brihad Mradanga ki Jay, Harinaam Sankirtan ki Jay
Caitanya is the Most Beautiful When Remembered and our companion when He is seen in the form Two Hands raised to the sky and proclaiming the Holy Names to us and our fallen. This is the joy to the World!
Why anyone would spend time to worry how not to follow the example of Lord Caitanya, when in this world there are many including governments, who want to silence the Holy Names, who want excuses to do so - is beyond my limited understanding. Here in the west, the sankirtan movement was the greatest gift of Prabhupad, the Lion of Love.
Your friend and fallen soul, Jai Sri Krsna
Hare Krsna Mataji,
PAMHO.
Giving the holy name to someone who does not know about Krsna is different from giving the holy name to someone who is inimical to Krsna. Suppose there are two inidviduals - one is christian, has never heard the name Krsna and the other is hindu, has heard the name Krsna, but has no faith. We will try to preach to both. The first one may become interested in the pastimes of Krsna or may remain neutral. The other is already a confirmed athiest - he has read more scriptures than what you have read, and has concluded that he rejects them and does not believe in the existence of God.
Preaching to the first one is not an aparadh, but continuing to preach and force the second person is an aparadh. Krsna also mentions in the Bhagavad Gita that one should not disturb someone else's faith, which is firmed up.
It is also said that devotees are more merciful than the lord - because they will preach to the persons who have no faith and by their mercy, such persons may develop faith. The example you have given of Jagai Madhai - their story has a huge mercy of Nityanand Prabhu, the lord wanted to kill them when they offended Nityanand Prabhu, but spared them at the behest of Nityanand Prabhu.
There are lots of people - esp in India, who already have firmed up faith in some process or the other. I personally know poeple who follow the (say) Yogoda Foundation, some follow Art of Living, some follow Durga ma - will do 4 or 6 navratras in a year, some pray to Ram, some to Shiva, some follow Kanchipuram seer, some are Sri Vaishnavas - think Vishnu is supreme. After initial discussions, I just let them be. Their faith is so strong or they are so set in their ways, that maybe that is what is there for them in this birth. I ensure that they dont shake me from my faith and let them continue with whatever gives them peace and whatever else they are looking for.
That is the beauty of the holy name, there is no qualification to get it in Kaliyuga.
I hope I have been able to explain.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Rashmi
Dear devotees,
Pranam....thanking you all in abundance for sharing your wisdom and experiences....so, can we conclude that when we speak about Harinam, it is advisable to let go a person who seems to be totally averse of Krishna...and we should try to convey the message of Godhead only to those who seems to be interested or atleast neutral...?
"This hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is not anything of this material world, either of the higher planetary system or the lower planetary system." It is golokera prema-dhana. It is the happy mode, not this mode of passion or goodness or ignorance. The happy mode, imported from Kṛṣṇaloka, Goloka. Therefore it is transcendental vibration. It is not of this material world.
Lecture on SB 1.5.17-18 -- New Vrindaban, June 21, 1969 : Why there are so many species of life? Why we are thinking that "Our life is guaranteed; we shall continue like this"? This is called ignorance. Any moment this standard of life, this comfortable standard of life, may be lost. Therefore Nārada says that "Everyone should try to achieve that benefit of life which is not available within the fourteen worlds, fourteen," I mean to say, "different types of planetary system." So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has captured this idea. And he sings, golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana: "This hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is not anything of this material world, either of the higher planetary system or the lower planetary system." It is golokera prema-dhana. It is the happy mode, not this mode of passion or goodness or ignorance. The happy mode, imported from Kṛṣṇaloka, Goloka. Therefore it is transcendental vibration. It is not of this material world. Golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, rati nā janmilo kene tāy: "I am so unfortunate that this hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is imported from Goloka Vṛndāvana, transcendental platform." Rati nā janmilo kene tāy, "But I have no attraction for this." Biṣaya-biṣānale, dibā-niśi hiyā jvale: "Although I am suffering always with the anxieties of this material adjustment of things..." Biṣaya-biṣānale, dibā-niśi hiyā jvale, juṛāite nā koinu upāy. Juṛāite means "There is way to get out of this anxious status of life, but I have no attraction." Caitanya Mahāprabhu also says like that. Enechi auṣadhi māyā nāśibāro lāgi': "I have brought a nice medicine to kill the spell of māyā. So you take it."
Hare Krishna,PAMHO,
The Holy Names can Only Be Distributed Through Harinama sankirtana in this Age.
CC Adi 7.74, Purport :
The principles of the paramparā system were strictly honored in previous ages—Satya-yuga, Tretā-yuga and Dvāpara-yuga—but in the present age, Kali-yuga, people neglect the importance of this system of śrauta-paramparā, or receiving knowledge by disciplic succession. In this age, people are prepared to argue that they can understand that which is beyond their limited knowledge and perception through so-called scientific observations and experiments, not knowing that actual truth comes down to man from authorities. This argumentative attitude is against the Vedic principles, and it is very difficult for one who adopts it to understand that the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is as good as Kṛṣṇa Himself. Since Kṛṣṇa and His holy name are identical, the holy name is eternally pure and beyond material contamination. It is the Supreme Personality of Godhead as a transcendental vibration. The holy name is completely different from material sound, as confirmed by Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura: golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana. Thetranscendental vibration of hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana is imported from the spiritual world. Thus although materialists who are addicted to experimental knowledge and the so-called "scientific method" cannot place their faith in the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, it is a fact that simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra offenselessly one can be freed from all subtle and gross material conditions. The spiritual world is called Vaikuṇṭha, which means "without anxiety." In the material world everything is full of anxiety (kuṇṭha), whereas in the spiritual world (Vaikuṇṭha) everything is free from anxiety. Therefore those who are afflicted by a combination of anxieties cannot understand the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, which is free from all anxiety. In the present age the vibration of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra is the only process that is in a transcendentalposition, beyond material contamination. Since the holy name can deliver a conditioned soul, it is explained here to be sarva-mantra-sāra, the essence of all Vedic hymns.