By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Foolish persons say that one can chant any name, even a demigod’s name, and get the same result as chanting the holy name of the Lord. This is Māyāvāda philosophy. The Māyāvādīs think that everyone is God; they say, “The demigods are God, I am God, you are God.” Therefore they say one can chant any name and become liberated. In Bengal it is very popular to hold a kālī-kīrtana. A party of people meet and chant, “Kālī! Kālī! Kālī!” or the names of so many so-called avatāras. One rascal added his wife’s name to the chanting, and his foolish followers accepted it. In this way Māyāvādī philosophers are leading their followers straight to hell. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has therefore strongly warned against hearing from the Māyāvādī philosophers, lest one’s spiritual life be spoiled and the path of devotional service blocked. We should always remember this when there is any question of chanting other names. We should chant the holy name of Vishnu, the holy name of Krishna—no one else’s name.