Many of our ācārya have said and written on Gauranga-Nāma. Bhakti-vinoda Ṭhākura has written in his Gaurāṅg-līlā-smaraṇa-maṅgala Stotram as follows:
nāmāparādhaṁ sakalaṁ vināśya
caitanya-nāmāśrita-mānavānām
bhaktiṁ parāṁ yah pradadau janebhyas
taṁ gauracandraṁ praṇamāmi bhaktyā
"With devotion I bow before Lord Gauracandra, who for they who take shelter of the name Caitanya destroys all offenses to the holy names, and who gives transcendental devotional service to the living entities."
Even if one has made offences against the Holy Name of Lord Kṛṣṇa, if one always chants the names of Gaur-Nitāi, he can get Kṛṣṇa-prema. Kṛṣṇa-nāma even after chanting for many life times does not fully blossom in the heart, but it is not the case with Gaur-Nāma. Gaur-Nāma does not taken offences into account. Initially when a neophyte devotee chants the Holy Name of Lord Kṛṣṇa, he is not chanting pure Holy Name. He is chanting nāma-bhāsa which destroys the sins. One who has once chanted a Holy Name without offences is a pure Vaiṣṇava. And one who constantly chants the Holy Name without offences is Vaiṣṇava-tar (the better Vaiṣṇava) and one by whose darśana Kṛṣṇa-nāma appears on the mouth is Vaiṣṇava-tam (the best Vaiṣṇava). But Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu is so merciful that He does not take any offence when one chants His name. Narottama Dāsa Thākur confirms in one of his songs that if one always chants the name of Gaurāṅga, then Kṛṣṇa-prema arises in his heart. je gaurāṅgera nāma loy, tāra hoy premodoy. Lochana Dāsa Thākur writes that if one who does not chant the name of Gaurāṅga in Kali-yuga, then Yamarāja takes hold of him, drags him and throws him into hell. nitāi-gaura-nāma, ānandera dhāma, jei jana nāhi laya, āre yama-rāya, dhare la’ye jāya, narake ḍubāya tāya.
Gaurāṅga-nāma does not care whether the person is pure or impure. It will always bestow with Kṛṣṇa-prema. Kṛṣṇa says that if someone surrenders unto Him fully, then He frees the person from all sinful reactions. But if one surrenders unto Gaurāṅg Mahāprabhu, then He frees the person from janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (birth, death, old age and diseases).
Narottama Dāsa Thākur says that, "I only want the association of a person who always chants the name of Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu no matter in what situation he is." gṛhe bā vanete thāke, 'hā gaurāńga' bo'le ḍāke, narottama māge tāra sańga. He also states:
gaurāńga' bolite habe pulaka-śarīra'
hari hari' bolite nayane pa' be nīra
"When will that opportune moment come to us, when there will be shivering of the body as soon as we chant Lord Gaurāṅga name? While chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, when will there be tears in the eyes?"
All the sakhīs and mañjarīs have incarnated as ācāryas to glorify Rādhārāni. But they have glorified Her up to the capacity of prema present in their hearts for Rādhārāni. They are rasikas, rasikās but the topmost rasika is Lord Kṛṣṇa and when Kṛṣṇa comes into this world to glorify Rādhārāni, He comes as Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu. rādhāra mahimā, prema-rasa-sīmā, jagate jānāta ke. So taking name of Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu is equal to or even more beneficial than chanting Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa's name. No one glorified Rādhārāni as much as Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu did. Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu is both Lord Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's greatest devotee. So glorifying Him is as same as glorifying Lord Kṛṣṇa and His topmost devotee at the same time. Prabodhananda Sarasvati writes, "Alas! My heart is like a dry desert. And how can Kṛṣṇa-prema which is like a sapling grow in this desert-like heart? But I have one beautiful hope in my heart that one who chants the name of Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu need not fear anything. I need not worry because Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu will fill my desert-like heart with prema." Viśvanātha Cakravarti Ṭhākura writes in Mādhurya-kādambinī that if our heart is like a desert and if we are standing like dead trees in the middle of the desert even then we don't have anything to worry because the Gaur-Nāma can destroy all offences, sins and impureness. Gaur-Nāma is like a series of clouds that purify the desert-like heart, bestow Kṛṣṇa-prema and destroys all sins and offences just like how an uncontrolled elephant destroys everything. In Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma Māhātmya, it is stated that if one does Kṛṣṇa-bhajan for millions of lives even then it is seen that he has not developed any rati (love) for the Holy Name. But if the same person does Gaurāṅga-bhajan, all his dushta-bhāvas go away and very soon he gets Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. In Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, it is stated thus:
‘caitanya’ seva, ‘caitanya’ gāo, lao ‘caitanya’-nāma
‘caitanye’ ye bhakti kare, sei mora prāṇa
"Nityānanda Prabhu requested everyone to serve Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, chant His glories and utter His name. Nityānanda Prabhu claimed that person to be His life and soul who rendered devotional service unto Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu."
Bhakti-vinoda Ṭhākura writes that the Kali-yugi living entity has unlimited aparādha-vritti (propensity to make offences) and without Gaur-nāma, there is no deliverance for him. In Caitanya-bhāgavata, it is stated that even if a bird chants the name of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then it will surely reach Caitanya-Dhām. In Śrī Navadvīpa Bhāva Taraṅga, it is stated that even the demigods take pleasure in Gaur-Kīrtana.
Now the question may raised that why shall we not only chant Gaurāṅga-nāma instead of Kṛṣṇa-nāma as it is more beneficial?
In answer to this, Jagadānanda Pandit writes, gaurār āmi gaurār āmi mukhe bolile nāhi chale, gaurār āchār gaurār vichār tabe phala phale, it means that only saying that I am a Gauḍīya, one cannot get Kṛṣṇa-prem. Only by following Lord Gaurāṅga's āchara and vichār can one get Kṛṣṇa-prema. And what is Lord Gaurāṅga's instruction to all of us? To chant the Holy Name of Kṛṣṇa continuosly. The ācāryas have said to chant the name of Lord Gaurāṅga so we can do both. We can chant both the names of Lord Gaurāṅga and Lord Kṛṣṇa and derive full results.
Thankyou very much for your patience while reading this. Please bestow your blessings upon me.
Hari, Hari Bol!!!
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