Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 9.20.24-26
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyChanting Hare Kṛṣṇa Is This Age’s Sacrifice
“Mahārāja Bharata, the son of Duṣmanta, had the mark of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s disc on the palm of his right hand, and he had the mark of a lotus whorl on the soles of his feet. By worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead with a grand ritualistic ceremony, he became the emperor and master of the entire world. Then, under the priesthood of Māmateya, Bhṛgu Muni, he performed fifty-five horse sacrifices on the bank of the Ganges, beginning from its mouth and ending at its source, and seventy-eight horse sacrifices on the bank of the Yamunā, beginning from the confluence at Prayāga and ending at the source. He established the sacrificial fire on an excellent site, and he distributed great wealth to the brāhmaṇas. Indeed, he distributed so many cows that each of thousands of brāhmaṇas had one badva [13,084] as his share.”
What the purport teaches
- Mahārāja Bharata worshiped the Supreme Personality of Godhead through grand sacrifices and distributed great wealth to the brāhmaṇas. Work should be performed as a sacrifice for Viṣṇu; otherwise it binds one to this material world.
- Such horse sacrifices cannot be performed in this age because sufficient riches and qualified brāhmaṇas are lacking. The scriptures instead recommend saṅkīrtana-yajña, the congregational chanting inaugurated by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
- Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa can be performed anywhere and fulfills the purposes of yajña. The purport urges people to refrain from illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling, and to chant in a pure state of existence.
Try this today
Invite someone to chant with you today: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.
Ask yourself
How could you make chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa a simple, regular part of your worship?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.