Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Ādi 7.74
The Holy Name Is Kṛṣṇa Himself
“ ‘In this Age of Kali there is no religious principle other than the chanting of the holy name, which is the essence of all Vedic hymns. This is the purport of all scriptures.’
What the purport teaches
- Spiritual knowledge is received through disciplic succession. Trying to grasp what lies beyond limited perception through argument and experiment makes it difficult to understand the holy name.
- Kṛṣṇa and His holy name are identical, so the name is eternally pure and beyond material contamination. It is the Supreme Personality of Godhead as transcendental vibration, not material sound.
- In Kali-yuga, chanting the holy name is the religious principle and the essence of all Vedic hymns. Offenseless chanting can free a conditioned soul from all subtle and gross material conditions.
Try this today
Before chanting today, pause to remember that Kṛṣṇa and His holy name are identical.
Ask yourself
Am I approaching the holy name as ordinary sound or as Kṛṣṇa Himself?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport; the practice and question are plain words for trying the verse today.