Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Antya 1.101
Receive the Holy Name from Spiritual Sources
“One has to learn about the beauty and transcendental position of the holy name of the Lord by hearing the revealed scriptures from the mouths of devotees. Nowhere else can we hear of the sweetness of the Lord’s holy name.”
What the purport teaches
- We learn the beauty and transcendental position of the Lord’s holy name by hearing revealed scriptures from devotees. Its sweetness cannot be heard elsewhere.
- The holy name’s vibration is completely spiritual and cannot be grasped by ordinary senses. It must be received from a spiritual master through hearing and then chanted.
- Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī forbids hearing Kṛṣṇa’s holy name from non-Vaiṣṇavas, including professional actors and singers who are non-Vaiṣṇavas. The purport says such hearing has no effect, comparing it to milk touched by a serpent’s lips.
Try this today
Listen to a spiritual master chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, then chant what you have heard.
Ask yourself
How carefully do you choose the spiritual sources from whom you hear the holy name?
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.