Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Antya 3.60
Honor the name’s potency; diligently avoid offenses
“ ‘If a devotee once utters the holy name of the Lord, or if it penetrates his mind or enters his ear, which is the channel of aural reception, that holy name will certainly deliver him from material bondage, whether vibrated properly or improperly, with correct or incorrect grammar, or properly joined or vibrated in separate parts. O brāhmaṇa, the potency of the holy name is therefore certainly great. However, if one uses the vibration of the holy name for the benefit of the material body, for material wealth and followers, or under the influence of greed or atheism — in other words, if one utters the name with offenses — such chanting will not produce the desired result very soon. Therefore one should diligently avoid offenses in chanting the holy name of the Lord.’”
What the purport teaches
- The holy name can deliver a devotee from material bondage when uttered, remembered in the mind, or received through the ear.
- Its potency does not depend on correct grammar or perfect pronunciation. It acts whether its parts are properly joined or uttered separately.
- Using the holy name for bodily benefit, wealth, or followers, or chanting under greed or atheism, involves offenses. Such chanting delays the desired result, so offenses should be diligently avoided.
Try this today
Before chanting today, pause and resolve not to use the holy name to seek wealth, followers, or bodily benefit.
Ask yourself
What material expectation could you set aside when chanting 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.