What is the result of chanting the names of godmen who have the name of God?
From Pandurang Charan P
Answer Podcast:
Transcript
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It is eternal.
Hare Krishna. Question from Panduranga Charan Prabhu. You mentioned in one of your Bhakti Shastri classes that to go back to Godhead, we should chant the right name with the right conception.
We should chant the names of Krishna, Vishnu understanding their position. But then, there are some devata, some self-proclaimed gods, some godmen who have the names of God, say like Anuruddha Babu. So then, when their followers chant their names, they are chanting the right name, that is they are chanting the name of Vishnu, but with wrong conception.
So, will they make spiritual advancement by that? Or will they be doomed like it happens with wrong name and wrong, those who chant with wrong name with wrong conception? Answer, whenever we have any analytical framework that is given, that is given for a broad understanding of concepts. Know whenever any kind of taxonomy is created, taxonomy is nomenclature or analytical framework is created, no taxonomy precisely reflects reality. So, there will always be porous boundaries.
So, for that matter, now we could say that Shiva can also be a name of Vishnu. So, Sarva, Sharva, Shiva, Sthanur, Bhuta, Dhirnidhira, not only can it be a name of Vishnu because Shiva means all auspicious and ultimately Vishnu is all auspicious, but even Vishnu is referred to by the name Shiva by an authority known as Vyasadev. So, not Vyasadev, Vishmadev in his Vishnu Sahasranama.
As I mentioned, Sarva, Sharva, Shiva, Sthanur, Bhuta, Dhirnidhira, so now when when Bhishma Pitamah is himself referring to Vishnu as Shiva, then will those who chant the Om Namah Shiva mantra go to Vishnu? Answer, no. Because the name is important but actually we could say even more important than the name is the conception. So, if people are chanting the name of Shiva and they are having the conception of Shiva, then they will go to Sthathadbhavabhavitah whatever the conception, that’s what is attained.
Yantidevavratadevan, so they will go to that particular Devata. So, similarly, say if some person in this world who claims to be God has got the name of a God, has the name of Vishnu, say Anuruddha, then what happens to the person who worships such a, who chants the name of that particular Godman? So, now, because that name is connected with Vishnu, there will be some benefit, no doubt. But it will be minimal.
So, if you really want to split here, we can say that if a Godman who has a name of God and a Godman who does not have the name of God, and those two names are chanted, then there is the Godman who has the name of God, chanting his name is better than chanting the name of a Godman who does not have the name of God. So, we could split here like that, but the point is there is a misdirection of worship, and that misdirection is going to keep the soul in spiritual tribulation. Soul is going to continue on in material existence, and at one level, Vishnu is also known as Sarva Namavan.
He is the possessor of all names. So, we could even go to the extreme and say anyone who is chanting any name is chanting the name of Vishnu only. Madhavacharya actually does quite an elaborate bit of analysis talking about how Vishnu is Sarva Namavan.
Prabhupada also talks about that in one Bhagavatam, where it says all names ultimately refer to the Supreme Lord. Because whatever profound subject, but in a simple sense, whatever attributes any name refers to, those attributes are ultimately present in the Supreme Lord. So, the point is that there is Vishnu as a person, and there are expansions, and they have particular names.
So, now those names, when we chant with the conception of Vishnu, then that is the most auspicious course of action, which will most quickly lead us to the supreme destination. But those who don’t chant, those who chant those names, but when those names are referring to someone else, then that is not going to lead to purification. There can be some minimal purification, but then we also have to look at the overall consciousness, motivation and life that a person is living.
Prabhupada gave the example that there was the sahajiyas, they were chanting the name Radha, Radha, Radha. And there was one man, you know, his barber’s wife was named Radha. So, whenever he would hear the sahajiyas going around chanting the name Radha, Radha, he would remember that barber’s wife.
And basically he was thinking of having illicit relationship with her. So, now Radha is the name of the goddess, supreme goddess of fortune. But then if we have a contaminated vision, then chanting the name of Radha may actually increase the lust within us, because we are thinking of somebody else by the name Radha.
So, the point here is that falena parichayate. We can have an analytical framework to have a broad understanding of how things are going to work, but with respect to specifics, we always have to look at time, place, circumstance, look at individual, and then we understand what is going to be the destination. So, those who are chanting, as I said, those who are chanting the names of God, because they are the names of the godmen, now because they are not going to get benefit of chanting the names of God directly, but indirectly, they will get some benefit.
As I said, it will be more than the benefit of chanting some other godman’s names, whose name is not related with God directly, at least not in the way it is given in the Vedic tradition. But still, overall, it is not just the chanting of the names, it is chanting of the names with proper conception. That is important.
And so, if the overall conception is misdirected, overall the heart is misdirected, and the heart is going towards worship of a particular person who is not at all God, then that is going to lead eventually to a ruinous destination. It is not going to lead to elevated destination, but while going towards the ruinous destination, that person may get some little benefit, because that person has been chanting a name which is associated with the name of the God. But the whole point of, we should not see any particular activity isolated from the whole.
So, chanting is extremely important, but chanting is a part of bhakti, and the purpose of bhakti is to become devoted to Bhagawan. So, if we just artificially rip chanting out of its whole bhakti context, and simply claim that, oh, I am chanting, this person is chanting the name of God, name of God, whatever, then, but then what is the purpose of that chanting? The purpose is not to actually become devoted to God, but it is to become devoted to somebody else. Then that is not going to lead to any substantial spiritual advancement.
Yes, the chanting of the name of God, in whatever way we do it, there is definitely some benefit, no doubt. But then, when we see the Bhagavatam talking about such, or the Acharyas talking about such glories, how glorious is the holy name, that even if it is incidentally chanted, it gives so much benefit. The point of all such references in scripture is that if the holy name is so potent, then why not chant it attentively? If incidental chanting can give us so much benefit, then intentional, conscious chanting can give us so much greater benefit, and therefore, chant it consciously, chant it attentively.
That is the essential message that scripture gives us. And that is the message that we should apply in our life, and that is the message towards which we should encourage others to also come. Thank you.
Hare Krishna.