Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya-lila Chapter 6 Verse 242

[Adi 1721]

SYNONYMS

hareh nama -- the holy name of the Lord Hari; hareh nama -- the holy name of the Lord Hari; hareh nama -- the holy name of the Lord; eva -- certainly; kevalam -- only; kalau -- in this Age of Kali; na asti -- there is not; eva -- certainly; na asti -- there is not; eva -- certainly; na asti -- there is not; eva -- certainly; gatih -- means; anyatha -- other.

TRANSLATION

"'In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.'"

PURPORT

Because the people of this age are so fallen, they can simply chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. In this way they can rid themselves of the bodily conception of life and become eligible to engage in the Lord's devotional service. One cannot engage in the devotional service of the Lord without being purified of all contamination. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (7.28):

yesham tv anta-gatam papam jananam punya-karmanam

te dvandva-moha-nirmukta bhajante mam dridha-vratah

"Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life and whose sinful actions are completely eradicated are freed from the dualities of delusion, and they engage themselves in My service with determination." Sometimes people are surprised to see young men and women take so seriously to the Krishna consciousness movement. By giving up sinful activity -- illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling -- and strictly following the injunctions given by the spiritual master, they have become purified of all contamination. They can therefore fully engage in the devotional service of the Lord.

In this Age of Kali, hari-kirtana is very, very important. The importance of chanting the holy name of the Lord is stated in the following verses from Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.3.51-52):

kaler dosha-nidhe rajann asti hy eko mahan gunah

kirtanad eva krishnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet

krite yad dhyayato vishnum tretayam yajato makhaih

dvapare paricaryayam kalau tad dhari-kirtanat

"The most important factor in this Age of Kali, which is an ocean of faults, is that one can be free from all contamination and become eligible to enter the kingdom of God simply by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra. The self-realization that was achieved in the Satya millennium by meditation, in the Treta millennium by the performance of different sacrifices, and in the Dvapara millennium by worship of Lord Krishna can be achieved in the Age of Kali simply by chanting the holy names, Hare Krishna."

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness