Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Antya 3.60

nāmaikaḿ yasya vāci smaraṇa-patha-gataḿ śrotra-mūlaḿ gataḿ vā

śuddhaḿ vāśuddha-varṇaḿ vyavahita-rahitaḿ tārayaty eva satyam

tac ced deha-draviṇa-janatā-lobha-pāṣaṇḍa-madhye

nikṣiptaḿ syān na phala-janakaḿ śīghram evātra vipra

SYNONYMS

nāma — the holy name; ekam — once; yasya — whose; vāci — in the mouth; smaraṇa-patha-gatam — entered the path of remembrance; śrotra-mūlam gatam — entered the roots of the ears; vā — or; śuddham — pure; vā — or; aśuddha-varṇam — impurely uttered; vyavahita-rahitam — without offenses or without being separated; tārayati — delivers; eva — certainly; satyam — truly; tat — that name; cet — if; deha — the material body; draviṇa — material opulence; janatā — public support; lobha — greed; pāṣaṇḍa — atheism; madhye — toward; nikṣiptam — directed; syāt — may be; na — not; phala-janakam — producing the results; śīghram — quickly; eva — certainly; atra — in this matter; vipra — O brāhmaṇa.

TRANSLATION

"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.'"

PURPORT

This verse from the Padma Purāṇa is included in the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (11.289) by Sanātana Gosvāmī. Therein Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī gives the following explanation:

vāci gataḿ prasańgād vāń-madhye pravṛttam api, smaraṇa-patha-gataḿ kathañcin manaḥ-spṛṣṭam api, śrotra-mūlaḿ gataḿ kiñcit śrutam api, śuddha-varṇaḿ vā aśuddha-varṇam api vā, vyavahitaḿ śabdāntareṇa yad-vyavadhānaḿ vakṣyamāṇa-nārāyaṇa-śabdasya kiñcid uccāraṇānantaraḿ prasańgād āpatitaḿ śabdāntaraḿ tena rahitaḿ sat.

This means that if one somehow or other hears, utters or remembers the holy name, or if it catches his mind while coming near his ears, that holy name, even if vibrated in separate words, will act. An example of such separation is given as follows:

yadvā, yadyapi 'halaḿ riktam' ity ādy-uktau hakāra-rikārayor vṛttyā harīti-nāmāsty eva, tathā 'rāja-mahiṣī' ity atra rāma-nāmāpi, evam anyad apy ūhyam, tathāpi tat-tan-nāma-madhye vyavadhāyakam akṣarāntaram astīty etādṛśa-vyavadhāna-rahitam ity arthaḥ, yadvā, vyavahitaḿ ca tad-rahitaḿ cāpi vā, tatra vyavahitaḿ nāmnaḥ kiñcid uccāraṇānantaraḿ kathañcid āpatitaḿ śabdāntaraḿ samādhāya paścān nāmāvaśiṣṭākṣara-grahaṇam ity evaḿ rūpaḿ, madhye śabdāntareṇāntaritam ity arthaḥ, rahitaḿ paścād avaśiṣṭākṣara-grahaṇa-varjitaḿ, kenacid aḿśena hīnam ity arthaḥ, tathāpi tārayaty eva.

Suppose one is using the two words halaḿ riktam. Now the syllable ha in the word halam and the syllable ri in riktam are separately pronounced, but nevertheless the holy name will act because one somehow or other utters the word hari. Similarly, in the word rāja-mahiṣī, the syllables rā and ma appear in two separate words, but because they somehow or other appear together, the holy name rāma will act, provided there are no offenses.

sarvebhyaḥ pāpebhyo 'parādhebhyaś ca saḿsārād apy uddhārayaty eveti satyam eva, kintu nāma-sevanasya mukhyaḿ yat phalaḿ tan na sadyaḥ sampadyate. tathā deha-bharaṇādy-artham api nāma-sevanena mukhyaḿ phalam āśu na sidhyatīty āha, tac ced iti.

The holy name has so much spiritual potency that it can deliver one from all sinful reactions and material entanglements, but utterance of the holy name will not be very soon fruitful if done to facilitate sinning.

tan nāma ced yadi dehādi-madhye nikṣiptaḿ, deha-bharaṇādy-artham eva vinyastam, tadāpi phala-janakaḿ na bhavati kim? api tu bhavaty eva, kintu atra iha loke śīghraḿ na bhavati, kintu vilambenaiva bhavatīty arthaḥ.

The holy name is so powerful that it must act, but when one utters the holy name with offenses, its action will be delayed, not immediate, although in favorable circumstances the holy names of the Lord act very quickly.

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