The Holy Name and Anti-Pollution

[Excerpts From a lecture given on August 2, 2002]

[Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja gives the solution to subtle and gross pollution – the pollution of sound, the pollutions of poisons caused by words, thoughts and actions. ]

“If you are abusing anyone, criticizing anyone, or quarreling with anyone, these sounds will evaporate in the air and it go throughout the whole universe. If you are speaking any nonsense it will not ‘go in vain.’ It will go throughout the whole world by air. An example may be given of a big pond. If you take a stone and throw it into a pond, some waves will be created, and they will touch all ends of the pond. This universe is like that pond, and air is everywhere in the universe. When one chants Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, this will evaporate and create so many waves of air, and those waves will touch everywhere — up to the ends of the world — moving here and there and purifying the entire universe from all these pollutions.

“Krsna is so powerful. He can create the whole universe in a second and He can destroy it, and again he can create so many worlds. He has invested all His mercy, power, and opulence in His names, and therefore they are so powerful. They will very quickly travel throughout the whole universe, by the help of airwaves, and the pollution will be at once gone. You know that the trees, creepers, animals, and insects cannot speak. They cannot understand our language. Still, everyone — not only humans, but trees, creepers, and insects here and there in this universe — will be touched by this powerful name, whether they know it or not. There is no question of whether they are aware or not. They will be touched. If knowingly or unknowingly you are touching fire it will burn you. Similarly, these names are very powerful. They will inject all and they will purify all, whether they know or not.

“Here the trees are very fortunate, the grass is fortunate, and the persons are fortunate — whether they are coming to our classes or not. The trees, creepers, grass and all others are somehow attending our classes by hearing the sound. Moslems don’t say Hari, Krsna, or Rama, but the sound will somehow go and touch them, even if they are in Arabia or Iran. Even hogs, pigs, bears, and other creatures who are in jungles and forests, attacking persons and eating them, will be also be liberated.

“Kirtana is so powerful that if you are meditating on anything, and we are doing kirtana, you cannot continue to meditate. If you are doing kirtana and someone else is not doing kirtana, he is bound to do kirtana by mind. If you cannot meditate, you should chant Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare. This will engage all your senses. You will forget where you are and what you are doing. If you chant louder and louder, all your senses will be controlled and there will be nothing to criticize, and nothing to remember about your bad activities or anything else. Otherwise, without this, while meditating, all kinds of bogus things will come in your head. You cannot check it by yourself, but by kirtana it will be checked very easily

“In this world someone may think that devotees are very selfish. And I also think that you are engaged in selfishness. Those who are actually high class of devotees are not selfish. You can think, “I should have some money to travel here and there.” This is selfishness. “I should also have some money in my pocket to do this for me, or for this purpose.” This is all selfishness. However, when you will chant Hare Krsna for yourself and others, there is no self-gain. Gradually your heart will be cleared, ceto-darpana-marjana, and then you will realize that your real self interest — the soul of your soul — is Krsna. Therefore, if you are serving Krsna, the whole world, and you, are benefited.

“Don’t believe in money and wealth. Don’t believe in them. To think that they will help, that we will be benefited and happy by money and wealth, is quite wrong. By chanting the name and serving gurudeva, Radha-Krsna Conjugal, Mahaprabhu, and Nityananda Prabhu, you will be so happy that you cannot imagine, and the world will be benefited by this. So try to do nagara-sankirtana without self-gain. If there is any self-gain, let Krsna be the Self here, and we can do anything for His service. If you have so much money, or even some money, in your pockets, so many problems will come. Sri Sanatana Gosvami left his one associate, Isana. He told him, “You should take that coin and return home. It is like poison.

“You should try to do nagara-sankirtana and distribute books also, but always chant and remember, hear classes, and be in high-class devotee association. And first of all you should not be selfish. Be guru-centered or Krsna centered. They will manage everything.”