In this connection, the comments of Çrédhara Swami is very important. He is putting question, nänu sakåd ucaritena nämäbhyasena kathäà sarva-päpa-kñayaà syät, çraddhä-bhakty-avåtyad eva adityader api vidhänäù. Çrédhara Swami says that simply by chanting without any regulative principles, one becomes liberated. So how is that? So he replies himself also, “No, there are regulative principles.” The idea is that chanting of the holy name is so powerful that it can immediately liberate the vibrator. But because he is prone to fall down again, therefore, what to speak of others who are following the regulative principles? This is the idea. It is not that… Just like the sahajiyäs. They think that “If chanting is so powerful, I shall chant sometimes.” But he does not know that after chanting, he is again falling down by willingly. This is willing, I mean to say, willful disobedience. Willful disobedience. Because I know that “I have chanted the holy name. Now my all sinful reaction of my life is now vanished. Then why shall I commit again sinful activities?” That is the natural conclusion. But if one concludes like this: “Now I have chanted, I have confessed my sinful activities in the church. Let me go now again, begin my sinful activities,” such kind of willful negligence is very, very dangerous. Nämnäd baläd yasya hi päpa-buddhiù. He’s the greatest sinner, one who utilizes the holy name as a means of counteracting or neutralizing the sinful effects. They are very willful sinners. That should not be done. It is a fact that as soon as you chant Hare Kåñëa, your all sinful reaction of life is immediately neutralized or vanquished. But you should not do again. That is the idea.

Nänu sakåd ucaritena nämäbhyasena kathäà sarva-päpa-kñayaù syät, çraddhä-bhakty-avåtyäd eva vidhänaù. Tathä hi, säyaà prätar gåëan bhaktyä duùkha-grämäd vimucyate. He’s giving quotation from many scriptures in which it is stated, säyaà prätar gåëan… Säyaà tri-sandhya, morning, noon, and evening, prätar gåëan, daily chanting Hare Kåñëa mantra. Säyaà prätar gåëan bhaktyä, with devotion and faith, duùkha-grämäd vimucyate. Duùkha-grämäd means volumes of miserable condition of life. One can avoid volumes of miserable condition of life simply by chanting. Anudinam idam ädareëa çåëvan iti. When it is stated anudinam ädareëa, with great care and attention one should chant. Not that we should utilize the chanting of holy name for my sense gratification, that “I commit sin, and again I chant, and it will be counteracted. So again I chant, again I commit.” No. That is not allowed. Anudinam. Çrédhara Swami… Anudinam idam ädareëa çåëvanti. Or çåëvan ädareëa, with great care. Because the name, the holy name, and the person Kåñëa—Kåñëa and Kåñëa’s name—they are identical. So one should be so much careful and, I mean to say, faithful that as soon as you are chanting, you should know that “Kåñëa is dancing on my tongue.” Therefore how much careful and respectful we should be.

General Lecture – Gorakhpur, February 16, 1971