There is no difference between the name and the Lord Himself. This is the verdict of the scriptures, and all the acaryas say the same thing.
So it now time for the arati for the Lord. So all of you, we only say, the subject matter of our preaching everywhere is to chant the holy name. When I went to America in the beginning, there is a big history behind it, I did not tell them in the beginning that they have to give up this, do this, who would have listened? No! Just come, sit down and do chanting of the holy name. This is how I started. For one year I was wandering from here to there. 1966 in the month of July I registered this association, two or four boys used to come. And then hearing the holy name gradually over time, we used to go that Tompkinson Sqaure Park and sit under a tree, with no mrdangas or kartal’s, just like that we used to play the dugdugi (small drum) (laughs).
So they started coming, dancing and then in New York Times the pictures came and somehow or other slowly, then I went West California and then to Canada. And so by the blessings of all of you now all over the world in major cities like London, New York and even Moscow, Tokyo, everywhere our institution is there. The holy name is being preached and these books are also chanting of the holy names. Only by mrdangas and kartal’s the holy name is not chanted, holy name, just like Sukadeva Goswami did kirtana, abhavad vaiyāsakiḥ kīrtane (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.265). So kirtana means, just like the reading of Srimad Bhagavatam by Sukadeva Goswami, this is also kirtana.
Kirtana is not done only with mrdangas and kartal’s only. And our Guru Maharaj used to say these books are brhad mrdanga. See if you play the mrdanga here ten, twenty, hundred people can hear it. And if you play this brhad mrdanga then from one corner to the other everyone can hear it. This is brhad mrdanga. So whatever liitle honor our institution has by the mercy of the Lord, this is due to this brhad mrdanga.
So you have all come taking so much trouble, these three people, so thank you very much. So please keep coming. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says ekaki amara, nahi paya bala.(Saranagati) Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, on My own what can I do? All of you cooperate.
So this is our prayer also that whatever little effort we are doing to preach the holy name all over the world, all of you please cooperate in this endeavor. There should be no feeling of nationalism or duality in this. This the chanting the holy name of the Lord, which is the property of India, and Caitanya preached to all the Indians and to all
- bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra
- janma sārthaka kari’ kara para-upakāra
- (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Adi 9.41)
para-upakāra, it is the duty of India to do para-upakāra, work for the benefit of all other people.