Go to Vanipedia | Go to Vanisource | Go to Vanimedia


Vaniquotes - the compiled essence of Vedic knowledge


The holy name of the Lord is identical with the Lord

Expressions researched:
"Krsna and Krsna's name are nondifferent" |"holy name of the Lord and the Lord are nondifferent" |"holy name" |"holy names" |"identical" |"krsna's name" |"krsna's names" |"name of krsna" |"no difference between Krsna's name"

Notes from the compiler: Vedabase query: "Krsna and Krsna's name are nondifferent" or "no difference between Krsna's name" or "holy name of the Lord and the Lord are nondifferent" or "holy name" or "holy names" or "name of krsna" or "krsna's names" or "krsna's name" and identical

Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Preface and Introduction

The name Kṛṣṇa and the Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa are identical.
SB Introduction:

The Lord smilingly explained to the devotee brāhmaṇa why the Māyāvādī cannot utter the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. "The Māyāvādīs are offenders at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, although they utter always brahma, ātmā, or caitanya, etc. And because they are offenders at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, they are actually unable to utter the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. The name Kṛṣṇa and the Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa are identical. There is no difference in the absolute realm between the name, form or person of the Absolute Truth because in the absolute realm everything is transcendental bliss. There is no difference between the body and the soul for the Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Thus He is different from the living entity who is always different from his outward body. Because of Kṛṣṇa's transcendental position, it is very difficult for a layman to actually know the Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, His holy name and fame, etc. His name, fame, form and pastimes all are one and the same transcendental identity, and they are not knowable by the exercise of the material senses.

SB Canto 1

This sound of the Lord is identical with the Lord, as we have tried to explain by the nondual position of the Lord.
SB 1.11.3, Purport:

This sound of the Lord is identical with the Lord, as we have tried to explain by the nondual position of the Lord. The material existence of our present status is full of fear. Out of the four problems of material existence, namely the food problem, the shelter problem, the fear problem and the mating problem, the fear problem gives us more trouble than the others. We are always fearful due to our ignorance of the next problem. The whole material existence is full of problems, and thus the fear problem is always prominent. This is due to our association with the illusory energy of the Lord, known as māyā or external energy, yet all fear is vanished as soon as there is the sound of the Lord, represented by His holy name, as it was sounded by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in the following sixteen words:

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

We can take advantage of these sounds and be free from all threatening problems of material existence.

The holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself are identical, and one who chants the holy name of the Lord in an offenseless manner can at once realize that the Lord is present before him.
SB 1.16.32-33, Purport:

There is nothing in the world with which the Lord is disconnected. The only thing we must learn is to excavate the source of connection and thus be linked with Him by offenseless service. We can be connected with Him by the transcendental sound representation of the Lord. The holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself are identical, and one who chants the holy name of the Lord in an offenseless manner can at once realize that the Lord is present before him. Even by the vibration of radio sound, we can partially realize sound relativity, and by resounding the sound of transcendence we can verily feel the presence of the Lord. In this age, when everything is polluted by the contamination of Kali, it is instructed in the scriptures and preached by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu that by chanting the holy name of the Lord, we can at once be free from contamination and gradually rise to the status of transcendence and go back to Godhead. The offenseless chanter of the holy name of the Lord is as auspicious as the Lord Himself, and the movement of pure devotees of the Lord all over the world can at once change the troublesome face of the world. Only by the propagation of the chanting of the holy name of the Lord can we be immune from all effects of the age of Kali.

The Personality of Godhead and His holy name, qualities, etc., are all identical.
SB 1.18.6, Purport:

The Personality of Godhead and His holy name, qualities, etc., are all identical. The personality of Kali was not able to enter the jurisdiction of the earth due to the presence of the Personality of Godhead. And similarly, if there is an arrangement for the constant chanting of the holy names, qualities, etc., of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is no chance at all for the personality of Kali to enter. That is the technique of driving away the personality of Kali from the world. In modernized human society there are great advancements of material science, and they have invented the radio to distribute sound in the air. So instead of vibrating some nuisance sound for sense enjoyment, if the state arranges to distribute transcendental sound by resounding the holy name, fame and activities of the Lord, as they are authorized in the Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, then a favorable condition will be created, the principles of religion in the world will be reestablished, and thus the executive heads, who are so anxious to drive away corruption from the world, will be successful. Nothing is bad if properly used for the service of the Lord.

Transcendentally the holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself are identical, being absolute. The holy name of the Lord is as powerful as the Lord.
SB 1.18.19, Purport:

Transcendentally the holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself are identical, being absolute. The holy name of the Lord is as powerful as the Lord. The Lord is the all-powerful Personality of Godhead, and He has innumerable names, which are all nondifferent from Him and are equally powerful also. In the last word of the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord asserts that one who surrenders fully unto Him is protected from all sins by the grace of the Lord. Since His name and He Himself are identical, the holy name of the Lord can protect the devotee from all effects of sins. The chanting of the holy name of the Lord can undoubtedly deliver one from the disadvantages of a lower-caste birth. The Lord's unlimited power is extended on and on by the unlimited expansion of the devotees and incarnations, and thus every devotee of the Lord and incarnations also can be equally surcharged with the potency of the Lord. Since the devotee is surcharged with the potency of the Lord, even fractionally, the disqualification due to lower birth cannot stand in the way.

SB Canto 2

Since the holy name of the Lord is identical with the Lord, one should not try to utilize the holy name for one's personal service.
SB 2.1.11, Purport:

The holy name of the Lord is identical with the Lord Himself, and one should understand the holy name of the Lord to be nondifferent from Him. The sixth offense is to interpret the holy name. The Lord is not imaginary, nor is His holy name. There are persons with a poor fund of knowledge who think the Lord to be an imagination of the worshiper and therefore think His holy name to be imaginary. Such a chanter of the name of the Lord cannot achieve the desired success in the matter of chanting the holy name. The seventh offense is to commit sins intentionally on the strength of the holy name. In the scriptures it is said that one can be liberated from the effects of all sinful actions simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord. One who takes advantage of this transcendental method and continues to commit sins on the expectation of neutralizing the effects of sins by chanting the holy name of the Lord is the greatest offender at the feet of the holy name. Such an offender cannot purify himself by any recommended method of purification. In other words, one may be a sinful man before chanting the holy name of the Lord, but after taking shelter in the holy name of the Lord and becoming immune, one should strictly restrain oneself from committing sinful acts with a hope that his method of chanting the holy name will give him protection. The eighth offense is to consider the holy name of the Lord and His chanting method to be equal to some material auspicious activity. There are various kinds of good works for material benefits, but the holy name and His chanting are not mere auspicious holy services. Undoubtedly the holy name is holy service, but He should never be utilized for such purposes. Since the holy name and the Lord are of one and the same identity, one should not try to bring the holy name into the service of mankind. The idea is that the Supreme Lord is the supreme enjoyer. He is no one's servant or order supplier. Similarly, since the holy name of the Lord is identical with the Lord, one should not try to utilize the holy name for one's personal service.

As we have explained before, the Lord's holy name is identical with the Lord Himself. So also is oṁkāra.
SB 2.1.17, Purport:

Oṁkāra is the seed of all transcendental sound and it is only the transcendental sound which can bring about the desired change of the mind and the senses. Even a mentally deranged man can be cured by treatment of transcendental sound. In the Bhagavad-gītā, the praṇava (oṁkāra) has been accepted as the direct, literal representation of the Supreme Absolute Truth. One who is not able to chant directly the holy name of the Lord, as recommended above, can easily chant the praṇava (oṁkāra). This oṁkāra is a note of address, such as "O my Lord," just as oṁ hari om means "O my Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead." As we have explained before, the Lord's holy name is identical with the Lord Himself. So also is oṁkāra. But persons who are unable to realize the transcendental personal form or name of the Lord on account of their imperfect senses (in other words, the neophytes) are trained to the practice of self-realization by this mechanical process of regulating the breathing function and simultaneously repeating the praṇava (oṁkāra) within the mind.

SB Canto 6

The holy name of the Lord is fully identical with the Lord, not partially. The word pūrṇa means "complete."
SB 6.8.32-33, Purport:

The holy name of the Lord is fully identical with the Lord, not partially. The word pūrṇa means "complete." The Lord is omnipotent and omniscient, and similarly, His name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and everything pertaining to Him are complete, pure, eternal and free from material contamination. The prayer to the ornaments and carriers of the Lord is not false, for they are as good as the Lord. Since the Lord is all-pervasive, He exists in everything, and everything exists in Him. Therefore even worship of the Lord's weapons or ornaments has the same potency as worship of the Lord. Māyāvādīs refuse to accept the form of the Lord, or they say that the form of the Lord is māyā, or false, but one should note very carefully that this is not acceptable. Although the Lord's original form and His impersonal expansion are one, the Lord maintains His form, qualities and abode eternally. Therefore this prayer says, pātu sarvaiḥ svarūpair naḥ sadā sarvatra sama-gaḥ: "May the Lord, who is all-pervasive in His various forms, protect us everywhere." The Lord is always present everywhere by His name, form, qualities, attributes and paraphernalia, and they all have equal power to protect the devotees.

The Supreme Lord and His holy name are identical. Thus he becomes uninterested in attachment to material enjoyment.
SB 6.16.39, Purport:

Even those who are obsessed with material desires may also come to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead so steadily that they go back to Godhead. The fact is that if one comes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, although he may have many material desires, he becomes increasingly attracted to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa through associating with the Supreme Lord by chanting His holy name. The Supreme Lord and His holy name are identical. Thus he becomes uninterested in attachment to material enjoyment. The perfection of life is to be uninterested in material enjoyment and interested in Kṛṣṇa. If one comes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness somehow or other, even for material gain, the result is that he will be liberated. Kāmād dveṣād bhayāt snehāt. Whether for the satisfaction of material desires, because of the influence of envy, because of fear, because of affection or because of any other reason, if one comes to Kṛṣṇa, his life is successful.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

CC Adi-lila

Those who are addicted to fruitive activities and speculative knowledge cannot understand the value of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa, which is always completely pure, eternally liberated and full of spiritual bliss. |
CC Adi 7.72, Purport:

One who imperfectly knows Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot know Vedānta philosophy. A showy display of Vedānta study without Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a feature of the external energy, māyā, and as long as one is attracted by the inebrieties of this ever-changing material energy, he deviates from devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. An actual follower of Vedānta philosophy is a devotee of Lord Viṣṇu, who is the greatest of the great and the maintainer of the entire universe. Unless one surpasses the field of activities in service to the limited, one cannot reach the unlimited. Knowledge of the unlimited is actual brahma-jñāna, or knowledge of the Supreme. Those who are addicted to fruitive activities and speculative knowledge cannot understand the value of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa, which is always completely pure, eternally liberated and full of spiritual bliss. One who has taken shelter of the holy name of the Lord, which is identical with the Lord, does not have to study Vedānta philosophy, for he has already completed all such study.

The ultimate end of knowledge is knowledge of Kṛṣṇa, who is identical with His holy name.
CC Adi 7.72, Purport:

Taking advantage of these verses, there are some sahajiyās who, taking everything very cheaply, consider themselves elevated Vaiṣṇavas but do not care even to touch the Vedānta-sūtra or Vedānta philosophy. A real Vaiṣṇava should, however, study Vedānta philosophy, but if after studying Vedānta one does not adopt the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, he is no better than a Māyāvādī. Therefore, one should not be a Māyāvādī, yet one should not be unaware of the subject matter of Vedānta philosophy. Indeed, Caitanya Mahāprabhu exhibited His knowledge of Vedānta in His discourses with Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī. Thus it is to be understood that a Vaiṣṇava should be completely conversant with Vedānta philosophy, yet he should not think that studying Vedānta is all in all and therefore be unattached to the chanting of the holy name. A devotee must know the importance of simultaneously understanding Vedānta philosophy and chanting the holy names. If by studying Vedānta one becomes an impersonalist, he has not been able to understand Vedānta. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (15.15). Vedānta means "the end of knowledge." The ultimate end of knowledge is knowledge of Kṛṣṇa, who is identical with His holy name. Cheap Vaiṣṇavas (sahajiyās) do not care to study the Vedānta philosophy as commented upon by the four ācāryas. In the Gauḍīya-sampradāya there is a Vedānta commentary called the Govinda-bhāṣya, but the sahajiyās consider such commentaries to be untouchable philosophical speculation, and they consider the ācāryas to be mixed devotees. Thus they clear their way to hell.

When one realizes that the holy name of the Lord is identical with the Supreme Person, he becomes completely eligible to chant the holy name of the Lord.
CC Adi 7.73, Purport:

In his Anubhāṣya, Śrī Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī says that the actual effect that will be visible as soon as one achieves transcendental knowledge is that he will immediately become free from the clutches of māyā and fully engage in the service of the Lord. Unless one serves the Supreme Personality of Godhead Mukunda, one cannot become free from fruitive activities under the external energy. However, when one chants the holy name of the Lord offenselessly, one can realize a transcendental position that is completely aloof from the material conception of life. Rendering service to the Lord, a devotee relates to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in one of five relationships—namely, śānta, dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya or mādhurya—and thus he relishes transcendental bliss in that relationship. Such a relationship certainly transcends the body and mind. When one realizes that the holy name of the Lord is identical with the Supreme Person, he becomes completely eligible to chant the holy name of the Lord. Such an ecstatic chanter and dancer must be considered to have a direct relationship with the Lord.

The holy name and the Lord are identical. One who is completely free from the clutches of māyā can understand this fact.
CC Adi 7.73, Purport:

The holy name and the Lord are identical. One who is completely free from the clutches of māyā can understand this fact. This knowledge, which is achieved by the mercy of the spiritual master, places one on the supreme transcendental platform. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu presented Himself as a fool because prior to accepting the shelter of a spiritual master He could not understand that simply by chanting one can be relieved from all material conditions. But as soon as He became a faithful servant of His spiritual master and followed his instructions, He very easily saw the path of liberation. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra must be understood to be devoid of all offenses. The ten offenses against the holy name are as follows: (1) to blaspheme a devotee of the Lord, (2) to consider the Lord and the demigods to be on the same level or to think that there are many gods, (3) to neglect the orders of the spiritual master, (4) to minimize the authority of scriptures (Vedas), (5) to interpret the holy name of God, (6) to commit sins on the strength of chanting, (7) to instruct the glories of the Lord's name to the unfaithful, (8) to compare the chanting of the holy name with material piety, (9) to be inattentive while chanting the holy name, and (10) to be attached to material things in spite of chanting the holy name.

Since Kṛṣṇa and His holy name are identical, the holy name is eternally pure and beyond material contamination. It is the Supreme Personality of Godhead as a transcendental vibration.
CC Adi 7.74, Purport:

In this age, people are prepared to argue that they can understand that which is beyond their limited knowledge and perception through so-called scientific observations and experiments, not knowing that actual truth comes down to man from authorities. This argumentative attitude is against the Vedic principles, and it is very difficult for one who adopts it to understand that the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is as good as Kṛṣṇa Himself. Since Kṛṣṇa and His holy name are identical, the holy name is eternally pure and beyond material contamination. It is the Supreme Personality of Godhead as a transcendental vibration. The holy name is completely different from material sound, as confirmed by Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura: golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana. The transcendental vibration of hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana is imported from the spiritual world. Thus although materialists who are addicted to experimental knowledge and the so-called "scientific method" cannot place their faith in the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, it is a fact that simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra offenselessly one can be freed from all subtle and gross material conditions.

In the absolute world a name and its owner, the fame and the famous, are identical, and similarly the qualities, pastimes and everything else pertaining to the Absolute are also absolute. Although Māyāvādīs profess monism, they differentiate between the holy name of the Supreme Lord and the Lord Himself.
CC Adi 7.74, Purport:

The spiritual world is called Vaikuṇṭha, which means "without anxiety." In the material world everything is full of anxiety (kuṇṭha), whereas in the spiritual world (Vaikuṇṭha) everything is free from anxiety. Therefore those who are afflicted by a combination of anxieties cannot understand the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, which is free from all anxiety. In the present age the vibration of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra is the only process that is in a transcendental position, beyond material contamination. Since the holy name can deliver a conditioned soul, it is explained here to be sarva-mantra-sāra, the essence of all Vedic hymns.

A name that represents an object of this material world may be subjected to arguments and experimental knowledge, but in the absolute world a name and its owner, the fame and the famous, are identical, and similarly the qualities, pastimes and everything else pertaining to the Absolute are also absolute. Although Māyāvādīs profess monism, they differentiate between the holy name of the Supreme Lord and the Lord Himself.

One should always remember that the holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself are always identical.
CC Adi 7.128, Purport:

One should not, however, foolishly conclude that because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is omnipotent, we have manufactured a combination of letters—a, u and m—to represent Him. Factually the transcendental sound oṁkāra, although a combination of the three letters a, u and m, has transcendental potency, and one who chants oṁkāra will very soon realize oṁkāra and Lord Viṣṇu to be nondifferent. Kṛṣṇa declares, praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu: "I am the syllable oṁ in the Vedic mantras." (BG 7.8) One should therefore conclude that among the many incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, oṁkāra is the sound incarnation. All the Vedas accept this thesis. One should always remember that the holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself are always identical (abhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ (CC Madhya 17.133)). Since oṁkāra is the basic principle of all Vedic knowledge, it is uttered before one begins to chant any Vedic hymn. Without oṁkāra, no Vedic mantra is successful.

One must come to the understanding that the holy name of the Lord and the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself are identical. One cannot reach this conclusion unless one is offenseless in chanting the holy name.
CC Adi 8.16, Purport:

One must come to the understanding that the holy name of the Lord and the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself are identical. One cannot reach this conclusion unless one is offenseless in chanting the holy name. By our material calculation we see a difference between the name and the substance, but in the spiritual world the Absolute is always absolute: the name, form, qualities and pastimes of the Absolute are all as good as the Absolute Himself. Thus one is understood to be an eternal servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead if he considers himself an eternal servant of the holy name and in this spirit distributes the holy name to the world. One who chants in that spirit, without offenses, is certainly elevated to the platform of understanding that the holy name and the Personality of Godhead are identical. To associate with the holy name and chant the holy name is to associate with the Personality of Godhead directly. In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu it is clearly said, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). The holy name becomes manifest when one engages in the service of the holy name. This service in a submissive attitude begins with one's tongue. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau: One must engage his tongue in the service of the holy name. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is based on this principle. We try to engage all the members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement in the service of the holy name. Since the holy name and Kṛṣṇa are nondifferent, the members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement not only chant the holy name of the Lord offenselessly, but also do not allow their tongues to eat anything that is not first offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

It should be noted in this connection that the holy names of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Gaurasundara are both identical with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
CC Adi 8.31, Purport:

It should be noted in this connection that the holy names of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Gaurasundara are both identical with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore one should not consider one name to be more potent than the other. Considering the position of the people of this age, however, the chanting of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's name is more essential than the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra because Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the most magnanimous incarnation and His mercy is very easily achieved. Therefore one must first take shelter of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu by chanting śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. By serving Gaura-Nityānanda one is freed from the entanglements of material existence and thus becomes qualified to worship the Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deity.

The holy name is identical with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is no difference between the person God and His holy name. This is the absolute position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
CC Adi 17.73, Purport:

Once when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained the glories of the transcendental potency of the Lord's holy name, the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, one unfortunate student said that such glorification of the holy name was an exaggeration in the śāstras to induce people to take to it. In this way the student interpreted the glories of the holy name. This is called artha-vāda, and it is one of the ten offenses at the lotus feet of the holy name of the Lord. There are many kinds of offenses, but the offense known as nāma-aparādha, an offense at the lotus feet of the holy name, is extremely dangerous. The Lord therefore warned everyone not to see the face of the offender. The Lord immediately took a bath in the Ganges with all His clothes on to teach everyone to avoid such a nāma-aparādha. The holy name is identical with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is no difference between the person God and His holy name. This is the absolute position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore one who distinguishes between the Lord and His name is called a pāṣaṇḍī, or nonbeliever, an atheistic demon. Glorification of the holy name is glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One should never attempt to distinguish between the Lord and His name or interpret the glories of the holy name as mere exaggerations.

CC Madhya-lila

Being absolute in all circumstances, Lord Jagannātha's person, form, picture and kīrtana are all identical.
CC Madhya 1.126, Translation and Purport:

After due consideration, all the devotees began chanting the holy name congregationally. Lord Caitanya's mind was thus pacified by the ecstasy of the chanting.

Being absolute in all circumstances, Lord Jagannātha's person, form, picture and kīrtana are all identical. Therefore when Caitanya Mahāprabhu heard the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, He was pacified. Previously, He had been feeling very morose due to separation from Jagannātha. The conclusion is that whenever a kīrtana of pure devotees takes place, the Lord is immediately present. By chanting the holy names of the Lord, we associate with the Lord personally.

In the spiritual world the Absolute Lord is always identical with His name, fame, form, qualities and pastimes.
CC Madhya 8.90, Purport:

In the spiritual world the Absolute Lord is always identical with His name, fame, form, qualities and pastimes. Such identity is impossible in the material world, where the name of a person is different from the person himself. The Supreme Lord has many holy names like Paramātmā, Brahman and "the creator," but one who worships the Lord as the creator cannot understand the relationship between a devotee and the Lord in the five types of transcendental mellows, nor can he understand the conception of Kṛṣṇa. One cannot understand the six transcendental opulences of the Lord simply by understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead as impersonal Brahman.

One should accept the holy name of Kṛṣṇa to be identical with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Transcendence Himself.
CC Madhya 15.106, Purport:

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura says that a person who simply chants the holy name of Kṛṣṇa once becomes perfect and should be regarded as a Vaiṣṇava. This is confirmed by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in his Upadeśāmṛta (5): kṛṣṇeti yasya giri taṁ manasādriyeta. With such faith in the holy name one may begin a life of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But an ordinary person cannot chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa with such faith. One should accept the holy name of Kṛṣṇa to be identical with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Transcendence Himself. As the Padma Purāṇa states, "The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is identical with Kṛṣṇa and is like a cintāmaṇi gem, a touchstone. That name is Kṛṣṇa personified in sound and is therefore perfectly transcendental and eternally liberated from material contamination." Thus one should understand that the name "Kṛṣṇa" and Kṛṣṇa Himself are identical. Having such faith, one must continue to chant the holy name.

When one is situated on the neophyte platform, one cannot understand the devotional ingredients of a pure, unalloyed devotee. However, when the novice engages in devotional service—especially in Deity worship—and follows the order of a bona fide spiritual master, he is a pure devotee. Anyone can take advantage of hearing about Kṛṣṇa consciousness from such a devotee and thus gradually become purified. In other words, any devotee who believes that the holy name of the Lord is identical with the Lord is a pure devotee, even though he may be in the neophyte stage. By his association, others may also become Vaiṣṇavas.

When one is situated on the absolute platform, one can understand that the holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself are identical. At that stage of realization, the holy name of the Lord, the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, cannot be identified with any material sound.
CC Madhya 15.108, Purport:

The more one is freed from material identification, the more one can realize that the spirit soul is qualitatively as good as the Supreme Soul. At such a time, when one is situated on the absolute platform, one can understand that the holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself are identical. At that stage of realization, the holy name of the Lord, the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, cannot be identified with any material sound. If one accepts the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra as a material vibration, he falls down. One should worship and chant the holy name of the Lord by accepting it as the Lord Himself. One should therefore be initiated properly according to revealed scriptures under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master. Although chanting the holy name is good for both the conditioned and liberated soul, it is especially beneficial to the conditioned soul because by chanting it one is liberated. When a person who chants the holy name is liberated, he attains the ultimate perfection by returning home, back to Godhead.

The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is the controller of the opulence of liberation, and it is identical with Kṛṣṇa.
CC Madhya 15.110, Translation:

""The holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa is an attractive feature for many saintly, liberal people. It is the annihilator of all sinful reactions and is so powerful that, save for the dumb who cannot chant it, it is readily available to everyone, including the lowest type of man, the caṇḍāla. The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is the controller of the opulence of liberation, and it is identical with Kṛṣṇa. When a person simply chants the holy name with his tongue, immediate effects are produced. Chanting the holy name does not depend on initiation, pious activities or the puraścaryā regulative principles generally observed before initiation. The holy name does not wait for any of these activities. It is self-sufficient.""

One may get a little light from these names, but one cannot understand that the holy name of the Lord is identical with the Lord.
CC Madhya 17.127, Purport:

Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī vilified and blasphemed Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Words like brahma, caitanya, ātmā, paramātmā, jagadīśa, īśvara, virāṭ, vibhu, bhūmā, viśvarūpa and vyāpaka all indirectly indicate Kṛṣṇa. However, the chanter of these names is not actually attracted to the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa and His transcendental pastimes. One may get a little light from these names, but one cannot understand that the holy name of the Lord is identical with the Lord. One considers the Lord's names material due to a poor fund of knowledge. Māyāvādī philosophers and the pañcopāsakas cannot in the least understand the existence of the spiritual world and the blissful variegatedness there. They cannot understand the Absolute Truth and its spiritual varieties—name, form, qualities and pastimes. Consequently they conclude that Kṛṣṇa's transcendental activities are māyā. To avoid this misconception one has to directly cultivate knowledge about the holy name of the Lord. Māyāvādī philosophers do not know this fact, and therefore they commit great offenses. One should not hear anything about Kṛṣṇa or devotional service from the mouths of Māyāvādī impersonalists.

CC Madhya 17.130, Translation:

“Because they are offenders unto Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is identical with His holy name, the holy name "Kṛṣṇa" does not manifest in their mouths.

It is a fact, however, that the name of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa the person are both spiritual. Everything about Kṛṣṇa is transcendental, blissful and objective.
CC Madhya 17.132, Purport:

It is a fact, however, that the name of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa the person are both spiritual. Everything about Kṛṣṇa is transcendental, blissful and objective. For a conditioned soul, the body is different from the soul, and the name given by the father is also different from the soul. The conditioned living entity's identification with material objects keeps him from attaining his actual position. Although he is an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, he acts differently. The svarūpa, or actual identification of the living entity, is described by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as jīvera "svarūpa" haya—kṛṣṇera "nitya-dāsa" (CC Madhya 20.108). The conditioned soul has forgotten the real activities of his original position. However, this is not the case with Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa's name and His person are identical. There is no such thing as māyā Kṛṣṇa because Kṛṣṇa is not a product of the material creation. There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa's body and His soul. Kṛṣṇa is simultaneously both soul and body. The distinction between body and soul applies to conditioned souls. The body of the conditioned soul is different from the soul, and the conditioned soul's name is different from his body. One may be named Mr. John, but if we call for Mr. John, Mr. John may never actually appear. However, if we utter the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is immediately present on our tongue. In the Padma Purāṇa, Kṛṣṇa says, mad-bhaktā yatra gāyanti tatra tiṣṭhāmi nārada: "O Nārada, I am present wherever My devotees are chanting." When the devotees chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare—Lord Kṛṣṇa is immediately present.

Kṛṣṇa's name is always liberated and spiritual; it is never conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because the name of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa Himself are identical.
CC Madhya 17.133, Translation:

“"The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all spiritual benedictions, for it is Kṛṣṇa Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure. Kṛṣṇa"s name is complete, and it is the form of all transcendental mellows. It is not a material name under any condition, and it is no less powerful than Kṛṣṇa Himself. Since Kṛṣṇa's name is not contaminated by the material qualities, there is no question of its being involved with māyā. Kṛṣṇa's name is always liberated and spiritual; it is never conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because the name of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa Himself are identical.’

CC Antya-lila

If one who is eager for devotional service utters the holy name even partially or improperly, the holy name, which is identical with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, exhibits its spiritual potency because of that person's offenseless utterance.
CC Antya 3.59, Purport:

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura states that the word vyavahita ("improperly uttered") is not used here to refer to the mundane vibration of the letters of the alphabet. Such negligent utterance for the sense gratification of materialistic persons is not a vibration of transcendental sound. Utterance of the holy name while one engages in sense gratification is an impediment on the path toward achieving ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa. On the other hand, if one who is eager for devotional service utters the holy name even partially or improperly, the holy name, which is identical with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, exhibits its spiritual potency because of that person's offenseless utterance. Thus one is relieved from all unwanted practices, and one gradually awakens his dormant love for Kṛṣṇa.

Other Books by Srila Prabhupada

Teachings of Lord Caitanya

The transcendental ecstatic attachment for Kṛṣṇa which results from perfectly understanding that Kṛṣṇa's person and name are identical is called bhāva.
Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 19:

The transcendental ecstatic attachment for Kṛṣṇa which results from perfectly understanding that Kṛṣṇa's person and name are identical is called bhāva. One who has attained bhāva is certainly not contaminated by material nature. He actually enjoys transcendental pleasure from bhāva, and when bhāva is intensified, it is called love of Godhead. Lord Caitanya told Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī that the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, called the mahā-mantra (great chanting), enables anyone who chants it to attain the stage of love of Godhead, or intensified bhāva. Such love of Godhead is the ultimate human necessity, for when one compares it with other necessities (namely religion, economic development, sense gratification and liberation), these other so-called necessities seem most insignificant. When one is absorbed in temporary designated existence, he hankers after sense gratification and liberation.

Renunciation Through Wisdom

Kṛṣṇa's name is always liberated and spiritual; it is never conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because the name of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa Himself are identical.
Renunciation Through Wisdom 4.2:

The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all spiritual benediction, for it is Kṛṣṇa Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure. Kṛṣṇa's name is complete, and it is the form of all transcendental mellows. It is not a material name under any condition, and it is no less powerful than Kṛṣṇa Himself. Since Kṛṣṇa's name is not contaminated by the material qualities, there is no question of its being involved with māyā. Kṛṣṇa's name is always liberated and spiritual; it is never conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because the name of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa Himself are identical.

Only saintly souls can perceive the truth of these statements; those whose intelligence has been corrupted by Māyāvāda philosophy cannot understand.

In general, the monists cannot grasp the intricate philosophy of nondualism. So Dr. Radhakrishnan has spun out of his imagination a theory by which he tries to establish dualism in nondualism. When Dr. Radhakrishnan writes that we must surrender to "the Unborn, Beginningless, Eternal who speaks through Kṛṣṇa," he implies that it is the impersonal Brahman within Kṛṣṇa who is speaking about surrender.

The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is not manifest in their mouths because they are offenders unto Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is identical with His holy name.
Renunciation Through Wisdom 4.3:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, 'Māyāvādī impersonalists are great offenders unto Lord Kṛṣṇa; therefore they simply utter the words brahman, ātmā, and caitanya. The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is not manifest in their mouths because they are offenders unto Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is identical with His holy name. The Lord's holy name, His form, and His personality are all one and the same. There is no difference between them. Since all of them are absolute, they are transcendentally blissful. There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa's body and Himself or between His name and Himself. As far as the conditioned soul is concerned, everything is different. One's name is different from the body, from one's original form and so on. The holy name of Kṛṣṇa, His body, and His pastimes cannot be understood by blunt material senses. They are manifest independently. The holy name of Kṛṣṇa, His transcendental qualities and pastimes, as well as Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself are all equal. They are all spiritual and full of bliss.

The Māyāvādīs try to imitate Śrīpād Śaṅkarācārya. Pretending to be orthodox, they reject the truth that the jīva is part and parcel of Parabrahman, the Supreme Lord. They also deny the fact that it is only the part and parcel aspect of Parabrahman (the jīva) and not Parabrahman Himself who falls under the spell of māyā. And worst of all, they deny that Parabrahman is none other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead. According to their lop-sided argument, when the jīva attains mukti (liberation) he merges into the impersonal Brahman and loses his individual identity.

Mukunda-mala-stotra (mantras 1 to 6 only)

The Supreme Lord, the Absolute Truth, is all spirit, and therefore His name, fame, and pastimes are nondifferent from Him. All of them are identical. In other words, the holy name of the Lord is the Lord Himself, and this can be understood by realization.
Mukunda-mala-stotra mantra 1, Purport:

All mundane philosophers, religionists, and people in general, who are constantly suffering from the threefold miseries of material existence, can get freedom from all such troubles simply by chanting and glorifying the holy name, fame, and pastimes of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord, the Absolute Truth, is all spirit, and therefore His name, fame, and pastimes are nondifferent from Him. All of them are identical. In other words, the holy name of the Lord is the Lord Himself, and this can be understood by realization. By chanting the holy names of the Lord, which are innumerable, one can actually associate with the Lord personally, and by such constant personal touch with the all-spiritual Lord, one will become spiritually self-realized. This process of self-realization is very suitable for the fallen souls of this age, when life is short and when people are slow in understanding the importance of spiritual realization, prone to be misled by false association and false spiritual masters, unfortunate in every respect, and continuously disturbed by innumerable material problems.

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Nāma, the holy name and the Lord, they are abhinna, identical.
Lecture on BG 2.8 -- London, August 8, 1973:

So in this Kali-yuga, people are so much disturbed. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa has come in the form of His name, Hare Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has come not personally, but by His name. But because Kṛṣṇa is absolute, there is no difference between His name and Himself. Abhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ (CC Madhya 17.133). Nāma-cintāmaṇi kṛṣṇa-caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya-muktaḥ. Name is full. As Kṛṣṇa is full, complete, similarly, Kṛṣṇa's name is also full, complete. Śuddha. It is not material things. Pūrṇaḥ śuddhaḥ nityaḥ. Eternal. As Kṛṣṇa is eternal, His name is also eternal. Pūrṇaḥ śuddhaḥ nitya-muktaḥ. There is no material conception in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Abhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ. Nāma, the holy name and the Lord, they are abhinna, identical. So we cannot be happy... Rājyaṁ surāṇām api cādhipatyam (BG 2.8). Even if we get the kingdom of the demigods, asapatya, without any rival, still we cannot be happy so long we have got material conception of life. It is not possible. That is explained in this verse.

Abhinna, identical. We are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, not that like gramophone.(?) No. We are associating with Kṛṣṇa. Abhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ. By chanting Kṛṣṇa's name, Kṛṣṇa is present on your tongue.
Lecture on BG 2.32 -- London, September 2, 1973:

If you cannot see Kṛṣṇa physically... Although Kṛṣṇa is present everywhere, but we have no eyes to see Him. Therefore this Deity worship... Deity is not hedonism or idol worship. No. Deity is as good as the original Supreme Personality of Godhead. He's absolute. His form and He is not different. Abhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ (CC Madhya 17.133). Abhinna, identical. We are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, not that like gramophone.(?) No. We are associating with Kṛṣṇa. Abhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ. By chanting Kṛṣṇa's name, Kṛṣṇa is present on your tongue. Unless we realize in that way, then it is the period of nāma-aparādha or nāmābhāsa. Not nāmābhāsa—nāma-aparādha. This is nāma-aparādha, to consider that the name is different from the person. As we have got experience in the material world that the name is different from the substance. If you want to drink water, simply if you chant "water, water, water," your thirst will not be satisfied.

This Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, if you chant, there is no expenditure, but the profit is very, very great, because you are touched in Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's name nondifferent, identical.
Lecture on BG 7.2 -- Hyderabad, April 28, 1974 :

The, to become advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the first principle is smartavyaḥ satataṁ viṣṇur, "Always remember Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa." That is the beginning, to touch. Vismartavyo na jātucit, never forget. So this Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, if you chant, there is no expenditure, but the profit is very, very great, because you are touched in Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's name nondifferent, identical. Nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ, pūrṇaḥ. It is not that partial, pūrṇaḥ, because the name is of the pūrṇaḥ. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Iso Invocation). This is the Vedic version.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

There is no hard and fast rule, that you have to chant in this time or that time. No. Any time. Any time you can take. And the name is identical with Kṛṣṇa. On this logic, the name, the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, is Kṛṣṇa. He's no other than Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 1.8.25 -- Los Angeles, April 17, 1973:

Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore said: etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says: nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktiḥ. In the transcendental holy name of God, Kṛṣṇa, there is all potencies. As Kṛṣṇa has got unlimited potencies, similarly in the name, holy name of Kṛṣṇa, there is unlimited potency. So nāmnām akāri bahudhā. And there are many names of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has got thousands and thousands of names. Kṛṣṇa name is the chief name. Nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ. And there is no hard and fast rule, that you have to chant in this time or that time. No. Any time. Any time you can take. And the name is identical with Kṛṣṇa. On this logic, the name, the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, is Kṛṣṇa. He's no other than Kṛṣṇa. Don't think that Kṛṣṇa is living in Goloka Vṛndāvana and the name is different. Just like in material world we have got this conception. The name is different from the fact. But in the Absolute world there is no such difference. That is called absolute. Name is as potential as Kṛṣṇa is potential.

The name of Kṛṣṇa is identical with Kṛṣṇa, and all mystic power of Kṛṣṇa is there.
Lecture on SB 1.8.43 -- Mayapura, October 23, 1974:

Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ. The name of Kṛṣṇa is identical with Kṛṣṇa, and all mystic power of Kṛṣṇa is there. Nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva, nija-sarva, nija-sarva-śaktis tatrārpitā. In the name, all the potencies... Kṛṣṇa is Yogeśvara, so all the potencies of Kṛṣṇa is there because the name is not different from Kṛṣṇa. So therefore, Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, regrets, etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi: "My dear Lord, You are so kind, so merciful, that simply by chanting Your holy name, I get the full benefit of Your personal association. Still, I am so unfortunate. I have no taste for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa." Etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ. So you are so unfortunate that this, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, you are not taking part.

That is nāma-aparādha, because nāma, the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa, they are identical. You cannot utilize Kṛṣṇa for your personal, material benefit.
Lecture on SB 1.10.5 -- Mayapura, June 20, 1973:

Of course, we do not recommend that saṅkīrtana should be used for some material purpose, that is nāma-aparādha, nāma-aparādha. Shama sa bhakti kriya (?) pramāṇa. Saṅkīrtana, you can utilize saṅkīrtana for some material purpose, but that is not allowed. That is nāma-aparādha, because nāma, the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa, they are identical. You cannot utilize Kṛṣṇa for your personal, material benefit. That is aparādha. Kṛṣṇa is the Lord. You cannot engage the Lord for your service. Similarly you cannot utilize the holy name of the Lord for some material purpose. That is not allowed. So anyway, because ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). If you wanted some material benefit by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, you'll get it, but that is nāma-aparādha. You won't get the ecstasy of loving God. That is the aim of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra: how you shall elevate yourself to the platform of loving God. That is required. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). Not for utilizing the holy name for some material purpose. But this happened, we have got experience, I have heard, I have seen.

The holy name of the Lord and the Lord, they're identical. There is no difference. But still we are chanting the holy name of the Lord, and if the Lord comes personally, how much we shall be engladdened. So we are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's name, but the Pāṇḍavas, they were practically associating with Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 1.10.11-12 -- Mayapura, June 25, 1973:

Therefore for the Pāṇḍavas... Of course, the holy name of the Lord and the Lord, they're identical. There is no difference. But still we are chanting the holy name of the Lord, and if the Lord comes personally, how much we shall be engladdened. So we are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's name, but the Pāṇḍavas, they were practically associating with Kṛṣṇa. So if a person associating with devotees, becomes interested in chanting the holy name of the Lord, how much it is impossible, how much it is impossible for the Pāṇḍavas to give up His association. Because they are so fortunate that darśana-sparśa-saṁlāpa-śayanāsana-bhojanaiḥ. They're in intimately friendly terms with Kṛṣṇa, that they're lying together, they're sitting together, they're eating together, always seeing Kṛṣṇa. How they can tolerate His separation? It is impossible. If a..., satāṁ prasaṅgāt, if a devotee cannot give up this chanting of His holy name, how the persons who are actually seeing Kṛṣṇa, associating with Kṛṣṇa, can tolerate separation from Him? This is the purport.

That is explained, that sat-saṅgān mukta-duḥsaṅgaḥ. As soon as one associates with Kṛṣṇa's name, he associates with Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 1.10.13 -- Mayapura, June 26, 1973:

So that is explained, that sat-saṅgān mukta-duḥsaṅgaḥ. As soon as one associates with Kṛṣṇa's name, he associates with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore asat, māyā, cannot touch him. If he's purely chanting without any offense, māyā cannot touch him. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nir... (CC Antya 20.12). And as soon as māyā cannot touch him, then bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam. The blazing fire of material existence extinguished immediately. This is the first gain by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra offenselessly, the first gain is mukti. Bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam means mukti. By chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, nāmābhāsa, not pure name. As soon as one comes to the platform of chanting pure Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, without any offense, he becomes immediately enhanced in love with Kṛṣṇa, prema, kṛṣṇa-prema. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was chanting as ācārya. He was crying.

This is the ultimate, ultimate realization of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, that one should cry. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said like that. So Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's name, identical.
Lecture on SB 1.10.13 -- Mayapura, June 26, 1973:

The blazing fire of material existence extinguished immediately. This is the first gain by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra offenselessly, the first gain is mukti. Bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam means mukti. By chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, nāmābhāsa, not pure name. As soon as one comes to the platform of chanting pure Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, without any offense, he becomes immediately enhanced in love with Kṛṣṇa, prema, kṛṣṇa-prema. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was chanting as ācārya. He was crying. Tava nāma-grahaṇe bhaviṣyati. Śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me. So what is that verse? Cakṣ..., cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam. Cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam. Tava nāma, kadā tava nāma-grahaṇe bhaviṣyati. This is the ultimate, ultimate realization of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, that one should cry. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said like that. So Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's name, identical.

The person, Supreme Personality of Godhead, and His name, they are identical. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's, this is instruction. If we chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person, that is not different.
Lecture on SB 1.16.7 -- Los Angeles, January 4, 1974:

So the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, Nārāyaṇa... There are hundreds and thousands of names of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So any name, if you chant, you get the result. That is the instruction of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ. The person, Supreme Personality of Godhead, and His name, they are identical. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's, this is instruction. If we chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person, that is not different. That is Kṛṣṇa absolutism. Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's form here, they are not different. Kṛṣṇa's form can give you the same result as He can do being personally present. That is Kṛṣṇa's absolutism. So nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktiḥ. So in the name of Kṛṣṇa, there is complete potency, as it is in Kṛṣṇa personally. Therefore it is so important. In this age, we are so fallen. It is not possible to understand Kṛṣṇa as He is. But if we associate with Kṛṣṇa's name, then that is also association with Kṛṣṇa. This is the advantage. Nāmnām akāri. So as you associate with Kṛṣṇa in His sound form, so you become purified. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). This is the advantage.

Because Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's name is identical... (break) We should always remember this, that you cannot chant and dance with any material name. Because Kṛṣṇa's name is spiritual, He's Kṛṣṇa, therefore if you go on chanting for twenty-four hours, you'll never feel tired.
Lecture on SB 3.25.5-6 -- Bombay, November 5, 1974:

Both of them expounded the Sāṅkhya philosophy, but the atheist Kapila expounded without understanding or without perception or realization of God, and here, Kapiladeva, He's expounding Sāṅkhya philosophy to His mother personally. Just like Kṛṣṇa personally expounded the knowledge of Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna, His friend, similarly, Kapiladeva, Bhagavān, He expounded the Sāṅkhya philosophy to His mother, Devahūti, and that we are explaining.

So next verse is:

tam āsīnam akarmāṇaṁ
tattva-mārgāgra-darśanam
sva-sutaṁ devahūty āha
dhātuḥ saṁsmaratī vacaḥ
(SB 3.25.6)

So this philosophy, we'll begin from the next verse, and we shall be... (break) ...of understanding Kṛṣṇa. Because Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's name is identical... (break) We should always remember this, that you cannot chant and dance with any material name. Because Kṛṣṇa's name is spiritual, He's Kṛṣṇa, therefore if you go on chanting for twenty-four hours, you'll never feel tired. That is the advancement.

So they're all absolute. Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's name is not different. Identical. So when we chant Kṛṣṇa's name it means that we are directly associating with Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 12, 1975:

The chanting of Kṛṣṇa's name is exactly, immediately associating with Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is absolute. Kṛṣṇa... Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi. Nāmādi means name, then form, then quality, then entourage, so many things. Kṛṣṇa is not alone. So they're all absolute. Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's name is not different. Identical. So when we chant Kṛṣṇa's name it means that we are directly associating with Kṛṣṇa. This is a fact. So as you, if you become nearer to, or touch fire, then you will get the resultant action. So if you chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, that means immediately you are in touch with Kṛṣṇa. And the result will begin immediately. That is explained by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). By chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, you will cleanse your dirty heart, because that is the beginning of our suffering. Misunderstanding. So there are other references in the śāstra.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

Kṛṣṇa, the person, and Kṛṣṇa's name, Hare Kṛṣṇa, the same thing. It is not that we are chanting "Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa" and this Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is different. No. Nāma rūpe kṛṣṇa avatāra. The name of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa, the person, identical.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 18, 1972:

Śrī Kṛṣṇa is present by His name, by His form, by His pastimes, by His paraphernalia, by His qualities. Anything about Kṛṣṇa is non-different. Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's name, it is the same. There is no difference. In the materialistic view, there is difference between the substance and the name. Just like water. If you are thirsty, simply if I chant, "Water, water, water," it will not quench your thirst. You require the substance, water. So similarly, a, a person's photograph or a statue is different from the person. If there is a photograph of a certain gentleman and if you want to do business with the photograph, it is not possible. You'll have to seek for the actual person. But in case of Kṛṣṇa, it is not like that. Kṛṣṇa, the person, and Kṛṣṇa's name, Hare Kṛṣṇa, the same thing. It is not that we are chanting "Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa" and this Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is different. No. Nāma rūpe kṛṣṇa avatāra. The name of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa, the person, identical.

Initiation Lectures

The holy name of the Lord and the Lord, identical. By association with the Supreme Lord directly, by chanting the holy name, we become purified.
Initiation Ceremony -- Melbourne, July 1, 1974 :

So, so long we are in this material encagement we are supposed to be impurified. Because we are not purified, therefore we have to accept birth, death, old age and disease. Just like diseased condition is impurified. It requires to be purified by medical treatment to get out of the disease. So, we living entities, we are part and parcel of God. Our original position is purified, but at the present moment we are contaminated. So, by chanting the holy name of the Lord we become purified. The holy name of the Lord and the Lord, identical. By association with the Supreme Lord directly, by chanting the holy name, we become purified. Oṁ apavitraḥ pavitro vā sarvāvasthāṁ gato 'pi vā, yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣam. Kṛṣṇa, His name is puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ. Puṇḍarīka means lotus flower; akṣam means eyes—whose eyes are just like the lotus flower. Lord Visnu, or Kṛṣṇa, is identified with lotus flower in so many places. His navel is like lotus flower, His eyes are like lotus flower, His feet, lotus feet. So, lotus is the comparison o the beauty of different limbs or parts of the body, transcendental body of Kṛṣṇa.

General Lectures

Anudinam idam ādareṇa śṛṇvanti. Or śṛṇvan ādareṇa, with great care. Because the name, the holy name, and the person Kṛṣṇa—Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's name—they are identical.
Lecture at Krsna Niketan -- Gorakhpur, February 16, 1971:

He's giving quotation from many scriptures in which it is stated, sāyaṁ prātar gṛṇan... Sāyaṁ tri-sandhya, morning, noon, and evening, prātar gṛṇan, daily chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Sāyaṁ prātar gṛṇan bhaktyā, with devotion and faith, duḥkha-grāmād vimucyate. Duḥkha-grāmād means volumes of miserable condition of life. One can avoid volumes of miserable condition of life simply by chanting. Anudinam idam ādareṇa śṛṇvan iti. When it is stated anudinam ādareṇa, 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. Śrīdhara Swami... Anudinam idam ādareṇa śṛṇvanti. Or śṛṇvan ādareṇa, with great care. Because the name, the holy name, and the person Kṛṣṇa—Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa'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 "Kṛṣṇa is dancing on my tongue." Therefore how much careful and respectful we should be. It is very responsible(?).

From argumentative point of view also, nobody can deny that this chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is not identical. It is identical. Because identical... Everything is identical.
Lecture at Krsna Niketan -- Gorakhpur, February 16, 1971:

Metal, what is metal? Metal means earth. Kṛṣṇa says, first of all says, bhūmir āpo analo vāyuḥ: "They are My all energies." So from argument's point of view, Kṛṣṇa is everything. Therefore Kṛṣṇa can accept service through everything. So this Deity, vigraha, either made of wood, made of stone or earth or metal or painting, they are not different from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has got the potency to accept your service through this medium. So they are not pictures or they are not ordinary idols. You should never... Similarly, a sound vibration. Kṛṣṇa is present through sound vibration because the five elements, ākāśa, the sky... Sky, within sky, there is sound. So from argumentative point of view also, nobody can deny that this chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is not identical. It is identical. Because identical... Everything is identical.

So as soon as you approach the Deity or the name, you should know fully well that Kṛṣṇa is present. Kṛṣṇa is... Therefore we should worship the Deity with great attention, as much as Kṛṣṇa is present. And similarly, we should worship the holy name with great attention. We should not be inattentive. Suppose Kṛṣṇa personally comes, personally He is here.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Lord and Lord's name, They're the same, identical. Just like we are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. So this Kṛṣṇa name and the Kṛṣṇa person, identical.
Room Conversation with Father Tanner and other guests -- July 11, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: So Lord and Lord's name, They're the same, identical. Just like we are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. So this Kṛṣṇa name and the Kṛṣṇa person, identical. Because the Lord is absolute. In the material world, the world of duality, the name is not the substance. If you require water, simply by chanting "Water, water," your thirst will not be quenched. You require the substance water. But in the spiritual world, the Lord and His name, the same thing. If you chant the Lord's name, Kṛṣṇa, or any name of Lord, that is identical with the Lord. Therefore by chanting the holy name of the Lord, you are associating with the Lord. And as soon as you associate with the Lord, you become purified. Because Lord is all-pure. Just like if you associate with fire, you become warm. Similarly, if you constantly associate with the Lord, you remain purified. Therefore our principle is they are always chanting... Just like we are... I am chanting also. (Holds up beads) Or reading some book. Or talking with you about Kṛṣṇa. So we are always connected with Kṛṣṇa, or God. In all our activities... The whole house, you'll see, they are engaged in some sort of work which has connection with Kṛṣṇa. There is no other work. So nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe. Anything attached with God, that is also godly.

Correspondence

1969 Correspondence

Krishna's Name, qualities, form, fame, abode and paraphernalia, all are identical with Krishna.
Letter to Syama -- Hawaii 30 March, 1969:

I have received your note along with Satyabhama's letter. I thank you for your very nice sentiments. I hope by this time you must have improved your health and very soon you will be able to work fully along with your good husband. I think by the will of Krishna you two good souls, Hayagriva and yourself, are combined now to fulfill my mission of publishing the whole of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Krishna is sufficiently powerful and able to give facilities to His devotees provided a devotee works very sincerely to please Him. We shall always keep this motto in our view, and it is very nice to hear that you are feeling separation from most beautiful Syamasundara., but you are satisfied by chanting His Holy Name. Syamasundara. is not different from His Name. Krishna's Name, qualities, form, fame, abode and paraphernalia, all are identical with Krishna. So if we take advantage of associating with any one of them that makes us fixed up in our eternal relationship with Syamasundara..

Page Title:The holy name of the Lord is identical with the Lord
Compiler:Matea, Visnu Murti, Labangalatika
Created:19 of Jul, 2008
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=9, CC=20, OB=4, Lec=16, Con=1, Let=1
No. of Quotes:51