The Divine Name

" 'Incapability' is the qualification required!" ………Sri Sri Swamiji

"HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE!
HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE!"

"HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE!
HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE!"

 "HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE!
HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE!"

" 'Mãtru devo bhava, Pitru devo bhava, Ãchãrya devo bhava, Atithi devo bhava' are the words of the Upanishads, 'Look upon your Mother, Father, Master and the Guest as verily God.'
A parallel saying is found in the Tamizh language, too. However, it reads as 'Mata, Pita, Guru, Deivam!' - Mother, Father, Master and God!

Mother, Father, Master and the Guest - so goes the hierarchy. It is verily the mother who shows the child his father. And, the father takes the child to the Guru. And, then comes the guest - 'atithi'. Well! The question arises, 'can an ordinary man, who comes home for food, be greater than the spiritual Master who offers knowledge?' Hence, from this one should be able to comprehend the real import of the word 'guest' ('atithi'). It does not refer to an ordinary person. Most people are unable to realize the true import behind this.

It is sad that in today's world a father will not guide the son to the Guru. Why? An average man fears his son visiting Temples or Satsang (company of Holy men). He desires his son to lead a 'normal' (worldly) life. He wishes his son to limit his prayers to worldly ambitions only. 'Oh, yes, let him be devoted to God. But, it should be within limits!' says he. And, what about Satsang? It is a 'NO' without doubt!

Now, let us look into the real significance of 'Mãtru devo bhava, Pitru devo bhava, Ãchãrya devo bhava, Atithi devo bhava'-
A young man who has no awareness of even the term 'Guru' visits a Guru on the invitation of his friend. The Sadguru gives him a warm welcome. Very kindly the Guru enquires of this new visitor, "Have you had your lunch, my son? You have come here in the hot sun!" These kind motherly words of the Guru touch the heart of the young man. He thinks, 'Oh, how loving he is, as is a mother. He is concerned about my health.' On his subsequent visits, too, the Guru speaks to him in such motherly way. The young man visits the Guru now and then; He looks upon him verily as a mother ('Mãtru devo bhava').

Days pass and one day the Guru enquires of this young man, "My son, what do you do for your living? Oh, you run a business? Well, what sort of a business? Is it doing well? How much do you earn out of your business?
Is it enough to take care of your needs?"
Hearing these words of the Master the young man feels, 'oh, he is like a father.'
Is it not the father who is anxious about the son's income? These words touch the young man's heart. He begins to frequent the Master. He now looks upon the Guru as verily a father, too ('Pitru devo bhava').

Days pass by. Drawn by the kindly, affectionate treatment of the Master the young man visits him regularly. One day the Guru points out to the young man, 'Oh, my son! Time is passing by. You have lots of relatives and friends. You possess good health. You are intelligent and capable. You earn quite a lot and are leading a comfortable life. But have you not thought of the day that every one has to face? Everybody who has taken birth in this world has to face that day - that final day. And, on that day none of these - the relatives and friends, the good physique, the wealth, the intelligence - would help you. You would realize this at that final hour. It would then be too late. Should you not give a thought to it now?" ('Ãchãrya devo bhava')

The young man asks at once, "Oh, Gurudev! What should I do? Please show me the way. What is the qualification required to tread on the path that you would show?"
The kind Master says, "My son! I will show you the way. To walk on this path one needs only one qualification."
The young man asks anxiously, "What is it Gurudev?"
The Guru, "Nothing! 'You should have no qualification whatsoever' is the qualification!"
The young man exclaims, "Gurudev!"
The Guru, "Yes, son. 'Incapability' is the qualification! You should realize that you are incapable (of treading any spiritual path). AND, THAT IS THE ONLY QUALIFICATION REQUIRED. If you feel that you are capable of practicing this or that path then you do not qualify for this path that I am going to show you."
The young man, "Gurudev! Please show me the path that you speak of."
The Guru, "HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE!
HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE!"
this is the way, my son! Chant this Divine Maha Mantra that has been advocated by our Shãstras. It is the easiest way to attain the Supreme Lord. Just chant this always. You can chant this anywhere and at any time."

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu lived only for 48 years. The first twelve years of his life he spent in playing pranks just as Krishna had. The next twelve years of his life he shut himself in a room with few friends and performed Nãmasankirtan (singing the divine name of the Lord). The next twelve years he visited various Holy places. It was during these wanderings that he visited Sri Rangam in the South. And, the last twelve years of his life was spent in solitude in a cave at Puri.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's disciples Sanãthana Goswami and Roopa Goswami were busy authoring books. They found no peace till they converted the gushing up thoughts into words. It is only through them do we learn the life history of the great Incarnation (Avatãr) Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Mahaprabhu's disciple Nityãnanda was deeply concerned about the way the world was moving. People were living with false values. There were no genuine Masters to guide them and the innocent/ignorant people were being caught in the net of fake Gurus. His Master Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had shut himself up in a room with a small circle of close friends and was doing Nãmasankirtan. Nityãnanda desired to bring to the Master's notice the need for guidance to the ignorant who were being led astray with false values. He wished that his Guru would come out of closed doors and take a look at the world. But how can one advise the Guru? How can one instruct the Guru to do this or that? After much thinking he decided to carry out this work stealthily, without appearing to be disrespectful.

One day, Nityãnanda informed Chaitanya Mahaprabhu that a Sãdhu had invited them for lunch. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu accepted the invitation and went to the Sãdhu's place along with Nityãnanda. When they reached the place he found a board bearing the name of the Sãdhu and the Ãshram. They went in and were received warmly by a person who wore a long beard and matted hair on his head. A personal attendant of the Sãdhu began to serve them food. Nityãnanda began to eat happily. He did not seem to be the least concerned about their host or the surroundings. The Sãdhu asked them, "What would you like to have? - Ganga water ('Ganga teertham') or Bliss ('Ãnandam')?"
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu could not understand the words of the Sãdhu. He turned to Nityãnanda and said, "Nitai! I understand the term 'Holy Ganga water' but what does he mean by Bliss ('Ãnandam')?"
Nityãnanda said, "Company of women! And, by Ganga water he does not mean the Holy Ganga water but wine!" Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was aghast. "What!" he cried out. And, taking hold of Nityanãnda's hand he rushed out. Panting heavily he ran away from that place as quickly as the legs would carry him. He was seething with anger.

Calming down the Guru Nityãnanda next led him to his (Mahaprabhu's) disciple Advaitãchãrya's home. Advaitãchãrya welcomed them with great joy and offered them seat. Nityãnanda said to him, "Our Gurudev is hungry. Please offer some food."
At once, Advaitãchãrya said to him, "Oh, I have not yet performed my daily rites. I have to complete it and then cook food. It would take sometime!"
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu jumped up from his seat and taking hold of Nityãnanda's hand walked out of Advaitãchãrya's home.

The clever Nityãnanda had driven home the message! Chaitanya Mahaprabhu realized what Nityãnanda was trying to convey to him. First he had showed him that the world was being fooled by fake Gurus who claimed to show the path of spirituality. And, secondly, in the name of adhering to the words of the scriptures men failed to recognize its end purpose. Advaitãchãrya was so deeply drowned in the performance of daily rites prescribed by the Scriptures that he asked his Guru to wait for hours for offering him food!

We find reports from many parts of the world that someone crowning himself a 'Guru' mesmerizes people in large number and harms them. Caught under the spell of mass hypnotism people dance to the tune of this 'self-crowned' Guru. People do not hesitate even to consume poison and die! Such questionable incidents have begun to occur in India, too. On the one side innumerable dangerous 'Gurus' have cropped up who play on the innocence and ignorance of the people and on the other side are people who are immersed in ritualism without understanding the real import behind them. Let us say that a person has been asked to clean a glass so that it could be used to drink water. The person keeps washing the glass with no end in sight to the job given. He goes on scrubbing it. On and on he goes. What was the purpose behind the instruction to clean the glass? - Only to use it to drink water. But what does he do? He does not bring the cleaning to a close so that it could be used to drink water. Similarly, the Scriptures speak of the various rituals only to purify your mind so that through the purified mind the Lord could be attained.

In the case of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's disciple Advaitãchãrya we find that he is so deeply caught in the net of performance of rituals that he misses out on its purport. --- his Guru has come home hungry, seeking food. A Sadguru is verily God. And, in this case Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is verily the incarnation of Lord Krishna. The Lord has come home in the form of the Guru seeking food. What a fortune! But trapped tightly in the net of rituals he says that he has not yet completed the daily rituals and that it would take some hours to cook and serve him food! Well! WHAT FOR HAVE THESE RITUALS BEEN PRESCRIBED? - To purify your mind and attain God. In this case, Advaitãchãrya had attained a Sadguru but had failed to recognize his blessings.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu went on a long tour of India, covering the length and the breadth of the country. Wherever he went he initiated the people into the Maha Mantra,
"HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE!
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE!"

Know that it is verily Bhãgavata dharma that is supportive to this Kali Yuga. And, what is Bhãgavata dharma? To chant
 "HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE!
HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE!"

All other paths are impractical in today's world.

What would Mahãns speak when they meet? It would either be about their 'experiences' with the Lord or about the way to help people swim across the ocean of life. They are anxious to protect and show the right way to the people. When Sage Narada and Valmiki met it laid down the path to Ramayana. The meeting of Sage Nãrada and Sage Veda Vyãsa brought forth Srimad Bhãgavatam. And, in Srimad Bhãgavatam, written thousands of years ago, we find the deep anxiety of Mahãns. Srimad Bhãgavatam says that in Kali Yuga people would be of low intelligence, lazy and short life. What is the way out for these people? Verily the Divine Name of the Lord! The Divine Name of the Lord, the Maha Mantra
"HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE!
HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE!"

The Divine Name of the Lord ('Bhagavan Nãma') has the power to redeem one and all. Was not Ajamila, the worst sinner, redeemed for the mere uttering of the Divine Name? He had named his youngest son 'Narayana' (the Divine Name of the Lord). He was deeply attached to this son. At the last moment of his life he called out 'Narayana!' addressing the son. But it was enough for the deeply Compassionate Lord. He saved Ajamila. Ahalya was redeemed from the curse and made immaculate by the dust of the Holy Feet of Rama. And, in today's world Rama still exists in the form of His Divine Name 'R A M A'! 'Name' and the 'Named' are one and the same. They are not different from each other. So, would not Rama in the Form of the Divine Name 'RAMA' redeem all - even the worst sinner?

In the Tamizh language the proverb goes, 'Mãta, Pita, Guru, Deivam - Mother, Father, Guru and God. Earlier we have also pointed out that in the hierarchy an ordinary guest cannot take a place above the Guru. Therefore, here the term guest ('atithi') means God.

Once, there lived at the Holy Place Pandarpur a poor couple. They had taken up the vow that on every Dwãdasi (the twelfth day of the fortnight) they would first serve a Sãdhu or two with a few dry chapattis that they could afford before they ate their meal  For several years they had managed to carry this out successfully. On one Dwãdasi, a wealthy man had arranged for a sumptuous meal for all the Sãdhus at Pandarpur. That day, this poor couple found no Sãdhu at their doorstep. They stood outside and invited the Sadhus who passed by their home. But none paid heed to their call. The couple was in tears, as it seemed that their long practiced vow was about to break that day. They did not have their meal. They were at a loss to know what to do. Just then, to their joy, a Sãdhu came to their doorstep and demanded dry chapattis! They invited the Sãdhu inside and served him with utmost humility and love. After eating the 'love-stuffed' chapatti the Sãdhu showed them his real Form! It was verily Lord Panduranga! ('Atithi devo bhava')

There once lived a couple at Puri, the Jagannãtha Kshetra. Their home was open to feeding Holy men. One day, the man of the house found a leprosy patient at his doorstep and invited him in for food. The wife was aghast at this move and tried to stop the husband; it was of no avail. Seating the guest, the husband instructed the wife to bring water for washing his feet. She brought the water and gave it to him. But she ran away from there. She could not bear to see what the man was doing. He had begun to wash the feet of the stinking leprosy patient. She feared that her husband who would certainly drink the water with reverence and devotion would instruct her to do the same. She, therefore, ran away to the backyard. The man of the house, however, washed the guest's feet, drank this water and sprinkled it over his head. He then served the guest with food. After serving the guest with love and reverence he prostrated before him only to be blessed with the darshan of Lord Jagannãth! ('Atithi devo bhava')

Once there came a lady to Yogi Ramsuratkumar. She said to him, "Bhagavan! I am a simple woman. I am not capable of doing great work. Please instruct me with some simple work that is within my capability. I would carry it out sincerely."
Yogi Ramsuratkumar said to her, "Feed every beggar who comes to your door."
The lady was very happy. This was an easy job that she could carry out without difficulty. Days passed and she fed every beggar who came to her door. One night a beggar knocked at her door. She offered him twenty-five paise and closed the door. The beggar accepted the paltry sum without complaint and left. After a month or two this lady went to Tiruvannamalai to have darshan of Yogi Ramsuratkumar. On seeing her, Yogi Ramsuratkumar fanning himself with the hand fan that he usually holds said, "Dear lady, which hotel in Chennai offers food for twenty-five paise?" He went on uttering this over and over again. The lady was taken aback and felt ashamed. She fell at his feet and sought forgiveness. ('Atithi devo bhava')

Therefore, here guest ('atithi') does not refer to an ordinary man but verily God Himself!

Today all of you have gathered here from far and wide. What has drawn you all here? 'PREM' (LOVE)! The bond of Love between you and me has drawn you all here. What else can it be? There is no occasion other than this. Most of you are running the Divine Name Centres (Nãma Centre) in your Towns/Villages/Cities and go about knocking at each door seeking alms - alms of Divine Name chanting! Your efforts shall not go in vain. The Maha Mantra
"HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE!
HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE!"
- the only way for redemption in Kali Yuga is going to reverberate in every nook and corner of the world! "