Krishna's Holy Names

What's so special about Krishna's names? Why do we need to build our love and faith in Krishna's names? Why is chanting Krishna's holy names so important? What's so special about the names of God? Let's look at what great saints and our religious scriptures say about Krishna's names:

1. The way to self-realization

harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam

kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha

“In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari.”

- Adi 17.22 - Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

2. It is Krishna Himself

nama chintaminih krishnash
chaitanya-rasa-vigrahah
pumah shuddho nitya-mukto
'bhinnatvan nama-naminoh

The holy name of Krishna is like a transcendental touchstone, for it is Krishna Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure. Krishna's name is complete, and it is the form of transcendental mellows. It is always pure and liberated from all material contamination. This is because the name of Krishna and Krishna Himself are identical.

- Padma Purana

3. The way to approach Krishna

namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-saktis
tatrarpita niyamitah smarane na kalah
etadrsi tava krpa bhagavan mamapi
durdaivam idrsam ihajani nanuragah

O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have hundreds and millions of names, like Krsna and Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies. There are not even hard and fast rules for chanting these names. O my Lord, out of kindness You enable us to easily approach You by Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attraction for them.

- Siksashtakam Verse 2

4. Krishna's Holy Name can save us

jaya namadheya muni-vrinda-geya he
jana-ranjanaya param aksarakrite
tvam anadarad api manag udiritam
nikhilogra-tapa-patalim vilumpasi

O Harinama, who are sung by the sages! O You who have assumed the form of transcendental syllables that bring great happiness to all people! Even if You are spoken only once, and even if You are spoken disrespectfully or in jest, You at once remove the many terrible sufferings of everyone.

- Sri Krishna Namastakam Verse 2 by Srila Rupa Goswami

5. It is everything

kalyananam nidhanam kali-mala-mathanam pavanam pavananam

patheyam yan mumuksoh sapadi para-pada-praptaye procyamanam

visrama-sthanam ekam kavi-vara-vacasam jivanam saj-jananam

bijam dharma-drumasya prabhavatu bhavatam bhutaye krsna-nama

May Krsna's holy name, which is

(1) A reservoir of all transcendental happiness,

(2) The destruction of Kali-yuga's sins,

(3) The most purifying of all purifying things,

(4) The saintly person's food (or lunch) as he traverses the path to the spiritual world,

(5) The pleasure-garden where the voices of the greatest saints, philosophers, and poets play,

(6) The life of the righteous, and

(7) The seed of the tree of religion, bring transcendental auspiciousness to you all.

- Author unknown - Padyavali Text 19 by Srila Rupa Goswami

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So based on this, many beautiful things about Krishna's names can be understood. In this age of Kali-yuga, Krishna's name is His incarnation. When we call out His name, when we chant, our beloved Krishna is actually present with us, in the form of His Holy Name. They say that the Holy Name is a person - the Holy Name is in fact the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Radhanath Swami explains that Krishna is pure, and Krishna's name is absolute. It is non-different from Krishna Himself. Therefore His name is pure. So with Krishna's name, we can drive out all impurity and inauspiciousness. Nothing inauspicious can reside where there is the purity and presence of Krishna. Glories to Krishna!

Chanting of Krishna's name can help us develop Krishna prema or love for God. It can help us fall madly in love with Krishna. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu teaches that in this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, in this Kaliyuga, there is no other way of self-realization. Krishna's Holy Name is our only refuge. God has so mercifully given us this gift of chanting, of pronouncing and saying His Holy Name, in which He has vested innumerable potencies. He has vested Himself in His holy names. Why don't we say it as much? He has made it so incredibly easy for us to approach Him just by calling out His name! It can purify us, cleanse our hearts, give us peace, and most importantly, it can bring us closer to Krishna and help us reawaken our dormant love for Krishna. His names are always with us, dancing on our tongues.

Rather than us running after Krishna, the Holy Name is at our beck and call, for God is so merciful that He has given us this gift of chanting at any time, any place, and in any circumstance. God is so merciful that He has let go of all rules and regulations, and permitted us to say His holy names, to taste ecstasy and bliss, to sing and dance, all in love of His holy names. His names will help us to always remember Him. They are on our tongues. Soon, with the process of chanting, they will become etched in our hearts. It will el

iminate our forgetfulness of Krishna, and help us to remember Him at all times. Through His names, Krishna becomes manifest wherever we are, wherever we go. It is up to us where we want Him to be, and whether we want Him to be around us at all.

His name is there. It's always there, waiting to dance on your tongues.

Let it dance.