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Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that each and every name of God is as powerful as God. Because God is Absolute, therefore there is no difference between His name, form, pastimes

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"Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that each and every name of God is as powerful as God. Because God is Absolute, therefore there is no difference between His name, form, pastimes"

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Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that each and every name of God is as powerful as God. Because God is Absolute, therefore there is no difference between His name, form, pastimes. Nothing is different from God. That is absolute knowledge. Advaya-jñāna. So if you chant the holy name of God, that means you are directly in touch with God. Because the name is not different from God.


Lecture on BG 2.11 -- Edinburgh, July 16, 1972:

nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis
tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ
etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi
durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ
(CC Antya 20.16)

Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that each and every name of God is as powerful as God. Because God is Absolute, therefore there is no difference between His name, form, pastimes. Nothing is different from God. That is absolute knowledge. Advaya-jñāna. So if you chant the holy name of God, that means you are directly in touch with God. Because the name is not different from God. Try to understand. Similarly, if you touch fire, it will act. If you do not know or know what is the quality of fire, it doesn't matter. If you touch fire, it will act. Similarly, if you actually chant the holy name of God, it will act. The example is: just like you put a iron rod in the fire, it becomes warm, warmer, and gradually, it becomes red hot. By the association of fire, the iron rod becomes fire. Iron rod is not fire. But by association with the fire, it becomes as good as fire so that when it is red hot, you touch anywhere, the iron rod will burn. Similarly, if you keep yourself always in touch with God, then gradually, you become godly. You do not become God, but you become godly. And as soon as you become godly, then all your godly qualifications will come out. This is the science. Try to understand. We are part and parcel of God, every living entity. You can study God, what is God, by studying yourself. Because I am part and... Just like from a bag of rice, if you take a few grains of rice, you see, you can understand what quality of rice is there in the bag. Similarly, God is great, that's all right. But if we simply study ourself, then we can understand what is God. Just like you take a drop of water from the ocean. You can understand what are the chemical composition of the ocean. You can understand. So that is called meditation. To study oneself, "What I am." If one has actually studied himself, then he can understand God also. Now take, for example, "What I am." Even you meditate upon yourself, you can understand that you are an individual person. Individual person means you have got your own opinion, I have got my own opinion. Therefore sometimes we disagree. Because you are individual, I am individual. And because we are all individuals, as part and parcel of God, then God also must be individual. This is study. As I am a person, so God is also person. God cannot be imperson. If we take God as the original father, supreme father... The Christian religion believes. All other religion believes. And we also believe, Bhagavad-gītā. Because Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4), "I am the original father of all living entities." So if God is father of all living entities and we all living entities, we are individual person, how God can be imperson? God is person. This is called philosophy; this is called logic.

Now, here, in this world, we have got experience that we want to love somebody. Anyone. Even in animal kingdom. A lion also loves the cubs. The love is there. Prema, it is called prema. So therefore this loving affair is there also in God. And when we come in contact with God our dealings will be simply on the basis of love. I love Kṛṣṇa, or God, and Kṛṣṇa loves me. This is our exchange of feelings. So in this way, the science of God, even without reading any Vedic literature—of course, that will help you—if you have deeply studied what is God, you can understand God. Because I am a sample of God, I am minute particle. Just like the particle of gold is gold. The drop of ocean water is also salty. The ocean is also salty, you can understand. Similarly, by studying our individuality, by studying our propensities, we can understand what is God. This is one side. And here, God personally presents Himself, Kṛṣṇa. "Yadā yadā hi dharmas.... (break)... Saintly devotees and to kill the demons, I appear." But mind that, God is absolute. Either His deliverance of the devotees or killing of the demons, they are the same thing. Because we learn from the Vedic literature that demons who are killed by the Personality of Godhead, they also go to the same salvation, liberation point. Because he is killed by God, he's touched by God.

So it is a great science. It is not a sentiment. It is based on philosophy and authorized Vedic literature. So our only request is that you try to take this movement very seriously and you will be happy.