Ājñā-Ṭahal
The Lord’s Order to Process Around Town and Chant
(1)
nadīyā-godrume nityānanda mahājana
patiyāche nām-haṭṭa jīvera kāraṇa
(2)
(śraddhāvān jan he, śraddhāvān jan he)
prabhura ājñāy, bhāi, māgi ei bhikṣā
bolo kṛṣṇa,’ bhajo kṛṣṇa, koro kṛṣṇa-śikṣā
(3)
aparādha-śūnya ho’ye loho kṛṣṇa-nām
kṛṣṇa mātā, kṛṣṇa pitā, kṛṣṇa dhana-prān
(4)
kṛṣṇaera saṁsāra koro chāḍi’ anācār
jīve doyā, kṛṣṇa-nām—sarva-dharma-sār
1) In the land of Nadīyā, on the island of Godruma, the magnanimous Lord Nityānanda has opened up the Marketplace of the Holy Name, meant for the deliverance of all fallen souls.
2) O men of faith! O men of faith! By the order of Lord Gaurāṅga, O brothers, I beg this one request: Chant “Kṛṣṇa!”, worship Kṛṣṇa, and follow Kṛṣṇa’s instructions.
3) Being careful to remain free of offenses, just take the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is your mother, Kṛṣṇa is your father, and Kṛṣṇa is the treasure of your life.
4) Giving up all improper behavior, carry on your worldly duties only in relation to Kṛṣṇa. The showing of compassion to all fallen souls by loudly chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is the essence of all forms of religion.
Purport to the Song Ājñā-Ṭahal
“Patrolling On the Lord’s Command”
by Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
Bengali prose from the Sixth Chapter of Vaiṣṇava-Siddhānta-Mālā
(1)
nadīyā-godrume nityānanda mahājan
patiyāche nām-haṭṭa jīver kāraṇ
In the land of Nadīyā, on the island of Godruma, the magnanimous Lord Nityānanda has opened up the Marketplace of the Holy Name, meant for the deliverance of all fallen souls.
Purport by Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
‘Nadīyā’—this word indicates śrī Navadvīpa-Dhām, the abode formed of nine islands. ‘godrume’—of these nine islands, one is known as Godruma (the modern-day district of Gādigāchā). ‘nityānanda mahājan’—Śrī Mahāprabhu displayed His mercy toward the jīvas tortured by Kali-yuga by ordering Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu to preach the holy name (nām-prachār) from home to home; therefore Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu is verily the Mūla Mahājan or the chief proprietor of the Nām Haṭṭa located at Godruma. Even though all the employees of the Nām Haṭṭa are qualified for performing ājñā-ṭahal, the ‘Patrol According to the Lord’s Order’, still the great mahāśays, who are like patrolling watchmen, are especially empowered to render these duties in an entirely selfless manner. Above all the rest, Prabhu Nityānanda and patrolman Haridās Ṭhākura have each exhibited the glories of this post in their own unique ways. If one goes out on patrol with hopes of simply collecting milk and rice, then that is not the pure form of ājñā-ṭahal.
(2)
(śraddhāvān jan he, śraddhāvān jan he)
prabhur ājñāy, bhāi, māgi ei bhikṣā
bolo ‘kṛṣṇa,’ bhajo kṛṣṇa, koro kṛṣṇa-śikṣā
O people of faith! O people of faith! By the order of Lord Gaurāṅga, O brothers, I beg these three requests of you: Chant “Kṛṣṇa!”, worship Kṛṣṇa, and teach others about Kṛṣṇa.
Purport by Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
The mahāśay on patrol plays his karatāls and calls out, “O people of faith! I do not wish to beg from you any worldly thing or mundane favor. The only alms I beg is that all of you honor the order of the Lord by chanting the name of Kṛṣṇa, worshiping Kṛṣṇa, and teaching others about Kṛṣṇa. Just invoke the true name of Kṛṣṇa. Specifically, by giving up nāmābhāsa (a hint of the name due to offenses) please chant the purely spiritual (chinmoy) holy name of the Lord.” There are two kinds of nāmābhāsa—chāyā-nāmābhāsa (shadow of the name) and pratibimba-nāmābhāsa (reflection of the name). The chāyā-nāmābhāsa naturally becomes the pure holy name that bestows all divine perfections, but in a gradual manner. This is because even though one may be situated in the darkness of ignorance, one is still not distracted by desires for bhoga (material sense gratification) and moksha (impersonal liberation), which are both unfavorable for executing devotional service. When devotees who are not knowledgeable in spiritual truth first of all persist in trying to chant this kind of nāmābhāsa in the company of sādhus, by the power of that association they become learned in the mellows of nām-rasa and thus become capable of singing the śuddha-nām, the purely transcendental holy name of the Lord. Those devotees are also very fortunate.
For those who attempt chanting the holy name while still desirous of enjoying the fruits of either material endeavors or impersonal liberation, the holy name appears to them as the mere reflection known as pratibimba-nāmābhāsa. Such persons easily receive their insignificant cherished boons from the Lord’s name, but they are unable to attain the śuddha-nām-chintāmaṇi—the touchstone of the pure holy name. This is because they are incapable of naturally renouncing their desires for things opposed to the execution of pure devotional service, specifically the things related to bhoga and moksha. In special circumstances, according to the arising of good fortune, one may reject desires for bhoga and moksha by the mercy of a devotee or the Lord directly, thus becoming of non-duplicious heart (akaitava hridoy), and in this way take full shelter of the pure holy name; but that is very rare.
O people of faith! To give up nāmābhāsa and sing the śuddha-nām is verily the only true welfare of the jīvas. Please worship Lord Kṛṣṇa by chanting and chanting Kṛṣṇa-nāma. Perform bhajan by engaging in śravaṇa, kīrtana, smaraṇa, sevana, archana, vandana, dāsya, sakhya, and ātma-nivedana. Execute that bhajan either on the path of vidhi-mārga or rāga-mārga, according to your specific adhikāra. If your ruchi is for the vidhi-mārga, then accept appropriate instructions for worship (bhajan-tattva) at the feet of Śrī Guru, and upon the annihilation of all the anarthas that beset the jīva, please observe the person of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Or, if you have the transcendental greed (lobha) for traversing the rāga-mārga, then emulate the love and character of an eternal vraja-vāsī or vraja-vāsinī, and according to that befitting ruchi just engage in the worship of the mellows of Vraja. Being absorbed in that vraja-rasa-bhajan, obtaining the mercy of a guru who is appropriately qualified in that transcendental realm, one thus gains eternal residence in Vraja by awakening their own spiritual form (chinmoy-svarūpa), and in that form they will achieve the ultimate beatitude of rendering sevā to Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
(3)
aparādha-śūnya ho’ye loho kṛṣṇa-nām
kṛṣṇa mātā, kṛṣṇa pitā, kṛṣṇa dhana-prāṇ
Being careful to remain free of offenses, just take the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is your mother, Kṛṣṇa is your father, and Kṛṣṇa is the treasure of your life.
Purport by Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
The word ‘aparādha’ indicates the ten offenses against chanting the holy names of the Lord, listed as follows:
(1) Envy of the Vaiṣṇavas and blasphemy of the Vaiṣṇavas. (2) Thinking that other demigods like Śiva are supreme controllers separate from Lord Kṛṣṇa. It should be known that the various devatās are the vibhūtis or expanded energies of Lord Kṛṣṇa; with this understanding, the fault of considering them to be different than Kṛṣṇa, or thinking that there are numerous Supreme Lords, will cease. (3) Disregard for the spiritual master. There are two kinds of guru—the dīkṣā-guru and the śikṣā-guru. One should have faith in the words of the guru, and one should consider him to be a specific manifestation of Kṛṣṇa, or else Kṛṣṇa’s eternally dear, pure truth (nitya-preṣṭha śuddha-tattva). (4) Blasphemy of the revealed scriptures (śruti-śāstra). The śruti-śāstras comprise all the following: the Vedas; the Purāṇas and dharma-śāstras that supplement the Vedas; the Bhagavad-gītā-śāstra, which is the embodiment of the Vedic siddhānta; the Brahma-sūtra, which is the manifestation of the Vedic mīmāṁsā-darśana; the Śrīmad-bhāgavata, which is the purport (bhāshya) of the Brahma-sūtra; the expansions of the Vedas such as the itihāsas (histories) and various sātvata-tantras (esoteric worship manuals in the mode of goodness); and finally, all the bhakti-śāstras written by numerous mahājans which represent extensive commentaries on all the above-mentioned scriptures. One must have particular faith in all these śāstras. (5) Interpretation of the name of Hari; in other words, concluding that the glories of the holy name (nām-māhātmya) as recorded in the scriptures are merely exaggerated praises. (6) Conducting sinful activities on the strength of chanting the holy name. By chanting the holy name of the Lord with faith, one’s previous sinful reactions are destroyed, and one has no taste to commit further sinful actions. But if one desires to commit sins with the hope that the holy name will afterwards eradicate them, then that is an offense. (7) When one wishes that the holy name will bestow rewards of bhoga or moksha, considering the name to be equal to pious actions like dharma (religiosity), vrata (following vows), or tyāga (renunciation)—then he is an offender unto the holy name (nāmāparādhī). (8) It is an offense to give the holy name to others who are faithless, and to those who are averse or disinclined to hear about it. Instructions on hari-nām should not be given to those whose faith will not be kindled; the glories of the holy name (nām-māhātmya) should be spoken only to those whose śraddhā may arise. (9) To not have full faith or taste even after hearing about the glories of the holy name. (10) It is an offense for persons who are full of a sense of false egotism and possessiveness (ahaṁtā-mamatā) to engage in the practice of chanting hari-nām. When one considers the material body to be the self, and develops false vanity based on such a body, imagining material objects to be one’s own property and thereby becoming attached to them, then such a person naturally commits hari-nāmāparādha. This is because he is cheated from the knowledge that the sādhya (the goal) as well as the sādhana (the practice for reaching that goal) are both spiritual.
O people of faith! Remaining free of these ten offenses, just worship Lord Kṛṣṇa. Only Kṛṣṇa is the jīva’s mother, father, offspring, wealth, husband, and life-treasure. The jīva is a spiritual ray (chit-kaṇa), Kṛṣṇa is the spiritual sun (chit-sūrya), and the material world is the jīva’s prison. Truly the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, which lie beyond the material realm, are your factual riches to be sought.
(4)
kṛṣṇera saṁsāra koro chāḍi’ anācār
jīve doyā, kṛṣṇa-nām—sarva-dharma-sār
Giving up all sinful activities, carry on your worldly duties only in relation to Lord Kṛṣṇa. The showing of compassion to other souls by loudly chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is the essence of all forms of religion.
Purport by Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
O faithful jīva! You have turned away from Kṛṣṇa and then suffered the experience of so-called happiness and distress in the realm of māyika-saṁsāra. This situation is not befitting you. As long as you remain bound to the wheel of karma as a result of your faulty aversion to Kṛṣṇa, please accept one transcendental remedy. If you are inclined toward the path of pravritti (positive use of material situations), then just become a grihastha, brahmachārī, or vānaprastha; or if you are inclined to the path of nivritti (renunciation of material situations), then just be a sannyāsī. But in whatever position you find yourself, please give up all anācār (sinful activities), while offering your body, home, wife, children, and wealth unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Living in Kṛṣṇa’s world, perform all your actions by dovetailing your senses and mind with topics of Kṛṣṇa, and with a heart purified of envious aversion pass the journey of life. The supreme nectar (paramāmrita) of favorable service rendered unto Lord Kṛṣṇa will gradually become thickened until it breaks through your two bodies—the gross (sthūla) and the subtle (liṅga)—and will finally cause your eternal spiritual form (aprākrita svarūpa) to again awaken.
All the following things come under the heading of unfavorable actions, performed either by oneself or by society: theft, speaking lies, cheating, hostility, lust, inflicting bodily harm, duplicious politics, and so forth. Abandoning all these, just resort to pious means and spend your life in Kṛṣṇa’s world. The ultimate statement is this—showing mercy to all living beings, living a pure lifestyle, just chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. There is no difference whatsoever between Kṛṣṇa-nām and Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself. By the mercy of the holy name, Kṛṣṇa in the form of His names, forms, attributes and pastimes (nām, rūpa, guṇa, and līlā) will personally reveal Himself to the vision of the eyes of your siddha-svarūpa (spiritual body). Truly in a few days your chit-svarūpa will awaken and will remain floating in the ocean of eternally sweet Kṛṣṇa-prema.
—Another related essay by Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura—
Bengali prose from the Third Chapter of Vaiṣṇava-Siddhānta-Mālā
Śrī-Śrī-Godruma-Candrer Ājñā
“The Divine Command of Śrī Godruma-Candra”
apāra-rasa-payonidhi akhila-rasāmṛta-mūrti gauḍa-jana-citta-cakora-sudhākara śrī-śrī-śacī-nandana mahāprabhu
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is an ocean of limitless transcendental rasa, who is the embodiment of all nectarean mellows, who is the ambrosia-producing moon attracting the chakora-bird minds of the Bengali devotees, who is the dear son of Mother Śacī… one day showed His mercy to all created beings by giving the following command to Śrīman Nityānanda Prabhu and Śrī Haridāsa Ṭhākura. As recorded in the Śrī Caitanya-Bhāgavata, Madhya-Khaṇḍa (13.8-10):
śuno śuno nityānanda, śuno haridās
sarvatra āmār ājñā koroho prakāś
prati ghare ghare giyā koro ei bhikṣā
bolo ‘kṛṣṇa’, bhajo kṛṣṇa, koro kṛṣṇa-śikṣā
ihā bai ār nā bolibā, bolāibā
dina-avasāne āsi’ āmāre kohibā
“Listen, listen, Nityānanda! Listen, Haridāsa! Make My command known everywhere! Go from house to house and beg from all the residents, ‘Please chant Kṛṣṇa’s name, worship Kṛṣṇa, and teach others to follow Kṛṣṇa’s instructions.’ Do not speak, or cause anyone to speak, anything other than this.”
In order to carry out this command, Prabhu Nityānanda and Ṭhākura Haridāsa took the help of other devotees and went from house to house preaching the glories of the holy name. In the series of statements—bolo ‘kṛṣṇa’, bhajo kṛṣṇa, koro kṛṣṇa-śikṣā—there are three different commands evident. The meaning of the command bolo kṛṣṇa is: “He jīva! Always chant the name of Kṛṣṇa.” The meaning of bhajo kṛṣṇa is: “He jīva! Cause the flower of the holy name to blossom into the expanding petals of Kṛṣṇa’s rūpa, guṇa, and līlā, and thus enjoy that flower-like nām.” The meaning of the command koro kṛṣṇa-śikṣā is: “He Kṛṣṇa-bhaktas! Become endowed with the knowledge of sambandha-abhidheya-prayojana, and relish the supreme rasa which is the honey-nectar of that name-flower.” In this chapter, we will give an explanation, to some extent, of the first command. Later in other chapters I will endeavor to give specific explanations of the second and third commands.
Mahāprabhu’s order is simply this—that everyone should incessantly chant harinām. Incessantly chant harinām—the meaning of this command is not that people should always chant the holy name while completely desisting from all bodily activities, household duties, and dealings with others. By ceasing all actions of bodily maintenance, the body will be destroyed in a short while. In the context of this command, then, how should one engage in harinām? Since the Lord gave humanity the command to incessantly take the holy name, then the true meaning is that everyone, whether grihastha or sannyāsī, vānaprastha or brahmachārī, brāhmaṇa or kshatriya, vaiśya or śūdra, low-born or mleccha, and so forth—all people should remain in their respective situations and chant harinām. Verily this is the only meaning. It is necessary to nicely remain in one’s own natural situation because that position facilitates the proper performance of one’s activities for bodily maintenance, and thus the body will not expire untimely. Bodily maintenance requires dealing with others. It is essential that all such actions be observed in a pure and undisturbed fashion. Then all of these things will be conducted very nicely. When Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu was preaching the first command of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, He spoke in the following manner:
kohena prabhur ājñā ḍākiyā ḍākiyā
“bolo ‘kṛṣṇa’, bhajo kṛṣṇa, loho kṛṣṇa nām
kṛṣṇa mātā, kṛṣṇa pitā, kṛṣṇa dhana-prāṇ
tomā sabā lāgiyā kṛṣṇer avatar
heno kṛṣṇa bhaja, saba chāḍo anācār”
Nityānanda and Haridāsa repeated the Lord’s command by calling out to everyone, “Chant Kṛṣṇa, worship Kṛṣṇa, and accept Kṛṣṇa’s holy name from others. Kṛṣṇa is your mother, Kṛṣṇa is your father, and Kṛṣṇa is the treasure of your life-breath. Kṛṣṇa has incarnated just for your benefit, so please worship this merciful Kṛṣṇa and give up all sinful activities.”
(Śrī Caitanya Bhāgavata, Madhya 13.82–84)
After receiving the command to preach the holy name (nām-prachār), Prabhu Nityānanda and Ṭhākura Haridāsa went from village to village, house to house, and began proclaiming, “He jīva! Lord Kṛṣṇa is verily the life of your life, and Lord Kṛṣṇa’s name is verily the treasure of your life. All of you please deliberate incessantly on that holy name. Living thus absorbed, the only other thing of concern is to see that no sinful behavior contaminates your actions of bodily or household maintenance.” The meaning of the word anācār is asadācār, or activities of impious nature. There are many different types of sinful behavior that are classified as asadācār or anācār, such as: speaking lies, thievery, wantonness, doing harm to others, killing any living being, disrespect for superiors, and so forth. Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu has personally explained the meaning of the word anācār as follows (Śrī Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-Khaṇḍa 5.685-686):
śuno dvija, jateka pātaka kaili tui
ār jadi nā koris, saba nimu mui
para-hiṁsā, ḍākā-curi, saba anācār
chāḍo giyā ihā tumi, nā koriho ār
“Listen, O brāhmaṇa! You have performed many sinful actions. If you abstain from committing these any further, then I forgive them. Doing harm to others, committing theft—all these things constitute sinful behavior. Now give up such actions, and do them no more.”
While repeating the command to engage in chanting harinām, Lord Nityānanda gives negative advice regarding abstention from anācār or impious activities; the counterpart of this is to give instructions on chanting harinām while offering positive advice for performing sadācār or pious activities (5.687-688):
dharma pathe giyā tumi loho harinām
tabe tumi anyere koribā paritrāṇ
jata saba dasyu cora ḍākiyā āniyā
dharma-pathe sabāre laoyāo tumi giyā
“Embarking upon the path of dharma, chant the holy name of Lord Hari. Then you will also deliver others. Now please go and call as many thieves and criminals that you can; gathering them together, cause them to similarly adhere to the path of dharma.”
Nityānanda Prabhu said, “He vipra! Just give up the path of irreligiosity (adharma) once and for all. Do not perform any further sinful actions. However, by renouncing adharma alone you should not live carelessly, but rather make a positive endeavor to accept the path of dharma.” The principles of dharma are described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as follows (7.11.8-12):
satyaṁ dayā tapaḥ śaucaṁ titikṣekṣā śamo damaḥ
ahiṁsā brahmacaryañ ca tyāgaḥ svādhyāya ārjjavam
santoṣaḥ samadṛk-sevā grāmyehoparamaḥ śanaiḥ
nṛṇāṁ viparyayehekṣā maunam ātma-vimarśanam
annādyādeḥ saṁvibhāgo bhūtebhyaś ca yathārhataḥ
teṣv ātma-devatā-buddhiḥ sutarāṁ nṛṣu pāṇḍava
śravaṇaṁ kīrtanañ cāsya smaraṇaṁ mahatāṁ gateḥ
sevejyāvanatir dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-samarpaṇam
nṛṇām ayaṁ paro dharmaḥ sarveṣāṁ samudāhṛtaḥ
triṁśal-lakṣaṇavān rājan sarvātmā yena tuṣyati
Nārada said, “He Yudhiṣṭhira! The following thirty types of religious duties should be performed by those who have obtained the human form of life: truthfulness (satya), compassion (dayā), exertion in pious austerities (tapa), cleanliness (śauca), tolerance (titikṣā), seeing discernment of what is proper or improper (īkṣā), mental restraint (śama), sense control (dama), non-violence (ahiṁsā), celibacy (brahmacarya), renunciation giving in charity (tyāga), study of the Vedas (svādhyāya), simplicity (ārjava), satisfaction (santoṣa), service of saintly persons who have equal vision (sama-dṛk-sevā), gradual detachment from worldly household life (grāmyehoparama śanaiḥ), deliberation on the degradation of fallen worldly souls (nṛṇāṁ viparyayehekṣā), abstinence of useless topics of conversation (mauna), searching for the true self as different from the material body (ātma-vimarśana), distribution of grains and other foodstuffs to appropriate recipients (annādyādeḥ saṁvibhāgo bhūtebhyaś ca yathārhataḥ), seeing all living beings in relationship to Kṛṣṇa, and especially those in the human form (teṣv ātma-devatā-buddhiḥ sutarām nṛṣu), hearing topics of Lord Hari (śravaṇa), chanting His glories (kīrtana), remembrance (smaraṇa), rendering service (sevā), offering worship (pūjā), offering prayers (vandana), becoming a servant (dāsya), becoming His friend (sakhya), and offering unto Him the totality of one’s very being (ātma-samarpaṇa). O King, these qualifications must be acquired by human beings, for this satisfies the Supreme Lord, the Supersoul of all.”
O brothers! For the purpose of passing your lives nicely, please desire to engage in these activities that constitute the principles of dharma. Just behave honestly in this way, and incessantly remain absorbed in harinām—this is my only advice to you.