ata eva namābhāse sarva pāpa vināṣa āra samsara kṣaya
(Sri Bhakti-Rasamrita-Sindhu, Dakshin Part, 1/52)

Nama Sankirtan is the principal form of devotion for Kaliyuga, teaching given by Mahaprabhu. Even the most insignificant form of Namabhasa (glow of the Holy Name) can destroy all sins and deliver conditioned souls from worldly bondage. Such is the glory of the Holy Name.

Therefore, glow of the Holy Name can destroy all sins and our worldly entanglement. You can get it. By any other spiritual practice you cannot get it. So in this Kaliyuga so much emphasis has been for Sri Krishna kirtan. Even by the glow of the Holy Name whatever you get, you cannot get it by other process, He says like this.

Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu - Daksin vibhagh

taṁ nirvyājam bhaja guṇa-nidhe pāvanaṁ pāvanānāṁ
śraddhā-rajyan-matir atitarām uttamaḥ-śloka-maulim
prodyann antaḥ-karaṇa-kuhare hanta yan-nāma-bhānor
ābhāso ‘pi kṣapayati mahā-pātaka-dhvānta-rāśim

Now we are going to complete this vow of Damodar Vrat. Repeatedly we have said this and remembering. You can practice.

That person is richly endowed with all good qualities who has got the aptitude to do Krishna Nama, the highest Name, Crown of all avataras. Krishna is worshiped by the emancipated souls, realized souls. But the conditions are imposed here, must be with firm faith i.e. to say without deceitfulness. When there is no firm faith whatever you do it will be deceitfulness, you will not get the fruit, and at the earliest and with simple-heartedness. Where there is deceitfulness, crookedness, no eternal welfare you can get. You do not want it, simple thing is you do not want it, so how you can get it? As the glow of the Sun removes all darkness the glow of the Holy Name, whether you have done this Namabhasa, what is the proof? By the fruit you can understand. The glow of the Holy Name entering entering into the cave of the heart will destroy all great sins and ignorance, illusion of the illusory energy.

parama pāvana kṛṣṇa tānhānra charaṇa,
niskapata śraddhā saha karaha bhajan,
jānra nāma suryābhās antare praveśi,
dhvaṁsa kare mahāpāp andhakārarāśi,
ei śikṣāṣṭake kahe kṛṣṇalīlā-kram,
ihāte bhajan krame līlāra udgam,
prathame prathama śloka bhaja kichu din,
dvitīya ślokete tabe hauta pravīṇ

Gradually progress, sincerely you have to start with the first verse. Then you will be entitled to do the practice of this next verse. In this way you should have progress in Sikshastaka. Then you can enter into the transcendental pastimes.

prathame prathama śloka bhaja kichu din,
dvitīya ślokete tabe hauta pravīṇ
chāri śloke kramaśaḥ bhajana pakkva kara

Four verses, when you will do it then you will get maturity of your bhajan, worship of Supreme Lord.

pañcam ślokete nija siddha deha vara

In the fifth verse you will get the realization of your realized form. Then you can enter into the transcendental pastimes.

ei śloke siddhadehe rādhāpadāśraya

What is there in our preceptorial channel? We have to place everything at the lotus feet of Radharani or Her expansions, personal associates of Radharani. Now we are getting it through our Gurudev.

ārambha kariyā krame unnati udaya

Gradually you will get progress.

chaya śloka bhajite anartha dure gela

Whether we have got the realized form or not, how we can understand? In the sixth verse whatever is written here, when you do Harinam without tenfold offences there will be ecstatic feelings, tears will roll down, voice will be choked, all these things you will get, but not to show others. One devotee came to Kolkata Math and was caught talking and sometimes he would do ‘kock, kock’. I could not understand what he is doing. This is a kind of ecstatic feeling but to show others it is not easy, that I have got ecstatic feeling and to get name and fame. It should be natural.

tabe jāna siddhadehe adhikāra haila,
adhikāra nā labhiyā siddhadeha bhāve,
viparjya buddhi janme śaktira abhāve

Without going through the procedure if you think that I have got the realized state reverse fruit you will get, result will be reverse.

sāvdhāne krama dhara yadi siddhi cāo,
sādhura carita dekhi śuddha buddhi pāo,
siddhadeha peye krame bhajana karile,
aṣṭakāla sevāsukha anāyāse mile,
śikṣāṣṭaka cinta kara smaraṇa kīrtan

For this you should give attention for the practice of Sikshastaka. If you do not give such importance to Sikshastaka you do not get the actual fruit. You have to think about the Sikshastaka, remember and also practice by the uttering the Holy Name.

krame aṣṭakāla-sevā habe uddīpana,
sakala anartha jābe pābe premadhana,
caturvarga phalguprāya habe adarśana

All ulterior desires should be removed and all pursuits ‘chaturvarga’ i.e. dharma, artha, kama, moksha,i.e. mundane virtue, wealth, sensuous enjoyment and desire for salvation, all these things will vanish from the heart.

1st verse of Sri Sikshastaka:

ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ
bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ
śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ
vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam
ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ
prati-padaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaṁ
sarvātma-snapanaṁ
paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam

If it is Sankirtan, then all these attainments you will get, cleansing of the mirror of the heart, extinguishing of the forest fire of birth, death and threefold afflictions, bestowing eternal soothing benefit like moonlight, life of spiritual learning i.e. awakening of the real self, increasing of the ocean of bliss, bestowing at every step sweet taste of complete transcendental ambrosia, holy immersion of body-mind-real self. Swamiji, I am doing lot of chanting of the Names, but am suffering greatly, so many difficulties. I am not getting any benefit of chanting. There cannot be even trace of suffering. All sufferings will be destroyed. Is there any fault in the Holy Name? Chanting of the Names should be done by giving up offences and in the association of devotees. From within there should be perturbation of the heart, eagerness within the heart to attain Lord. If there is no feeling of desperation, separation from the Lord, how can one call out to Him? Then it will be like a parrot’s utterances, just repetition of philosophical conclusions heard devoid of feelings and just in sweet voice. And if someone’s pulls their tail, they scream in pain forgetting the Lord and His Names. Only when chanting is done from the core of the heart these attainments one can get. All glories all glories to Sri Krishna Sankirtan!!

saṅkīrtana haite pāpa-saṁsāra-nāśana
citta-śuddhi, sarva-bhakti-sādhana-udgama
kṛṣṇa-premodgama, premāmṛta-āsvādana
kṛṣṇa-prāpti, sevāmṛta-samudre majjana
(Chaitanya Charitamrita Antya 20.13-14)

“By performing congregational chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra, one can destroy the sinful condition of material existence, purify the unclean heart and awaken all varieties of devotional service. The result of chanting is that one awakens his love for Krishna and tastes transcendental bliss. Ultimately, one attains the association of Krishna and engages in His devotional service, as if immersing himself in a great ocean of love.”

Thinking of Krishna-lila (pastimes of Krishna)

Accepting, taking for granted that you have practiced Sikshastaka very sincerely then you are eligible to think about transcendental pastimes of RadhaKrishna, not before that. It will be revealed, in the Name everything is there. If you practice Holy Name without tenfold offences then transcendental form, transcendental attributes, personal associates and ultimately pastimes of RadhaKrishna will be revealed in the Name. So, taking it for granted that you have done it then you are eligible to think about the transcendental pastimes of RadhaKrishna.

niśānte kīrtane kuñja-bhaṅga kare dhyāna,
krame krame citta lagne rasera vidhān

At the close of the night, while doing kirtan, you have to meditate on the awakening of RadhaKrishna in the grove and gradually your mind will get the taste of the transcendental bliss, rasa is not juice, it is bliss, for contact with Krishna with delightful relation, that sort of bliss. This is the scriptural prescript.

rātryante trastavṛnderita bahu-vira-vaibodhitau kirasārī
padyair-hṛdhyair api sukha-śayanād-utthitau tau sakhibhiḥ
dṛṣṭau hṛṣṭau tadātvoditarati-lalitau kakkhaṭīgīḥ saśaṅkau
rādhā-kṛṣṇau satṛṣṇāv api nija-nija dhāmnyāpta talpau smarāmi

At the apprehension of day break Vrinda Devi is very busy. All the gopis and all the birds are alert throughout the night. And gopis keep guard every night so that there should not be any disturbance of sleep of RadhaKrishna. If RadhaKrishna are satisfied they will get actual rest, they will find bliss in their heart. As much service they do for RadhaKrishna so much transcendental bliss they will get. It seems they have not slept, they have got no rest, they have got no physical bodies, they are spiritual bodies. Rest is about thinking of RadhaKrishna’s glories, RadhaKrishna’s service, whole night, every night. But here in this physical body if we do not sleep one night then you have to be admitted to the hospital. There is no such predicament there. There is no trigun, primal qualities of sattva, raja and tama. This is the quality of the external illusory potency. For that reason they are awake every night to look into the service of RadhaKrishna. By that they are getting rest. RadhaKrishna are satisfied then actual rest is there. All the birds they are not ordinary birds. They are also personal associates of Krishna. Krishna in the form of birds is speaking about His own glories. Outside persons cannot see. Of them prominent are Suk-Sarika, two birds. Suk sings the glories of Krishna, then the supporters of Krishna or the associates of Krishna are happy and the supporters of Radharani become depressed. Then Sarika, she has got the qualification, she speaks highly of Radharani, more than Krishna. Then the supporters of Radharani they become happy and supporters of Krishna they become depressed. In this way competition is going on through out the night until RadhaKrishna are awakened. In very sweet voice they are doing. Ordinary birds cannot do this. They are not chattering, they are singing the glories of Lord Sri Krishna and Radha and along with them gopis are also singing in sweet voices. That should be the impression for awakening RadhaKrishna. Automatically hearing the glories They open Their eyes. First Radharani opens Her eyes. But Krishna is not opening His eyes. And all the gopis who are in the service having the responsibility of awakening RadhaKrishna, when Radharani opens Her eyes, She is awakened, then the responsibility of the gopis is gone. They are happy. Radharani is in trouble. Krishna is not opening His eyes. She cannot do anything, She cannot loudly speak, Oh Krishna, get up. She cannot push. Even to Vaishnavas you cannot do this. Then that will be offence. But Krishna is intentionally not opening His eyes because He has got attention to all, to all insignificant sevakas also. All are objects of His attention. One monkey, female monkey, Kakkhati, she wants to serve. She has got the capacity of making loud sound, harsh, but gopis are not allowing her to make sound. You are unable to awake Krishna, and it is getting late, let me do this. No. And she becomes disappointed. Krishna intentionally is not opening His eyes, No, you must give scope to her. She is a devotee, may be her voice is not so good. Why you will not give her permission? Such prasad (mercy). Krishna’s thinking is such. We have to be very careful when we behave with any living being in this world. Krishna has got connection with all. Now ultimately they are forced to give permission, alright, Krishna is not opening His eyes, you do your loud sound. And she made a great screaming, sharp high sound and Krishna immediately opened His eyes. Krishna thinks it is very sweet. Whatever devotees do it is very sweet for Krishna. May be to us it may seem harsh. Krishna does not count about the sweet voice, Krishna counts about the thought within that to serve. So, those who are fortunate they worship Krishna, Nandanandana Krishna. He is so graceful to all. Krishna opens His eyes. And Krishna and Radha mutually see each other. It is getting late and They may be detected, they are afraid and with wistful eyes. They are Supreme Lord and Absolute Counter-part of Supreme Lord is Radharani, They are afraid. If They always think that They are Supreme Lord and We are compete spiritual potency, then there cannot be any pastimes, this sort of sweet pastimes. Krishna forgets Himself and Radharani forgets Herself, mutually seeing each other with wistful eyes They run towards Their respective houses and all the persons outside they are seeing but they could not recognize Them that This is Radha and This is Krishna because of Yogamaya. They go to Their respective house and to Their beds to sleep.