How to Receive Nāma-śakti
Many people think that by chanting harināma, nāma-śakti will come to them, and thus they will become powerful, superior, and great scholars. This is not the proper mood and is not helpful. With a humble mood, we should pray to the devotees who are themselves chanting harināma, and ask them how to get this śakti. Then we have to practice chanting harināma ourselves, and create a relationship with Nāma Prabhu. Then we will experience nāmnām-akari-bahudhā-nija-sarva-śakti. But if we are too proud to offer praṇāma to those who already have a relationship with Nāma Prabhu and ask for their blessings, then we will never become related to Kṛṣṇa’s family, and the family of Guru and Vaiṣṇavas. Some people think that they can attain perfection by chanting harināma alone, but Mahāprabhu denied such thinking. We must also connect to the Lord’s nija-sarva-śakti. Those who are clever collect mercy from all these śaktis.
Ācārya Rāmānuja never personally met his Gurudeva, he only heard his name. He only saw him after he entered samādhi. But the śakti of his guru was present with his godbrothers. Although they were householders, he did not disrespect them or think that since he was a brāhmaṇa and a scholar he was superior to them and should not try to learn from them. He knew that they were his Gurudeva’s servants, and that they all had a relationship with his Gurudeva. They had received his Gurudeva’s blessings, and thus he was submissive to them.
Śīvananda Sena, the Pulina-grāmavāsīs, Narahari Sarkara, Raghunandana, Vaṁśīvadana and many other ācāryas came every year to Mahāprabhu and asked for His blessings. Jhoda Ṭhākura heard that some Vaiṣṇavas had come to his village, and he collected some grains, fruits, cloth, and sweets and offered them to the Vaiṣṇavas in a mood of service. He knew that by bringing some presentation, offering obeisances and discussing hari-kathā with them, he would get their blessings and mercy. He also waited until the Vaiṣṇavas finished taking prasādam, and then took their remnants from a hidden place while praying to them in his heart. The cows, dogs, pigs, worms, and germs also eat the prasāda remnants of Vaiṣṇavas. But the difference is that Jhoda Ṭhākura prayed, “Oh, you have received Kṛṣṇa’s mercy and blessings. You have very dear to Him. Please give me your mercy. You chant the holy name, and you meet with Mahāprabhu and serve the Vaiṣṇavas, the Deities, and the holy dhāma. You have received so much mercy. Please bestow your mercy upon me!” This is how to properly please the Lord’s nija-sarva-śakti.
Many people say that even though they have chanted harināma for many years, they have not yet developed any taste for nāma, nor have they had any realizations. But where will you get the blessings to chant properly, if you are too proud to approach and serve the Vaiṣṇavas? If everybody serves you, you are very happy. Where does sarva-śakti come from? If you are proud and never pray for the mercy of the devotees, then how will you receive it?
When Śrīla Gurudeva performed parikramā in Vraja-maṇḍala, he used to offer praṇāma to the trees and embrace them. He begged them for mercy. He knew that all the trees and creepers of Vraja possess this bhagavad-śakti. In Vraja, even the trees and creepers possess Kṛṣṇa’s love and affection. Thus we should endeavor to collect this by praying to them. In this way, we should pray to all the devotees and associates of the Lord. We should offer Guru and Vaiṣṇavas anything we have in this world, and offer obeisances to them and beg for their mercy. Without doing this, it is not possible to establish an eternal relationship with them. Once the sādhaka obtains this high quality of relationship with the transcendental personalities, he becomes engaged in siddha-sevā, service in the transcendental realm.
Therefore, we must learn to pray:
egoa egoa mora vaiṣṇava gosāi
karuṇā jala sena tabe raksha pāi
ohe! vaiṣṇava ṭhākura doyāra sāgara e dāse koruṇā kori diyā pada-chāyā śodho he āmāya tomāra caraṇa dhori
sakala vaiṣṇava gosāi doyā koro more
dante tṛṇa dhari’ kahe e dīna pāmare
ṭhākura vaiṣṇava gaṇa kori ei nivedana
mo boṛo adhama durācāra
dāruṇa saḿsāra nidhi tāhe ḍubāilo vidhi
keśe dhari more koro pāra
A real sādhaka prays like this daily and always has such a mood due to his intense greed. Without praying, by independently performing austerities and meditation, the Lord’s sarva-śakti will never come to you.
Offering oneself to Kṛṣṇa includes offering oneself to His family. Yaśodā Mātā does not only serve Kṛṣṇa, she also serves all the Vrajavāsīs. Nonetheless, she only does this service to please Kṛṣṇa. This process is not possible alone.
ekākī āmāra nāhi pāya bala harināma saṅkīrtane
tumi kṛpā kori śraddhā bindu diya deha kṛṣṇa-nāma dane
Therefore Mahāprabhu taught, “First promise Me that you are Mine. But I am not alone, all My devotees are also Mine. If you don’t offer yourself to them, serve them, and offer obeisances to them, then you will not be able to develop properly.”
Mahāprabhu instructed:
vaiṣṇava-sevā nāma-saṅkīrtana
dui kara śīghra pābe śrī-kṛṣṇa-caraṇa
Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 16.70
By serving Vaiṣṇavas and doing nāma-saṅkīrtana, you will very quickly attain the lotus feet of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa.”
Continuously chanting harināma is not enough. We have to serve the Vaiṣṇavas. How should we serve them? Is it enough to feed them and give them cloth and medicine? Service to the Vaiṣṇavas means distributing the glories of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, the bhaktas, and the holy dhāma. But now, many people do not like to hear the glories of any other Vaiṣṇava. They burn in envy hearing the glory of a Vaiṣṇava from another group. This is not Vaiṣṇavism. Vaiṣṇavism is very broad-minded. We should think, “Yes, they are greater than I. I am a fallen soul.”