— Chapter Eleven —

Equating Chanting with
Pious Activities

All glories to Lord Gauracandra, the very incarnation of the holy name; all glories to the holy name of the Supreme Lord! The Lord's holy name is the essence of all Vedic conclusions.

The original form and status of the holy name

SRILA HARIDASA THAKURA continued, "O Lord, other pious activities can never be equal to chanting the name. The Supreme Lord is the transcendental sun, and His divine form is fully spiritual; this is the wonderful and mysterious truth. All His Deity forms are absolute. They are transcendental just like His name, abode, pastimes, etc. All His direct names are non-different from Him, unlike objects made of inert matter, which are separate from their names.

For thousands of years, sages have taught various methods of physical exercises and meditations that are conducive to bringing about an out-of-body experience.
Chris Butler Speaks

The holy name of the Lord chanted by the pure devotee descends directly from Goloka, the spiritual sky. The pure name then emanates out of his soul, and permeates his entire body, dancing on the top of his tongue. One who chants with this understanding is actually chanting the name; otherwise, one who nourishes a material concept of the name is drowned in despondency. He suffers eternally in hell, and a devotee should never see his face.

"The scriptures have unequivocally declared the Supreme Lord Krsna to be the only subject and object of research, and the process to find Him has likewise been clearly indicated. According to the individual researcher's abilities, this singular process became many. Thus different paths like karma, jnana, bhakti etc. sprang up. Those who are engrossed in materialism are recommended to pursue the path of karma for purification of consciousness. For souls deluded by the illusion of maya, the suggested