The strong protest note by Srila Baba Maharaj against the dirty policy for getting the trademark of both "Hare Krishna" and "Hare Krishna Movement" (Part 3)

All glories to Śrī Śrī Guru-Gauranga

Being puffed up with the misconception of “I and Mine” we like to have control over everything, even the Holy name of the Lord

  (Suppression of fact is a great offence)

Gauḍīya Goṣṭhī Pati Śrī Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda Paramahaṁsa Jagad Guru also told that— “Everybody in this material world likes to control others, but we Gauḍīya devotees like to be controlled by Śrī Guru-Vaiṣṇava”.

Degradation of humanity is really very very painful. We can never point out even a single case in the whole history of the Hare Kṛṣṇa Movement where we can find that somebody like to arrange trademark both for the Hare Kṛṣṇa Nāma and the Hare Kṛṣṇa Movement. Such a ridiculous idea can only enter into the mind of some very materialistic persons in the disguise of devotees. Because such an attempt is itself evidence that those so-called devotees never ever came in contact with the actual Hare Kṛṣṇa Movement or our Guru-param-para. One is the shadow of the real object and the other is the object itself. A paper flower or a real flower can never be the same. Rāvaṇa also tried his best to abduct bhagavat-śakti Śrī Sītā Devī, but what to speak of abducting her, he could not even see her, because what he thought to be Śrī Sītā Devī, that was only the shadow of Śrī Sītā Devī. In the same way those foolish attempts which are nowadays been made to trademark the Hare Kṛṣṇa Nāma and the Hare Kṛṣṇa Movement also will only end up as the attempt of Rāvaṇa. Maybe their attempt can be even successful from a material point of view, because as we know from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that—

vittam eva kalau nṝṇāṁ

janmācāra-guṇodayaḥ

dharma-nyāya-vyavasthāyāṁ

kāraṇaṁ balam eva hi                                                               

(ŚB 12.2.2)

In Kali-yuga, wealth alone will be considered as the sign of a man’s good birth, proper behavior and fine qualities. And law and justice will be applied only on the basis of one’s power.

In this age where humanity has come down to such a degraded state everything is possible, even to trademark the Hare Kṛṣṇa Nāma and Hare Kṛṣṇa Movement. But from the spiritual point of view most of us, those who are in line with our Gauḍīya guru-varga they understand at least theoretically that the name ‘Kṛṣṇa’ is the subtlest of all transcendental sounds. In Kaṭhpaniṣad (1.2.20), Kṛṣṇa is described as being aṇor anīyān, or subtler than the subtlest. Kṛṣṇa is the subtlest personality, and the sound of His name is the subtlest transcendental sound. Thus, kṛṣṇa-nāma is most powerful and able to control everything.

The ordinary sound of this material world is lifeless, whereas śabda-brahma possesses consciousness. Material sound requires a medium, whether personal or mechanical, to be transported from one place to another, but śabda-brahma is so powerful that it can travel by its own independent will. Material sound is devoid of form, whereas śabda-brahma has an extremely beautiful transcendental form.

Every word of śabda-brahma possesses its own independent form. Kṛṣṇa-nāma also has a very beautiful form (svarūpa); It has ears, a nose, a mouth, eyes, feet, arms, a head and so on. It eats, walks, engages in mutual exchanges, rests, gives pleasure and also tastes happiness, and devotees therefore refer to kṛṣṇa-nāma as a personality: Śrī Nāma Prabhu. With this understanding, one of our guru-vargas, Śrī Bhagavān dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja of Kālanā, used to serve Śrī Nāma Prabhu as one would a Deity (vigraha) by offering bhoga, offering pūjā, putting Him to sleep and so forth.

These are only some of the many reasons why kṛṣṇa-nāma is non-different from Śrī Kṛṣṇa. By hearing these truths, we can understand the superiority of kṛṣṇa-nāma and why śrī kṛṣṇa-nāma-saṅkīrtana is foremost among all the forms of kīrtana. So how much false ego and arrogance one must possess to be able  to label the name of God as a trademark.

Śrī Nāma Prabhu is not our slave. Śrī Nāma Prabhu, like the Lord Himself, is supremely independent, unlimitedly merciful, all powerful and offers total fearlessness to anyone who takes shelter of Him. He is the most superior entity, and we are the most fallen. It is impossible to chant the holy name on our own, as Śrī Nāma Prabhu is not under our control. We can only pray to Him, “O, Śrī Nāma Prabhu! We have heard from the kīrtana of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura that you appear on the tongue of devotees who chant your name purely:

nārada muni, bājāya vīṇā

rādhikā-ramaṇa-nāme

nāma amani, udita haya,

bhakata-gīta-sāme                                   

Gītāvalī, Śrī Nāmāṣṭaka (8.1)

“A deep desire appeared in the heart of Nārada Muni for the name ‘Rādhikā-ramaṇa’ to manifest on his tongue. While he was deeply absorbed in thinking this way, his fingers played the notes on his vīṇā, which chanted ‘Rādhikā-ramaṇa.’ By hearing that vaikuṇṭḥa-nāma, Rādhikā-ramaṇa Śrī Kṛṣṇa understood his desire and immediately appeared on his tongue.

“O Śrī Nāma Prabhu! Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmīpāda has similarly mentioned in his Śrī Kṛṣṇa-nāmāṣṭakam (8), ‘sphura me rasane rasena sadā—please always manifest on my tongue.’ I am praying to you now in the same mood.”

If śabda-brahma Śrī Nāma Prabhu, who is totally independent by nature, bestows His causeless mercy and appears on our tongue, then our lives will become blessed, and thus blissful.

ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi

na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ

sevonmukhe hi jihvādau

svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ                         

Śrī Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.234)

All the transcendental objects that belong to Vaikuṇṭha, such as Kṛṣṇa’s nāma, rūpa, guṇa, līlā, dhāma, parikāras and vaiśiṣtya, can never be perceived by a conditioned soul through his material senses. However, they naturally become manifest of their own accord to the senses—the tongue, ears, nose, skin, eyes and so forth—of a person who is sevonmukha, or, in other words, a person in whom the desire to serve Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His devotees has arisen.

Therefore, the conclusion is that if we truly wish to chant the transcendental vaikuṇṭha-nāma, we must first become sevonmukha; we must call out for the mercy of Śrī Nāma Prabhu with all humility and sincerity, with a desire to attain the service of Śrī Bhagavān in His transcendental abode. Also, we must give up our bhogonmukha-vṛtti (inclination toward material enjoyment). In other words, we must abandon calling out the names of Śrī Bhagavān with the objective to fulfil our desires for material sense gratification. We must give up the wicked conception that Śrī Nāma Prabhu is under our control, and instead surrender ourselves completely, by which we will gradually increase our inclination to serve Śrī Nāma Prabhu more and more.

Śrīla Sadananda Svami, the first western adherent to Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava philosophy in the 20th century (the most intimate disciple of Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī  Ṭhākura Prabhupāda) used to say that— “Man, as such is a misunderstanding, because in himself, he is nothing but filth, consisting of Māyā’s guṇas, which the attma identifies with. To be a human being, in the real sense, has one value only – when he has put himself under the command of the śāstras – to cancel himself, to sacrifice (yajna) himself, to clear the way for the attma. The śāstras curtail man and his physical, mental, ‘spiritual’ being as a human that wants to enjoy, to exploit all gross and subtle things to satisfy his lust.”

It is only due to the misdirection of some leading members of our Vaiṣṇava society, that the properties (sampradāik vaibhava) which belong to Bhagāvaṇ Śrī Kṛṣṇa and our guru-varga have become objects of dispute or misuse. What will all our next generations say? Is it not our most urgent seva under the guidance of pure guru-Vaiṣṇava to stop all those cruel attempts forever, by protesting against the attempt to trademark the Hare Kṛṣṇa Nāma and the attempt to preserve the actual Hare Kṛṣṇa Movement (sampradāik vaibhava). 

Ācārya Kesari Śrī Śrīla Bhakti Pragyan Kesava Gosvāmī Mahārāj said that— “With a strong hope to get pratiṣṭhā by exhibiting our personal talent, if we never hesitate to identify our most favourable benefactor (or true well-wisher) previous ācāryas as ignorant and foolish, then in that case our children (our next generations) they also can call us ignorant, foolish or uncivilized (or brute) etc. what strange or surprise can be there in it?”

Gaura Hari Hari Bol