366
Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta
[Ādi-līlā, Ch. 17]
kṛṣṇera kīrtana kare nīca bāḍa bāḍa ei pāpe navadvīpa ha-ibe ujāḍa
SYNONYMS
kṛṣṇera —of Lord Kṛṣṇa;  kīrtana —chanting;  kare —does;  nīca —lower class;  bāḍa bāḍa —again and again;  ei pāpe —by this sin;  navadvīpa —the whole city of Navadvīpa;  ha-ibe —will become;  ujāḍa —deserted.
TRANSLATION
“‘Now the lower classes are chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra again and again. For this sinful activity, the entire city of Navadvīpa will be deserted.’
TEXT 212
हिम्मुभाष्ट्रे ‘क्षेत्र’ नाम—महामन्त्र जानि । सर्वलोक सुनिले मन्त्रे वीर्य ह्य हानि ॥ २२ ॥
hindu-śāstre ‘īśvara’ nāma—mahā-mantra jāni sarva-loka śunile mantrera vīrya haya hāni
SYNONYMS
hindu-śāstre —in the scriptures of the Hindus;  īśvara —God;  nāma —the holy name;  mahā-mantra —topmost hymn;  jāni —we know;  sarva-loka —everyone;  śunile —if they hear;  mantrera —of the  mantra ;  vīrya —potency;  haya —becomes;  hāni —finished.
TRANSLATION
“‘According to Hindu scripture, God’s name is supposed to be the most powerful hymn. If everyone hears the chanting of the name, the potency of the hymn will be lost.’
PURPORT
In the list of offenses in the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, it is said,  dharma-vrata-tyāga-hutādi-sarva-śubha-kriyā-sāmyam api pramādaḥ : to consider the chanting of the holy name of the Lord equal to the execution of some auspicious religious ceremony is an offense. According to the materialistic point of view, observing a religious ceremony invokes an auspicious atmosphere for the material benefit of the entire world. Materialists therefore manufacture religious principles to live comfortably and without disturbance in executing their material activities. Since they do not believe in the existence of God, they have manufactured the idea that God is impersonal and that to have some conception of God one may imagine any form. Thus they respect the many forms of the demigods as different representations or manifestations of the Lord. They are called  bahv-īśvara-vādīs , or followers of thousands and thousands of gods. They consider the chanting of the names of the