Text 212]
Pastimes of the Lord in His Youth
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demigods an auspicious activity. Great so-called  svāmīs  have written books saying that one may chant any name—Durgā, Kālī, Śiva, Kṛṣṇa, Rāma, and so on—because any name is all right to invoke an auspicious atmosphere in society. Thus they are called  pāṣaṇḍīs —unbelievers or faithless demons.
Such  pāṣaṇḍīs  do not know the actual value of the chanting of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Foolishly proud of their material birth as  brāhmaṇas  and their consequently higher position in the social order, they think of the other classes—namely, the  kṣatriyas , the  vaiśyas  and  śūdras —as lower classes. According to them, no one but the  brāhmaṇas  can chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, for if others chanted the holy name, its potency would be reduced. They are unaware of the potency of Lord Kṛṣṇa's name. The  Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa  recommends:
harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā
"For spiritual progress in this age of Kali, there is no alternative, no alternative, no alternative to the holy name, the holy name, the holy name of the Lord." The  pāṣaṇḍīs  do not accept that the potency of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is so great that one can be delivered simply by chanting the holy name, although this is confirmed in  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  (12.3.51).  Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet : any man from any part of the world who practices chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa can be liberated and after death go back home, back to Godhead. The rascal  pāṣaṇḍīs  think that if anyone but a  brāhmaṇa  chants the holy name, the potency of the holy name is vanquished. According to their judgment, instead of delivering the fallen souls, the potency of the holy name is reduced. Believing in the existence of many gods and considering the chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa no better than other hymns, these  pāṣaṇḍīs  do not believe in the words of the  śāstra  ( harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam ). But Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu confirms in His  Śikṣāṣṭaka ,  kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ : one must chant the holy name of the Lord always, twenty-four hours a day. The  pāṣaṇḍīs , however, are so fallen and falsely proud of having taken birth in  brāhmaṇa  families that they think that instead of delivering all the fallen souls, the holy name becomes impotent when constantly chanted by lower-class men.
Significant in verse 211 are the words  nīca bāḍa bāḍa  because anyone can join in the  saṅkīrtana  movement, as mentioned in  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  (2.4.18):  kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ . This is a list of the names of  caṇḍālas . The  pāṣaṇḍīs  say that when these lower-class men are allowed to chant, their influence is enhanced. They do not like the idea that others should also develop spiritual qualities because this would curb their false pride in having taken birth in families of the elevated  brāhmaṇa  caste, with a monopoly on spiritual activities. But despite all protests from so-called Hindus and members of the  brāhmaṇa  caste, we are propagating the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world, according to the injunctions of the  śāstras  and the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Thus we are sure that we are delivering many fallen souls, making them bona fide candidates for going back home, back to Godhead.