Practicing Yoga in the Age of Quarrel 139
krsna-caitanya-namne: ‘‘You are Krsna, but You have assumed the name
Krsna Caitanya. I surrender unto You.”

So this is the process. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna Himself, and He
is teaching how to develop love of God by a very simple method. He says
simply to chant Hare Krsna. ,

harer nama harer nama ;
harer namaiva kevalam
kalau ndsty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyatha
“In this age, simply go on chanting the Hare Krsna mantra. There is no
other alternative.’ People are embarrassed by so many methods of
realization. They cannot take to the actual ritualistic processes of medita-
tion or yoga; it is not possible. Therefore Lord Caitanya says that if one
takes up this process of chanting, then immediately he can reach the plat-
form of realization.

The chanting process offered by Lord Caitanya for achieving love of
God is called sankirtana. Sankirtana is a Sanskrit word. Sam means
samyak—‘‘complete.”? And kirtana means ‘“‘glorifying”’ or ‘‘describing.”’
So complete description means complete glorification of the Supreme, or
the Supreme Complete Whole. It is not that one can describe anything or
glorify anything and that will be kirtana. From the grammatical point of .
view that may be kirtana, but according to the Vedic system, kirtana
means describing the supreme authority, the Absolute Truth, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is called kirtana.

This devotional service begins wtih the method of sravana. Sravana
means ‘‘hearing,’’ and kirtana means ‘‘describing.’’ One should de-
scribe, and another should hear. Or the same man himself can both de-
scribe and hear. He does not need anyone else’s help. When we chant
Hare Krsna, we chant and hear. This is complete. This is a complete
method. But what is that chanting and hearing? One must chant and hear
about Visnu, Krsna. Not of anything else. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh: one
can understand Visnu, the all-pervading Absolute Truth, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, by the method of hearing.

We have to hear; if one simply hears, that is the beginning. One does
not need any education or development of material knowledge. Just like
a child: as soon as he hears, immediately he can respond and dance. So by
nature God has given us these nice instruments—ears—so that we can
