Text 106] Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya Offers Prasada to the Lord 51
TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, ‘‘Whoever chants the holy name of Krsna

just once is worshipable and is the topmost human being.
PURPORT

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that simply by chanting the holy
name of Krsna once, a person becomes perfect. Such a person is understood to be
a Vaisnava. With such faith and belief, one may begin a life of Krsna conscious-
ness, but an ordinary person cannot chant the holy name of Krsna with such faith.
This is confirmed by Srila Rapa Gosvamt in his Upadesamrta: krsneti yasya giri tam
manasdadriyeta. One should accept the holy name of Krsna to be identical with the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Transcendence Himself. The holy name of Krsna
is also identical with Krsna and is also cintamani. The name Krsna is the per-
sonification of sound perfectly transcendental and eternally liberated from ma-
terial contamination. One should understand that the name Krsna and Krsna are
identical. Having such faith, one must continue to chant the holy name. When
one is situated on the neophyte platform, one cannot understand the devotional
ingredients of a pure, unalloyed devotee. However, when the novice engages in
devotional service—especially in Deity worship—and follows the order of a bona
fide spiritual master, he becomes a pure devotee. Anyone can take advantage of
hearing about Krsna consciousness from a pure devotee and thus gradually be-
come purified.

A devotee who believes that the holy name of the Lord is identical with the
Lord is a pure devotee, even though he may be in the neophyte stage. By his
association, others may also become Vaisnavas.

One is known as a materialistic devotee if he simply worships the Deity of Hari
with faith but does not show proper respect to the devotees and to others. This
is confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.2.47):

arcayam eva haraye
yah pujam sraddhayehate
na tad-bhaktesu canyesu
sa bhaktah prakrtah smrtah
“Anyone who engages with faith in the worship of the Deity of Hari but does not
show proper respect to the devotees and to others is known as a materialistic
devotee.” However, by associating with a neophyte devotee who believes that
the holy name of the Lord is identical with the Lord, one can become a devotee
also. When Lord Caitanya was teaching Sanatana Gosvami, He said:
