Text 45] King Citraketu Meets the Lord 141

Caitanya Mahaprabhu introduced this chanting of the holy name five
hundred years ago, and now through the Krsna consciousness movement,
the Hare Krsna movement, we are actually seeing that men who are con-
sidered to belong to the lowest class are being delivered from all sinful
activities simply by hearing the holy name of the Lord. Samsara, ma-
terial existence, is a result of sinful actions. Everyone in this material
world is condemned, yet as there are different grades of prisoners, there
are different grades of men. All of them, in all statuses of life, are suffer-
ing. To stop the suffering of material existence, one must take to the
Hare Krsna movement of sakirtana or Krsna conscious life.

Herein it is said, yan-nama sakre chravanat: the holy name of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead is so powerful that if once heard with-
out offenses, it can purify the lowest of men (kirdta-hindandhra-
pulinda-pulkasah). Such men, who are called canddlas, are less than
Stidras, but they also can be purified simply by hearing the holy name of
the Lord, not to speak of personally seeing the Lord. From our present
position, the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be personally seen as
the Deity in the temple. The Deity of the Lord is not different from the
Supreme Lord. Because we cannot see the Supreme Lord with our pres-
ent blunt eyes, the Lord has kindly consented to come before us in a form
we can see. Therefore the Deity in the temple should not be considered
material. By offering food to the Deity and by decorating and serving the
Deity, one gets the same result that one derives from serving the Lord
personally in Vaikuntha.

TEXT 45

WAY TATA
ACARI: «|
acafim aq afad

aata Brag | wats esil

atha bhagavan vayam adhuna
tvad-avaloka-parimrstasaya-malah
sura-rsina yat kathitam
tavakena katham anyatha bhavati

aq
