Let There Be Calamities 47

thousands of names, of which the name Krsna is the chief, and there are
no hard and fast rules for chanting. It is not that one must chant at a cer-
tain time. No. At any time one may chant. Furthermore, Krsna’s name is
identical with Krsna Himself. Therefore the holy name of Krsna is Krsna.

We should not think that Krsna is living in His abode, Goloka
Vrndavana, and that His name is different from Him. In the material
world, of course, in the material conception, a name is different from the
fact it represents. But in the absolute world there are no such differences.
The name is as potent as Krsna is. We have a tongue, and if we use this
tongue to chant Hare Krsna, we shall immediately come directly in touch
with Krsna, because the name Krsna and the person Krsna are not dif-
ferent. We may think that Krsna is far, fat away, but in fact Krsna is
within us. He is far away, but at the same time He is the nearest. But even
if we think that Krsna is far, far away, His name is present. We can chant
Hare Krsna, and Krsna will immediately become available. Krsna is
available in this easy way, for which there are no hard and fast rules. We
can chant at any time and immediately get Krsna. Just see the mercy of
Krsna!

Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, etddrsi tava krpa bhagavan
mamapi durdaivam idrsam ihajani nadnurdagah: ‘‘My dear Lord, You have
given me such generous facilities by which to contact You, but I am so
unfortunate that I have no attachment for these things. I have attach-
ment for so many other things, but I have no attachment for chanting
Hare Krsna. This is my misfortune.’’ Krsna is so magnanimous that He is
present before us by the transcendental vibration of His name, which has
all the potencies of Krsna Himself, and if we remain in contact with that
name we shall get all the benefits of Krsna’s benedictions. But still we are
not inclined to chant the Hare Krsna mantra. This is our misfortune.

A devotee, however, is never disturbed by dangers, reverses, or
calamities. Rather, he welcomes them. Because he is a surrendered soul,
he knows that both dangers and festivals are but different demonstrations
of Krsna, who is absolute. In the sdastra, the Vedic literature, it is said that
religion and irreligion, which are complete opposites, are merely the
front portion and the back portion of God. But is there any difference be-
tween God’s front and God’s back? God is absolute, and therefore a
devotee, either in opulence or in danger, is undisturbed, knowing that
both of these are Krsna.

When a devotee is in danger, he thinks, ‘‘Now Krsna has appeared
before me as danger.”’ In His form of Nrsirhhadeva, the Lord was
dangerous to the demon Hiranyakasipu, but the same Nrsirnhadeva was
