“A Name and the Holy Name.” Srila B. N. Acharya Maharaj. 6 August 2002. Russia, Moscow

_English

Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj

A Name and the Holy Name

_{(6 August 2002. Russia, Moscow)}

_{https://www.scsmathinternational.com/guidance/2002/020806-ANameTheHolyName.php}

There is one kind of offence of the Holy Name and a story related to it.

Some people think that the Hare Krishna maha-mantra and other Names are the same, like in Nabadwip there are some who chant Radhe Shyama Japa Hari, but it is a mistake. Radhe Shyama Japa Hari and the Hare Krishna maha-mantra is not the same, it is an offence to think like this. That is why it is called maha-mantra—nothing equals to the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.

Once, in Nabadwip or Vrindavan, a man and his wife took initiation from some Guru, and the Guru gave the name Hare Krishna Das to the man. In India there is a kind of a tradition that the wife never takes her husband’s name. So, because his name was now Hare Krishna, every time she was going to chant, she could not do it.

Later, when their Gurudev came to their house, the wife asked him, “How can I chant the mantra you gave me? It is my husband’s name!” Then the Guru said, “OK, no problem, then you can chant Phare Besto, Phare Besto.”

He thinks that Phare Besto and Hare Krishna sound similar, so it is the same, but they do not know that there is so much difference between the husband’s name and the Holy Name. Hare Krishna maha-mantra does not equal to any name—it is not the same as that husband’s name, as my name, or anyone else’s. The Holy Name is non-different from Krishna.

Gaura Hari bol!