Hari Krishna and Forgiveness

[SylviaRNexus]

I was wondering, I read this line:

"Simply by chanting one holy name of Hari, a sinful man can counteract the reactions to more sins than he is able to commit." (Bṛhad-viṣṇu Purāṇa)

I know the chanting the Hari Krishna mantra can free one from their sins HOWEVER, the above line, from my understanding, if a person once says the words "Hari Krishna" are they still free from their sins? Is this true?

[philosoraptor]

I was wondering, I read this line:

"Simply by chanting one holy name of Hari, a sinful man can counteract the reactions to more sins than he is able to commit." (Bṛhad-viṣṇu Purāṇa)

I know the chanting the Hari Krishna mantra can free one from their sins HOWEVER, the above line, from my understanding, if a person once says the words "Hari Krishna" are they still free from their sins? Is this true?

There are many statements like that in the smRiti. Some may dismiss it as mere arthavAda, i.e. to induce sinful people to do harinAma. Others see it as true, and as evidence of the glories of the Lord's holy names. Me, I have some doubts as to whether or not I am forgiven, each time I chant His names. After all, I see myself, like many that I meet, as a "part-time spiritualist" lacking in sincerity. Then again, I often note that the true devotee does not take up the chanting of His name for any purpose other than the pleasure of glorifying Him.

I tend to think that it is the Lord's prerogative whether or not to forgive us our sins. But otherwise, I would tend to believe what the shAstras say on this subject, viz that the Lord cleanses us of our sins via the chanting of His name, but also that He reserves the right not to do so if we lack in sincerity.

Interesting question. I would be interested to hear about other devotees' insights on this subject.

[Viraja]

Yes, it is correct, it does work, but one who says 'Hari' just once and has his sins or sins of others burnt away must be a very profound sadhaka - a saint. In the story of Kabirdas, we find once that when he was playfully stoning down some fruits, a bird accidentally got hit and it fell down dead. Sri Kabirdas, then recited 'Sri Ramatrayodasakshari mantra' once and the bird came alive and flew away!

At another story, we find that Sri Padmanabha Vediyar, one of Kabirdas's sishyas encountered a merchant who wanted to commit suicide, unable to bear the pain of his advanced Leprosy. To him Sri Padmanabha Vediyar recited Rama nama taraka-mantra 3 times and he immediately recovered. But his guru Sri Kabirdas is playfully angry at Padmanabha - he says, "Reciting Sri Rama's name once alone is enough, why did you have to recite it 3 times to cure him?". To this, Padmanabha Vediyar says, "The first time he gave Rama's name for getting rid of his sin in not finding a guru all this time though living in this holy Kashi, the second time for the disease to get cured and a third time, to get moksha. Guruji, maybe if you had done it, you could have done all three results to be procured in just one mention of Sri Rama's name, but to me it took 3 times..".

Why were Kabirdas and Padmanabha Vediyar were able to cure others' sins thus with just one mention of Sri Rama's name? Kabir, for instance, had done penance reciting continuously Sri Rama's name and living just on water otherwise, for 12 full years!!

Thus we see reciting once the name of Hari is enough, but one should be a sadhaka to expect the same results as obtained by Kabir and Padmanabha Vediyar.

[SylviaRNexus]

Alright. Let's assume a person ONCE chants the hare Krishna mantra and gives up their sinful activities never to repeat it again, are they forgiven by Lord Krishna?

[Eastern Mind]

I was wondering, I read this line:

"Simply by chanting one holy name of Hari, a sinful man can counteract the reactions to more sins than he is able to commit." (Bṛhad-viṣṇu Purāṇa)

I know the chanting the Hari Krishna mantra can free one from their sins HOWEVER, the above line, from my understanding, if a person once says the words "Hari Krishna" are they still free from their sins? Is this true?

Vannakkam: Personally, I don't buy this idea. I think it is exaggeration. I do beleive that the saying of God's name is helpful on the path, but not quite to this extent. As for 'sin' I think it is a mistranslation, coming from translators very familiar with the term. 'Error in judgement about dharma' might be better.

Aum Namasivaya

Aum Namasivaya

[Viraja]

Vannakkam: Personally, I don't buy this idea. I think it is exaggeration. I do beleive that the saying of God's name is helpful on the path, but not quite to this extent. As for 'sin' I think it is a mistranslation, coming from translators very familiar with the term. 'Error in judgement about dharma' might be better.

Aum Namasivaya

Aum Namasivaya

I want to agree with EMji above and add this to what I said, 'that while a saint with lot of tapas is believed to have cured many peoples' sins and suffering with just 1 utterance of divine name, it is not possible for the common man to do so'.

[smaranam]

I was wondering, I read this line:

"Simply by chanting one holy name of Hari, a sinful man can counteract the reactions to more sins than he is able to commit." (Bṛhad-viṣṇu Purāṇa)

I know the chanting the Hari Krishna mantra can free one from their sins HOWEVER, the above line, from my understanding, if a person once says the words "Hari Krishna" are they still free from their sins? Is this true?

praNAm

Yes, this statement is to be accepted with sincerity. Virajaji brings up the factor of purity and anartha nivRtti (having overcome material flaws), and Philosoraptor brings up the factor of sincerity. Both are relevant and important conditions eventually, from the practical standpoint.

However, pl. see bhagvat shlok 6.2.14** at the end of this post. It says even if you chant Hari's name jokingly, or meaninglessly, it will not be wasted. It will purify you -- be it by a nanometer or millimeter. It is owing to the infinite kindness and compassion of the Lord. He gave rAkshasi pUtnA (who had come to kill Him) , the position of His mother and took her to VaikunTha just because she had a momentary feeling of motherhood for Him.

That being said, as far as developing pure bhakti and love of God is concerned, the unwritten (assumed) word in your quote is "offenselessly"

When the holy names of Hari are chanted offenselessly, that is when they can actually move aside the cloud of material impurity and bring you to Bhagvan. Devotees have had this experience. It is real.

Please note that "offense" implies whether or not it will invoke pure love of God in you. This word is not to be taken as some crime commited, although to the pure devotee it is a crime to chant offensively.

The padma purAN lists 10 offenses to the Holy Names of Hari (NAmAparAdh) to be avoided. An extra one is inattention while saying the name.

Some may dismiss it as mere arthavAda, i.e. to induce sinful people to do harinAma.

Considering the glories of HarinAm to be arthavAd (an exaggeration, hyperbole, poetic figure of speech) is the fifth offense in the list of 10 offenses. One has to be very careful of this nAmAparAdh, and maintain the attitude accordingly.


(nAmAparAdh 5)
artha-vadah
To consider the glories of the Holy Name of Lord VishNu as a poetic exaggeration or to give some interpretation on the holy name of the Lord.

(nAmAparAdh 6)
hari-namni kalpanam
To consider the glories of the holy name of the Lord as imagination.

-- Padma PurAN, Brahma Kanda, Chapter 25 Verses 15 through 18 describes the ten offenses.


----------------

**SB6.2.14
sāńketyaḿ pārihāsyaḿ vā
stobhaḿ helanam eva vā
vaikuṇṭha-nāma-grahaṇam
aśeṣāgha-haraḿ viduḥ
One who chants the holy name of the Lord is immediately freed from the reactions of unlimited sins, even if he chants indirectly [to indicate something else], jokingly, for musical entertainment, or even neglectfully. This is accepted by all the learned scholars of the scriptures.


_/\_

om namo bhagavate vAsudevAya ~

[Viraja]

Alright. Let's assume a person ONCE chants the hare Krishna mantra and gives up their sinful activities never to repeat it again, are they forgiven by Lord Krishna?

IMHO, the rules of karma are very complex. We have to read profound (and right) scriptures to have a preliminary understanding to it. Going by what I think about it, karma cannot be easily dismissed by one unless aided by a saint of immense spiritual strength. And even such saints do not readily grant freedom from sins - I remember reading in the story of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, a man who suffered from incurable and debilitating stomach pain. He was by the side of Paramahamsa always and inspite of it, for a very long time, Paramahamsa allowed him to go on with his suffering. Only at a time, when the man came to Paramahamsa and told him with tears in his eyes, that he had suffered enough for that lifetime and thus to help him get rid of the remaining to suffer in his next birth, did Ramakrishna take to his mercy and is said to have cured his ailment. Therefore we cannot expect sins to be rid of very easily:

i) To rid of sins very easily, one needs to be helped by a saint.

ii) To rid of some of the sins very easily by chanting hari's name once, one should first believe that by thus chanting, one's sins will indeed get reduced - it is said people who bathe in Ganga should first believe that by bathing thus, their sins get washed away - how many in practice really believe so?

[Anirudh]

Law of Karma is very simple. Say you picked up infection due to your negligence in practising healthy habits, infection is the result of your bad actions/karma ie negligence in practising healthy habits. Now if you get medical assistance your sufferings will be lesser but you cannot escape from the effects of bad Karma. Suppose you cannot afford medical assistance, then you ll suffer more. Chanting bhagwaan's name increases your ability to afford medical assistance. Now if you are not sincere while chanting, you won't get assistance. You can live happily even without chanting his name provided you don't indulge in bad actions. As a human we slip and accrue bad karma. So we need to stay closer to him. The closer we are lesser will be our misery. We can not get closer unless we are genuine.

As for as I am concerned a genuine talk without any kind of inhibition has the equal effect of chanting slokas or his name. I have experienced Sree Nrsimha around me. All I have to do is surrender to him completely just like Paanchaali did when she was getting disrobed.

Sufferings due town bad Karma will vanish in seconds. Paanchaali was saved from humiliation yet she had to undergo toughtime along with her husbands.

[Viraja]

Law of Karma is very simple.

I for one, never understood the current day success of politicians who amass all the wealth but are corrupt to the core (capable of murdering many or even mass murders) or of glorious beauty queens when so many are born utterly dark and weigh a ton, or of the honesty in having returned a bag full of money by a homeless man and so forth... What merit or lack of it would they have done?