kṛṣṇa-nÄmera mahimÄ Å›Ästra-sÄdhu-mukhe jÄni
nÄmera mÄdhurÄ« aiche kÄhÄá¹… nÄhi Å›uni
kṛṣṇa-nÄmera mahimÄ - the glories of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa; Å›Ästra - of the revealed scriptures; sÄdhu - of the devotees; mukhe - in the mouth; jÄni - we can understand; nÄmera mÄdhurÄ« - the sweetness of the holy name; aiche - in that way; kÄhÄá¹… - anywhere else; nÄhi Å›uni - we do not hear.
One has to learn about the beauty and transcendental position of the holy name of the Lord by hearing the revealed scriptures from the mouths of devotees. Nowhere else can we hear of the sweetness of the Lord’s holy name.
It is said in the Padma PurÄṇa, ataḥ Å›rÄ«-kṛṣṇa-nÄmÄdi na bhaved grÄhyam indriyaiḥ. Chanting and hearing of the transcendental holy name of the Lord cannot be performed by the ordinary senses. The transcendental vibration of the Lord’s holy name is completely spiritual. Thus it must be received from spiritual sources and must be chanted after having been heard from a spiritual master. One who hears the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra must receive it from the spiritual master by aural reception. ÅšrÄ«la SanÄtana GosvÄmÄ« has forbidden us to hear the holy name of Kṛṣṇa chanted by non-Vaiṣṇavas, such as professional actors and singers, for it will have no effect. It is like milk touched by the lips of a serpent, as stated in the Padma PurÄṇa:
avaiṣṇava-mukhodgÄ«rṇaá¹ pÅ«taá¹ hari-kathÄmá¹›tam
Å›ravaṇaá¹ naiva kartavyaá¹ sarpocchiá¹£á¹aá¹ yathÄ payaḥ
As far as possible, therefore, the devotees in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement gather to chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa in public so that both the chanters and the listeners may benefit.
