The Transcendental Power of Lord Viṣṇu's Name
The holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is non-different from His eternal, fully spiritual form. The profound teachings delivered by Śrīla Prabhupāda reveal that the names of Lord Viṣṇu possess the absolute potency to purify the heart, protect the devotee from danger, and grant the highest liberation. By understanding and chanting these divine names, the conditioned soul immediately connects with the supreme transcendental reality.
The Supreme Lord of Sacrifice
The vast Vedic literature repeatedly confirms that the ultimate purpose of all prescribed duties is to satisfy the Supreme Lord. Within his illuminating purports, Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that Lord Viṣṇu carries the specific names Yajña, Yajñeśvara, and Yajña-pati to establish Himself as the final enjoyer and master of all sacrifices. Unless human society directs its activities toward pleasing Him, all endeavors merely result in further material bondage.
- Another name of Lord Visnu is Yajnesvara. In Bhagavad-gita it is said that all activities should be performed as Visnu-yajna, for the pleasure of Lord Visnu. Unless we please Him, whatever we do is the cause of our bondage in the material world.
- Another name of Vasudeva is Yajna (sacrifice), and in the Bhagavad-gita it is clearly stated that all sacrifices and all activities are to be conducted for the satisfaction of Yajna, or Visnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the case also with the yoga systems.
- He (God) is the final enjoyer of all kinds of yajna; therefore Yajna-pati is another name of Lord Visnu.
- One of Lord Visnu's names is Yajna because He is the master of the Vedas. The name Yajna comes from yajusam patih, which means "Lord of all sacrifices."
Purification and Absolute Protection
The material world is fraught with visible and invisible dangers, as well as the constant contamination of the three modes of nature. To counteract these terrifying influences, he explains that uttering the holy name of Lord Viṣṇu acts as an absolute shield and a supreme cleansing agent. By simply vibrating His name, one becomes instantly purified internally and externally, driving away all evil spirits and invoking the divine protection of the Lord.
- As for purification, no one can be more pure than devotees. Anyone who once utters the name of Visnu immediately becomes purified, inside and outside - yah smaret pundarikaksam.
- One can vanquish them (evil stars, evil witches and evil spirits) simply by uttering Lord Visnu's name, for when Lord Visnu's name resounds, all of them become afraid and go away - SB 10.6.27-29.
- Yamaraja has to deal with men who are all sinful and who can hardly understand Narayana. Consequently when his order carriers uttered the name of Narayana, he was extremely pleased, for he also is a Vaisnava.
- There are hundreds of thousands of other names of Lord Visnu, and each one of them is as powerful as the Lord Himself. One can constantly chant any name of the Lord and thereby constantly associate with Him.
The Glories of the Thousand Names
Among the various practices of piety, reciting the thousand principal names of the Lord is considered highly auspicious and purifying. As Śrīla Prabhupāda points out, the scriptures confirm that the spiritual potency of these thousand names can be attained simply by uttering the holy name of Rāma once. Furthermore, uttering the supreme name of Kṛṣṇa once yields the exact same spiritual result as chanting the name of Rāma three times, demonstrating the unmatched power of the mahā-mantra.
- The sastra (scripture) states that there are one thousand principal names of Lord Visnu, the Personality of Godhead. But if a person utters the name Rama only once, he gets the result of chanting one thousand names of Visnu.
- If a person utters the name Rama only once, he gets the result of chanting one thousand names of Visnu. And if somebody once chants the name Krsna, he achieves the results obtained by chanting the name Rama three times.
- Uttering the name Krsna once is equal to uttering three thousand other names of Visnu.
- At that time (when Srivasa Pandita was hearing the thousand names of Lord Visnu in the sraddha ceremony of his father) Gaurahari (Lord Caitanya) appeared on the scene, and He also began to hear the thousand names of Visnu with full satisfaction.
Daily Devotional Practices
The daily life of a sincere devotee is meticulously structured to ensure constant remembrance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One practical application of this principle, as he carefully instructs, is the application of sacred tilaka on twelve specific parts of the body while chanting twelve specific names of Lord Viṣṇu. This powerful ritual not only sanctifies the physical form but also acts as a spiritual armor, keeping the mind firmly fixed on the ultimate goal of bhakti-yoga.
- While marking the body with tilaka, one should chant the following mantra, which consists of twelve names of Lord Visnu: Padmanabha and Damodara should be remembered when marking the back.
- While marking the body with tilaka, one should chant the following mantra, which consists of twelve names of Lord Visnu: Sridhara should be remembered while marking the left arm, and Hrsikesa should be remembered when marking the left shoulder.
- While marking the body with tilaka, one should chant the following mantra, which consists of twelve names of Lord Visnu: When one marks the forehead with tilaka, he must remember Kesava. When one marks the lower abdomen, he must remember Narayana.
- Bhakti-yoga begins with sravanam kirtanam visnoh (SB 7.5.23), hearing and chanting of Lord Visnu's names, as in the maha-mantra - Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
Conclusion
The ultimate goal of human life is to continuously remember the Supreme Lord through the vibration of His holy names. As Śrīla Prabhupāda mercifully explains, whether one is performing elaborate sacrifices or simply marking the body with clay, invoking the names of Lord Viṣṇu guarantees spiritual perfection. By taking absolute shelter of His names, a sincere soul overcomes all material obstacles and attains the supreme destination.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Visnu's Name. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.