- The glories of the holy names in Kali-yuga.
- In Satya-yuga (golden age) souls meditated on the Lord (Srimad Bhagavatam), jnana meditation, e.g. Dhruva Maharaja.
- In Treta-yuga there was fire sacrifice, for example, Lord Ramachandra appeared in that age and performed fire sacrifice.
- In Kali-yuga it is very difficult to worship Thakuraji, to do fire ceremony and meditation properly.
- In Kali-yuga, there is a simple process to reach the Lord: chanting the holy names.
- Srimad Bhagavatam glorifies many Vaishnavas, and Lord Siva is the highest devotee because he always chants the names of the Lord.
- There are four qualifications for chanting the holy names: to be humbler than a straw of grass, more tolerant than a tree, not to seek respect, name, fame and prestige, and to always respect everyone.
- Story of the Hari-katha of Shiva and Parvati and the demon Vrikasura (Basmasura).
- Vrikasura wanted to abduct Parvati Devi and performed a fire ceremony to obtain the form of Shiva to abduct her.
- Shiva granted Vrikasura a blessing: the power to turn everything into ashes with his hands, but he also wanted to destroy Shivaji.
- Shiva went to Lord Vishnu for help.
- Lord Vishnu manifested as a brahmacari and spoke to Vrikasura, trying to convince him to use his blessing on himself. Thus Vishnu defeated Vrikasura.
- Lord Shiva completely surrenders to Lord Vishnu in a very humble way.
- Panchanam is another name of Lord Shiva: he who has 5 mouths and thus chants the holy names.
- Lord Shiva has taken diksa from Sankarshana, who is Balarama himself.
- So Lord Shiva is meditating on Balarama.
-Lord Shiva has his eyes closed and is meditating on his Istadeva. Already Krsna is with His eyes open, playing His flute: He is Svayam-Bhagavan. - Krsna lives in Goloka Vrndavana.
- The highest form of worship of Lord Krishna is with the mood of the Vraja-gopis.
- Chanting the holy names of the Lord, which are no different from the Lord Himself, is what makes life successful.
-The holy names are even higher than the Lord Himself, because in this Kali-yuga He has invested all His potency in them. - The holy names can be chanted at any time; there are no rules and regulations for chanting.
-Story of Ajamila and his son Narayana. - The processes of karma, artha, kama, yoga, tapasya do not guarantee liberation.
- Sri Siksastakam, first verse (ceto darpanam marjanam).
- One must chant the holy names with firm faith.
- He who chants the holy names of the Lord and reaches His abode never returns to the cycle of birth and death.
- Narada Muni chants the holy names with his vina.
- Chant the holy names and be happy.
- Always be aware of the 10 offences against the holy names, of which 3 are prominent.
- Criticism of the sadhu, guru or Vaishnavas is a very serious offence, so the holy names will have no effect.
- Never consider the name of Shiva as equal to or greater than the name of Krishna.
- Never disrespect or dishonour the guru.
Alto Paraiso, Brazil
Brazil, Lectures in English
