नामैकं यस्य वाचि स्मरणपथगतं श्रोत्रमूलं गतं वा
शुद्धं वाशुद्धवर्णं व्यवहितरहितं तारयत्येव सत्यम् ।
तच्चेद्देहद्रविणजनतालोभपाषण्डमध्ये
निक्षिप्तं स्यान्न फलजनकं शीघ्रमेवात्र विप्र ॥
nāmaikaṁ yasya vāci smaraṇa-patha-gataṁ śrotra-mūlaṁ gataṁ vā
śuddhaṁ vāśuddha-varṇaṁ vyavahita-rahitaṁ tārayaty eva satyam |
tac ced deha-draviṇa-janatā-lobha-pāṣaṇḍa-madhye
nikṣiptaṁ syān na phala-janakaṁ śīghram evātra vipra ||
(Padma Purāṇa: 4.25.24; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 11.527; Bhakti Sandarbha: 153, 265; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 3.3.60)
“Be it with proper or improper [pronunciation of] syllables, one name [of Bhagavān] without separation [alt., or even with separation of its syllables] which has entered one’s speech, path of remembrance, or the base of the ears certainly delivers [a living being]. This is certainly true. If that [i.e., the name of Bhagavān] should be cast down among those who are heretical out of greed related to the body, wealth, or people, [however,] O brāhmaṇa, it certainly does not become fruitful quickly here.”
Commentary
dehādi-lobhārthaṁ ye pāṣaṇḍā gurv-avajñādi-daśāparādha-yuktās tan-madhya ity arthaḥ |
(Excerpt from Bhakti Sandarbha: 153)
“[If the name is cast down] Among those who are heretical (pāṣaṇḍāḥ), that is, who have committed any of the ten offenses [to the name] such as disrespect of the guru, for the sake of greed related to the body and so forth [is the meaning].”
‘nāmaikaṁ yasya vāci smaraṇa-patha-gatam’ ity-ādau deha-draviṇādi-nimittaka-pāṣaṇḍa-śabdena ca daśāparādhā lakṣyante pāṣaṇḍamayatvāt teṣām |
(Excerpt from Bhakti Sandarbha: 265)
“The ten offenses are also indicated by the word ‘the heretical’ (pāṣaṇḍa), who are motivated by the body, wealth, and so forth, in [the statement in PP 4.25.24] nāmaikaṁ yasya vāci smaraṇa-patha-gatam … because of their being heretical (pāṣaṇḍamaya) [i.e., because of the offenses’ to the name being acts contrary to the teaching of the śāstra].”
etad eva paripoṣayan nāma-kīrtane lābha-pūjākhyāty-arthatāṁ parityājayati—nāmaikam ity ādi | vāci gataṁ prasaṅgād vāṅ-madhye pravṛttam api, smaraṇa-patha-gataṁ kathañcin-manaḥ-spṛṣṭam api, śrotra-mūlaṁ gataṁ kiñcit śrutam api, śuddha-varṇaṁ vā aśuddha-varṇam api vā, vyavahitaṁ śabdāntareṇa yad vyavadhānaṁ, vakṣyamāṇa-nārāyaṇa-śabdasya kiñcid uccāraṇānantaraṁ prasaṅgād āpatitaṁ śabdāntaraṁ tena rahitaṁ sat | yad vā, yadyapi ‘halaṁ riktaṁ’ ity-ādy-uktau ha-kāra-ri-kārayor vṛttyā harīti nāmāsty eva, tathā ‘rāja-mahiṣī’ ity atra rāma-nāmāpi, evam anyad apy ūhyam, tathāpi tat-tan-nāma-madhye vyavadhāyakam akṣarāntaram astīty etādṛśa-vyavadhāna-rahitam ity arthaḥ | yad vā, vyavahitaṁ ca tad-rahitaṁ cāpi vā | tatra vyavahitaṁ nāmnaḥ kiñcid uccāraṇānantaraṁ kathañcid āpatitaṁ śabdāntaraṁ samādhāya paścān nāmāvaśiṣṭākṣara-grahaṇam ity evaṁ-rūpaṁ, madhye śabdāntareṇāntaritam ity arthaḥ | rahitaṁ paścād avaśiṣṭākṣara-grahaṇa-varjitaṁ, kenacid aṁśena hīnam ity arthaḥ | tathāpi tārayaty eva, sarvebhyaḥ pāpebhyo’parādhebhyaś ca saṁsārād apy uddhārayaty eveti satyam eva | kintu nāma-sevanasya mukhyaṁ yat phalaṁ, tan na sadyaḥ sampadyate | tathā deha-bharaṇādy-artham api nāma-sevanena mukhyaṁ phalam āśy na sidhyatīty āha—tac ced iti | tan-nāma ced yadi dehādi-madhye nikṣiptaṁ, deha-bharaṇādy-artham eva vinyastaṁ, tadāpi phala-janakaṁ na bhavati kiṁ? api tu bhavaty eva, kintu atra iha-loke śīghraṁ na bhavati, kintu vilambenaiva bhavatīty arthaḥ |
(Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“Furthering this itself [i.e., the point made in the previous verse, nāmāparādha-yuktānāṁ …], he [i.e., Śrī Sanat-kumara] orders abandonment of the motivations of gain, worship, and fame in [one’s performance of] nāma-kīrtana: nāmaikam … [i.e., he speaks this verse]. ‘Entered [one’s] speech’ (vāci gataṁ), as per the context, means even brought forth in one’s speech. ‘Entered the path of remembrance’ (smaraṇa‑patha‑gataṁ) means even touched by the mind howsoever. ‘Entered the base of the ears’ (śrotra‑mūlaṁ gataṁ) means even heard somewhat. ‘Proper or improper [pronunciation of] syllables’ (śuddhaṁ vāśuddha‑varṇaṁ) means with proper [pronunciation of] syllables or improper [pronunciation of] syllables. ‘Without separation’ (vyavahita-rahitaṁ) means being without intervention by another word, such as by another word that has happened [to be spoken] in the case of pronunciation of something else while the word Nārāyaṇa is being spoken [e.g., in the case of the statement nārāḥ pibanti rasāyaṇam, ‘People drink elixir’, wherein the syllables nārā and yaṇa are separated by other words]. Alternately, although in a statement such as ‘halaṁ riktam’ [i.e., ‘the plough (halam) is worthless (riktam)’] the name Hari is verily present because of the pronunciation [therein] of the letter ha and the letter ri, similarly as the name of Rāma too is present in [the term] rāja-mahiṣī [lit., ‘the chief wife of a king’], and as others [i.e., the presence of other names of Śrī Bhagavān] can also be inferred in this way [in other compound words and phrases], still other intervening letters are present in those names. So, free from such [aforementioned] intervention [within the name of Bhagavān] is the meaning [of ‘without separation’ (vyavahita‑rahitaṁ)].
“Alternately, [vyavahita‑rahitaṁ means] either with separation (vyavahita) or devoid of that [i.e., of the entirety of the name] also. In this case, ‘separation’ (vyavahita) refers a form [of a name of Bhagavān] such that pronunciation of some part of the name occurs, another word which somehow happened [to be spoken] is placed [in the middle], and afterwards mention of the remaining letter(s) of the name occurs. Thus, the intervening of another word in the middle [of a name of Bhagavān] is the meaning. ‘Devoid’ (rahitaṁ) means without mention of the remaining letter(s) afterwards [i.e., of the remaining letter(s) in a name of Bhagavān following the intervening presence of another word after the pronunciation of the initial portion of a name of Bhagavān]. Without some portion [of the name] is thus the meaning. Still, it [i.e., one name of Bhagavān, be it without or without separation, and be it complete or incomplete in its pronunciation] certainly delivers, that is, it certainly saves one from all sins, all offenses, and even from saṁsāra. This is certainly true. The primary result of worship of the name [i.e., the attainment of bhāva-bhakti for Bhagavān and the accomplishment of pleasing him], however, does not manifest immediately. That is, the primary result is not quickly accomplished by worship of the name [which is done] also for the sake of nourishing the body and so forth. Thus, he says, tac ced … [i.e., he speaks the second half of the verse]. If (ced) that (tat), meaning, the name, is cast down among the body and so forth, meaning, placed down [thereamid] only for the sake of nourishing the body and so forth [rather than being spoken principally as an invocation of Bhagavān for the sake of worshiping and pleasing him]—even then, does it not become fruitful? Nonetheless [i.e., despite it being misapplied as aforementioned], it certainly does [become fruitful], but here, meaning, in this world, that does not happen quickly. Rather, it happens only with delay. This is the meaning [i.e., the name, when chanted out of a motivation to attain ends other than bhakti and Bhagavān first acts to purify the chanter of all desires other than the desire for bhakti and Bhagavān and only after it has purified the chanter of those other desires does it manifest the primary result of its being chanted, viz., bhāva-bhakti for Bhagavān and the satisfaction of Bhagavān. Thus, it certainly does produce its primary result even when it is chanted for heretical motivations, meaning, when it is chanted with offense, but it does so with delay because of the time it takes to first purify the chanter of these unfavorable motivations].”