ET THERE BE all victory for the chanting of the holy name of Lord Krsna, which can cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence. That chanting is the waxing moon that spreads the white lotus of good fortune for all living entities. It is the life and soul of all education. The chanting of the holy name of Krsna expands the blissful ocean of transcendental life. It gives a cooling effect to everyone and enables one to taste full nectar at every step.

Sri Siksastakam Verse One
Reflections, by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami

These “supremely valuable prayers” are the only verses left by Lord Caitanya. He assigned the writing of His doctrine to His disciples, especially the Goswamis of Vrindavana—Rupa, Sanatana, and Jiva. But the eight verses, Siksastaka, reveal the entire mission and teachings of Lord Caitanya.

Lord Caitanya begins, “All glories to the chanting of Hare Krishna!” param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam. This first verse of Siksastaka states several reasons why sankirtana (congregational chanting of the holy names) should be glorified. The first reason is because it cleanses the heart of all the dust that’s been there for many years. This refers to an internal cleansing process. If we neglect to clean a room, soon dust will appear on the furniture and under the bed. But the dirt that the chanting of Hare Krishna cleans is the dirt of material desires within the heart. Whenever we desire something and forget the pleasure of Krishna , the Supreme Personality of Godhead, that is a “dirty” desire. Otherwise, nothing is innately good or bad. But if we desire anything other than pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, that is inauspicious.

Lord Caitanya has composed His verse with many poetic metaphors. The dirt that gathers within is like dust on a mirror. If we look into a dusty mirror, we cannot see our face. Similarly, we cannot see our original self because of the dirty covering on the mirror of the mind. We cannot see our spiritual self. And unless we take action to clean this inner mirror, then our whole life will be in forgetfulness of God and our relationship to Him. We will continue to think that we are this body. We will think that we are a man or a woman, or that we are born in a particular country and so on. We will try to seek our happiness in terms of the body. But the body can not give us happiness, and therefore we remain in ignorance, trying to be happy. But if we can discover the spiritual self, then we will be happy.

The real self is comparable to a piece of valuable gold, which is covered by a lump of dirt. Unless we wash away the dirt, we cannot enjoy the benefit of the original gold. So the chanting removes all the dirty coverings and reveals our original spiritual nature. That nature is full of bliss and eternity, and exists in a loving relationship with Lord Krishna.

Lord Caitanya also says that the chanting puts out a fire, maha-davagni. There is a large fire, like a forest fire, raging within us. This is the fire of birth and death. When we die, due to the dirty things in the heart, we have to take another material body. This process of dying and being born again is very painful to the living entity. We try to forget it, but actually we are always in anxiety, especially about our oncoming death. And according to Vedic knowledge, we do not only die once but our desires lead us to take bodies over and over again. When we chant Hare Krishna, we can sometimes think of these metaphors that Lord Caitanya has used. It is true that our heart is being cleaned of dirt. And the chanting produces a very nice rain, which is putting out the fire of birth and death. Thus Lord Chaitanya praises the chanting, not in sentimental terms, but based on the actual work that the holy name produces on the conditioned soul. It cleans the dirt, it brings the downpour of rain – and it is a blessing.

Lord Caitanya says that the chanting of Hare Krishna is the best blessing, because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. This refers to the phenomenon of the waxing moon. At the beginning of a fortnight, the moon starts very small and grows gradually to a full moon. Spiritual progress is like that. You begin from a little bit and it grows and grows as long as you practice.

The waxing moon of spiritual life is not only one person’s private concern. When the chanting is widely distributed, then the blessings go to everyone. Just as the blessing of the moon is appreciated by everyone in the world, so the chanting of Hare Krishna can spread in the same way. Therefore, sometimes a great acarya [teacher] is compared to the moon because he spreads the holy name all over the world.

Lord Caitanya finally says that by chanting Hare Krishna, you get a taste for the nectar for which we are always anxious. He is well aware that we are always looking for pleasure. Commercial advertisers are also aware everyone is seeking pleasure and so they play upon this desire, claiming “we have the taste”, “the taste is here”. But the tiny taste which sense-gratification can give by stimulating the tongue, or the belly, or the genitals, or the ears, is not satisfying to the real self. The pleasure that the soul experiences is many times greater than any other pleasure. It is the nectar for which we are always anxious.