SIMPLE FOR THE SIMPLE

     Last night I had to opportunity to read from Chaitanya Bhagavata by Vrndavana das Thakur. Madhya Khanda Chapter 13, the glories of Nityananda prabhu. Sri Krishna Chaitanya ordered Nityananda prabhu and Haridas to go door to door in Nadiya with a very simple instruction for everyone, "Go to every home with this request, 'Please chant Krishna's name, worship Krishna, and teach others about Krishna.' Don't tell them anything else. Make them chant. At the end of the day come back and tell Me what has happened." (Texts: 9,10)
     The people responded in different ways. Some were happy to hear this and fully agreed to do it. Others became annoyed and hurled abuse and threats at Nityananda and Haridas. Nityananda and Haridas thought it great fun to follow this order of Lord Chaitanya. People said things like, "Why would religious people act like that? If they come again I will take them to the king's court."(Text 28) And some even threatened, "Kill them! Kill them!"(Text 26)
Hearing words like this again and again, Nityananda and Haridasa laughed. Because of the power of Lord Chaitanya's order, they did not become afraid. (text 29) They would return to Lord Chaitanya and tell him of the day's activities. 

    There is a neighbor here who stops to talk sometimes. The conversation this morning was very blissful. The usual, "How are you? How's your health  yada, yada..." then I just introduced Krishna out of the blue. Just said loud and clear, "Hare Krishna" like they were supposed to know what that was.       
     They immediately responded, "Hare Krishna?" Loud and clear. 
     I realized these are the pastimes of the Lord in His manifestation as the Holy Name. 
     The neighbor asked, "So, what is that?" 
     I told them," Krishna is the Personality of Godhead." 
     Of course there was resistance at this point. They were sure to tell me they were Jewish but if I wanted to worship Krishna that was my business. And then lectured me on their religious values. But they couldn't stop saying Krishna. They were resisting Krishna but Krishna was winning. They must have denied the existence of Krishna while chanting His Holy Name at least 50 times in the ten minutes we spent together. 
     I realized what a wonderful conversation that had been. Every other word was Krishna. 
     Remembering what I had read the night before about the glorious pastimes of Nityananda prabhu and Haridas I marveled at the extra ordinary mercy of Lord Chaitanya's sankirtana movement. I will be doing this every chance I get. Simply introducing Krishna into conversations. If they are inimical that is what chanting Hare Krishna is all about, defeating nirvisesa (voidism) sunyavadi (impersonalism). Krishna awards liberation even to the really dangerous demons so what to speak of the innocent and the ignorant. 
     Philosophy is there. And it is entirely relishable by the devotees. But we see from this pastime in Chaitanya Bhagavata that devotional service to the instructions of Lord Chaitanya and the Holy Name of Krishna is very simple and very sublime.