FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.23.16

मन्त्रतस्तन्त्रतश्छिद्रं देशकालार्हवस्तुत: । सर्वं करोति निश्छिद्रमनुसङ्कीर्तनं तव ॥ १६ ॥
mantratas tantrataś chidraṁ
[mantratas tantratash chidram]
deśa-kālārha-vastutaḥ
[desha-kaalaarha-vastutah]
sarvaṁ karoti niśchidram
[sarvam karoti nishchidram]
anusaṅkīrtanaṁ tava
[anusankeertanam tava]
mantrataḥ — in pronouncing the Vedic mantras improperly tantrataḥ — in insufficient knowledge for following regulative principles chidram — discrepancy deśa — in the matter of country kāla — and time arha — and recipient vastutaḥ — and paraphernalia sarvam — all these karoti — makes niśchidram — without discrepancy anusaṅkīrtanam — constantly chanting the holy name tava — of Your Lordship.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
mantratas tantrataś chidraṁ
mantrataḥ
in pronouncing the Vedic mantras improperly
tantrataḥ
in insufficient knowledge for following regulative principles
chidram
discrepancy
deśa-kālārha-vastutaḥ
deśa
in the matter of country
kāla
and time
arha
and recipient
vastutaḥ
and paraphernalia
sarvaṁ karoti niśchidram
sarvam
all these
karoti
makes
niśchidram
without discrepancy
anusaṅkīrtanaṁ tava
anusaṅkīrtanam
constantly chanting the holy name
tava
of Your Lordship.
There may be discrepancies in pronouncing the mantras and observing the regulative principles, and, moreover, there may be discrepancies in regard to time, place, person and paraphernalia. But when Your Lordship’s holy name is chanted, everything becomes faultless.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has recommended:

harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā

“In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.” ( Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa 38.126) In this Age of Kali, it is extremely difficult to perform Vedic ritualistic ceremonies or sacrifices perfectly. Hardly anyone can chant the Vedic mantras with perfect pronunciation or accumulate the paraphernalia for Vedic performances. Therefore the sacrifice recommended in this age is saṅkīrtana, constant chanting of the holy name of the Lord. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ ( Bhāg. 11.5.29). Instead of wasting time performing Vedic sacrifices, those who are intelligent, those who possess good brain substance, should take to the chanting of the Lord’s holy name and thus perform sacrifice perfectly. I have seen that many religious leaders are addicted to performing yajñas and spending hundreds and thousands of rupees for imperfect sacrificial performances. This is a lesson for those who unnecessarily execute such imperfect sacrifices. We should take the advice of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu ( yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ ). Although Śukrācārya was a strict brāhmaṇa addicted to ritualistic activities, he also admitted, niśchidram anusaṅkīrtanaṁ tava: “My Lord, constant chanting of the holy name of Your Lordship makes everything perfect.” In Kali-yuga the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies cannot be performed as perfectly as before. Therefore Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has recommended that although one should take care to follow all the principles in every kind of spiritual activity, especially in worship of the Deity, there is still a chance of discrepancies, and one should compensate for this by chanting the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we therefore give special stress to the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra in all activities.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
All faults in mantras, rules, in articles, participants, time and place are nullified by chanting your glories.
Related verses
There may be discrepancies in mantra, regulation, time, place, person, paraphernalia — but when Your name is chanted, everything becomes faultless. The name corrects what ritual cannot perfect. Especially in Kali, this is the path.
Reflection Questions
  • Where am I anxious about ritual perfection when nāma-saṅkīrtana is the actual repair?
  • Could I add chanting deliberately at the moment of imperfect performance?
📝 My note

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