17.212
hindu-sastre ’isvara’ nama--maha-mantra jani
sarva-loka sunile mantrera virya haya hani
SYNONYMS
hindu-sastre—in the scriptures of the Hindus; isvara—God; nama—the holy name; maha-mantra—topmost hymn; jani—we know; sarva-loka—everyone; sunile—if they hear; mantrera—of the mantra; virya—potency; haya—becomes; hani—finished " ’According to Hindu scripture, God’s name is the most powerful hymn.
If everyone hears the chanting of the name, the potency of the hymn will be lost.
PURPORT
In the list of offenses in the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, it is said, dharma-vrata-tyaga-hutadi-sarva-subha-kriya-samyam api pramadah: to consider the chanting of the holy name of the Lord equal to the execution of some auspicious religious ceremony is an offense.
According to the materialistic point of view, observing a religious ceremony invokes an auspicious atmosphere for the material benefit of the entire world.
Materialists therefore manufacture religious principles to live comfortably and without disturbance in executing their material activities.
Since they do not believe in the existence of God, they have manufactured the idea that God is impersonal and that to have some conception of God one may imagine any form.
Thus they respect the many forms of the demigods as different representations or manifestations of the Lord.
They are called bahv-isvara-vadis, or followers of thousands and thousands of gods.
They consider the chanting of the names of the demigods an auspicious activity.
Great so-called svamis have written books saying that one may chant any name-Durga, Kali, Siva, Krsna, Rama, and so on-because any name is all right for invoking an auspicious atmosphere in society.
Thus they are called pasandis-unbelievers or faithless demons.
Such pasandis do not know the actual value of the chanting of the holy name of Lord Krsna.
Foolishly proud of their material birth as brahmanas and their consequently higher position in the social order, they