# Chanting, Deity Worship, and Scripture Study In Kali-yuga, chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is more powerful than Deity worship, yet both should be performed together. Even an illiterate person can attain perfection simply by chanting, yet by becoming purified through chanting, one can come to understand the scriptures. --- ## Chanting and Deity Worship **In Kali-yuga, chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is more powerful than Deity worship:** ![[sb/7/14/39#purport|When great saintly persons saw this contamination, they introduced worship of the Deity in the temple. This began in Tretā-yuga and was especially prominent in Dvāpara-yuga. But in Kali-yuga, worship of the Deity is being neglected. Therefore chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is more powerful than Deity worship. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu set a practical example in that He did not establish any temples or Deities, but He profusely introduced the saṅkīrtana movement]] —SB [[sb/7/14/39|7.14.39]] Purport --- **Saṅkīrtana, chanting of the holy name, must go hand in hand with Deity worship:** ![[sb/6/3/25#purport|Especially in this Age of Kali, saṅkīrtana alone is sufficient. If the members of our temples in the different parts of the world simply continue saṅkīrtana before the Deity, especially before Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they will remain perfect...Nevertheless, to keep oneself clean in habits and mind, Deity worship and other regulative principles are required. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī says that although saṅkīrtana is sufficient for the perfection of life, the arcana, or worship of the Deity in the temple, must continue in order that the devotees may stay clean and pure. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura therefore recommended that one follow both processes simultaneously. We strictly follow his principle of performing Deity worship and saṅkīrtana along parallel lines. This we should continue]] —SB [[sb/6/3/25|6.3.25]] Purport --- ## Chanting and Scripture Study **By becoming purified by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, the general mass of people can come to understand Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:** ![[sb/5/10/18#purport|Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, for the benefit of the fallen souls of Kali-yuga, has given us a very nice instrument, the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. The general mass of people, although śūdras and less, can be purified by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Then they can understand the exalted philosophical statements of Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has therefore adopted the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra for the general masses]] —SB [[sb/5/10/18|5.10.18]] Purport --- **After one's mind becomes cleansed by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, one advances and studies the Vedic literature:** ![[sb/5/18/11#purport|Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu introduced the congregational chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra to give everyone a chance to hear Kṛṣṇa's holy name, for simply by hearing Hare Kṛṣṇa...one becomes purified. Therefore our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is chiefly engaged in chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra all over the world. After one's mind becomes cleansed by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, one gradually comes to the platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and then reads books like Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Caitanya-caritāmṛta and The Nectar of Devotion. In this way, one becomes more and more purified of material contamination]] —SB [[sb/5/18/11|5.18.11]] Purport --- **To become attached to the chanting of the holy name, one must read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam regularly and with scrutiny:** ![[cc/adi/7/73#purport|Lord Caitanya's spiritual master instructed Him, therefore, that one must read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam regularly and with scrutiny to gradually become attached to the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra]] —Cc. [[cc/adi/7/73|Ādi 7.73]] Purport --- **To learn about the glories of the holy name, one must hear the revealed scriptures from devotees:** ![[cc/antya/1/101#purport|One has to learn about the beauty and transcendental position of the holy name of the Lord by hearing the revealed scriptures from the mouths of devotees. Nowhere else can we hear of the sweetness of the Lord's holy name]] —Cc. [[cc/antya/1/101|Antya 1.101]] Purport --- ## Even the Illiterate Can Be Perfected **Even if one is illiterate (and thus cannot read Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam) he can still perfect his life simply by chanting the mahā-mantra:** A realized student of Kṛṣṇa consciousness can very easily say what his next life is, what God is, what the living entity is and what his relationship with God is. His knowledge is perfect because it is coming from perfect books of knowledge such as Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This, then, is the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is very easy, and anyone can adopt it and make his life perfect. **If someone says, "I'm not educated at all, and I cannot read books," he is still not disqualified. He can still perfect his life by simply chanting the mahā-mantra:** Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Kṛṣṇa has given us a tongue and two ears, and we may be surprised to know that **Kṛṣṇa is realized through the ears and tongue, not through the eyes.** —*Kṛṣṇa Consciousness: The Matchless Gift* --- **Even an illiterate or unintelligent person can be liberated by chanting the holy name:** ![[cc/madhya/15/237#purport|In the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, the dancing in ecstasy and the eating of the remnants of food offered to the Lord are very, very important. One may be illiterate or incapable of understanding the philosophy, but if he partakes of these three items, he will certainly be liberated without delay]] —Cc. [[cc/madhya/15/237|Madhya 15.237]] Purport --- **[← Back to Śrī Nāmāmṛta](wiki/compile/sri-namamrita)**