Meditations on Transcendence

The Golden Honmoon & the Song of the Golden Lord It is said that in the shadowed age, when demons crept unseen among humans, a ruler named Gwi-Ma feasted not on flesh, but on the shimmer of souls. His minions roamed freely, whispering fears, sowing quarrels, turning love to ash. Three women rose from the quiet corners of the world — unremarkable to the unseeing eye — but carrying voices woven with a power older than moonlight. With song, they cast the Honmoon, a shimmering barrier stitched from sound, keeping the darkness at bay. Far from that realm, yet closer than breath, the Golden Lord Śrī Chaitanya walked the dusty lanes of Navadvīpa. His song was not of charms or incantations, but of the Holy Names — Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare — a chant that wrapped the earth in a second, brighter Honmoon. Like the trios of guardians, each new devotee became another singer in the great work, holding the barrier against kali-pu...

In the age of Kaliyuga, where nāda yoga reigns supreme, sankirtana snāna emerges as a potent spiritual practice. As Śabda Brahma —the cosmic sound—permeates all, sankirtana snāna blends the Ganga jal with the divine nāma (holy name), offering unparalleled spiritual empowerment. The Bhagavata Purana proclaims, " kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet " — through the chanting of Krishna's names, one transcends material association and attains the supreme. Contrasted with Kumbha snāna , where devotees risk the dense crowds at Mahākumbh for purification, sankirtana snāna provides an equally efficacious alternative. The Padma Purana states, " nāma-saṅkīrtanaṁ yasya sarva-pāpa-praṇāśanam ," highlighting that the chanting of divine names destroys all sins. Here, the spiritual sound vibration, śabda , directly connects one to Bhagavān in the spirit of sevā (service), embodying the principle of param vijayate śrī kṛṣṇa saṅkīrtanam — all glory to the ...