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“Our Most Important Activity” 11

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 3.40: (kali-yuge yuga-dharma — nāmera
pracāra) The religious practice for the age of Kali is to broadcast the glories
of the holy name. Only for this purpose has the Lord, in a yellow color,
descended as Lord Caitanya.
Purport: In this age of Kali the practical system of religion for everyone is
the chanting of the name of Godhead. This was introduced in this age by
Lord Caitanya. Bhakti-yoga actually begins with the chanting of the holy
name, as confirmed by Madhvācārya in his commentary on the Muṇḍaka
Upaniṣad: “In the Dvāpara-yuga people should worship Lord Viṣṇu only
by the regulative principles of the Nārada-pañcarātra and other such
authorized books. In the age of Kali, however, people should simply chant
the holy names of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” The Hare Kṛṣṇa
mantra is specifically mentioned in many Upaniṣads, such as the Kali-
santaraṇa Upaniṣad, where it is said:
hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare
iti ṣoḍaśakaṁ nāmnāṁ kali-kalmaṣa-nāśanaṁ
nātaḥ parataropāyaḥ sarva-vedeṣu dṛśyate
“After searching through all the Vedic literature one cannot find a method of
religion more sublime for this age than the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa.”

Saṅkīrtana includes chanting and preaching

Kīrtana is practiced in all four yugas, but in Kali-yuga, kīrtana is the
yuga-dharma — not only solitary chanting or ritualistic chanting but
saṅkīrtana, congregational chanting for all classes of people, with no
hard and fast rules. Therefore saṅkīrtana includes preaching, because
without inviting people to take part, there is no question of congregational
chanting. It is the duty of every follower of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to
preach or support the preaching, because preaching is an integral part of
the saṅkīrtana-yajña.

(a) Saṅkīrtana is a special concession for Kali-yuga
Elevation to Kṛṣṇa Consciousness (Ch. 6): According to Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam, there are different processes for different ages, but the principle
of each process remains valid in all ages. It is not that the chanting of Hare
Kṛṣṇa is effective in this age and not in Satya-yuga. Nor is it that the people