Deck 1 · Bhakti Cards
The Holy Name Святое Имя
The path from the first sound — to meeting Krishna
54 meditation cards · japa

Cards on the Holy Name: what it is, how to enter it and where it leads. The spine of the deck is the three truths of gaudīya-siddhānta: sambandha, abhidheya, prayojana.

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I
Sambandha
Самбандха
Who
Who the Holy Name is — and who I am before Him
Nature of the Name
01The Name is Krishna Himself, fully present in this sound abhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ 02Japa is to unite the mind and the mantra into one mano-madhye sthito mantro 03The Name is a seed; when it sprouts, the form appears on its own bīja 04You do not produce the Name — it rises on its own, like the sun svataḥ-siddha 05Hare Krishna erupted from the deepest core of Mahāprabhu's heart 06The Name is God himself, come to you as sound śabda-brahma 07The Name is an avatar: in Kali-yuga Krishna descends into the world as sound 08The Name's power does not depend on your understanding — fire burns even a child's hand 09Inside the Name is already everything: rūpa, guṇa, parikara, līlā, premā nāma
Disposition
10You do not chant the Name — the Name descends and dances on the tongue sākṣitva 11You do not look at Krishna — He is looking at you kṛpā-dṛṣṭi 12The Name comes as an old friend — give it your full attention 13Repentance is the doorway through which mercy enters anutāpa 14Cry out as a child cries for its mother — "I am helpless, save me" 15I do not chant the Holy Name — the Holy Name chants me 16"Hare" is a thief's plea: steal my mind, as You stole the gopis' garments he hare — mac-cittaṁ hṛtvā bhava-bandhanān mocaya 17Kirtan is for Krishna alone — close your eyes and sing to Him 18The more prema, the stronger the feeling of having received nothing prema

The connection is established — but obstacles still stand between me and the Name.

II
Abhidheya
Абхидхея
How
How to purify the heart and hold on to the Name
Obstacles
19The root of all offenses is inattention — and it strikes like a thunderbolt vajra 20Anarthas cannot be removed by effort — sit at the Name's feet and weep niṣkapaṭe yatna kariyā nāme śaraṇa 21Sin after the Name is a fang-less snake — it still bites from habit, but the venom is gone 22The feeling 'I am the doer' turns any action into karma kartṛtva-abhimāna 23Almost everyone falls at the first hurdle — sādhu-nindā, criticizing a devotee sādhu-nindā 24The culprit is avidyā — turn the finger from the person to your own blindness avidyā 25Counting the Name as equal to pious deeds — this is the eighth offense śubha-kriyā-sāmya 26"I picked up my beads and I'm chanting" — the Name is not under your tongue's control ahaṁ-mamādi-paramo 27A stubborn will knocks the pieces off the board and walks away — like the pigeon śraddhā
Images
28How deep you dive today matters more than years of practice anartha-nivṛtti 29Don't peck the earth like a vulture — await the rain of mercy like the cātaka cātaka 30Place mind and senses in the fire of the Name — and they become like fire itself 31The Name, uttered even without faith, cuts the ropes of death Ajāmila 32The elephant could not pronounce Sanskrit — and was heard anyway 33Krishna cannot be caught by force — only by the cord of love 34Become an empty flute — let his breath sound as the melody svarūpa-ānanda 35The tiger was only thirsty — trouble came only to drink and go 36In Nityananda's marketplace, the Name is sold for the price of faith niṣṭhā

The obstacles melt away, practice grows steady — and the Name begins to rise.

III
Prayojana
Прайоджана
Where
Where it all leads: the Name rises like the sun — to Krishna Himself
Stages
37The Name rises like the sun: aparādha → ābhāsa → pure dawn nāma-aparādha → nāma-ābhāsa → śuddha-nāma 38Does the Name seem tasteless? Take it as medicine — the taste will return madhuraṁ madhuram 39There are really only two stages: you utter the Name — and you meet Krishna prema 40Forget what you think you know about the Name — start fresh nāma-aparādha 41Know the project of japa: smarana → dharana → dhyana smaraṇa → dhāraṇā → dhyāna → dhruvānusmṛti → samādhi 42Still yourself first — then the Name speaks sevonmukha 43No taste yet — but the Name is already growing: it will speak from the heart on its own kṛṣṇa-nāma dhare kata bala 44Knowledge burns sin like fire burns bamboo; only bhakti burns out the root kevala-bhakti 45The beginner, the advancing, and the perfect all chant the very same Holy Name
Life in the Name
46Chant each mantra as if it were the last of your life jīvana-sandhi 47You are not the mind; sit on the shore of taṭastha and await Krishna's mercy sākṣī 48Take up the mala softly and whole — like a flower that has opened jñāna-mudrā 49This is not the age of silence — chant the Name aloud vācika 50A day without hearing and chanting is a day stolen from yourself śravaṇa-kīrtana-smaraṇa 51Sit with a straight spine — otherwise drowsiness takes the round prāṇa 52Begin the day with maṅgala-ārati — and the day will be maṅgala maṅgala 53In separation the gopīs sang aloud — the Name comes as weeping or as a cry of joy viraha-vilāpa 54Just chant sincerely — and the Supreme Lord will rearrange your whole life śubhadā