(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 27 February 2013, Vrndavan, India, Caitanya Caritamrta Seminar 2)
Everyday when we offer bhoga, we chant certain mantras. We chant a mantra glorifying Lord Caitanya who distributed krsna prema. Then we chant the mantra,
namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana-hitaya ca jagad-dhitaya krishnaya govindaya namo namah
But why that mantra? Is it because it is a nice mantra, “Let’s have some mantra for offering bhoga. Let me see, let me pick a nice one. I know, namo brahmanya-devaya…”
No, it is because that mantra is central in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya. Advaita-acarya was the first one to recognize Nimai pundit as the Supreme Lord. Nimai came to his house and suddenly Advaita-acarya understood him and he said, “Now I know who you are. Now you will not escape me any longer.”
And he sat Nimai down and he began to offer aratik and as he offered the aratik, he continuously just chanted, “Namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana-hitaya ca jagad-dhitaya krishnaya govindaya namo namah.”
And he kept on repeating it hundreds of times. That mantra established Caitanya Mahaprabhu as the Supreme Lord! That mantra, is the mantra that must be chanted. So, we see that everything is so full of significance. Everything is so related to Lord Caitanya. That is where the roots are of our sankirtan movement. And then of course, we have further roots in the Srimad Bhagavatam and roots with Lord Brahma. But the sankirtan mission in this form where the chanting of the holy name becomes predominant, begins with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
