(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 09 September 2015, Randburg, South Africa, Youth Group Bhajans)
By the mercy of the holy name, we are here. The holy name is being carried by devotees. In the Srimad Bhagavatam, there is a description of how the Ganga is entering into the universe – as Vamanadeva cracks the shell of the universe, a drop of the causal ocean enters into the universe. That drop is falling down towards the middle planetary systems where we are residing.
Then the demigods come with kumbas, pots, in which they carry the Ganga in the same direction the Ganga was already going and they bring the Ganga down. I mean, exactly in the same direction the Ganga was flowing but now they are carrying it down. Then, Ganga comes to planet earth. On planet earth, Ganga is known by many; during kumba-melas as many as twenty million people take bath in the Ganga. Then, Ganga goes down further and comes to the lower planetary systems known as Bhogavati. In the Bhogavati, nobody knows about the Ganga but somehow or other, by accident people take their bath in the Ganga or get benefit unknowingly.
So, why are the demigods carrying the Ganga? Because the demigods understand that the Ganga is liquid mercy and if they carry this mercy, then they get more mercy because they partake in distributing it. So not only do we get the credit for receiving mercy, we also get credit for giving it. Therefore, the demigods brought their pots, caught the Ganga, carried the Ganga to planet earth where many were eager to bathe in the Ganga.
So we can compare the sankirtan movement to the centre of the Ganges and we can see that the sankirtan movement is spreading. It is spreading everywhere simply by being carried by the devotees. The acaryas carried this holy name and brought it to so many places. Somehow, they made this holy name the tool by which they changed the world. So, still now, it is possible to carry the name. One who carries the name gets the most mercy. Then there are those who are bathing in the name and they are also receiving the mercy. Then, there are the neighbours who do not know what is going on but they also take their bath in the ocean of nectar of the holy name without even knowing what is going on. So, in this way, let us be carriers of the holy name. That will be the most wonderful.