Importance of Chanting

Krishna says:

"I dwell not in the spiritual kingdom

nor in the hearts of yogis;

where the chanting goes on

there, o Narada, stand I." 

                          Padma Purana 

"Cleanliness is next to Godliness.This point should be very carefully observed,then you will advance very quickly to the perfectional stage of Krishna Consciousness." (Letter to Kanchanbala,20.04.70)

 There is no vow like chanting the holy name, no knowledge superior to it, no meditation which comes anywhere near it, and it gives the highest result. No penance is equal to it, and nothing is as potent or powerful as the holy name. Chanting is the greatest act of piety and the supreme refuge.

From Harinama Cintamani

by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

The most complete form of the Lord is the holy name .

Chanting the holy name is the intimate way to associate with Krishna.

By repeating HIS name we always remain in HIS association

Fear personified is afraid of the name of the Supreme Personality of  Godhead. 

HG Vaisesika Prabhu

Devotee: "Srila Prabhupada, it's very difficult to control my mind when I chant. It wanders."

Srila Prabhupada: "So what is the controlling of mind? You have to chant and hear. That is all."

You have to chant with your tongue, and the sound you hear. What is the question of mind?"

Our strength is in following the regulative principles and chanting sixteen rounds japa. Then Krsna will give you protection.

Letter to Visvadharini dasi

12th January 1977

"Everyone of you should be thoroughly convinced of the power of the Hare Krsna mantra to protect you in all circumstances and chant accordingly at all times without offense. Then advancement will be swift and you will gradually come to see everything clearly so that you may act for the pleasure of the Lord without uncertainty."

Letter to Damodara

January 10, 1971

Chanting japa is repairing our broken relationship with Krsna with intense absorption we calm down our mind and get ready to meet Krsna for two and half or three hour’s and if that meeting was very attentive than the whole day the remembrance is present subconsciously.

Japa Retreat

by Mahatma dasa

“Chanting ‘I’m late, I’m late!’

like the rabbit in Alice

in Wonderland. But I shall

not let it ruin the quality of my rounds.

I’ll say them with rapid attention

and hear the syllables go

quickly through my mind.

I’m chanting to please Krishna

and not to complete a race.

I ask Him to forgive me

if I rush and I’ll

try to pray, not run.”

by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

Chanting offenselessly is the remedy for all of these diseases. Therefore I have established that the duty of the president of each temple and also the GBC is to see that each devotee is following the rules and regulations, chanting 16 rounds so that they may be spiritually fit.

Letter to Vidarbha Kanya dasi

19 August, 1974

There is no question of your falldown. Chant 16 rounds regularly and no power in all three worlds will make you fall down. Krishna will save you always.

Letter to Himavati

19 August, 1971 

One should chant attentively with full surrender unto the Holy name. A sincere devotee has full faith in the Holy name. He always tries to improve his chanting by pulling our the weeds of illicit desires. The determined sadhaka enthusiastically moves on the path of devotion by surrendering moment to moment to the Lord of attraction.

Illuminations on Nama Aparadha

by Mahanidhi Swami

"So while you are chanting, you don’t have to get to something else or go somewhere else or wait for "it" to happen, but you just have to realize that this is actually Krsna. Then, as you realize Krsña more, you get more into the chanting. You realize that the chanting is simply to chant Krsna's name, and you want to do it more and more."

From Japa Reform Notebook

by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

When we chant with attention to the sound and really give it our devotion, then we feel something from Krsna and we WANT to keep chanting.

When we wake up in the morning and take bath, we WANT to chant the Holy names because we feel Krsna's presence during Japa and that's the Lord reciprocating with our efforts to hear the Holy names.

In our chanting we should do the same....don't be in a hurry to finish your rounds, really relish the taste of chanting by pronouncing the words and syllables clearly - by giving everything to the Holy names, the Lord will certainly reward us.

This respectful chanting will invoke the Lord's reciprocation and we can leave behind us mechanical Japa and really experience a sweet taste for chanting the Holy names.

by Rasa Rasika

"If you follow these two principles, Kṛṣṇa will be within your grip.”

“So our process is very simple. Simply engage your tongue. Leave aside all other senses. The tongue is very strong. And tongue is our bitterest enemy, and tongue can be your most intimate friend. This tongue. Therefore the śāstra says that sevonmukhe hi jihvādau: just engage your tongue in the service of the Lord, and He will b...

e revealed. Very nice. Now what…, what we do with the tongue? We talk: talk of Kṛṣṇa. We sing: chant of Kṛṣṇa. We eat: taste, eat Kṛṣṇa prasāda. You will understand Kṛṣṇa. Any foolish person, any uneducated or any position of life, you can use your tongue for Kṛṣṇa’s service. Don’t eat anything which is not eaten by Kṛṣṇa—your tongue becomes your most intimate friend. And don’t talk anything except Kṛṣṇa. If you follow these two principles, Kṛṣṇa will be within your grip.”

[Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.14.44 - New York, April 8, 1973]

BG 11.39 - 42 summary by HG Shyamsundar prabhu

BG 11.39: You are air, and You are the supreme controller! You are fire, You are water, and You are the moon! You are Brahmā, the first living creature, and You are the great-grandfather. I therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto You a thousand times, and again and yet again!

BG 11.40: Obeisances to You from the front, from behind and from all sides! O unbounded power, You are the master of limitless might! You are all-pervading, and thus You are everything!

BG 11.41-42: Thinking of You as my friend, I have rashly addressed You "O Kṛṣṇa," "O Yādava," "O my friend," not knowing Your glories. Please forgive whatever I may have done in madness or in love. I have dishonored You many times, jesting as we relaxed, lay on the same bed, or sat or ate together, sometimes alone and sometimes in front of many friends. O infallible one, please excuse me for all those offenses.

The Lord has shown the universal form to Arjuna and he has shown that everything is part of this universal form. After seeing this universal form, Krsna in front of me isn't an ordinary person. He begins composing beautiful prayers by Arjuna to Krsna. Is everything Krsna? In one way everything is Krsna but it's just a reflection of Krsna - a minute particle of Krsna. Without Krsna the living entity has no existence. Only that way can we become Krsna conscious. He struggles to see Krsna - even in the deity form. 

But, one who is in an exalted position like Arjuna then he know that everything is in Krsna and everything is Krsna. When one wants to give respects, they circle the Lord. Same way Arjuna is paying obeisances from all sides. The best parikrama in this world is performing dandavat parikrama to Govardhan parvat. While he was doing this, he remembers what has he done?

I thought of you as a friend, I rashly addressed you and did all sorts of things. Please excuse me of all these offences. When we think of Krsna that he is all pervading we have awe and reverence. And at the same time brajavasis had so much love for Krsna that they didn't consider Krsna as the supreme Lord. But our situation is we also don't consider him Lord because of our conditioned lives. But for Arjuna - covered by internal potency of Krsna and so he was ok. 

Same example is how mother yashoda sees the entire universe when Krsna opens his mouth. If mother yashoda thinks that Krsna is the Lord, then her relationship ends as then she won't take care of him as her child. The importance of relationsihp is very importance. Relationships in perfection is KC. The entire KC is given so we can learn to cooperate and have loving relationships with the devotees of the world and only when we have a good relationship here only then can we enter into the spiritual realm. 

Hence, we have to become expert in relationship between devotees. This Virat roopa is simple behaving as a ordinary friends to his devotee. This is inconcievable and yet a very sweet aspect of the Lord. Inspite of being so great, yet he becomes a lowly servant of his devotee. That is what we should learn from Krsna.  We should become humble like Krsna. This is the sweetest aspect of Krsna, most loving aspect. If we just meditate on this, it will liberate us. Here is your Viraat rupa and you are showing me Krsna and what have you done to me, you have become my friend and now my saarthi my servant. How loving is my Lord. 

As we are understanding the limitless power of the lord, yet at the same time we should remember that he is the MOST LOVING PERSON in this world. When we get this feeling that KRSNA loves me, then every material thing goes to trash and we become very very satisfied. Children know my parents love me and hence become satisfied when they see their kids.

Hence we should never lose sight of the supremacy and power of the Lord and at the same time we should never lose sight that Krsna LOVES me and only when we have both we get the faith and determination to develop that relationship with Krsna. Through that aspect of love, Krsna is coming to show us mercy and is always reciprocating with us. 

The nature of the Lord is to serve the devotees and the nature of the devotees is to serve Krsna. So there is always a competition to serve each other better. example - Advaita prabhu and Mahaprabhu; Gopis and Krsna, Radha and Krsna - that is the only way we can get joy only by becoming a servant. Because even Krsna wants to become a servant then why are we becoming shy of becoming a servant. When we get initiated we get the title dasa, and that is the officially saying that now we are the servant of Krsna. Krsna is also getting joy from his devotees only by serving his devotees and that is his reciprocation to him.


Why universal form shown to Arjuna? - 
1. Arjuna asked for it.
2. He wanted to solve Arjuna's confusion. He was just an excuse, he wanted to give this BG to the entire human kind and give the entire knowledge to the human race. He is making it more and more clear as he gives these concept to Arjuna. Arjuna is even more excited and wants to see the opulences and form of the Lord (Arjuna requests in 10). Arjuna is only a seeker, and Krsna is the teacher. If Arjuna is asking as a sincere seeker (and a sincere seeker will ask these questions) and on behalf of all of us - Krsna is obliging and showing his mercy to everybody. He is helping Arjuna to gain his conviction and faith in Him.