Q. Ideally we should not think anything while chanting but if we cannot and if we try to remember pastimes of Lord Krishna instead while chanting then is it OK ?

A. The Holy Name, form, qualities and pastimes of the Lord are non-different from Him. It is certainly desirable to remember Lord Krishna’s pastimes while chanting Hare Krishna, but it should be understood that because the holy name of the Lord is absolute in nature, when we chant purely, the pastimes will be automatically revealed to us. Hence, it is better to wait for the pastimes of Lord Krishna to manifest naturally in our hearts rather than try to artificially think about Them.

The proper way to chant Hare Krishna is to focus on the sound vibration in a humble mood – “Trnad api sunicena.” We should try to hear each syllable of the Hare Krishna maha mantra with intense attention. If we are trying to hear currently and are still not able to see Krishna’s pastimes, then we should be patient. We cannot force the holy name to reveal Himself. We should have faith in the Absolute nature of Krishna’s Holy Name and remember that if we are sincere then everything will be revealed to us in due course of time.