Category Archives: Chanting

Arjuna never forgets Krishna

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Arjuna was also a pure devotee, but he never chanted neither did Krishna asked him to do so. So why do you stress so much on the same?

Chanting the name of Krishna means to constantly remember Him. Although it may appear that Arjuna was not chanting like we chant on the beads, he was calling Him in great eagerness by different names like ‘O Yadava, O Keshava, O Madhava’. This is certainly a sign of great advancement. He was put in such an  awkward situation by the will of Krishna that he had no other choice but to call out in great desperation.

The dealings between Arjuna and Krishna were under Krishna’s internal energy, however we are affected by Krishna’s external energy. In the beginning we do not have taste for the Holy Name, therefore we are asked to chant in a prescribed way. Therefore we stress on chanting so that we come to higher level, wherein we are able to chant in great eagerness.

‘Maya’ attack

Chanting

When we chant the Mahamantra we are taking the names of Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna. Then why are we disturbed by Mayadevi?

 

The transcendental sound vibration ‘Hare Krishna’ is non-different than Krishna Himself. When we are chanting, Krishna is personally present on the tongue, however because we do not have taste for the Holy Name, we are not able to relish it. Also because of inability to focus on the Holy Name it wanders from one sense object to another. It is said that the Holy Name Krishna is like the sun and forgetfulness of Krishna is like darkness. As soon as we remember Krishna we are in bright sunlight and as soon as we forget Krishna, we are in darkness. Being disturbed by Mayadevi means we are simply forgetting Krishna. Therefore it is said that ‘Always remember Krishna’ and ‘Never forget Krishna’. Therefore in the conditioned state it is natural to forget Krishna and disturbed by Mayadevi, however when one is liberated by constantly chanting Hare Krishna, one shall be able to experience transcendental happiness at every step.

Bead bag mystery!

Chanting

Chanting is recommended in every religion. Why do devotees in ISKCON hide their beads while chanting?

Chanting beads are very sacred and their sanctity should be preserved. While chanting, beads should not be touching ground or our feet. If they are kept open, they are likely to become more dirty. To avoid these circumstances we use bead bag.

Meaning of Mahamantra

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Would you please explain in detail the meaning of Mahamantra?

In our modern age, the most recommended process to awaken our spiritual life is to chant the Hare Krishna mahamantra,

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

The word Krishna is a name of God meaning “the all-attractive one,” Rama means “the all-pleasing one,” and Hare is an invocation to Hara, Krishna’s internal spiritual energy.
Thus the Hare Krishna mantra is a prayer to the Lord and His energy for the privilege of engaging in His service. If we regularly hear and chant this sound vibration, we will become pure, enlightened, and awake to our eternal life of bliss and knowledge in the service of the Lord.

Meaning of Hare Krishna

Chanting, General, Practices In ISKCON, , ,

What does Hare Krishna mean?

“Hare Krishna” refers to the Sanskrit prayer we sing (the Maha-mantra, or “great chant for deliverance”) and to our group. Since we are often seen chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, we are referred to as the “Hare Krishnas.”
Srila Prabhupada came to the United States from India in 1965 to introduce the Western world to bhakti-yoga, which features the chanting of Hare Krishna as its main spiritual practice. Prabhupada represents a lineage of teachers dating back into antiquity, but which was revitalized 500 years ago by the incarnation of God named Lord Chaitanya.
The voluminous Vedic scriptures of India contain everything we need to know about how to live happily in the world while we realize our spirituality and our relationship with God. These scriptures describe many methods of spiritual attainment, but they specifically recommend the chanting of Hare Krishna as the most effective method of God realization for the time we live in.
Since God is unlimited, He has unlimited names, with different purposes and meanings. The purpose of the Hare Krishna prayer is to awaken us to our eternal nature as servants and lovers of Krishna.
The Hare Krishna mantra is composed of three Sanskrit words: Krishna, Rama and Hare. Krsna and Rama are both names for God. Krishna means “the all-attractive,” and Rama means “the supreme pleasure.” We can approach the all-attractive Supreme Lord, and experience the supreme pleasure of His company, through the help of His devotional or pleasure energy, Hare.
Placed together the words of the prayer mean “O Lord, O energy of the Lord, please engage me in Your loving service.” By chanting Hare Krishna we become purified of material conditioning and become reinstated in our normal eternal position.

Is Dattatraya God?

Chanting

Whether Dattatraya is God and whether we can chant His name?

1. Whether any entity is to be accepted as God or His incarnation is not the matter of anyone’s personal opinion, faith or desire. But it is to be learnt from authorized sources i.e.
a) firstly from authorized scriptures, and
b) from message imparted by bonafide representatives of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in disciplic succession.

2. Srimad Bhagavatam (1.3.28) contains following verse regarding the source of all incarnations of the Lord.

ete camsa-kalah pumsah
krsnas tu bhagavan svayam
indrari-vyakulam lokam
mrdayanti yuge yuge

(All the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Shri Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead. All of them appear on planets whenever there is a disturbance created by the atheists. The Lord incarnates to protect the theists.)

Srila Prabhupada has specified in the purport of this verse that all the incarnations of the Lord, including the Lord Himself, descend on the different planets of the material world as also in different species of life, ‘To fulfill particular missions’.

Originally the Lord is full of
1) all opulences,
2) all prowess,
3) all fame,
4) all beauty,
5) all knowledge, and
6) all renunciation.

When they are partly manifested through the plenary portions or parts of the plenary portions, it should be noted that certain manifestations of His different powers are required for those particular functions.
Dattatraya, Matsya, Kumara and Kapila exhibited transcendental knowledge.

3. Srimad Bhagavatam (1.3.11) specifies about incarnation of Lord as Lord Dattatraya in following verse,

sastham atrer apatyatvam
vrtah prapto ’nasuyaya
anviksikim alarkaya
prahladadibhya ucivan

(The sixth incarnation of the purusa was the son of the sage Atri. He was born from the womb of Anasuya, who prayed for an incarnation. He spoke on the subject of transcendence to Alarka, Prahlada and others (Yadu, Haihaya etc)).

Srila Prabhupada mentions in the purport that the Lord incarnated Himself as Dattatraya, the son of Rsi Atri and Anasuya. The history of the birth of Dattatraya as an incarnation of the Lord is mentioned in the Brahmanda Purana in connection with story of a devoted wife. It is said there that Anasuya, the wife of Rsi Atri prayed before the lords Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva as follows: “My lords, if you are pleased with me, and if you desire me to ask from you some sort of blessings, then I pray that you combine together to become my son.” This was accepted by the lords, and as Dattatraya, the Lord expounded the philosophy of the spirit soul and especially instructed Alarka, Prahlada, Yadu, Haihaya, etc.

4. Accordingly these above mentioned references show that Lord Dattatraya is an incarnation of the Lord and as He is a partial expansion of the Supreme Lord Vishnu, His Holy Name can be chanted as well in order to get His causeless mercy and to learn transcendental knowledge under His guidance. However in this age of Kali, the chanting of Hare Krishna Mahamantra is recommended which includes prayers to all other incarnations.

Hare Krishna Mahamantra

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

Rama or Ram!

Chanting

Q. In the mahamantra can you please explain to me why do people pronounce Rama instead of Ram?

A. Usually people do not pronounce it deliberately. Sometimes when they are intensely chanting then they may be chanting Rama in stead of Ram. However Lord is pleased by the endeavor of His devotees. It is said that chanting should be like a crying of a child for its mother.
Yes, when they are performing kirtan, it is many times pronounced as Rama. However if someone is doing it for the pleasure of the Lord then it is alright. If someone is pronouncing it to make a show then Lord is not at all pleased with that.

Chanting while driving

Chanting

Q. I have to go to office on bike. It takes two hours. So can we chant on bike by counting on hands or beads?

A. It would be completely unsafe both materially and spiritually, especially if you are chanting your prescribed number of rounds while riding on the bike. The principle is kirtaniya sada hari – to always chant the names of Hari. But it is advisable not to chant on the bike considering the condition of roads and the traffic.

Technique to chant progressively

Chanting

Q. Is it necessary to chant a minimum of 16 rounds to please Lord Krishna or he gets pleased even if we chant less than 16 rounds as I am finding it very difficult to chant 16 rounds.

A. In the beginning one finds it difficult to chant more than a couple of rounds daily. However you can set a quota of chanting a certain number of rounds daily, even if only one or two. Once having set that quota, please try never to go below it.

The Krishna consciousness movement prescribes sixteen rounds daily because people in this age cannot concentrate for long periods while chanting on beads. Therefore the minimum number of rounds is prescribed, but in the highest stages pure devotees chant the holy names constantly, day and night, in the profound ecstasy of love of God and they never find it difficult.

Best time for chanting

Chanting

Q. Please tell me the best time for doing chanting meditation.

A. The best time for japa is in the early morning hours, when the atmosphere is still quiet and the mind is not yet preoccupied with daily activities. If that is not possible, any time will do. Simply repeat the mahamantra “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare” softly but distinctly. You should pronounce the mahamantra in such a way that you can hear it clearly.