{"id":123,"date":"2007-05-07T21:13:43","date_gmt":"2007-05-07T21:13:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/atourcity.com\/bkgoswami.com\/?p=123"},"modified":"2013-10-01T21:15:02","modified_gmt":"2013-10-01T21:15:02","slug":"how-to-chant-nicely","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atourcity.com\/bkgoswami.com\/how-to-chant-nicely\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Chant Nicely"},"content":{"rendered":"

May 7, 2007<\/span><\/p>\n

The names of Krishna are the repository of all happiness. They are the
\ngreatest wealth! If we chant properly, we will not experience material
\nmiseries (spiritual miseries like the feeling of intense separation from
\nKrishna are another thing!).<\/span><\/p>\n

So the question arises as to how we can chant nicely, even if we are not yet
\npure devotees. How can we control the mind? How can we keep ourselves from
\nthinking of a million and one things that we have to do or would like to do?<\/span><\/p>\n

Chanting properly takes practice, but we should approach the practice in a
\npositive fashion. Instead of thinking: “Now I have to control my mind and not
\nthink of other things,” we should be thinking: “Now I will concentrate on
\nKrishna’s names which are non-different from Krishna. By concentrating on
\nKrishna’s names, Krishna will give me all intelligence, and I will love Him
\nmore and more.”<\/span><\/p>\n

In other words when we approach the holy names in a negative fashion (that
\nis what we should not be doing) we often think more about what we should not
\nbe doing than what we should be doing. It is often said that “you can’t do a
\ndon’t”!<\/span><\/p>\n

So, you may ask: “What is your method of chanting and hearing? How can you
\nstay so focused on Krishna’s names?”<\/span><\/p>\n

There are basically two different situations where we are chanting; in
\nkirtana and in Japa, and I approach both differently.<\/span><\/p>\n

As far as kirtan is concerned, it used to really bug me when the person
\nchanting could not keep a tune, or was a bad singer, or was arrhythmic
\n(couldn’t keep a beat). It seemed that I was surrounded by people with these
\nparticular talents! Even I was sent to countries where everyone had those
\ntalents! Then I realized that Krishna had arranged the situation, so I could
\nfully appreciate His names.<\/span><\/p>\n

We know that there are two degrees of the stage of ruci (according to the
\nMadhurya Kadambini). The first degree is when one has a real taste for
\nkirtan when the person leading is expert in singing and the instruments are
\nall in tune and played by experts. The second or higher stage is when one
\nhas a real taste for kirtan regardless of the expertise of the persons
\nleading or accompanying the kirtan (as long as the name is being chanted by
\ndevotees who are following strictly).<\/span><\/p>\n

In order to encourage devotees to come to the higher stage Srila
\nBhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura sometimes would have the worst singer lead
\nkirtan!<\/span><\/p>\n

So, I realized that by the grace of my spiritual master Srila Prabhupada and
\nmy grandfather Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, I was being pushed
\nto come to a higher level of appreciating the holy names.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally I surrendered, and understood that actually the musical
\naccompaniment was just the vehicle in which the holy names arrived, and that
\nI should not be attached to the vehicle. I should be attached to the
\npassenger (Krishna in the form of His names) in the vehicle. So with
\npractice I was able to turn off (not hear) the musical accompaniment and
\nonly hear Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama
\nHare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare!<\/span><\/p>\n

Then every kirtan became extremely relishable. The holy names are amazing.
\nYou will never get enough of Them. You will pray for millions of tongues and
\nmillions of ears to chant and hear!<\/span><\/p>\n

My previous attachment to the vehicle was like someone who was attached to
\nthe dinner plate rather than on the prasadam that was on it. Imagine
\nrejecting tasty prasadam because it was served on a cheap leaf plate rather
\nthan on a silver plate. It doesn’t make sense.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, when I am attending kirtan, I simply hear the Mahamantra and also think of
\nthe meaning of the Mahamantra: how I am begging Radha and Krishna to situate
\nme at Their lotus feet, How I am begging Radha and Krishna for Their mercy,
\nhow I am begging Radha and Krishna to give me compassion, etc. Kirtan
\nbecomes an ecstatic prayer session now regardless of the musical
\naccompaniment.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is also hard for me to relate when someone says something like: “That was
\nan ecstatic kirtan,” which indicates some other kirtan wasn’t ecstatic or
\nthat someone thinks they have to travel hundreds or thousands of miles to
\nexperience an “Ecstatic Kirtan.” Ecstatic Kirtans are there for everyone all
\nthe time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course when we are presenting Krishna consciousness to the public it is
\nimportant that the music accompaniment be really first class. Also, we
\nshould not force the above understanding on those who are not ready to take
\nthat leap. That is part of preaching strategy which is a whole other
\ndiscussion that I will deal with in a future blog.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now as far as Japa is concerned, what I do is sit with my back straight
\n(remember Prabhupada’s Japa recording in which he says; “Sit properly”). I
\nput a pillow under my tucas (sorry I could not think of a better word for it
\nand if you don’t understand this word ask someone who speaks Yiddish) to
\nelevate it above the level of the legs. Usually the legs are on the floor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then I consciously relax every muscle in my body. I relax my mind and focus
\non the sound vibration of Krishna’s names. Also I am conscious of some
\nspecific request I am making of Radha and Krishna as mentioned above in the
\nkirtan section. The request should be in the mood of emotionally begging
\nRadha and Krishna. We should always have a Sankalpa (desire or purpose) when
\nwe chant.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then I just let the Holy Names flow. No forcing. No fighting with the mind.
\nJust the relaxed chanting of Krishna’s names. With the proper desire and
\nunderstanding our mind will naturally be attracted and it will be like
\nswimming in an ocean of nectar. Nothing else will matter and time and space
\nwill dissolve.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course it goes without saying that you be strict about not using your
\njapa period for any other activity. For some devotees japa period is
\nsynonymous with social life time or management time. I do not interrupt my
\njapa unless there is some emergency.<\/span><\/p>\n

One time there was a reporter visiting a Hare Krishna temple. He was
\nattending the full morning program. Afterwards he was sitting with the
\ndevotees explaining his impressions and experience. He said that the first
\nservice of the day (Mangal Aroti) was very beautiful. Also he was very
\nappreciative of Tulasi worship. Then he said that it was very nice that the
\ndevotees had a social break (Japa period)!<\/span><\/p>\n

We don’t want our Japa period to be a social break. We should take it as
\nseriously as if we were leading kirtan and someone wanted to talk to us
\nduring kirtan. Certainly we would not stop the kirtan unless it was an
\nemergency. But, somehow or other the devotees don’t take japa as seriously
\nas they should.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chanting and hearing should be as described in the Bhagavatam: tivrena
\nbhakti-yogena yajeta purusam param (SB 2.3.10)-one should worship the Lord
\n<\/span>with great intensity.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

May 7, 2007 The names of Krishna are the repository of all happiness. They are the greatest wealth! If we chant properly, we will not experience material miseries (spiritual miseries like the feeling of intense separation from Krishna are another thing!). So the question arises as to how we can chant nicely, even if we read more>><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[23,22,13],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atourcity.com\/bkgoswami.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atourcity.com\/bkgoswami.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atourcity.com\/bkgoswami.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atourcity.com\/bkgoswami.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atourcity.com\/bkgoswami.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/atourcity.com\/bkgoswami.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":124,"href":"https:\/\/atourcity.com\/bkgoswami.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123\/revisions\/124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atourcity.com\/bkgoswami.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atourcity.com\/bkgoswami.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atourcity.com\/bkgoswami.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}