What Is The Best Situation In Which to Chant the Maha-Mantra?

[Shivam]

What should the proper scenario be?

 

Hare Krishna

[Guest guest]

 

What should the proper scenario be?

 

Hare Krishna

 

A quiet isolated park is good. Underneath a tree with your back supported by the trunk. Murmuring the Holy Name quietly not distracting others.

[vrajavasi]

Radhe krishna,

 

Aum shanthi, Radhe Krishna,

 

Very nice. If it is practiced this way sincerely for long, at one stage you would find the manthra being repeated at a corner of your mind even if you engage in your official or household duties.

 

Radhe Krishna

[aashish108]

 

Murmuring the Holy Name quietly not distracting others.

 

You should be chanting aloud so that everyone else can hear the holy names and thus be delivered.

[shuvo]

You should chant the maha-mantra either in your mind or loudly and keep Lord Krishna in your mind when chanting the maha-mantra.

[roy_utpol]

When your mind is very relaxed and calm then it is best to to chant the maha mantra. but always you try to chant at the morning or evening periods. Keep lord krsna in mind when you chant.Chant regularly

 

hare krsna...

 

[narayani]

Hare Krsna,

One can chant anywhere and everywhere, however, it seems your question is refering to japa meditation? Srila Prabhupada describes japa as a form of tapas or yajna (sacriface). It should be done in a serious frame of mind. A quiet, peaceful place with minimal distractions. You can sit and chant or go on a "japa walk." One is trying to purify the soul by chanting so there are 10 offenses to be avoided while chanting. Srila Prabhupada describes them:

 

Revatinandana: "The ten offenses to avoid in chanting the maha-mantra. The first is blaspheming the Lord's devotee." Just read them?

 

Prabhupada: Yes.

 

Revatinandana: "Second, considering the Lord and other demigods on the same level."

 

Prabhupada: This is very important point, blaspheming the devotees. The Lord's devotee, in many countries, many places... Just like Lord Jesus Christ, he's also devotee of Lord. Muhammad, he's also devotee of Lord. So it is not that because we are Krsna conscious, we shall unnecessarily decry any other parts, any other devotee. It may be, according to time, place, and country, the method may be different, but anyone who is preaching devotion to God, he's a devotee of God. So he should never be blasphemed. Yes.

 

Revatinandana: "Two. Considering the Lord and other demigods on the same level."

 

Prabhupada: Yes. One should not put the Supreme Personality of Godhead... Just like the Mayavadi says, "The demigods and God, they are all the same." Because according to them, God has no form, so any form you accept, imagine, as the form of God, it is as good. But that is not the fact. There are demigods and the Supreme God also. So we should not place... Just like demigod, Lord Brahma or Lord Siva, Indra, Candra, they are demigods. So we should not place... In one sense, there is nothing except God, because everything expansion of God. But that does not mean I am equal to God. I am also expansion of God, that's a fact. Just like father and the son. Son is the expansion of father; still, the son is not the father. Don't mistake that. There is no difference between father and son because the same body is expanded as son, but still, the son is not the father. Father is father, son is son. This, I mean to say, variety, the Mayavadi philosophers, they do not understand. Then?

 

Revatinandana: "...or assuming that there are many Gods."

 

Prabhupada: God is one. There cannot be many Gods. If God is not one, there is no meaning of God. God means, according to Vedic definition, asamordhva. Asama means one who has no equal. Nobody is equal to God. And urdhva means nobody is greater than God. God is great. Nobody can be greater than God. Therefore God is one. Nobody is greater, nobody is equal. That means everyone is lower. Then?

 

Revatinandana: "Neglecting the orders of the spiritual master."

 

Prabhupada: Yes. This is one offense. These are offenses. When we accept spiritual master, it is understood that you cannot deny his order. Just like Krsna and Arjuna was talking as friends, but when Arjuna accepted Krsna as spiritual master, he was simply hearing, and whenever there was difficulty to understand, he was questioning. Not that he was equally arguing with Krsna. Before accepting Him, he was arguing. So this is the position. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He said that "My spiritual master found Me a great fool [Cc. Adi 7.71]." Caitanya Mahaprabhu is not a fool, but it is the good qualification of a disciple to remain a fool before the spiritual master. Therefore he'll never, I mean to say, dare to argue or disobey. That is offense. Now, go on. That does not mean that when you cannot understand, you cannot question. Question must be there. That is stated in this Bhagavad-gita, tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya [bg. 4.34]. Your relationship is to know from a spiritual master everything, but you should know that with three things. What is that? First of all you should surrender. You must accept the spiritual master as greater than you. Otherwise what is the use of accepting one spiritual master? Pranipat. Pranipat means surrendering; and pariprasna, and questioning; and seva, and service. There must be two sides, service and surrender, and in the middle there must be question. Otherwise there is no question and answer. Two things must be there: service and surrender. Then answer of question is nice. Yes.

 

Revatinandana: "The fourth offense is minimizing the authority of the Vedas."

 

Prabhupada: Yes. Scriptures, authority of Vedas, they must be accepted. Just like the other day I was explaining, the Veda says the conchshell is pure although it is a bone of an animal. In other places Veda gives you the injunction that bone of an animal is impure. But it says the conchshell is pure. It can be placed before the Deity, it can be used in the Deity room in His service. Now there may be argument, "Oh, this is a bone of an animal. How is that? Contradiction." No. So one should accept the injunction of the Vedas like that. Whenever it says this is impure, it is impure; when it says it is pure, it is pure. Now if there is any doubt, that should be understood by questioning submissively and with service from the spiritual master. The spiritual master is there. Then? But we should always accept the injunction of the scripture as truth. Just like there is a proverb, "Bible truth,Biblical truth." Nobody can deny Bible. This should be the attitude. Bible is also part of Vedas. Therefore Vedic injunction should be accepted as it is, without any interpretation. Just like Bhagavad-gita is Veda. Why Veda? The Supreme Personality of Godhead personally speaking; therefore it is Veda. There is no mistake. One should accept -- no interpretation -- as it is. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gita As It Is. Yes. Go on.

 

Revatinandana: "The fifth offense is interpreting the holy names of God."

 

Prabhupada: Yes. No interpretation in the holy... Just like Krsna, the Mayavadi philosophers may... Just like Gandhi has written, "Pandava means the senses; Kuruksetra means this body; Krsna means the mind." No such nonsense interpretation. Krsna is Krsna. Yes. Go on.

 

Revatinandana: "The sixth offense is committing sin on the strength of chanting."

 

Prabhupada: Yes. Now we have explained the mantra that as soon as one chants Hare Krsna, immediately, bahyabhyantarah sucih, he becomes purified. Now if one takes advantage of this holy name, "Let me commit sins..." Just like sometimes in the Christian church they take advantages that by confessing sin one becomes free from sinful reaction. So go to church and confess, and again come out and do all sorts of sins, and again confess. This sort of (laughs) minimizing is nonsense. It is fact. When you confess before the church, before God, you are free from all sinful action. That's all right. But if you commit again, then next confession will not be accepted. They do not know this. You cannot... Suppose a child has committed some mistake. Father says, "All right, don't do this." If he again does it, there is no excuse. They do not know that. They think, "We shall commit sin and go to church and confess and finish. So let us do this balancing business." Yes. Similarly, don't do this balancing business, that "Because chanting Hare Krsna will wash off all my accounts of sinful activities, so in the morning, from morning to night, let me do all kinds of sinful activities, and at night, at bedtime, let me chant Hare Krsna. Then finish." No. (laughs) Don't do that. Don't do that. That is the greatest offense. Yes. You'll never be forgiven. Those who purposely do like that -- "I have got very nice instrument for washing off my sinful activities. So whole day let me do all sinful activities, and at night let me chant Hare Krsna. Let me meditate. That's all. Finish." -- no. You should note that the name, the holy name has got the power. Now, from this date, you are free from all sinful activities, reaction. But don't do it. That is the greatest offense. Yes.

 

Revatinandana: "The seventh offense is instructing the Lord's name to the unfaithful."

 

Prabhupada: Yes. Those who do not believe in God, atheists, what is the use of...? But not to bother him, but give him the chance of hearing. That will make him competent to come forward. Therefore we are distributing this holy name. Not that everyone will be immediately turned to Krsna consciousness, but we are giving chance. If they hear... You have got practical experience. Somebody's hearing, he's reforming. So we should give chance. But if one is staunch atheist, we should not talk very much with him about Krsna. He may say something against, offensive. Yes. Then?

 

Revatinandana: "The eighth offense is comparing the holy name to material piety."

 

Prabhupada: Yes. And another thing, just like we are holding this ceremony, initiation ceremony. It should not be accepted just we are functioning some ritualistic ceremony. No. It is different from ritualistic ceremony. Although it appears like ritualistic, it is transcendental. Ritualistic ceremony, they are meant for giving you advantage of become pious, from impious life. It also gives that, but this is not the ultimate aim. The ultimate aim is to give you love of God, which is far, far transcendental to the pious and impious activities. That is a different thing that belongs to the spiritual world -- love of God. It is not that it is a function to nullify your sinful activities. That is automatically done. Just like if you get one million dollars, the purpose of ten dollars automatically solved. Similarly, this acceptance of holy name of God will automatically wash off all your sinful reaction. That's a fact. But it is not meant for that purpose. It is meant for higher purpose, to attain to this platform of loving God, rendering transcendental loving service to the Lord. That is the aim. Yes.

 

Revatinandana: "The ninth offense is inattentive while chanting the holy name."

 

Prabhupada: Yes. This is ninth offense. While you chant, you hear also. You don't turn your attention to anything else, mechanically chanting and thinking of something. Thinking of Krsna is all right, but if I think something which is not in Krsna consciousness... Best thing is that I shall chant Hare Krsna and each word I shall hear; then it will be very much effective. Yes.

Revatinandana: "The tenth offense is attachment to material things while engaged in the practice of chanting."

 

Prabhupada: That I explained. This is the disease, aham mameti [sB 5.5.8]. The material disease means I am thinking this body, "I am," and everything belonging to this body or in relationship with the body -- "Mine." This is material disease. So we shall see. By chanting we shall see how much we are making progress, how much I am free from these two concept of life, that "I am this body, and anything belonging to this body is mine." This is the test, how we are becoming free from these two concept of life. If there is still the concept that "I am this body, and anything belonging to this body is mine," then you have to chant very cautiously to make progress. That's all. These ten kinds of offenses you should guard against.

As a beginner, I know I commit these offenses. My mind is so difficult to control, It wanders every which way while I chant, but that doesn't mean I should stop. I just try my best and hope that eventually I will advance to a stage of spontanious enjoyment in the chanting of japa. Hope this helps some.

[Guest guest]

 

You should be chanting aloud so that everyone else can hear the holy names and thus be delivered.

 

This is for kirtana and sankirtana not chanting the holy names. It is improper etiquette to go chanting around aloud everywhere. You don't see Rupa Goswami screaming the holy names while he is chanting in his bhajan kutir so that the whole world can hear him.

 

Here is an instruction from Svetasvatara Upanisad (Chapter II.10)

"In a level clean place, free from pebbles, fire and gravel, favourable to thought by the sound of water and other features, not offensive to the eye, in a hidden retreat protected from the wind, let him perform his excercises (let him practice Yoga)."