The Gayatri & Hare Krsna Mantras

October 19, 2009

Heartfelt Activities- Spiritual Growth

Hare Krsna dear devotees. It's very nice to be with you again talking about japa meditation, such an amazing topic that makes us more focused in our spiritual growth.We have many concerns or maybe goals in our lives, some of us want more knowledge in order to understand the Supreme, others want material development, physical and healthy balance and also the control of the senses and behavior. If we make sure all these pillars are ok in our lives we will have better chanting.

On the other hand, if we don't have any of these areas well developed we still can achieve any of them by chanting properly because Krsna always sees our efforts to depend on Him. The Lord knows what we need to develop a better spiritual life, He knows we need to have nice prasadam, a good quality life and our health needs to be strong so we can serve Him much better.

Being concerned about that is making our body a temple to accept Krsna and when we think like this we treat ourselves well in all aspects.We feed our thoughts and mind with good and healthy things like engaging in service, associating with devotees, sharing our problems and achievements with them and dedicating our efforts to focus on our goals aligned with Guru and Krsna's desire. Faith that the holy names and spiritual life can supply our needs is difficult because we think material and spiritual life are apart but when we engage everything in service they become spiritualised and purified.

Taking care of our physical body helps us in service and to have a better and focused japa, eating properly, having a mental cleaning. Sometimes we think about so many things that affect our life in a negative way and working on patience and dependance on the Lord brings us peacefulness and strength to solve all obstacles to achieve our spiritual aims. Being positive and trusting our japa will fulfill our life with everything we need, this takes some responsability and practice but when we see the results we become even more dependant on the names.

It's common for us complaining more than being grateful, criticizing more than forgiving but when we decide to change because these feelings don't match our spiritual desires we learn it maybe through the hard way but we do.

It's only a matter of exercising - I challenge you to start exercising this, train your mind to follow your guidelines...chanting at a certain time everyday, eating properly, taking some physical exercise, avoiding negative thoughts and complaints. Always see the good side of each bad thing, which is not always bad but the good for us to lear....see a lesson and opportunity to grow with every situation and this will lead you to a mature and focused spiritual growth that will make every single devotional activity sound deep and efficient.

Remember to use your heart, feelings and emotions when you chant so they will stick to your mind and soul everyday you do it.your servant,Aruna devi

The Gayatri & Hare Krsna Mantras

The Hare Krsna Maha mantra has three aspects:(1) Concentration or meditation upon it(2) Kirtan or chanting(3) Sankirtan or chanting in the congregation of devoteesThe Gayatri mantra is only for meditating upon and never recommended to be chanted. Lord Brahma got the whole meaning of the Vedas revealed in his heart by meditating upon the Gayatri mantra. That is why Gayatri mantra is called Veda-mata or mother of the Vedas .

By accepting the Gayatri mantra from a bonafide Guru one becomes a Brahmana, while by getting the Hare Krsna mantra from a bonafide Guru one becomes a Vaisnava. Just as a Vaisnava is much more exalted than a Brahmana, similarly the Hare Krsna mantra is much more potent than the Gayatri mantra .

The question may arise why then did Srila Prabhupada introduce the Brahman initiation system to create new Brahmanas in ISKCON. There are two reasons behind it.Firstly, by meditating upon the Gayatri mantra, the deeper meaning of the Hare Krsna mantra gets revealed in one's heart, in due course of time, as by this process of concentration during Japa increases.

Secondly, according to the Vaidhi Bhakti system, Deity worship in the temple or at home can be performed only by a qualified Brahmana. So new Brahmanas must be created to continue temple worship .One may argue that Vaisnavas are in the bhava-bhakti stage which is much higher than the vaidhi-bhakti stage and in the bhava-bhakti stage there is no discrimination between a Brahmana or a Sudra or anything else. Even Mahaprabhu has said:

Kiba Bipro kiba Nyasi Shudra kene noyJei Krsna tattva-bettva sei Guru hoyMeaning that whoever is qualified in Krsna cosciousness is fit to be a Guru irrespective of his being a Brahmana, Sannyasi or a Sudra . In other words Mahaprabhu made the caste system redundant. We have to understand what Mahaprabhu has said is meant for the bhava-bhakti stage only because He Himself observed vaidhi-bhakti principles while performing temple worship.

In order to go to the bhava-bhakti stage we have to go through the vaidhi-bhakti stage, and in the vaidhi-bhakti stage Varnasrama Dharma is applicable.For example an aircraft needs a runway on the ground to be airbourne, but once in the air it does not need the runway. The vaidhi-bhakti stage is like the runway and bhava-bhati stage is like the airbourne state of an aircraft.

However, for mass preaching, even greatly exalted devotees who are normally in the bhava-bhakti stage (like Srila Prabhupada) had to come down to the vaidhi-bhakti platform and observe the vaidhi-bhakti principles for temple worship etc.

Therefore vaidhi-bhakti system and the Varnasrama Dharma cannot be totally dispensed with. Srila Prabhupada understood this and hence he tried to create more qualified Brahmanas by proper education, training and initiation .

This is my understanding and I am ready to hear comments and stand corrected if found wrong by other devotees.Arunava Mukerji(Arun Krsna Das)

-- At the present moment our minds are polluted with the dirt accumulated over millions and millions of lifetimes of sense gratification. Even though our original pure nature is eternal, full of knowledge, and full of bliss, due to our mental contamination we are presently suffering in the realm of temporality, ignorance, and misery. By the purificatory process of chanting the holy names of God we can revive our original, pure nature and thus relish the sweetest happiness at every minute.

Chant:Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare HareHare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare