Anybody can Chant Hare-Krishna!

[Govindaram]

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivendata Srila Prabhupada on chanting Hare-Krishna:

 

<font color="green"> Srimad Bhagavatam 6.2.11 Allahabad, January 16, 1971

</font color> All right. So anyone, if you have got doubt you can clear it. Now you can try to understand how powerful is this pure chanting of Hare Krsna mantra. Offenseless chanting of Hare Krsna mantra means you remain liberated always. Offenseless chanting, <font color="red"> once chanting is sufficient </font color> . But because we are not offenseless, therefore we have to make a regulated program that we must chant Hare Krsna so many times. Otherwise one chanting of Krsna is sufficient to make you liberated, one chant, "Krsna", "Rama", once, that's all, sufficient. Just like this Ajamila. Once he chanted Narayana. He became immediately liberated because he was offenseless. But because we cannot do that, therefore we have to make a prescription. Just like a child who cannot write very good hand. He is asked that "You write so many pages". By writing, writing, writing, writing, writing, he writes good hand. <font color="red"> So we should not neglect </font color> . Chanting, chanting, chanting... Another... This is one side. Another side is when you become liberated the chanting will give you transcendental pleasure so that you cannot cease. You cannot cease chanting. That is another side. That is liberated stage, just like Rupa Goswami, Haridasa Thakura. You cannot imitate Haridasa Thakura but you must make a prescribed form that "I must chant so many times". That is for conditioned soul. When you are liberated, then there is no need of giving you direction. You'll feel transcendental pleasure by chanting. You cannot cease.

 

<font color="green"> Srimad Bhagavatam 6.2.49 Purport</font color>

In the Sastras it is said that if one chants the holy name of the Lord even once, the reactions of past, present or future sinful life do not affect him. To give another example, if one extracts the poison fangs of a serpent, this saves the serpent's future victims from poisonous effects, even if the serpent bites repeatedly. Similarly, if a devotee chants the holy name even once inoffensively, this protects him eternally. <font color="red"> He need only wait for the results of the chanting to mature in due course of time. </font color>

 

<font color="green">Srimad Bhagavatam 6.2.9-10 Allahabad, January 15, 1971 </font color>

So the first stage of chanting Hare Krsna mantra is full of offenses. <font color="red"> But if one sticks to the principle </font color> ... Therefore we have to chant regularly sixteen rounds at least. So even there are offenses, by simply chanting and being repentant that "I have committed this offense unnecessarily or without knowledge", so simply be repentant and go on chanting. <font color="red"> Then the stage will come </font color> . It is called namabhasa. That is offenseless, when there is no more offenses. That is called namabhasa. At namabhasa stage one becomes liberated immediately. And when one is liberated, if he goes on chanting-naturally he will go on chanting-then his love of Krsna becomes manifest. These are the three stages of chanting: chanting with offense, chanting as a liberated person and chanting in love of God.

 

<font color="green"> Srimad Bhagavatam 6.1.41-42 Surat, December 23, 1970 </font color>

<font color="red"> So by chanting, if you practice chanting, even though in the beginning it is full of offenses, but if you continue chanting... Therefore we say that "You must chant so many times". So even there are offenses, by chanting, chanting, chanting, chanting, he will be purified. </font color>