Is the mahamantra alive?

[jayaisvara]

While I was chanting, and actually trying to hear what I am chanting, I had this momentary feeling as if the name Krsna and Rama, but mostly Krsna, was alive. It is almost as if, the mantra was alive in its own. It was strange feeling, and I want to ask if anyone here had anything similiar to such things?

[vanamali]

Sometimes I feel as if the Name Krishna has a taste. It seems to have mass... feels like tasting Krishna.

 

If it feels alive to you, that's great! Keep going!

[theist]

Surely the mantra must be alive and with taste. Afterall it IS Radha/Krsna, the source of all life.

[jayaisvara]

Yes, whenever I say Krsna, Krsna, Krsna, there is this something I cant figure out, but surely its a taste for the name. Sometimes its there, sometimes not. Also, Ram, Ram, Ram, is quite peaceful to say. But my attention span is so very short. You know, when I felt that mystical feeling, I remembered one of the Goswamin's statement, where He mentions that He wished He had thousands of mouths and ears to chant and hear. He is such an elevated devotee, how much nectar must there be? Unimaginable.

[Guest guest]

i am chanting since 1982

 

i do not feel anything.. for me it is only a hard job to do everyday

 

i remember only two times when i imagined to feel some happiness... the first time i bathed my head in radhakunda and one time, in narasimha jayanti, being with one friend of mine lonely in the temple and havin bhajan

 

please bless me.....

[vanamali]

You are the best of all of us. Faithfully following Krishna to the end.

 

Surely He loves you most of all.

 

Jaya Sri Krishna!!!!

[theist]

 

am chanting since 1982

 

i do not feel anything.. for me it is only a hard job to do everyday

 

i remember only two times when i imagined to feel some happiness... the first time i bathed my head in radhakunda and one time, in narasimha jayanti, being with one friend of mine lonely in the temple and havin bhajan

 

 

Sorry, but I doubt this or else you would have quit long ago.

[vanamali]

Has blessed you with great faith, and you don't even realize you have it. You are a real devotee. I take the dust of your feet on my head.

 

Sincerely,

Vanamali

[jayaisvara]

You are the most fortunate. You are so devoted, and since 1982! I agree with Vanamali, I will be also fortunate to have the dust of your lotus feet on my head one day if I become fortunate enough.

[krsna]

 

 

The Holy Name is Everything

 

by

 

Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja

 

ataeva näma mätra vaiñëavera dharma

näme prasphuöita haya rüpa, guëa, karma

 

Chanting the holy name is the prime religious activity

of a vaiñëava. From the holy name gradually blossom

the Lord’s form, qualities and pastimes.1

 

kåñëa-näma cintämaëi anädi cinmaya

yei kåñëa, sei näma—eka-tattva haya

 

Lord Krishna’s name is like an eternal and transcendental

touchstone. Krishna and His name are identical;

They are one and the same absolute truth.2

 

nämera smaraëa ära näma-sankértana

ei mätra dharma jéva karibe pälana 3

 

This is the only dharma in Kali-yuga: chanting

the holy name and thinking of the holy name.

Only this. This is the one dharma the jivas in Kaliyuga

should perform. In all the Vedas it has been

said, harinama-sara, the holy name is the essence.

 

hare nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam

kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha

 

In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only

means of deliverance is the chanting of the Holy

Names of the Lord. There is no other way. There

is no other way. There is no other way.

 

Päibe paramä préti änanda apära —

 

by chanting this Holy name of Krishna:

 

hare kåñëa hare kåñëa, kåñëa kåñëa hare hare

hare räma hare räma, räma räma hare hare

 

you’ll get extreme pleasure, supreme pleasure.

veda punaù bale,

 

“yata mukti mahäjana

paravyome sadä kare näma-saàkértana

 

Again the Vedas say that all the liberated mahäjanas,

always chant Hare Krishna in the spiritual sky.

 

Yei krsna, sei nama — eka-tattva haya — there is no

difference between the name of Krishna and Krishna

Himself — ‘bhinnatvän näma-näminoù. Cintamani

means desire. Whatever you desire the name will

give you. Krsna-nama cintamani anadi cinmaya — the

holy name is spiritual, transcendental, and without

beginning or end — anadir adir govinda sarva-kara-akaranam.

 

There is no difference between the name

of Krishna and Krishna Himself, and especially in

Kali yuga ,Krishna has incarnated Himself in the form

of his holy name. No other incarnation is there in

Kali-yuga. He is näma-avatära.

 

kali-käle näma-rüpe kåñëa-avatära

näma haite haya sarva-jagat-nistära

 

In this Age of Kali, the holy name of the Lord, the

Hare Krishna mahä-mantra, is the incarnation of

Lord Krishna. Simply by chanting the holy name

one associates with the Lord directly. Anyone who

does this is certainly delivered.

 

näma vinu kali-käle nähi ära dharma

sarva-mantra-sära näma, ei çästra-marma

 

In this Age of Kali there is no religious principle

other than the chanting of the holy name, which

is the essence of all Vedic hymns. This is the purport

of all scriptures.

 

A vaisnava chants only one name. He has only

one dharma, which is hari-näma. If you chant

the holy name without offense — in other words,

the pure name — then the all-beautiful form of

Krishna, the transcendental pastimes of

Krishna, and the attributes of Krishna — everything

will be manifested to you.

 

Näme prasphuöita haya rüpa, guëa, karma.

 

The name is everything! The name is everything!

 

 

[Guest guest]

if you dont feell nothing with the chanting you are a etter devote?

dont understand!

[jayaisvara]

It is said in the scriptures that as one advances, he feels that he has no taste for the holy name as Sri Chaitanya sings, or he feels he is not advancing. Therefore, of course I didn't understand this before, also I don't understand fully now, but since the scripture says it is, it is. It is of some high high platform.

[vanamali]

I mean, I feel something when chanting, so I love to chant. Otherwise I think I might have given up long ago. But I admire this person for continuing even though he doesn't "feel anything" because he really believes that Sri Krishna will come for Him if he keeps chanting.

 

Of course, I don' know if I believe that he really doesn't feel anything /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

It's not that feeling nothing is better! It's not that feeling something is better! How do we know what is better? It is very subjective for us! I don't know, I just feel some admiration for all you devotees, whether you feel something or not you should not feel bad or that you are not a good devotee. Either way, as long as you are always thinking about Krishna, you will be OK in the end!!

 

Love you all!

~Vanamali

[shambu]

One time it was ALMOST like I saw a Little Blue Boy (Krsna) coming out of the mouth of my Gurudeva while he was chanting the Hare Krsna mantra in front of the Deities during mangala-arati. But I never experienced anything similar while chanting Hare Krsna myself. Practically after many years I still don't know what chanting really is, and almost gave it up. I just can't force myself to sit and chant. Someone said that: "From quantity comes quality." In other words, even if you have no taste, if you FORCE yourself to chant a particular (rather high) number of rounds, automatically taste will come. But I just can't force myself. My point was that actually only quality matters in regards to chanting. Better chant 4 rounds with some taste, than 16, 24, 32, or 64 without any. And how can someone chant so many rounds without even a little taste? It is not possible in my opinion.

[vanamali]

If people chant high numbers with faith that Krishna will come through for them because of that, that is good enough for Krishna!

 

If you only say the name "Krishna" once with your heart overflowing with bliss, that is good enough for Krishna too!

 

Krishna is a nice Guy, people! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Raghavan]

When we try to sit and chant, sometimes its difficult even to concentrate. The best way to train ourselves is keep chanting from the time you wake up and while performing your day to day activities. If you have time to sit and chant only for one round, just do it and rest of the day, while keep doing our regular work also we can keep chanting. This is what I do as my profession does not permit me to sit and chant so many rounds. Actually I never sit and chant with the beads, but calling Govinda all the time even in sleep and He stays with me all the time. So its the devotion that matters and that comes automatically as long as we are able to chant His name all through the day and night irrespective of our activities... Actually I felt Sree Krishna comes much faster when I address Him as Govinda. To me even if the telephone rings, I hear it as Govinda Govinda....

[vanamali]

YES- I can tell you from experience, this is the hidden treasure Krishna has showed me in life and Raghavan knows this secret too.

 

Call Him GOVINDA and He comes very quickly! /images/graemlins/smile.gif Just like at Tirumala calling on Venkateshwara... GOVINDAAA GOOOVINDA!!

[vanamali]

satyam gnanamanantam nityamanaakaasam paramaakaasam

goshThapraangaNaringkhaNalolamanaayaasam paramaayaasam

maayaakalpitanaanaakaaram bhuvanaakaaram

kshmaamaa naathamanaatham praNamata GOVINDAM PARAMAANANDAM!!!

[krsna]

[Srijiva]

We had the fortune to have Prahladananda Swami give Srimad Bhagavatam class this moring. He touched on what process we should be going thruogh when we chant.

 

first we are learning to actually chant Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare learning to pronounce it correctly and not come up with shortcut mantras of our own.

 

then we learn that we are actually chanting to someone..a person, To Krsna...

 

then we learn that we are chanting to Krishna with love.

 

This is not a direct quote, wish I had recorded it. It blew me away. I usually speed thru my rounds. I am going to try and slow it down abit so I am not chanting hare-shik-shik-a-rama-rama-kitty-here-

kitty-here-kitty-kitty-hurry-quick-quick like I fear I might be doing. I read it was suggested a round should take about 7-8 minutes. that is quite abit of a difference from 4 1/2 minutes that it usually takes me.

[jayaisvara]

I have a question that is puzzling me with regards to the purport to the Hare Krsna mantra. Swami Prabhupada says,

 

 

"Chanting from the lips of nondevotees should be avoided, as much as, milk touched by the lips of a serpent causes poisonous effects"

 

 

 

Who exactly is Swami Prabhupada referring to when he says "nondevotees"?

[theist]

Some teach the chanting of Hare Krsna as a means to merge into the impersonal Brahman.

 

Someone else may teach the mantra as a means to attain heaven.

 

This type of chanting should be avoided because their chanting is not infused with bhakti-shakti.

 

Same with the professional chanting from movie productions or people who chant just as a means to earn a livlihood.

 

Some times devotees will go to some mayavadi group and really appreciate their bhajana or kirtana because "they have such a nice chanting style" or something. But we are advised to hear the chanting of the Lord's pure devotees instead even if the chanting comes from a raspy voice and out of tune.

[jayaisvara]

/images/graemlins/smile.gif