Chant Anywhere – Story
Chanting should never stop whether clean or not as Caitanya Mahaprabhu (who is the hidden avatar of Lord Krishna in the Kali Yuga) has taught us. Even if you are passing stool and urine – Hare Krishna Hare Krishna – you can still chant.
If anyone takes the Name of Rama, then Shree Hanuman goes to that place.
There was once a person who never had time to chant the Name of the Lord.
Narada Muni went and told him, “Why don’t you chant the Name of the Supreme Lord?”
He answered, “I have no time, I am always busy.” (Hmm doesn’t this rings a bell in many people today) Narada then asked him, “Are you always busy, even at the time of passing stool and urine?”
That person said, “Oh, no, not at that time.”
Narada Muni told him, “Then at that you should chant.”
He replied, “That I can do.”
When he went to pass stool, and he was chanting, “Hare Rama Hare Rama”, Hanuman came at once.
He was upset and thought, “This bogus person is impure, passing urine and stool.”
And he gave him a kick.
Hanuman is so powerful that even if he would kick Ravana, Ravana would fall over. Even Kumbhakarna and Meghnath would not be able to bear his kick. However, when he kicked this person who was chanting Hare Krishna, it was though nothing had been done.
Then Hanuman thought, “This is very wonderful! What happened? I have never seen anything like this. Although he is passing stool and urine and chanting, there is no difficulty or problem.”
He was in amazement. Then, in the evening, when he returned to Rama and knocked on the door, he heard Rama lamenting.
Hanuman entered and asked, “Prabhu, why are you moaning?”
Ramacandra told Hanuman that he had done this to Him.
Hanuman asked, “O Prabhu, how could I have done this?”
Ramacandra said, “You know that Nama and nami are both the same. When that person was passing stool and chanting, ‘Rama Rama Rama’, I went there in his heart. I was in his body. You kicked him, that kick came to My back, and now it has been broken. That is why I am moaning.”
Hanuman then told Ramacandra, “From today I will not ever do this.”
Shree Caitanya Mahaprabhu did it as well. In the Caitanya Caritamrita there’s an incident. Shree Caitanya Mahaprabhu once went to pass stool, and Gopala-guru was carrying water. Mahaprabhu caught hold of His tongue very tightly, and Gopal-guru, like a boy, asked, “Prabhu, why are you doing like so?” Mahaprabhu told him that His tongue was out of control. “When I am going to pass stool, this chanting of ‘Hare Krishna Hare Krishna’ will not stop. I want to stop, but it never stops. So I am doing like this.” Gopala-guru told Mahaprabhu, “If anyone is going to die, and stool and urine are coming uncontrollably, should he not chant? I think it is better to chant.”
Mahaprabhu said, “Oh, you are not only Gopala. You are Gopala-guru.” He left His tongue and began to chant.
Anyone can do this. Here Mahaprabhu is telling that there are no rules and regulations. It is not that you should only chant in a certain way. It is not that you cannot chant sitting on a bed or walking. You can remember the Name, you can chant it, you can sing it – in any way you can do it.