Will Performing all Devotional Practices except Chanting give good results?
A devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“hare krishna prabhuji, my mind don’t want to chant even by forcing what to do??? and i don’t feel the importance of holy.. i just don’t know what is the problem but i can do all other seva but can’t chant… i also try in forcing mind for chanting but i fail what to do if i can’t do chanting then what is meaning for my life to live.. pls help me. why i can’t accept the importance of holy name why i am like this why why why???? very rarely i feel for chanting why i can’t chant by force why why help prabhuji pls help and keep my name hidden”
REPLY:
Omission of chanting occasionally is natural during the initial stage. But, One should try sincerely to rectify. That is the need. Devotional Practices except Chanting are truly incomplete.
Don’t worry. This is natural for all devotees who have started to chant. The fact that you are feeling for that itself is nice and you can come up in Krishna Consciousness in future.
In chanting, there are several stages to attain perfection. In the initial stage, there will be aparath, ie, offenses. We may chant thinking of any other things. Or, we may even chant without full belief in chanting. We may perform chanting and also involve in prohibited acts. These are all natural during initial days.
(THREE STAGES OF ATTAINING PERFECTION IN CHANTING! READ HERE!)
So, without getting upset, continue your chanting. Pray to the Lord to engage you in chanting offenselessly. Whenever you chant, you may keep a picture of Lord and chant on seeing that for more focus during initial stage. Or, keep Krishna’s lilas in mind while chanting.
If one goes to a movie of his favourite star, he does not divert his attention away from the screen. Why? Because, he likes that movie much and he feels that he is deriving some pleasure from that movie. So, he shows more interest in that movie.
So, if we consider Krishna as our most preferred person, we will show the same attention and taste in chanting also. The pleasure given by that movie is short lived. If you go out of the theatre, that pleasure will vanish. Whereas, the pleasure, ie, the bliss given by Krishna is eternal, ie, it does not stop when we leave this body, and it continues till you reach Goloka and beyond.
WHY SHOULD ONE CONSIDER CHANTING AS THE PREFERRED PRACTICE?
Chanting is the primary sadhana in kaliyuga recommended by ALL the scriptures and the acharyas to get connected to Lord. If you start chanting, remember, you are imediately connected to Krishna. Krishna starts to enjoy your chanting. Then, remember how attentively and TASTEFULLY you should chant to please Lord Krishna.
If you believe BEYOND DOUBTS that chanting takes you to Lord, you will show much interest in it and you will not consider all other Devotional Practices except Chanting will serve the purpose. But, usually, the people shows much interest in the immediate benefits and pleasures that are available materially. Though they know that they are temporary, they are attracted by them and hence they allow their attention to be diverted.
(How to avoid Diversions and Yawning while chanting? READ HERE!)
So, FIRMLY believe that chanting will take you to the Lord Krishna. If you chant with this total faith, you will show taste in chanting and you will not skip it, but you will really enjoy chanting.
Total faith in the process is important if you like to enjoy that process.
SPARE ATLEAST ONE TENTH OF YOUR DAILY TIME FOR KRISHNA
We have seen many devotees rushing to complete the rounds of Japa. When we rush to complete, we can not show our love for Krishna.
When we work for our beloved people, we usually show so much of care and attention so that we would like to satisfy our beloved.
Similarly, when we truly love Krishna, we will make atleast 2 hours a day available for chanting His Holy names.
Out of 24 hours a day, if we say that we have no time or initiative to chant, that means, we are not ready to spare even 8% or One Tenth of our daily time for Krishna.
Without Krishna’s grace, we are not here as human beings now. This birth has been given for us to give an opportunity to show our love for Krishna and consider Krishna as our ONLY goal of life.
People had to perform hundreds of years of penances, yagas or temple worships in the previous yugas, if they wanted to get the mercy of Krishna.
(MANTHRAS FOR ALL THE FOUR YUGAS! READ HERE!)
Whereas, in kaliyuga, the Lord has mercifully situated Himself in His Names. The Lord is in the form of His Names in this kaliyuga in which the people has short life span.
In our life of about 70 years, we spend more than two lakh hours for sleeping; 50,000 hours for eating; three lakh hours for earning.
Can’t we spend just 40,000 – 50,000 hours for chanting the Names of our creator Krishna in our whole life?
If we spend this small time for Krishna, it will make all other hours of life to remain in the consciousness about Krishna. So, our activities in these remaining hours will be very responsible and spiritual.
We should not consider chanting just as another duty of life. In fact, it is the real SHOW of love for Krishna.
There can not be still better method to show our love for Krishna in this kaliyuga. We can not satisfy Krishna with any other better methods.
So, spare just One Tenth of your life time for chanting the Lord’s names. Sri Caitanya Maha Prabhu has simplified this by giving us Hare Krishna Maha Manthra.
(Why Sri Caitanya Maha Prabhu said that chanting does not require initiation? READ HERE!)
How to manage 16 rounds chanting in busy work schedules?
Srila Prabhupada has mercifully simplified the process by formulating the proper system of chanting, keeping the level of chanting as 16 rounds a day.
Though Chanting these 16 rounds is difficult for un-initiated devotees, they may start with one, two , three or four rounds and then increase the rounds month by month.
You can easily manage 16 rounds chanting and also your busy job ONLY IF YOU GET UP EARLY IN THE MORNING. If you wake up at 4 am or atleast 4.30 am, you can complete all 16 rounds before 6 or 6.30 am. If you wake up at 5am, you can complete 8 rounds before 6 am. And, you can complete the remaining rounds as 1 or 2 whenever you get gap while doing your duties and even in night/ evening. Find out what are the unwanted works you do every day and stop them. You will find more time to chant.
Chant with a moderate speed of about 7 minutes per a round with utmost love thinking of Krishna within mind, as an exclusive activity.
Do this and see the difference.
MORE ATTACHMENTS – LESS INTEREST IN CHANTING
This is the nature of material pleasures. Your mind will long for material pleasures. After enjoying, the same mind will tell you: “What is in this pleasure? Nothing”. But, after some time, the same mind will again tell: “See … how beautiful feeling it is…” The man again goes for enjoyments. Then, again disappointments.
(How One falls due to attachments as said by Krishna? READ HERE!)
This is what he is doing throughout his life. He does not realize this even when he is about to leave this world. He is looking for some kind of material enjoyments like wine, women, money, fame, etc. He never gets satisfied.
He would like to get atleast a Small Car first. He would get it. He SEEMS to get satisfied and feels proud immediately. After 2-3 months, if his neighbour buys a big sized car, his mind oscillates him again. Why did I purchase a small car? I could have bought a big and costly car.
Thus, he always has some agitations.
So, one should not aim for these material pleasures. These pleasures are short lived. So, all the material pleasures immediately follow pains, ie, distress.
So, aim for the eternal pleasure. It is with Krishna only. Since we are actually athma, we get pleasure only when we interact with Paramathma, Krishna. So, involve in chanting seriously to connect and interact with Krishna. Love Krishna. Work for Krishna. Offer all your activities to Krishna. Consider Krishna as your asylum after this life.
If you follow this, you will be able to enjoy the real bliss in chanting the holy names of Krishna. Reducing your interest in material enjoyments will increase your dedication to chanting to please Krishna.
Try.
In a nutshell, you seem to fear or hesitate to spare long period of 90 minutes or two hours for chanting. Only if you realize that ONLY CHANTING CAN ELEVATE YOU TO KRISHNA, you will give importance for chanting.
(Encouraging Tips for Chanting without Offenses! READ HERE!)
When chanting alone is capable of giving Krishna to us in this kaliyuga, why should we skip it doing many unproductive works throughout the day?
Just think of it and decide to spare atleast One tenth of your daily time for chanting to please Krishna.
Also remember, IF YOU PERFORM ALL OTHER DEVOTIONAL PRACTICES EXCEPT CHANTING, IT WILL NOT ELEVATE YOU IN THIS KALIYUGA.
IF YOU CHANT AS SINCERELY AS POSSIBLE, BUT UNABLE TO PERFORM WELL IN ANY OTHER PRACTICES, THIS CHANTING WILL MAKE YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS TO PERFORM OTHER PRACTICES TOO IN DUE COURSE OF TIME.
This is the balanced view about focusing in all other Devotional Practices except Chanting in this kaliyuga.
Keep this in mind.
(To learn how to properly chant, read THIS POST.)