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Can one chant Hare Krishna Mahamantra without having a GURU?

Posted by Radhe Goswami on July 23, 2013 at 10:50pm in Krishna

My Dearest and Beloved Devotees,
Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada,

I want to know,

Can one buys Japa Mala and Bead Bag from the market and chant Hare Krishna Mahamantra without having a GURU. Assuming that this person regularly reads GITA, Prabhupada Books, Loves Krishna and knows all 4 regulative principles of Chanting. The person is truly inclined to KC and knows most of the things about KC devotees. Only thing the person has not any GURU right now, later he will do it.

I am eagerly waiting for the reply, Thank you very much in advance.

My best regards ever,

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Replies

  • preety August 5, 2013 at 5:51pm

    Hare Krishna 

    Dandavat Pranam 

    couple of month back , similar question was stumbling me too .Its really a nice learning for me . While searching answer to my query i came across the link shared below . It may relevant to your query  .

    http://www.iskcondesiretree.net/profiles/blogs/even-the-guru-is-not...

    All Glories to Srila Prabhupada !

    All Glories to Dearest Devotees of Lord Krishna !

  • Volunteer
    Mohini Madhavi August 5, 2013 at 1:51pm

    Hare Krishna dear Devotees, please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

    In the initial stage we all chant Nama aparadha because we do not have knowledge of how to chant and what are the offenses. 

    But we have to rise above that up to Nama abhasa then by the mercy of the Lord comes Shudha Nama.

    So Nama abhas means efforts to avoid offenses while chanting. There are main 10 plus one offense.

    And the 3 and 4 are about Guru and Shastras. So it says if one disobeys the orders of the shastras then it is an offense. And shastra says that one should accept a Guru and take initiation and get Mantra from him. 

    So not to have a Guru, Diksha Guru is an offense. So we can chant for millions of life times but if chant Nama aparadha - chant with offenses then Krishna won't be pleased which means we won't achieve love for Him.

    So to accept a bona fide Guru is must if one wants to progress in spiritual life.

    Your servant, 

    • Anurag Sangal > Mohini Madhavi August 5, 2013 at 11:40pm

      Hare Krishna Mata ji, your post is like an eye-opener and bit shocking as I am now realising that I am doing Nama aparadha since the time I started chanting ( almost an year now ) as I don't have a Guru.

      To find and hence accept a bona fide Guru for me seems to be a long journey, so please can yoy help by suggesting how I can avoid Nama aparadha during chanting as I definitely want to continue chanting?

      Your lowest servant

      • Volunteer
        Mohini Madhavi > Anurag Sangal August 6, 2013 at 1:00pm

        http://www.iskcondesiretree.net/profiles/blogs/thought-of-the-day-7...

        So to find out a bona fide guru is not difficult, provided one is bona fide to search out a guru. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, guru-krsna-krpaya paya bhakti-lata-bija [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. By the mercy of guru and Krsna... Because by the mercy of Krsna one gets a bona fide guru, and by the mercy of bona fide guru, one gets Krsna. This is the process. When I am actually serious to have connection with Krsna, Krsna is sitting in everyone's heart. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]. So Krsna can understand. We cannot hide anything from Krsna. That is not possible. Because Krsna is sitting side by side, just like two birds, sitting side by side. One bird is eating the fruit of the tree. Another bird is the witness. That is the Vedic version. So as soon as I become serious to know about Krsna, Krsna can understand, "Now My friend is very serious." So He will find out a bona fide guru for him. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that guru-krsna-krpaya paya bhakti-lata-bija [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. By the, by the double mercy... Krsna's mercy, and guru's mercy. If one is serious, Krsna is satisfied: "Now he's serious about finding out, about knowing Me." Then Krsna gives him direction that "Here is guru, My representative. You take shelter of him and you will get Me." This is the way.

         

        By H.D.G. Srila Prabhupada

        • Volunteer
          Mohini Madhavi > Mohini Madhavi August 6, 2013 at 1:07pm

          without Krishna's mercy we cannot get a true Guru. And without Guru we cannot get Krishna. No chance.

          Because even in spiritual world if there is no recommendation from our Guru Gopis won't accept us into their group. 

          What happens: when we perfect our life in this life in the next life we will take birth from the womb of a Gopi and in the planet where Krishna is having His visible lilas. So we will have our spiritual svarupa first we will be child then grow up to the age which is our original svarupa. If we are manjari then grow up to 4-5 if Gopi then up to 8-10 ...if Gopa also some ages and remain in that age forever. 

          But still we won't meet Krishna and Radha. So when we reach our original age somehow Srimati Radharani with Her friends meets us and asks to whose group we belong - who is our Guru and without recommendation of Guru She won't accept us...

          So because of that to have Guru is very essential.

          And how to find a true Guru? Please read the text by Srila Prabhupada again!

          Your servant,

          • Anurag Sangal > Mohini Madhavi August 6, 2013 at 11:36pm

            many thanks Mata ji for your response.

            Your lowest servant

  • Raman Sharma August 4, 2013 at 12:59am
    HARE KRISHNA.. To all my devotee frnz....
    Guy i want to share my story which is much related to this n hope wud b an xplanation for this...
    Guys i hav been visitin iskon temple near my house since 2009 n started chanting 2nd visit onwards...(all glories to lord krsna) bt jst lyk a dumb n not knowing ny thing y m doin this bt i was so involved in it that i started doin as much as 16 rounds once ...
    Bt being shy i didn't talk to ny1 in these 4 yrs except my lord krishna n radharani ji n jst askin n prayin to them that plzz my lord giv me an opportunity to knw abt u n serve u n radharani i hav been prayin for this since 4 yrs n jst chanting blindly...
    Dis yr in january suddenly by lord's kripa i came to knw dat 2 devotees frm iskon visiting my hostel n providing teaching of krsna conciousness...
    Suddenly sm tears came in my eyes n all over my body goose bumps appears n i thanked a lot to my krishna for this..
    Every thusday they r coming n teaching us n i also got opportunity to serve lord in an event last month in vrindavan akshay patra temple...

    So this is god's lila it is not necessary that u need hav guru for starting chanting ... Lord is lukin everybdy n he will take care f his divotees all the tym.. Wat i think is u shud hav devotion n show u'r interst towards lord he'l take care f u

    Jai shree radha raadhika raman...!!
    HARI HARI BOL..!!
  • VRINDA July 24, 2013 at 2:39pm

    one chant hare krishna mahamantra because shri krishna chaitanya mahaprabhu is so kindthat his has brought this mahamantra for everybody

  • ganesh July 24, 2013 at 9:58am

    Of course yes.

    In fact, if you chant hare Krishna mantra, then only you will get a guru. If you don't chant , no guru will be ready to accept you as a disciple.

    Guru is the pilot of the plane. He will take you to krsna's lotus feet provided you have the passport with stamped visa and all the immigration and custom checks have been done. The harekrishna mantra is the passport and visa. The customs official will make sure that you are not carrying any material desires with you. If you have then you have to throw them and go. (But if you are not following the 4 regulative principle, its like smuggling some illegal item and you will be send to police ie:-Yamraj.) So mantra, guru and regulative principles all are required + material desires are not allowed as baggage when you board the plane to Goloka.

     

    Haribol

    • Ashish Jalan > ganesh August 6, 2013 at 1:09pm

      Hari Hari Bol Prabhu !!

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