If someone is chanting and not focusing on word does chanting works ....because i am chanting from last 7 to 8 year but I don't give up my bad habits if chanting in any way will work then why it is not working on me
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Someone asked Srila Prabhupada a similar question.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: No... They should be trained up. Sense enjoyment means not advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As soon as one is advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, his sense enjoyment spirit will be reduced. That is the test. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra ca (SB 11.2.42). The test is, how you are advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the proportionate diminishing of sense enjoyment. That is the test. Just like cure of the disease means diminishing the fever, temperature. This is the test.
Devotee (1): What if that fever is not being diminished?
Prabhupāda: Then he should try to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, instead of sixteen rounds, sixty-four rounds. That is the way. Sixteen round is the minimum. Otherwise Haridāsa Ṭhākura was 300,000. So you have to increase. That is the only remedy. If one has got determination, he will make progress without any trouble. That determination is very difficult, that determination, "I must be Kṛṣṇa conscious fully." That determination. Dṛḍha-vratāḥ. So they have asked to the central government, federal government, help?
Hare Krishna prabhu,
Prahalaad glorified Lord in Hari ashtakam and sings.
" Hari: harati pApAni dushta chitthairapi smrita:
anicchayApi samsprishtO dahatyEva hi pAvaka: (stanza 1).
Meaning :--Hari's name is so potent that even most sinful person if he chants His sins are burned off like wild fire. Whether you utter His name sincerely or not and with knowledge about the glory of that name or not . The utterance of the "SrI Hari naamam burns away our sins just as Agni scorches us , whether we touch it knowingly or not.
Just like how the medicine given by a doctor works. The doctor studies the composition and nature of action of the medication but a layman who is the patient doesn't know anything about the medication but just has trust and faith in the medicine given. Isn't it.? but the medicine will work on the layman too. That is how the action of the Hari's name is. Even if you chant with no intention, or with intention, just by fluke take the holy name or take with full faith. Then also it works. Becuase you know the mahamantra has holy names of Lord and this is not ordinary name. It is given by Brahma to Narada and from Narada it has been passed out from one aacharya to another in a sequence called Paramapara. So, This medicine ( or mantra) is most potent. It will work you shouldn't have this doubt at all. All you need is trust and faith in the Guru and Govind. Srila Prabhupada has given to the world this mantra he got it this divine mantra from his master, who got it from his master. It goes back to Brahma who first revealed it to Sri Narada. So ther is no doubt that the chanting of the mantra will work or not.
But then there is a verse in Srimad Bhagwatam which says--
If after taking a bath in the Ganges or being washed of all sins, a man guards himself against committing further sinful acts, then certainly he is delivered. But if he again takes up sinful activities, his bath in the Ganges is as good as that of the elephant, who nicely takes his bath in a river but later spoils the whole thing by covering himself with dust on the land. ( 3.8.5 Srimad Bhagwatam).
Chanting ofcourse will burn ur sins but then we must refrain from doing more sins. It is just like an elephant takes bath in pure fresh water and come out and pours dirt again.
Your effort to stop the bad habits should be there. You must keep trying hard , and have full faith at the same time on the holy name.
Just like if I throw you in the sea full of sharks, will you fight for saving ur life till the fag end having hope that you will somehow come out of it by the grace of Lord? that is how you must be constantly trying hard and harder to come out of the bad habits. If you just keep on chanting the name and expect , do nothing think it will only burn my sins. Well it does burn and slowly slowly it will bring changes in your mentality and thinking and also you yourself will feel disgust about the bad habits some days but its going to be a long process.
And one more point is,
To commit sinful activities on the strength of the holy name is an offense number 7 in the 10 offenses listed.
But still you must keep on chanting, and try hard to remove all bad habits one by one. Holy name itself purifies you from internally and you will feel disgust urself and will stop all bad activities slowly.
But one thing I must mention here is if you keep on chanting and doing bad habits simultaneously then, you will never be able to get the TASTE of the holy name. You will feel bland when you chant. You will feel disinterested to continue chanting because, you don't feel any kind of bhava or prema for Lord.
When anyone takes Shuddha nama that is without contaminations of any bad habits. then they are able to get the ruchi ( taste) in the holy name and ultimately develop bhava and prem for Lord. Then the process of chanting is like butter smooth, they don't feel it is a burden to do it any more. Like you see when you started to chant at first you wouldn't even feel like doing 1 round also, it takes like forever to complete even one round also. This is because you have lot of ANArthas in you ( bad habits) they inhibit you from proceeding further.
one by one if you start removing ur bad habits you will see that that chanting is like so easy and it happens without and stop. It becomes easy and free flowing and you will even find peacfulness when you chant and also you will feel you got attachement to the holy name. If you don't chant one day you will feel some kinda emptiness. That is the stage called Ruchi or taste in the holy name.
So what I am trying to say is you have been chanting for 7-8 yrs but you have not felt any change in you or you felt is this chanting working on me?? this all is because you have not stopped the bad habits all the while. Your daily chanitng is however buring you back log of sinful deeds coming from many many past lives but as you keep on adding fresh new sins its is never ending process, and there by delaying the taste of holy name and bhava and prem for Lord is not coming in you.
Hare Krishna.
Thankyou so much mataji you really put a lot of efforts in explaining me about my situation and it really help me even i stop doing smoking after ward when i get confident that i am okay without smoking then my next target is i will stop my second bad habit of drinking 5 to 6 cup of tea and then onion garlic
Hare Krsna Prabhuji,
PAMHO.
Chantign works defintiely. The difference is - if you listen to yourself chanting, it will work faster. Else, it will work slower.
What bad habits are you talking about? We should ideally not use chanting to get rid of bad habits. Its a natural consequence of chanting. Once we chant, our heart becomes purified, we start to understantd the futility of material endeavour and develop more and more taste and affinity towards Krsna Consciousness. The more we are suddha sattva, the more tamoguna will not bother us. In other words, the more we develop a desire to please Krsna, the more we are conscious of our actions and automatically the desire to enjoy independent of Krsna starts to fade away. Then there is no place for bad habits.
There is a saying in hindi - .....upaje sabhi, ulta seedha beej. When a seed is sowed in the ground, it will sprout, regardless of whether it is sowed ulta or seedha.
Same with Mahamantra.
Keep faith. Keep sincerity in your heart that you want to progress spiritually. Rest will follow.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Radha Rasamayi DD
This though alaways makes mee like kuch ho nahi rha hai mala karne sai chod do mala karna but your answer really makes me strong and determine for the chanting
Hare Krishna!
PAMHO
Chanting does work. in any way you chant it will give you some fruit. you might not realise that but chanting works on the inside. Let's say it like this. Previously I used to eat chocolates and didn't think much of this. But after coming to spirituality and chanting, I realised that it is wrong! so now also I am attracted towards chocolate but atleast I know I have to restrain myself! very soon I'll even leave it. the same way your bad habits might be in you but atleast now you know you have to restrain yourself! that is improvement! just trust chanting. we don't know all glories of chanting but still it can liberate us
Hare Krishna!
Yes you are right Even i am feeling so much guilty
I have also thought about this, the answer is the bad habits themselves which you are doing create bad karma, which in turn makes you do the bad habits. Its like catch-22. The chanting creates good karma (sukriti). So you see ? the problem. You have to be determined or like i do try to cut down on bad habits. Its very difficult.
You also find difficult in cutting bad habbits???? From yesterday i have taken a vow that i would never smoke again so first i am working on this afterwards i will cut my tea
Hare Krishna i didn't get your answer will you please elaborate clearly I didn't get what you are saying