Hare Krishna,
My mind is disturbed even though I try my best to chant Hare Krishna. How constantly should I keep hearing the mantra?
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Hare Krishna,
My mind is disturbed even though I try my best to chant Hare Krishna. How constantly should I keep hearing the mantra?
You need to be a member of ISKCON Desire Tree | IDT to add comments!
Replies
Well said manikanta prabhu ji.
haribol.
That happens to me. what I do is play some Kirtan maybe before I start chanting to get my mind into the grove of the chanting. thats the absolutey best advice I can give. but I don't know if anyone has anything better. but its a pretty good solution to it. and of course youre supposed to be doing your reading. so all of that will contribute.
All the replies are great. I just want to add some points here.
Why is there a necessity to repeatedly chant? is it not enough to take the holy name only one time perfectly.
For this I would like to comment.
We all know how memorizing things works. Right? When we were little kids we were made to memorize tables. then when we want to remember our passwords? how do u remember it? we memorize it again and again right?
It is the same way.. If you keep repeating things many times....it goes into ur subconsious mind and makes an imprint of it.
So that I wont be erased so easily.
you know we repeatedly do some things and they become so habituated that u sometimes unconsciously do it.
like for example ..simple tables only we memorised it when? during 3 grade or 2nd grade level but if i say 8X5= immediately u will say 40 how? becoz of repetedly learnt it got into a made a strong imprint on ur subconscious mind.
many such examples are there.. people working in a industry do things very fast..as they got used to it.. If u go there and try to help them you cannot be as fast as they are.
Therefore., Items in short-term memory, such as a telephone number remembered for a few moments, will often be forgotten by the brain unless there is constant repetition. Long-term memory is typically involved in retaining information for lengthier periods of time, like remembering the birth of your child.
Why do we want to chant repeatedly why not only once perfectly.? asnwer is we want to create an imprint on the subconscious mind. You see so many bad karmas and good karma memories are also imprinted on the same subconscious mind for many many lives.. We want to erase those memories and fill with a strong memories of Lord's name, Lord's form, leelas..
chanting with mind is no doubt good.
But it should be noted a child is made to sit and made to recite Gayatri mantra at the age of 3yrs also he playfully learns it. He has no mind to learn nor his mind is in learning it meaning nor his mind is focusssed on it.. He is meddling with the toy and learning memorizing it.
And Bhagwan ka naam ( lord's name is so powerful..) it burns to ashes the sinful activites and karmas like a wildfire..
In this context.. Prahalada maharaj sang in Hari ashtakam one beautiful verse..
hari harati papani dusta cittair api smrtah
anicchayapi samsprsto dahaty eva hi pavakah
You see the meaning is very beautiful..
Hari name harati.. destroys .. papani.. paap..( bad karma) if taken by a Dushta Chitta ( bad person) api = also..smuratah =just thinking also.. annichhayapi=== having no intention to take..also.. dahaty eva hi pavaka== burns down like a wild fire and make it pure ( pavakah).
When on death bed tomorrow when ur cannot move.. when ur sense also have stopped working..ur mind also gone into coma..your subconscious mind is active then.. it has stored info of ur chanting..
You will be so much habituated to take the lord's name unconsciously you will take it as you made it a habit. This all chanting... which we do esp.. following a particular time, place and count.. is most essential becoz it will be creating a major imprint on subconscious mind that will be stored and never erased and it goes along with the sookshma shareer.
Jai Sri Krishna.
In this respect I want to point the Gajendra moksha story..
You have seen Gajendra in previous life was Vaishnava ( king) he did one bad karma he disrespected a sage and he had to take birth as an elephant in the next life. and in this life of a body of elephant he could neither remember Lord or take his name.. But when the time of crisis came.. He could remember that last birth's prayer...which he used to do to please Lord.
That remembrance ofcourse is given by lord. But it is also....his past life repeated done good karma stored in the subtle mind.
Pls. chant repeatedly with mind or without mind Lord name is extremely powerful to burn sins and make strong impression on ur subtle mind which can be carried life after life Just like Gajendra.
Jai Sri krishna.
unlike everyone else replying i feel your pain !... i also dont have much absorption in chanting ...To the point you think does this even work ?!!?
Hare krsna,,
Just keep chanting, chanting, chanting.. whether you like it or not.. whether you can concentrate on the chanting or not.. whether you are frustrated or not... whether krsna is pleased with you or not... whether you chant 1 round or 100 rounds... Just keep chanting.
Hare krsna.
Hare Krsna Prabhuji,
PAMHO.
Chant anyways - whether mind is disturbed or at peace, whether chanting attentively or distractedly, whether mind is agitated or calm, whether happy or sad, whether .....whatever.......just chant.
Only by chanting you will be able to bring your mind at peace.
When you are not able to chant at all, pray humbly at the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda that you are not able to chant, to bless you. Beg at the feet of harinaam to allow you to take the name. Then you will be able to chant. Somehow or the other chant your committed number of rounds (I hope it is atleast 4) and then only leave the beads. When you leave the beads, after completing your rounds, then thank Lord Nityananda harinaam again - pray that - thank you for allowing me to chant today, please bestow your mercy on me and allow me to chant tomorrow also.
Like this you do regularly. Not only your mind will be at peace, you will be able to surrender to the lord. This will help you progress on the spiritual path.
Remember 2 things - we are nobody to take even the Name. It is the mercy of the lords that we are able to take Their name. Therefore, always be humble and surrendered to Them, thankful to Them.
Inattentive/ distracted/ even offensive chanting is better than no chanting.
If we think that we will chant only when we are able to concentrate, its like saying I will learn driving only when I can take the car out confidently in traffic without any accident. Initially, when we learn driving, we have to take the car out in lonely roads, then in light traffic, then in heavy traffic. Only then we gain confidence in driving. Same way, if you wait for your mind to calm down, you will have to wait lifetimes. Better to start chanting from where we are. Only then we are opening our antennas for receiving the mercy of the lord.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Radha Rasamayi DD
Maybe chanting 21 times passionately bring more good then mechanically 121 !
May be or may be not. Maybe this or may be that. One is free to keep speculating as long as possible or even try out various possibilities. In this uncertainty a person keeps rotating in the cycle of birth and death, life after life endlessly forever suffering the turmoils.
Best way is to end the cycle of birth and death in human form of life by surrendering to Sri Krsna.
Hare Krsna
What Jelu said was nothing wrong. One is passionate chanting and other is show off chanting. If one does the prior even 21 or 30 times it will be better than show off chanting for 121 times.
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