Hare Krishna Dear Devotees
I have read this sanskrit verse multiple times.
"harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha"
Meaning
"In this age of kali there is no alternative for spiritual progress other than chanting of the holy names of God"
In ISKCON why is chanting given the highest priority then other devotional service like pooja/aarti/bhog etc.Please correct me if I am wrong.
Many times when I visit ISKCON, mataji's would ask: so are you doing your chanting?
Nobody would ask are you doing your daily pooja to Lord Krishna? What's the difference.
So lets say if I do 1/2 hour of other devotional service like bathing the deities/changing clothes/offering flowers and food and then some bhajan , aarti etc where I am utilizing my eyes(by seeing deities),hands(by offering flowers, ringing bell),legs(standing/dancing for Lord while doing pooja),ears(listening to mantra while doing pooja),mouth(saying mantra) ,mind to make sure all senses together are utilized properly,
compared to
When I am just sitting and chanting 4 hours which takes same 1/2 an hour where I am trying hard by closing eyes to control mind from deviating .
So lets say in the second approach(chanting), even if we force the mind,the concentration level would be 20% meaning only 20% of the time all my sense are used in remembering Krishna.
However in the first approach since all my all body parts are fully utilized in service of Krishna knowingly or unknowingly and since all my senses are utilized more, we are automatically forced to concentrate on what we are doing (chanting,hearing,bathing,offering,standing,seeing Krishna)
So the question is which one holds a high priority and why.
Direct service to Lord Krishna as in 1st approach or
Chanting the names of Lord Krishna as in 2nd approach.
So if I decide to spend 2 hours at least in worshiping/remembering Krishna and lets say if I chant 1 and 1/2 hours(12 rounds) and 1/2 hour for pooja. Is it not equivalent to chanting 16 rounds?
Jai shree gokulesh
Replies
Hk pr,
"Fire sacrifices were accompanied with vedic hymes, so there was no chanting involved there too"
vedic hymns are not chanted???
"Deity worship was accompanied with reciting different names of the Lord in archana form"
reciting different names of lord ..is it not chanting???
I have not said that they were chanting the mahamantra !
In Satya yuga they would meditate on the supersoul in the heart and I have not heard about 5 minute samadhi as the goal anywhere...could you give more info pr.
It was not because of that I was asking reference in that blog...I wanted to know more info about that ..that's why.
Ys
My dear Prabhuji,
There is an ocean of difference between chanting and reciting.
During yagna and archana, the performer usually does not even recite himself. There is a brahmana who recites.
The owner / performed of the yagna is only listening.
Even for reciting the mantras, one needs a lifetime of training to pronounce every syllable with proper tempo and accuracy.
People of Kaliyuga, due to their unfortunate birth where there is very little life span cannot learn vedic hymes to recite them properly, so Prabhupad has given us Chanting the mahamantra.
Ironically, we can't even chant mahamantra properly. If you attend any Japa Retreat or Japa workshop, we'll know how offensive chanting we are doing.
The pronounciation of KRISHNA and KRSNA and KISNA and KISHNA is all different.
Hare Krsna
My dear Prabhuji,
There is an ocean of difference between chanting and reciting.
During yagna and archana, the performer usually does not even recite himself. There is a brahmana who recites.
The owner / performed of the yagna is only listening.
Even for reciting the mantras, one needs a lifetime of training to pronounce every syllable with proper tempo and accuracy.
People of Kaliyuga, due to their unfortunate birth where there is very little life span cannot learn vedic hymes to recite them properly, so Prabhupad has given us Chanting the mahamantra.
Ironically, we can't even chant mahamantra properly. If you attend any Japa Retreat or Japa workshop, we'll know how offensive chanting we are doing.
The pronounciation of KRISHNA and KRSNA and KISNA and KISHNA is all different.
Hare Krsna
Hare Krishna !!
While doing deity worship(pooja/archana) we are using all our sense to remember god.
I don't understand why it not equivalent to chanting .
Rather I find that while chanting , we are in hurry to finish certain rounds. How is it then more effective then deity worship.
In India even today many people perform deity worship more than chanting.
Jai shree Krishna
It is best to perform the devotional services you are doing if they are pleasing to your mind and if all ur senses are engaged this is excellent because it merges all the senses by directing them to the Lord. Chanting isn't the superior or only path its the easiest path for this Yuga. This does not mean other devotional actiivities are not effective and useful actually its better to perform the devotional service you are doing if you enjoy it more than chanting because this way ur mind will stay focused and you will raise ur level of consciousness rather more quickly as opposed to doing practises which the mind is not so greatly focused towards.
Mataji, Hare Krsna ... the standards that are followed in performing Pancharatrika Vidhi is inconceivable. You must meet some Shri Vaishnavas to know what is the qualification to offer bhog to their Lordships.
The deity worship and other things that are followed in ISKCON is not at the mark of earlier yugas.
Shri Vaishnavas are the best available population to do deity worship or archana.
ISKCON temples do it just because they cannot reject everything outright, we do it attract people who like that method, but everything in ISKCON is working because of chanting.
Hare Krsna...
Hare Krsna,
According to the verse you have posted, there is no other way out.
This is the reason that chanting is given highest priority over other things, which supplements to Chanting as devotional routine.
Other services to Krsna like Pooja / Aarathi / Abhishekam etc. would come under pancharatrika section.
There was an incidence during the time of Prabhupad at one time when some devotees introduced a new devotee to Prabhupad who was serving the temple regularly like kitchen, cleaning, and everything in and around the temple. Prabhupad asked him one question, How many round are you chanting ? He said NONE. At the very moment, that person was sent out of the temple.
One more time at another temple, a devotee was introduced as a complaint to Prabhupad who would chant continuously and not do any service. Prabhupad was impressed and was put in local newspapers that, whoever is willing to chant like him, ISKCON will provide food, shelter and clothes. There were many responses but they could not chant like this devotee.
ISKCON is a University, where Prabhupad is the head who laid out principles, rules and regulations for the students. If we follow the syllabus sincerely, Prabhupad would be impressed.
This chanting system is called sankirtan movement. Prabhupad came down to propagate this yugadharma, which was given to us by Mahaprabhu.
Other philosophies like Sri Vaishnavas have different goals like Pancharatrika Vidhi. Ramanujacharya gave this system to them, not the sankirtan.
I hope it helps....
Your aspiring servant......
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