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Hare Krsna,
My obeisances to all devotees, guru and gauranga.

Over the past few days and weeks, I have found that my mind is taking me on a wild ride all over the universe during chanting. Even to get one round of attentive chanting was a challenge no matter how many times I tried to bring the mind back to chanting the holy name. I have slapped myself trying to distract the mind from unwanted thoughts and tried different things to try and concentrate but to no avail. Everytime I did mangal arati, I would request krsna to give me an opportunity to chant his names but still I struggled. Does this feeling sound familiar fellow devotees??

Today I got this email in my inbox and it is related to how one should approach the holy name during chanting. Krsna timed it perfectly, dont you think? So, I am pasting the contents of the mail here so everyone can benefit from it. I understand that many would have received this mail as part of the distribution list.

Have a read and please pray for me to chant the holy name in a humble and concentrated state of mind.

Approach Holy Name with Respect

So lack of attraction for the holy name is no new thing in the life of a conditioned soul. The conditioned soul wants to do everything other than focusing his mind on Krishna. So while chanting the holy name, to not have taste or to have a flapping mind, which wanders all over, the universe is not a very surprising thing. What the solution is given in the scriptures – kintu adarata anudinam kalusaiva justah svadvikramad tadgata mula hantri. So it is said the solution is kintu adarat anudinam – 2 words are used here. But one very respectfully approaches the holy name and also chants the holy name, anudinam means regularly, daily. Then gradually, it is said, tadgate mula hantri, the disease will be completely uprooted from the heart and one will develop a loving attraction for the holy name. So one should chant regularly. At the same one should approach the hole name respectfully, it is said. In Bhagvad Gita Lord Krishna says abhyasena tu kaunteya vairagena ca grihate – In order to achieve success in spiritual life Krishna says one should perform the abhyasa or one should regularly practice and vairagya, he says.

One should detach oneself. So the mind is like the naughty child who does not want to study for the examination. He wants to study the comics book. So detachment means to convince him to give up the comics book and abhyasa means to make him study for exam. And in order to do that you can give a child lollypop or something attractive for him that will make him study. On the other hand you have to show stick also. If you show the stick then he will be afraid but you shouldn’t make him so afraid that he runs away. He will not study or he will run away with the comics book. At the same time you have to show some lollypop to inspire him to stay and do his work. Similarly, our mind also… sometimes in the name of detaching if one very strongly practices detachment then the mind becomes frustrated totally and the mind doesn’t delight in the spiritual engagement. On the other hand if one is not practicing detachment then the mind starts delighting in sense gratification. So these are the practical problems in dealing with the mind. That is why the shastras are speaking so much about the mind.

So in the assembly of devotees one should learn from one’s superiors how one can bring about detachment, especially somebody who is feeling a very great flickering of mind. Mind is so oscillating that the person is running hither and thither and he is not able to focus on the holy name. He immediately requires a detachment course, immediately. Such a person should hammer the mind with a solid detachment program, like we should rise early in the morning. Get up at 2:30-3:00 o clock. Take a cold water bath and chant sometimes extra rounds before the mangal arati. Or cut down a part of your prasadam and increase your reading of Srimad Bhagvatam. In this we have to have detachment program by which one’s mind will become calm and pacified. So we need a program for detachment. And also we need a program for constant engagement. Abhyasa is regular engagement. One who is feeling to averse to the holy name should chant the holy name more and more. Chant more extra rounds. So whatever is required if we do…, but all these things should be done kintu adarat anudinam kalusaiva justah. One should never get tired in endeavoring to chant attentively. One should go on chanting regularly and with… respectfully one should approach the holy name with the firm hope that many many great souls in the past have chanted properly and have bahavo jnana tapasa puta mad bhavam agatah Krishna says – Many many souls have become purified by this process and they have achieved me. You are not the first one to practice. Don’t think you are put on trial. Many have been put on trial and they have succeeded and then they have gone back to Godhead. Simply follow their footsteps and then one day you will also succeed in calling out the holy name very fervently. Hari nama prabhu ki – “Jai”.

"Chant Hare Krishna and be happy"

Hare Krsna.