Hare Krishna,
Pamho
AgtSP!
I Chant but still I want to know why chanting is important. When Krishna is like our father or someone who is our well wisher and the person who love us the most why do we chant his name so many times everyday. Krishna is all the time with us and for what we take his name so many times a day. We don't chant our father or mothers name so many times to draw their attention and even by doing so we are not doing any service to them, they will not be happy if I do so. My question is why we stress more on chanting and not reading scriptures. Reading scriptures reveal about lord and bring us close to the lord. we chant 2 hrs a day and what happens if we spend the same time in reading about Krishna or perform service to the devotees. I request devotees to share their personal experiences of chanting and why they are more attracted to chanting. I have read many articles regarding chanting kindly don't write big paragraphs, slokas with overflowing references of scriptures, kindly share your personal experiences of chanting and its benefits.
Your servant
Aakash
Replies
Krsna es muy importante, al llamarlo le cantamos e imploramos porque se acerque a nosotros, deseamos servirle para hacerle feliz, pero su amor y sus asuntos son tan infinitos que luego de probarlos, hablando con los devotos y tomando prasada en el templo, ya es imposible dejar de cantarle. Quizá el canto no es ver a Krsna y rápidamente hacer cosas mundanas, el nos da la entrega a los que se interesan por el canto, `poco a poco va revelándonos científicamente el servicio adecuado, que es del interés de todas las almas.
Hare Krsna Prabhuji,
PAMHO.
The one line answer to your query is - the lord is Bhava grahi, not Gyana grahi.
What it means is that the lord reciprocates our love for Him, not our knowledge for Him. One of the 6 opulences that the lord has is - fame, renunciation, wealth, knowledge, beauty and intelligence. Therefore, we cannot please the lord with our knowledge of Him, because we cannot have complete knowledge of Him.
There are references that the gopis love for the lord is considered the highest form of love, none of them were even educated!!! They were all illiterate village girls, they had unqualified love for the lord.
If you are reading prabhu, it is purifying definitely and it is also giving you knowledge, but if you are chanting, it is much more purifying, it is giving you love. By simply reading, one can become puffed up because of the knowledge acquired, whereas by chanting, one becomes more and more humble. To read, one has to be literate, but to chant, no qualification is required.
Once one tastes the benefits of chanting, one cannot give it up, come what may. I can give you a simple test - you decide today - 25th May, that you will commit to chant minimum 4 rounds a day or even 16 rounds a day. 6 months later, 25th November, you review your thoughts and reactions to situations. You will yourself realise how much chanting has affected you, changed your outlook and how you are a much better person because you chanted these 6 months. Once that realisation happens, then chanting is an everyday pleasure, then it is not a burden anymore. It can be difficult to take out 2 hours everyday, but then what is easy. YOur dedication to the lord is important and that is what the lord is looking for.
Please write back with your thoughts and plan of action.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Rashmi