Guest (5): Swami, what is om?

Prabhupāda: Om is the concentrated name of God.

Guest (5): Can one say om instead of "Kṛṣṇa" and gain the same benefit?

Prabhupāda: Yes. But why instead of Kṛṣṇa? If one Kṛṣṇa is the same, why not Kṛṣṇa? Why stick to om? Om. Om is formless but Kṛṣṇa has got beautiful form, enjoying. And we are addicted to beautiful form. Why something (chuckling) which is not beautiful? Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, akṣarāṇām akāro 'smi: "Amongst the alphabets I am oṁkāra." So Kṛṣṇa says that "I am oṁkāra." So in one sense oṁkāra and Kṛṣṇa the same. But I can see Kṛṣṇa very beautiful and so many things, but I do not see in oṁkāra that thing. Therefore my preference should be to Kṛṣṇa. Why shall I stick to om? Yes.

(Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam--------Boston).

Woman Devotee: Can we just have the chanting without instructions?

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Sudāmā: She wants to know actually that should they just have the chanting without reading your books or without instruction or following the program.

Prabhupāda: But that chanting must be pure. Your guru is writing books. If you think, "There is no necessity of reading books," that is guror avajñā. Do you means to say I am writing these books whole night for selling and making money? What do you think like that?

Woman Devotee: So there should just be chanting and reading of the books.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

(Lecture on Bhagavad-Gita--------Honolulu).

Reporter: Can you explain what I read in one of your books, that the sound spoken either in chanting a mantra or when talking about God or Kṛṣṇa is somehow transcendental sound, though it's spoken with the same voice.

Prabhupāda: God is Absolute. His name and His person, not different, because He is Absolute. Here in the material world the name is not the substance. If I want water... I am thirsty, and if I chant "Water, water, water, water," that will not help me. But in the spiritual world, God being Absolute, you chant God's name, you see God's form, you discuss about God's activities, they are all the same.

(Room conversation--------London).

Guest (2): Chanting is devotional service?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Devotional service are discharged in nine different ways: śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (S.B.7:5:23), to hear about the Lord from proper source, and kīrtanam, and to glorify the Lord; smaraṇam, meditating upon the Lord; pāda-sevanam, to engage oneself in the service; arcanam, worshiping; prayer... There are nine different ways of devotional services. So you can accept nine all together or eight or seven or six or five or four or three or two. So even you accept one, you will advance. If you simply come here and hear this chanting, your devotional service will be perfected one day. So although there are nine different processes, but if you can accept even one, you will be advanced in devotional service. Yes?

(Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam--------Montreal).