Hare Krishna,
Nama abhasa, Suddha Nama and Nama Aparadha
Generally some devotees may initially feel that by chanting the Maha Mantra bliss/happiness is hard to come by or they may feel it to be mechanical. As a service to them and the gurus, I shall put forward some technicality that I heard from a renowned sannyasi and some other senior Vaishnavas. Please bear with me for any misinterpretations for I'm very bad at mind control.
Chanting the name of the Lord Sri Krsna is the only way of deliverance in the age of Kali. It destroys all karma and provides the fruit of the highest desires. Sri Nama and Sri Krsna are non-different. Even when chanted in impure state of mind, it bears all fortune to the chanter. The proper way of chanting should be chanting without Any aparadha, directly outlined in the Ten Offenses provided by SRILA PrabhuPada. Mechanical chanting is a possibility here.
If one is able to chant without offenses , then he proceeds to either Nama abhasa Or Suddha Nama, which bears the ripened fruit of prema. Nama abhasa is the middle stage where the person is a sadhaka and in the process of surrender to Sri Krsna. Mechanical chanting is still a probability but is not a big feature. Here a sadhaka starts to developer the taste for the Supreme Lord and His Names, Forms etc. As the nama starts to dance on his lips more and more, he becomes more and more enchanted and takes to bhakti and Sri Krsna as his sole refuge.
As he becomes advanced he gets to the platform of Suddha Bhakti and Suddha Nama characterized by total surrender. He then gets rati and feels the separation from the Lord. He pangs , sighs, laughs and cries. Such are the perfect symptoms as he develops love for Godhead Sri Krishna. As a person sadhaka chants Suddha Nama more and more, he gets Prema the ultimate sweet ripened fruit full of juice for Lord Sri Krsna. Such are the stages of chanting. Chanting the only way for deliverance in this age of violence and hatred, in this age of Kali. It is the only way.
Chanting Hare Krsna should not be like a drill. One may concentrate on the Name of the Lord Sri Krsna, by hearing it after chanting loudly. On an absolute level it would bring more happiness than that of brahmananda, As Srimati Radharani is the sakti of Lord Krishna, similarly Krsnakatha, like Srimad Bhagavadam is the shakti of the mahamantra. We cannot separate Lord Krsna and and Srimati Radharani , similarly Hari Nama or the mahamantra cannot be separate from Krsnakatha. One has to remember Sri Krsna with His lotus eyes and delicately soft lotus feet while chanting. That is the foremost goal. One need not go by targets of time as well as much as chanting their hearts out , one can go well beyond 16 rounds but atleast some rounds of dedicated chanting with absored in Lord Krsna's lilas are required . It is assured by acharyas that if we are able to chant harinama without nama aparadha we are eligible to go back to Sri Krsna.
While chanting, One may think of Yashoda ma feeding butter to the Lord. Just that would probably get one to chant 1 round full or perhaps how Lord Krsna danced on the Kalinga serpent. One may think of how he herded the cows ,one may think of how the dust of His feet sent the dust of Vrindavana into the air and His leelas with Lord Brahma and Lord Indra. One may think of how he plays with the Gopas and the Gopis.
mayy eva mana ādhatsva
mayi buddhiṁ niveśaya
nivasiṣyasi mayy eva
ata ūrdhvaṁ na saṁśayaḥ
Just fix your mind upon Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt.
One who is engaged in Lord Krishna’s devotional service lives in a direct relationship with the Supreme Lord, so there is no doubt that his position is transcendental from the very beginning. A devotee does not live on the material plane—he lives in Krishna. The holy name of the Lord and the Lord are nondifferent; therefore when a devotee chants Hare Krishna, Krishna and His internal potency are dancing on the tongue of the devotee. When he offers Krishna food, Krishna directly accepts these eatables, and the devotee becomes Krishna-ized by eating the remnants. One who does not engage in such service cannot understand how this is so, although this is a process recommended in the Bhagavad-gita and in other Vedic literatures.
Hare Krishna,
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada
Your Servant.
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