From HH Sacinandana Swami's newsletter Amrta-vani
Dear Devotees,
Please acecpt my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
We are constantly working on and preparing fabolous Amrta-vani training newsletters. But in the meantime, while we prepare, we don't want to stop sending you spiritual inspirations:
The Sacrifice of Nama Yajna - Singing the Holy Name
A nama-yajna is exclusively for the pleasure of Krsna and doing it, all participants can become priests. You might ask how you can become a priest of the Holy Name? Lord Caitanya has given the following answer: Make your ears the sacrificial pit. The sacrificial spoon or ladle is your tongue. Use that tongue to pour the ghee of the Holy Name into the ears and then you will see how in your heart the fire of bhakti will rise high and strong. In other words, when we chant the Holy Name, we have to do it with absolute attention. We should be like priests, who sit before the yajna pit and chant the mantras in order to invoke the presence of the Lord. What a wonderful example.
Furthermore the devotees have to consciously sacrifice time, energy and give full attention to their intention. Krsna will be pleased by this sacrifice beyond measure and reward them with extra time and energy. If you have less time - chant more! Yes, the more we give to Krsna the more He responds. Very important for those who chant is to access the area of the heart.
It should not be just lips which are moving or feet which are dancing. No, chant from the heart. Our heart should move and our heart should dance. To enliven the heart in chanting is best done by chanting with a feeling of Radha Krsna sambandha or a relationship to the Deities who are glorified in the Maha mantra. Think about the persons whose name you chant. Think of Them in a loving way. Glorify Them, praise Them and chant in a prayerful mood: "O Radha and Krsna, please engage me in Your service. Please take residence in
my heart and in my senses, so that I can be your purified servant."
I wish you all the best in your efforts in this beautiful nama yajna!
Sacinandana Swami
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