The first principle in devotional service is to chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra (maha means “great”; mantra means “sound that liberates the mind from ignorance”).
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
You can chant these holy names of the Lord anywhere and at any time, but it is best to set a specific time of the day to regularly chant. Early morning hours are ideal.
The chanting can be done in two ways: singing the mantra, called kirtana (usually done in a group), and saying the mantra to oneself, called japa (which literally means “to speak softly”). Concentrate on hearing the sound of the holy names. As you chant, pronounce the names clearly and distinctly, addressing Krishna in a prayerful mood. When your mind wanders, bring it back to the sound of the Lord’s names. Chanting is a prayer to Krishna that means “O energy of the Lord [Hare], O all-attractive Lord [Krishna], O Supreme Enjoyer [Rama], please engage me in Your service.” The more attentively and sincerely you chant these names of God, the more spiritual progress you will make.
Since God is all-powerful and all-merciful, He has kindly made it very easy for us to chant His names, and He has also invested all His powers in them. Therefore the names of God and God Himself are identical. This means that when we chant the holy names of Krishna and Rama we are directly associat¬ing with God and being purified. Therefore we should always try to chant with devotion and reverence. The Vedic litera¬ture states that Lord Krishna is personally dancing on your tongue when you chant His holy name.
When you chant alone, it is best to chant on japa beads (available at the ISKCON temple). This not only helps you fix your attention on the holy name, but it also helps you count the number of times you chant the mantra daily. Each strand of japa beads contains 108 small beads and one large bead, the head bead. Begin on a bead next to the head bead and gently roll it between the thumb and middle finger of your right hand as you chant the full Hare Krishna mantra. Then move to the next bead and repeat the process. In this way, chant on each of the 108 beads until you reach the head bead again. This is one round of japa. Then, without chanting on the head bead, reverse the beads and start your second round on the last bead you chanted on.
Initiated devotees vow before the spiritual master to chant at least sixteen rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily. But even if you can chant only one round a day, the principle is that once you commit yourself to chanting that round, you should try and complete it every day without fail. When you feel you can chant more, increase the minimum number of rounds you chant each day—but don’t fall below that number. You can chant more than your fixed number, but you should maintain a set minimum each day. (Please note that the beads are sacred and therefore should never touch the ground or be put in an unclean place. To keep your beads clean, it’s best to carry them in a special bead bag, also available.)
Aside from chanting japa, you can also sing the Lord’s holy names in kirtana. While you can perform kirtana individually, it is generally performed with others. A melodious kirtana with family or friends is sure to enliven everyone. ISKCON devotees use traditional melodies and instruments, especially in the temple, but you can chant to any melody and use any musical instruments to accompany your chanting. As Lord Chaitanya said, “There are no hard and fast rules for chanting Hare Krishna.”
Goloka-Vrindavan
The Spritual Abode
Sunday, February 27, 2011
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Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Chanting Hare Krishna
Lord Chaitanya tells us that in this age of Kali, there is no other means of salvation except the chanting of the holy name of God:
“harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā.”
“In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.”
We live in a technologically advanced age, where sense gratification is the highest priority of most in society. Eating, sleeping, mating and defending are the primary activities and people are always searching for more extravagant ways to perform such activities. Chanting the holy name of God may seem like a very simple thing, but most are not interested in it. During the course of the day, how much time do we spend thinking about God? How much time do we spend talking about God? The answer, in most case, is not much time at all. The Vedas say that “sravanam” and “kirtanam”, chanting and hearing, are the best ways towards transcendental realization. When we constantly chant the name of God in an offense-less way, we are performing both methods at once. We purify both our ears and our tongue simultaneously.
During the Christmas season in America, we see many people engaged in the public chanting of Christmas carols, or songs relating to the birth of Lord Jesus Christ. The songs are very pleasing to the ear and are generally well received by the public. However, this chanting shouldn’t be limited to one month out of the year. Why not sing about God every day? This is what the Vedas teach us; pretend that every day is God’s birthday.
Chanting is performed by the repetition of Vedic mantras. The mantra with the most efficacy in this age is the Maha-mantra, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.” It is best to chant with others in a group, which is called sankirtana. One can also chant quietly alone in what is known as “japa” meditation. This is performed using a japa mala, or strand of prayer beads.
Each japa mala contains 108 small beads connected together on a string with one large bead at the center. Holding the mala in your right hand, place one of the small beads adjacent to the large bead in between your thumb and middle finger. Repeat the mantra once out loud and then roll to the next smallest bead and say the mantra again. Repeat this process until you reach the large bead.
In this way, by repeating the mantra 108 times, you will have completed one round of japa meditation. Once you reach the large bead, turn the mala around and start the chanting process again in the reverse direction starting with the small bead adjacent to the large bead. The large bead represents the “Krishna” bead and is not to be chanted on.
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada recommends that we chant the Maha-mantra as much as we can, and to perform at least sixteen rounds of japa meditation every day. Even chanting the mantra one time will give you a tremendous spiritual benefit, so why not give it a try?
Pasted fromKrishnasmercy.org
“harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā.”
“In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.”
We live in a technologically advanced age, where sense gratification is the highest priority of most in society. Eating, sleeping, mating and defending are the primary activities and people are always searching for more extravagant ways to perform such activities. Chanting the holy name of God may seem like a very simple thing, but most are not interested in it. During the course of the day, how much time do we spend thinking about God? How much time do we spend talking about God? The answer, in most case, is not much time at all. The Vedas say that “sravanam” and “kirtanam”, chanting and hearing, are the best ways towards transcendental realization. When we constantly chant the name of God in an offense-less way, we are performing both methods at once. We purify both our ears and our tongue simultaneously.
During the Christmas season in America, we see many people engaged in the public chanting of Christmas carols, or songs relating to the birth of Lord Jesus Christ. The songs are very pleasing to the ear and are generally well received by the public. However, this chanting shouldn’t be limited to one month out of the year. Why not sing about God every day? This is what the Vedas teach us; pretend that every day is God’s birthday.
Chanting is performed by the repetition of Vedic mantras. The mantra with the most efficacy in this age is the Maha-mantra, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.” It is best to chant with others in a group, which is called sankirtana. One can also chant quietly alone in what is known as “japa” meditation. This is performed using a japa mala, or strand of prayer beads.
Each japa mala contains 108 small beads connected together on a string with one large bead at the center. Holding the mala in your right hand, place one of the small beads adjacent to the large bead in between your thumb and middle finger. Repeat the mantra once out loud and then roll to the next smallest bead and say the mantra again. Repeat this process until you reach the large bead.
In this way, by repeating the mantra 108 times, you will have completed one round of japa meditation. Once you reach the large bead, turn the mala around and start the chanting process again in the reverse direction starting with the small bead adjacent to the large bead. The large bead represents the “Krishna” bead and is not to be chanted on.
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada recommends that we chant the Maha-mantra as much as we can, and to perform at least sixteen rounds of japa meditation every day. Even chanting the mantra one time will give you a tremendous spiritual benefit, so why not give it a try?
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