With Reverence And Attention

I was behind on my schedule for chanting rounds. I began chanting to get them done, rather than to meditate on them carefully. I partially checked this and listened to the holy names and their syllables, but I was guilty of rushing. It’s foolish to do so because I can get them done later in the day, but I so much value this early morning time that I wanted to concentrate and get a quota done. As I exerted myself, my head began to hurt, but I do value the holy names and don’t consider them something to be rushed. They should be carefully passed through the mind with reverence and attention.

From Bhajan Kutir #251

Please Join the Japa Group

Please share your realisations with other devotees from around the world...simply send me an introduction email and I will be happy to make you a member:

rasa108@gmail.com

ys

Rasa Rasika dasa

I Stayed Alert For A Long Time

I stayed alert for a long time and paid attention to the syllables of the mantras. My chanting wasn’t so speedy, but it was steady. On the tenth round, I got a headache and took medication, and the headache went down. I just finished sixteen rounds. I’ll be able to chant some extra today.

Taken from Bhajan Kutir #250

Searching for Spiritual Energy

Hare Krsna my dear devotees. I hope your week has been blessed with lots of nectar and realisations from chanting. The Japa mediation process given for us by our merciful Srila Prabhupada is the salvation in this Age of Kali - bringing us shelter to our hearts that are full of contaminations of this material world, this makes us more and more inclined to present ourselves as bodies living in this world as if we belonged here. On the other hand when chanting the holy names of the Lord, we start seeing ourselves in our eternal position as servants and our qualities, the soul qualities come out and we see ourselves as spiritual souls, living in bodies in order to learn again how we can come back to Godhead using the process our spiritual master has been guiding us.

I have got from H.H. Sacinandana Swami's site this nice reply he gave to a devotees answer. I hope you like it and it shines in your heart like it did to me.

Question: What is the difference between the first (i.e. ceto-darpana-marjanam) and the second (i.e. sarvatma-snapanam) cleansing mentioned in the first verse of siksastaka?

Answer: The first cleansing refers to wiping the material dust from the mirror of the mind – almost a forceful purification of material concoctions. It is by the mind that we mistakenly think: O, I am drowning, o, I am happy, o I am distressed, o I am progressing, o I am dying. Yes, death only exists in the mind as the spiritual soul has no death. When the mind is sufficiently cleansed it can start to reflect spiritual knowledge and the quality and energy of the soul.

Sarvatma-svnapanam, the second cleansing, refers to a bath of the soul with the nectarean water of spiritual bliss, knowledge and love. In other words, the transcendental sound of the Holy Name totally overwhelms the soul with its sublime potencies – it doesn’t just wipe away material concoctions. No, it brings the spiritual energy down. In contact with this transcendental energy of the Holy Name a total transformation can be effected. A transformation like the transformation of bell-metal to gold. Srila Prabhupada referred to this transcendental transformation of the material energy when he said that our temples are not situated in London, Tokyo, Hamburg, etc., but they are in the spiritual world. He was indicating that by the chanting of the Holy Names the material energy had been changed to spiritual energy.

I liked very much this part that he gives Srila Prabhupada's example and says that by chanting the material energy is changed to spiritual energy. I always think of this when I am chanting and this also inspires me to chant because sometimes we have the feeling that we don't belong to a certain situation or to a place and we need to be in contact with the Lord to feel confortable in this material world so chanting makes me feel like that, connects me in such way that I don't feel lonely and feel more like a child looking for the father to protect me and this father is the Lord. This feeling of protection is amazing, I am sure you may have some feelings like that. Then you realise how close the Lord is to you.

May your week be blessed and you can feel Krsna while chanting.

your servant,

Aruna devi

I Grasp The Beads

Chanting nonalert, I have nothing much
to show: ten rounds ending with
a headache. Ashamed before Nama Prabhu,
I grasp the beads with new determination
to finish the quota better than
the first ten. Some days are not so good,
and you have to trust you’ll improve

From Bhajan Kutir #247

Concentrate Fully On The Sound

Overcoming obstacles in our Japa can be a daily battle....our mind is not fully absorbed in the sound of the Hare Krsna mantra so we allow it to wander on to other thoughts. We can get distracted by sounds and sights around us - this is the nature of the material world and Mayadevi, her service is to test us to see if we have strong determination and also if we are willing to make an effort to move towards the Lord, if we pass the test then we make great advancement, if not we continue in our illusion.

There a a few simple guidelines that Srila Prabhupada has revealed to us...firstly chanting early in the morning, concentration on the sound and pronouncing the words very clearly - there is a nice quote on this subject:

"Chanting japa should be done early in the morning with full concentration preferably during the Brahma Muhurta time. Concentrate fully on the sound vibration of the mantra, pronouncing each name distinctly and gradually your speed in chanting will increase naturally. Do not worry so much about chanting fast, most important is the hearing."

Letter from Srila Prabhupada 6/1/72

I Got Up Close To The Mahamantra

I got up close to the mahamantra despite the impairment. I accumulated my quota and was not sleepy. But I was distracted. I count the holy names in my favor and do not consider it an aparadha that I have pain. It is just something that comes with this material body. If it is up to me, I would chant better. I have the alternative of lying down in bed with the lights out, but I prefer to keep chanting quietly. I must keep it a priority and not abandon it completely. I have chanted nine rounds. I’m hoping the headache will go down, at least in time for my late-morning writing, because it seems to be a formidable one. There is some doubt.

From Bhajan Kutir #246

Fully Give Yourself

Hare Krsna dear devotees. Nice being with you again and I hope your week has been blessed by the Lord. Today I bring to you more nectar from H.H. Sacinandana Swami - he is always so precise in his replies to devotees doubts that you can't miss this one about chanting. I hope this causes the same or even a better effect on your chanting than it has caused on mine. Maybe we haven't achieved the mood of Srila Haridas Thakur for chanting, but we need to have it as a goal.

Here follows the quotes:

Question: What does it mean to fully give yourself to the Holy Name while chanting japa?

Answer: Srila Jiva Gosvami explains that there are two ways of chanting. First kevala, or just chanting, and sama sneha, or chanting with affection. When you chant with affection for Krishna, then while you chant you start giving your heart to the Holy Name (Krishna). Of course, there are varying degrees of doing so. Begin at your level and sometimes have the Haridas Thakura level in mind as a motivating example.
You can use the wonderful prayers from the Sanata Kumara Samhita to do this.

Padya-pancaka

samsara-sagaranatha putra-mitra-grhakulat
goptarau me yuvam eva prapanna-bhaya-bhanjanau

O Sri Sri Radha-Krishna, please rescue me from the ocean of births and deaths. Please rescue me from the troubles born from children, friends, and home. Please break into pieces the fears of Your surrendered devotee.

yo ‘ham mamasti yat kincid iha loke paratra ca
tat sravam bhavator adya caranesu mayarpitam

O Sri Sri Radha-Krishna, today I place myself and everything I possess both in this life and in the next at Your feet.

aham apy aparadhanam alayas tyakta-sadhanah
agatis ca tato n€thau bhavantau me bhavet gatih

I am so home of all offenses. I have abandoned all spiritual duties. I have no shelter. O Sri Sri Radha-Krishna, O my Lords, please become my shelter.

tavasti radhika-natha karmana manasa gira
krsna-kante tavaivasmi yuvam eva gatir mama

O master of Radha, I am Yours. O beloved of Lord Krishna, I am yours. I offer to both of You my thoughts, words, and deeds. You two are the goal of my life.

saranam vam prapanno ’smi karuna-nikarakarau
prasadam kurutam dasyam mayi duste ‘paradhini

O Sri Sri Radha-Krishna, You are like two great oceans of mercy. Please be merciful to me. I take shelter of You. I surrender to You. Please engage me, a sinner and an offender, in Your service.

Simply amazing! I hope you like it and may use it in your daily chanting. The mood of prayer has a great power in our lives and gives us the feeling of surrender and dependance on the Lord.

May your devotional path become even more powerful and focused on your aim to come back to Godhead.

your servant

Aruna devi

Please Join the Japa Group

Please share your realisations with other devotees from around the world...simply send me an introduction email and I will be happy to make you a member:

rasa108@gmail.com

ys

Rasa Rasika dasa

Japa Poem

Trusting that Krishna will accept my
effort, I chant attentively in my mind.
I pray within and dutifully count
the quota. It’s close between us, me
and the mantras, a lifelong bond
continued in illness. I tell myself
the ardor isn’t dwindling, it’s just
the outer performance. My heart is still
with Him as good as in my vigorous
youth. I chant alone and like it that way
because I don’t like to expose
my weakness to others. Alone with Him,
I privately offer my best and trust
that Krishna will accept my effort.

From Bhajan Kutir #243

I’m Determined And Don’t Give Up

My rounds have been whispered, pleading to Krishna to please accept them. I can’t be an ideal japa reform instructor for my readers. I mostly tell them of my struggles and speak of my determination despite the impairment. I hope that will be of some help in its own way. At least I’m determined and don’t give up.

From Bhajan Kutir #241

Preparing To Chant

Hare Krsna dear devotees. I hope your week has been blessed with many realisations in your daily meditation on the holy names. Japa is our very important daily activity and we don't need to make many efforts to fall in love with this chanting and connection with Krsna, actually isn't He the one who is the most attractive?...how can a person not be attracted to His potent holy names and all the benedictions that are showered to the ones who dedicate their time to this relationship with Him.
My week has been busy - despite all tests and daily battles I have to face in this world, the chanting of the holy names reminds me of my eternal position as a devotee of the Lord....servant and an aspirant to His heart and affection. Who more than our queen of Vrindavana Srimate Radharani to teach us how to serve Krsna - by praying for Her daily protection we are able to understand how deep is this service and how potent it is when we spend some time with Krsna by chanting.

Before starting this writing, I was thinking of sharing my own preparation for chanting. I usually make this ritual every weekend when my japa can be more dedicated and not so in a hurry, like it is during the working days. Every Saturday, like today I get home and first I clean all the room....check on Tulasi Devi....put Her near the light....clean my altar, clean all the dust of the room and the floor too. After I wash my bathroom and take a shower, ahh it's important to remember that before starting, for this cleaning I usually turn on my computer and put Visvambhar Prabhu 24 hour kirtan which helps me a lot to clean my inside thoughts and remember my son in India. The importance of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mission and also my own contribution to it. After my shower I offer an incense to Lord Nrsimhadeva and start saying some mantras before japa. I recite the following prayers:

My gurudeva's pranama
Srila Prabhupada pranama
Sri Vaisnava Pranama
Tulasi Devi prayer
Sri Gouranga pranama
Sri Radha Pranama
Sri Krsna Pranama
Panca Tattva Mantra

Then after all these mantras I start chanting the potent names of the Lord, the Hare Krsna maha mantra Hare Krsna....brought by our Founder-Acharya Srila Prabhupada with so much love and mercy to our life, with that came all benedictions that give us personal strength to serve Krsna with a pure heart and soul.
All these processes I followed for me brings me peacefulness to the heart and makes me calmer to chant. Everyone has a different process to be more focused, my brother turns on the stereo with Srila Prabhupada every day before chanting, this helps him and inspires him before and during his japa. Maybe you have your own way of focusing, the main thing is that you are able to use your intelligence and the right tools to make you more focused and concentrated...able to forget about everything and only meditate on the Lord.

I wish you have your personal relationship with the Lord developed in a very deep way more and more each day - it would be nice if you had the same desire too according to our Founder, this is the only way we can achieve pure devotional service. So use all the right tools to awaken these strong desires inside you, this is the key to success. Pure devotional service can't be bought but attained by really strong desires coming from the heart.

your servant,

Aruna devi

Turned Out To Be A Good Session

After eight rounds, my eyelids began feeling a little heavy, but I persisted and overcame it. I finished sixteen rounds by 4:15 A.M. It turned out to be a good session, with emphasis on mechanics, but good mechanics. I chanted all my rounds in a row, and felt good about overcoming the headache. I was not deeply into contemplation, but I was alert the whole time.

From Bhajan Kutir #239

Japa Seminar Part 2

Here is part 2 of Bhakti Caitanya Swami's Japa Seminar given in Mauritius - to download, right click the link and select "Save target as" or "Save link as" Bhakti Caitanya Swami Japa Seminar Part 2

Japa Seminar Part 1

Here is a very nice Japa seminar given by Bhakti Caitanya Swami....it gives very nice insights into chanting - to download, right click the link and select "Save target as" or "Save link as"

Bhakti Caitanya Japa Seminar Part 1

Please Join the Japa Group

Please share your realisations with other devotees from around the world...simply send me an introduction email and I will be happy to make you a member:

rasa108@gmail.com

ys

Rasa Rasika dasa

Chanting With Good Mechanics

At about my fourth round, a headache began, and I took medication. I kept on chanting and separated the headache from the japa. Sometimes I say that I chant mechanically. But there’s a difference between good mechanics and poor mechanics. In baseball, sometimes they talk about a pitcher having poor mechanics. It means there’s something wrong with his basic delivery. In chanting, good mechanics means you’re uttering the mantras clearly at an efficient pace and methodically. Good mechanical chanting is not suddha-nama, but it’s important. It means you’re attentive, concentrated and conscientious. Today I’ve been chanting with good mechanics, and I’m gratified. Since I started a little late, I’ve only chanted eleven rounds, but I’m sure I’ll make them up later—with good mechanics.

Bhajan Kutir #233

The First Regulative Principle

"The first regulative principle is that one must chant the Hare Krsna maha−mantra loudly enough so that he can hear himself, and one must vow to chant a fixed number of rounds."

Sri Caitanya caritamrta Antya−lila 11.24

Offering of Love

Hare Krsna dear devotees. It's very nice being with your here again, I hope your week has been nice and you have been able to chant good rounds with love and devotion.

Last weekend in the Govardhana Puja day we planted the seeds of Tulasi devi here at home - I am not good at gardening and actually I have never grown Tulasi devi. When I lived in the temple I used to care but have never grown from the beginning.

Once my Guru Maharaj in one of his lectures he stated the importance of chanting in front of Tulasi devi and asking Her to bless our chanting - after that I wrote to the Vrindavan temple and asked for the seeds. A very nice devotee sent them to me and I planted the seeds....the book for caring of Tulasi helped me a lot. As I don't stay at home during the day the boys, Kesava and Advaita, have been watering the seed and putting near the sunlight, they offered flowers and chanted some mantras.

I have been chanting in front of the vase during the Brahma Muhurta time, after about a week there is a very small green sprout coming and she looks very nice. As I told you in the beginning I am not so good at growing but I feel very blessed because I have been praying for her, chanting Tulasi mantra during the week and asking Her to bless my house and my life.
I really need her mercy to chant better and to become a nice devotee, more dedicated and more enthusiastic to perform devotional service....sometimes my mind wanders and I forget I am here to spread the movement Srila Prabhupada gave us with so much love and care and I remain focused on my personal needs.
I am already blessed here at home, everyone is chanting the holy names every day and they are constantly making bhajans and I am sure this is due to our service to the Deities. Krsna is so merciful that He blesses us much more than we deserve with lots of spiritual advancement....service to His devotees and personal blessings just because of our small efforts, what to speak of the big ones.
This week let's chant thinking of how our Founder Acharya gave himself for us to be here and how much he protected us and shared all his perfect knowledge with us in a very genuine way. Let's give him as an offering from our hearts and efforts, even if they are small and for only 2 hours of your day, but make them with your heart and soul.

May your week be blessed with nice service and a blessed chanting.

your servant,

Aruna devi

In It's The Bag

My realisation for today is that chanting Japa is the most important part of our spiritual day....it affects everything we do in sadhana bhakti.

Fixed and concentrated rounds means fixed and concentrated reading and hearing (and also fixed on the Holy names in kirtan).

It's the cornerstone and when the cornerstone is strong, then everything else is strong. The answer lies within our bead bag....our Japa is always going to be the answer.

I’ve Chanted Ten Rounds

As I began my chanting, a slight headache began. Gradually it moved into the right eye, and I took migraine medicine. Narayana said that I had the choice of either going back to sleep or staying up and chanting quietly. I chose to stay up and chant. Fortunately, the pain went down. I’ve chanted ten rounds.

Bhajan Kutir #231

I Chanted At A Decent Pace

I got up at 2:15 A.M. and began my chanting. Surprisingly, my chanting went well, without any drowsiness or headache pains. I’ve chanted twelve rounds. I concentrated on accumulation and hearing the holy names. I chanted at a decent pace and kept my mind fixed on the syllables. I have time to chant some more rounds before taking my shower.

From Bhajan Kutir #229

Please Join the Japa Group

Please share your realisations with other devotees from around the world...simply send me an introduction email and I will be happy to make you a member:

rasa108@gmail.com

ys

Rasa Rasika dasa

Chanting Is Out Of This World

I was a little disturbed by a conversation, and it distracted me from the finer mood of the chanting. I kept up my determination in counting the rounds and accumulating the numbers. I’ve chanted twelve rounds. One should lead one’s life in such a way that the mind is unagitated for chanting. It’s a whole art of living. A chanter is a person who has a peaceful mind and can go deep, savoring the mahamantra during his japa session. If we’re worried or disturbed by different agitations, we’re not with Radha and Krishna. Chanting is out of this world. You have to go there and leave the concerns of the material world, at least when we chant. It is our sacred time.

Taken from Bhajan #228

Heartfelt Activities- Spiritual Growth

Hare Krsna dear devotees. It's very nice to be with you again talking about japa meditation, such an amazing topic that makes us more focused in our spiritual growth.
We have many concerns or maybe goals in our lives, some of us want more knowledge in order to understand the Supreme, others want material development, physical and healthy balance and also the control of the senses and behavior. If we make sure all these pillars are ok in our lives we will have better chanting.

On the other hand, if we don't have any of these areas well developed we still can achieve any of them by chanting properly because Krsna always sees our efforts to depend on Him. The Lord knows what we need to develop a better spiritual life, He knows we need to have nice prasadam, a good quality life and our health needs to be strong so we can serve Him much better.

Being concerned about that is making our body a temple to accept Krsna and when we think like this we treat ourselves well in all aspects.

We feed our thoughts and mind with good and healthy things like engaging in service, associating with devotees, sharing our problems and achievements with them and dedicating our efforts to focus on our goals aligned with Guru and Krsna's desire. Faith that the holy names and spiritual life can supply our needs is difficult because we think material and spiritual life are apart but when we engage everything in service they become spiritualised and purified.
Taking care of our physical body helps us in service and to have a better and focused japa, eating properly, having a mental cleaning. Sometimes we think about so many things that affect our life in a negative way and working on patience and dependance on the Lord brings us peacefulness and strength to solve all obstacles to achieve our spiritual aims. Being positive and trusting our japa will fulfill our life with everything we need, this takes some responsability and practice but when we see the results we become even more dependant on the names.
It's common for us complaining more than being grateful, criticizing more than forgiving but when we decide to change because these feelings don't match our spiritual desires we learn it maybe through the hard way but we do.
It's only a matter of exercising - I challenge you to start exercising this, train your mind to follow your guidelines...chanting at a certain time everyday, eating properly, taking some physical exercise, avoiding negative thoughts and complaints. Always see the good side of each bad thing, which is not always bad but the good for us to lear....see a lesson and opportunity to grow with every situation and this will lead you to a mature and focused spiritual growth that will make every single devotional activity sound deep and efficient.

Remember to use your heart, feelings and emotions when you chant so they will stick to your mind and soul everyday you do it.

your servant,

Aruna devi

The Gayatri & Hare Krsna Mantras

The Hare Krsna Maha mantra has three aspects:

(1) Concentration or meditation upon it
(2) Kirtan or chanting
(3) Sankirtan or chanting in the congregation of devotees

The Gayatri mantra is only for meditating upon and never recommended to be chanted. Lord Brahma got the whole meaning of the Vedas revealed in his heart by meditating upon the Gayatri mantra. That is why Gayatri mantra is called Veda-mata or mother of the Vedas .

By accepting the Gayatri mantra from a bonafide Guru one becomes a Brahmana, while by getting the Hare Krsna mantra from a bonafide Guru one becomes a Vaisnava. Just as a Vaisnava is much more exalted than a Brahmana, similarly the Hare Krsna mantra is much more potent than the Gayatri mantra .
The question may arise why then did Srila Prabhupada introduce the Brahman initiation system to create new Brahmanas in ISKCON. There are two reasons behind it.
Firstly, by meditating upon the Gayatri mantra, the deeper meaning of the Hare Krsna mantra gets revealed in one's heart, in due course of time, as by this process of concentration during Japa increases.
Secondly, according to the Vaidhi Bhakti system, Deity worship in the temple or at home can be performed only by a qualified Brahmana. So new Brahmanas must be created to continue temple worship .

One may argue that Vaisnavas are in the bhava-bhakti stage which is much higher than the vaidhi-bhakti stage and in the bhava-bhakti stage there is no discrimination between a Brahmana or a Sudra or anything else. Even Mahaprabhu has said:

Kiba Bipro kiba Nyasi Shudra kene noy
Jei Krsna tattva-bettva sei Guru hoy

Meaning that whoever is qualified in Krsna cosciousness is fit to be a Guru irrespective of his being a Brahmana, Sannyasi or a Sudra . In other words Mahaprabhu made the caste system redundant. We have to understand what Mahaprabhu has said is meant for the bhava-bhakti stage only because He Himself observed vaidhi-bhakti principles while performing temple worship.
In order to go to the bhava-bhakti stage we have to go through the vaidhi-bhakti stage, and in the vaidhi-bhakti stage Varnasrama Dharma is applicable.

For example an aircraft needs a runway on the ground to be airbourne, but once in the air it does not need the runway. The vaidhi-bhakti stage is like the runway and bhava-bhati stage is like the airbourne state of an aircraft.
However, for mass preaching, even greatly exalted devotees who are normally in the bhava-bhakti stage (like Srila Prabhupada) had to come down to the vaidhi-bhakti platform and observe the vaidhi-bhakti principles for temple worship etc.

Therefore vaidhi-bhakti system and the Varnasrama Dharma cannot be totally dispensed with. Srila Prabhupada understood this and hence he tried to create more qualified Brahmanas by proper education, training and initiation .

This is my understanding and I am ready to hear comments and stand corrected if found wrong by other devotees.

Arunava Mukerji

(Arun Krsna Das)

Japa Seminar Part 1

Here is a very nice seminar on how to avoid inattention given by Sudama dasa in Mauritius (right click and "save target as" or "save link as")

http://ia311009.us.archive.org/2/items/AttentiveChantingSeminarSudamaPrHklMru20.08.09Day1/Day1.mp3

Concentrate Fully On The Sound

"Chanting japa should be done early in the morning with full concentration preferably during the Brahma Muhurta time. Concentrate fully on the sound vibration of the mantra, pronouncing each name distinctly and gradually your speed in chanting will increase naturally.Do not worry so much about chanting fast, most important is the hearing."

Letter from Srila Prabhupada 6/1/72

I’d Like To Always Chant In That Way

As I chanted, I thought of the words “tender” and “tenderness.” I wanted to chant with care in my moral or spiritual feelings towards Nama Prabhu. Seeing Radha-Govinda helped because They are tenderness personified. I want to chant like a lover. I chanted in a subdued way, because I had to because of my head. But it also lent itself toward feelings of warmth and sympathy, gentle and delicate. One should handle the holy name in that way. It was a nice feeling. I’d like to always chant in that way.

From Bhajan Kutir #224

Please Join the Japa Group

Please share your realisations with other devotees from around the world...simply send me an introduction email and I will be happy to make you a member:

rasa108@gmail.com

ys

Rasa Rasika dasa

On The Deck Of A Ship

Hare Krsna my dear devotees. Today is holiday here in Brazil so I am again with you for more nectar of chanting. I was in H.H. Sacinandana Swami 's site and read a very nice question and an answer given by him to a devotee that may add a lot to our chanting, I hope you can get a lot from it.

Question: I have seen several unsuccessful attempts by devotees, who in the end did not get encouraging results from their chanting and later left their practice dissatisfied. How can we chant in such a way, that our chanting will quickly pass through the stages of offensive practice and quickly yield Krsna conscious realization?

Answer: This is a very good question. It is also my main question. How can we make substantial advancement? There are a couple of things which come to my mind in answer to your question: First, I really feel one has to become a scientist in one’s spiritual life. Give your best and let Krsna do the rest. Especially one should become a scientist in regarding to chanting the Holy Name and apply himself totally to a process.
Also one should be sure about the goal of one’s spiritual life – the sadhya – and connect one’s practices with that goal. In my answer I prefer to not speak so much in detail about perfecting one’s practice and one’s orientation though. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that there are two ways of looking on advancement. One is from our perspective and the other from Krsna’s. From our perspective it may seem that we are not making much advancement. However, Krsna sees things differently.
A pure devotee who has a transcendental perspective also sees things differently. In this regard I remember an answer of Srila Prabhupada to a question of a newly initiated disciple who wondered if with that initiation a substantial change had been made.

Prabhupada answered: “By the initiation you have been saved from the drowning in the ocean. You are now on deck of a ship. But due to the traumatic drowning experience you are still unconscious. As a matter of fact your situation has substantially changed – you are no longer drowning in the ocean. But from your perspective everything looks still the same.”

I like this answer very much, because a pure devotee and Krsna see the facts, whereas many of us are still under the influence of the mind. Could it be that we as devotees are in a different situation than we perceive ourselves to be in?
I believe that is the real picture and I have seen many devotees who could recognize the tremendous amount of blessings on them during the time of death when they had extraordinary spiritual realizations.

H.H. Sacinandana Swami 4/09

It's very nice to hear from senior devotees like maharaj and get all these realisations of chanting, they give us a lot of inspiration to chant and to overcome any obstacle that may come to our spiritual life.

May your week be blessed by the Lord in many different ways.

your servant,

Aruna devi

Strong Desires For Service

Hare Krsna my dear devotees. It's nice to be with you again talking about the glories of Nama Prabhu. A devotee is nothing without the holy names, they are our constant shelter and support. This week here at home devotees are chanting in the morning and at night, the boys and my brother's family. It's 4am in the morning when I first listen to Srila Prabhupada's bhajans and then the sound of the holy names being chanted. That's the very auspicious way of waking up, I normally wake up at 4:20 then I chant and go to work everyday - it's a very special effort that brings me too much joy and strength in spiritual terms.

I am pretty sure that this mood has developed because of the mercy of the Deities, we worship Them every weekend with so much care and love and for this reason we can get the reciprocation in the form of more service, which is the best and fills our hearts with more devotion and service.

This is the importance of always being dedicated to Krsna and worshiping Him the best we can, always increasing the service and the standard of it. We are all here to develop a deeper relationship with the Lord through our service, so if we have strong desires to increase it and maintain a good standard, He will bless us with more and more abilities to develop a better service.
Japa needs to be the number 1 priority in our lives, so the service goes well and Krsna takes control of it....meaning He is able to engage us in our propensities as our wish. I am very happy to say I have the protection of Nama Prabhu at home and the potency of our Sri Sri Gaura Nitai deities to bless us in service.

My desires are that everyday I can make my service better and achieve pure love of Krsna, chanting the holy names in a very pure state of mind.
And you, do you have strong desires to have your service increased or chant better? If so engage your mind in these thoughts and ask Krsna to bless your life with that and for sure your strong desires will become your present bliss.

May your week be blessed with more devotional service and your senses engaged in attentive chanting.

your servant,

Aruna devi

Best When You Do It That Way

"I chanted sixteen rounds in a row. It’s best when you do it that way, just going on and pushing and not stopping. I chanted them quickly and with attention to the holy names. My mind did not wander much but stayed concentrated on the accumulation, the addition of numerical strength. I should find time to chant some more rounds today and not leave it at this bare minimum. The best part was staying alert and attentive without getting sleepy."

From Bhajan Kutir #218

Srila Prabhupada's Beads

One day during his talk he mentioned the first time he chanted japa. A devotee gave him beads and he went to a nearby park. He used to do hatha yoga so he sat in an asana position and chanted 32 rounds. He was feeling some ectasy from chanting which amazed him. After the thirty two rounds he went back to the temple. The devotee who gave him beads to chant on said he made a mistake. He had given him Srila Prabhupada's beads by mistake, and took them back, giving him new beads.

From a disciple of Jayapataka Swami

The Tricky Mind

Hare Krsna my dear devotees. I hope your week has been good and you have been able to chant nicely. Today I was thinking about this sentence "Time is money" - we always listen to it in a big city and then I remembered that Srila Prabhupada used to say that any free time you have chant Hare Krsna.....connecting both topics I realised that our time is money, meaning very very precious that we shouldn't waste it with nonsense or things that wouldn't allow us to engage more in spiritual life.

Imagine if we could dedicate all of our time in the service of the Lord? How could we do that if we need to work....study, clean the house and do everything we need to mantain ourselves in this material world. The main thing is that everything can be used in Krsna's service and then it will be spiritualized, the mercy of the Lord.

I use to think like that, if I can do my work and think that the money will be engaged in service of the Lord and to maintain my body and soul together, I see it as a service or connected to my devotional service. We can make chanting like that, being a constant part of our day - we shouldn't just chant on our beads but in our minds thinking of the Lord and engage our minds like that.

The mind is always trying to suggest us new topics, new things to do and sometimes we trust the mind, and all the investiments it has, on the other hand if we engage the mind in the service of the Lord like chanting and thinking of Krsna, dedicating our rare and precious time in this life finding out many ways to serve Krsna better....we will control the mind by engaging it in service constantly.
According to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita, the mind is more difficult to control than the wind - we can't control the mind, but Krsna can. This is so easy for Him, we just need to surrender and accept our Acharyas' examples and do what is proposed in this age, chant the Holy Names.

May the Lord protect you on this path of devotion.

your servant,

Aruna devi

How Do You Pray Anyway?

I thought that I would try praying more during my japa instead of just mechanically chanting the mantras. It was partly successful. I tried to bring the mantras into the mind, then down to the heart. I concentrated physically on my heart. How do you pray, anyway? It’s a difficult thing to do, but I was trying to put some feeling into chanting the mantras. Occasionally, I glanced at Radha-Govinda to relate the sound to the form. I chanted at a whisper and at a steady pace. I’ve chanted sixteen rounds now.

From Bhajan Kutir #215

Please Join the Japa Group

Please share your realisations with other devotees from around the world...simply send me an introduction email and I will be happy to make you a member:

rasa108@gmail.com

ys

Rasa Rasika dasa

Japa Poem

Chanting very early at a
rapid pace, your mind
leaves no space for errant
thoughts. It’s mechanical but
with the best machine. Hare
namas climb in quota
with no drowse or wander.
It’s a wonder you’re not chanting
suddha-nama after so many attempts
but nama-bhasa frees the
heart from sin, and you
occupy yourself only with
the names, waiting for
pure chanting promised
to an eager bhakta

From Bhajan Kutir #214

Japa Default Level

Our default level in our Japa is what our mind has accepted....if we are distracted during Japa and we allow this to continue, then this is our default Japa level. When we give in to bad habits during Japa - for instance Japa bag in one hand, computer mouse in the other...this is inattentive Japa and we continue to do this because our mind has convinced to continue like this. When we take the knowledge that we learn about good Japa, then we apply that knowledge and actually make a change, then our default Japa level will be raised and that will be our new standard of Japa.

It's a matter of being honest with ourselves and seeing what needs to be improved and then actually doing something about that....make the change that will make your Japa more effective.

Attracting Krsna's Heart

Hare Krsna my dear devotees. This month is the Kartika month and it's very important to our spiritual life because every little effort we make values much more than in other months. According to Srila Prabhupada it is like a sale on a shop, you get a better product for less price, meaning that we get much more benefits when we perform our daily service what to say of an increased amount of service...it might be even better if we take advantage of this time and chant better rounds.

I am pretty sure there are some devotees that wake up ealier to chant in the brahma muhurta time....chant extra rounds, increase their service in the temple and so on. I have been thinking of what could I do to offer more of myself to the Lord. Actually this week I had a great news of service increasing in my life, I will be cooking more prasadam to distribute to people. Kesava has been taking sweet balls every day to distribute to his friends at school and Advaita is preaching to a friend about Krsna, he made a bhakta already.
This is the power of the holy names, this month came with everyone here feeling the impact of the Deities mercy, sometimes I look through my window and see my nephew chanting on his beads - early in the morning today my brother was listening to Srila Prabhupada tape and chanting on his beads so the boys joined him too.
I always feel happy when I see devotees chanting because I trust so much the power of the holy names that I am sure that each time we pronounce those names we become blessed and we get free from the material nature.
Today is also the sarat purnima the day that Lord Krsna played His flute and invited the gopis to the rasa dance by the Yamuna river in Vrindavan. Reading my Guru Maharaja's lecture on this day I felt very touched when Krsna says that He can't repay the love the gopis had because they left everything in order to serve Krsna. Maybe we could think the same way just by pronouncing the words of the Lords names...while doing that we are inviting Him to our place - giving Him that time and asking to be engaged in devotional service. When the Lord sees this surrendered mood, He reciprocates with a huge amount of service....blessing our lives with much more than we expect. Krsna is never ungrateful but so merciful we just need to clean our hearts to perceive the Lords deeds in our lives. This is part of the quote from my gurudevs lecture on this day.

Krsna says...

"Actually, I am unable to repay my debt for your service to Me even with the prolonged life of Brahma, because you have given up everything for Me. You have given up family ties, which are so difficult to break. You have given up the dictates of the world, of the Vedas, and of your relatives. You have forsaken everything for My sake--which I could not do for you. You have given up all other relationships for Me, but I could not do that for you. I still have My father and mother and friends. You came running out of your houses in the middle of the night, but I sneak out and return in the morning so that no one catches Me. But you, with complete abandon, have come to meet Me without any consideration of the consequences. And I have so many devotees with whom I reciprocate: devotees in madhurya-rasa, in vatsalya-rasa, in sakhya-rasa, in dasya-rasa, and in santa-rasa. I also reciprocate with the sadhakas in the material world who are struggling and trying to become devotees. I reciprocate with everyone who approaches Me. But you love only Me. So I cannot equal your love. I admit it: I can never repay My debt to you." He concluded, "I am defeated by your love."

A Talk by Giriraj Swami
October 17, 2005
Sri Sri Radha-Radhanatha Temple
Durban, South Africa

May your weekend be blessed by the Lords mercy and this month you might be able to make your japa increase in quality and maybe in quantity as well.

your servant,

Aruna devi

Who Am I Chanting For

"I concentrated on the whispered mantras. I chanted quite quickly. I’ve done eleven rounds. I looked at Radha-Govinda while chanting and reminded myself whom I’m chanting for."

From Bhajan Kutir #211

Make Japa The No.1 Priority

Today I was reflecting on this....the importance of Japa cannot be over-stated, it's the most important time of our spiritual day and it's everything in our spiritual life. Good Japa means good reading, hearing and service. If our Japa is concentrated and focused, it means the rest of our sadhana will be concentrated and focused. Srila Prabhupada writes about the importance of Japa in the following letter:

“You have to minimize your sleeping. If you cannot finish sixteen rounds, then you must not sleep on that day, you must not eat. Why don't you forget to eat, forget? Why do you forget chanting Hare Krsna? This is negligence, aparadha, offense. Rather, you should forget your sleeping and eating, and must finish sixteen rounds. This is called determination. This is called determined. So you are welcome to take initiation, but if you are neglectful, if you want to make it a farce, that is your business. I cannot give you any protection.”

Letter from Srila Prabhupada 28/1/74

There Is No Question Of Maya

"If you stick to these principles with determination, you will be freed from all attachment to Maya, by Krishna's grace. The example is that when the sun is in the sky, then where is the question of darkness? Similarly, when Hare Krishna mantra is vibrating on your tongue, and you are hearing attentively, then your consciousness becomes clear, or Krishna consciousness, and there is no question of Maya or hazy consciousness."

Letter - Wednesday 2 August 1972

Please Join the Japa Group

Please share your realisations with other devotees from around the world...simply send me an introduction email and I will be happy to make you a member:

rasa108@gmail.com

ys

Rasa Rasika dasa

Taste Of Bliss In Krsna Consciousness

Everyone of you should be thoroughly convinced of the power of the Hare Krsna mantra to protect you in all circumstances and chant accordingly at all times without offense. Then advancement will be swift and you will gradually come to see everything clearly so that you may act for the pleasure of the Lord without uncertainty. When one is spontaneously engaged in this way, always in the service of the Lord and anxious to avoid all mundane activities, he is actually experiencing the taste of bliss in Krsna consciousness.

From a letter to Damodara - January 10, 1971

Situated In Pure Transcendence

Hare Krsna my dear devotees. I hope your week is full of nectar from chanting and that you are able to experience the Lord's mercy coming from your heart. Today I had a good day starting from chanting my rounds in the morning, then I went to the market so we could think of what to prepare for the Lord today, every weekend we have a different menu and we try to improve a little bit the worship of the Deities. I got some butter to prepare ghee so I could offer food cooked with ghee and also put in the arati offering, Kesava was proud of himself when he made the arati today, it looked like a temple and everyone today could be blessed by Sri Sri Gaura Nitai's mercy.

The samosas were a nectar and the rose lassi very precious as well. An opulent fruit salad made of grapes, bananas, condensed milk, sour cream, raisins and cinnamon powder was offered and the Deities looked nice on an altar decorated with fruits and flowers. The Deities looked very happy here at home and the main thing is that we can chant our rounds and remember the service we do every day, it's important to raise kids with this in their minds so they will get a taste for service and in the future they will feel very happy by being engaged like that.
I was reading the Harinama Cintamani today and found this nice quote, I hope you like it also and feel blessed with nectar from Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur.

"By hearing the glories of the holy name, the last traces of false ego will dissipate, and the symptoms of a pure devotee will then blossom in his heart, and he will take to the six processes of surrender. He who finds complete shelter in the holy name is a great soul, for he becomes the recipient of the great treasure of Krsnaprema. The symptoms of one who is free from the ten namaparadhas. In being warned to avoid the ten offenses to the holy name of the Lord, one is actually being ordered to positively implement the specific saintly qualities that render these aparadhas impossible. Therefore, one must: not criticize but serve the saintly Vaisnavas; worship Krsna as the Absolute Supreme Lord; give full respect to the spiritual master who initiates one into the holy name; regard the scriptures that reveal the glories of the holy name as preeminent; know within the heart that the holy name is eternally situated in pure transcendence; root out and destroy the desire to commit sins; preach the glories of the holy name only to the faithful; give up ritualistic pious activities entirely; chant with full attention and surrender fully to the holy name."

I liked this quoted because it stresses the importance of chanting without offenses and also gives emphasis to being attentive. We all need to keep making efforts to chant offenselessly and try to achieve our goal of pure chanting. Our Lord and the spiritual master will always be here to help us on this path and we will be safe in their association.
May we all be blessed with service and lots of good moments in association of great vaisnavas that lead us to pure devotional service.

your servant,

Aruna devi

Hankering For Nitai's Feet

Hare Krsna my dear devotees, I hope your chanting has been good and you have been able to focus on your rounds nicely.
I was thinking about some thoughts that usually come to my mind while I am chanting, sometimes I can see my whole day coming to my mind, what I need to do - what I have done and also all the bad things that usually belong to my past... they come even though I don't want to think of them, so I pray to Lord Nrsimhadeva and ask Him to bless my life and help me to avoid such thoughts which are not appropriate to japa.
Reading H.H. Sacinandana Swami Maharaja's quotes I got this nice answer he gives to someone that talks about that.

Question: While chanting, often thoughts of envy and lust come up. These thoughts are much stronger and focused than they usually are....

Answer: When you start cleaning, you see the dirt, which was there all the time. You may not have noticed it before, but it was already there. My advice is of course is to keep on chanting. When those thoughts of envy and lust are very strong, it is good to become aware of them by looking at them fully. After you have done that you should go to another position that is to look at them from the viewpoint of eternity. You are an eternal soul, trapped in a body, longing for Krishna. You might see that envy and lust evaporate. But if that is not useful, then meditate about the example of great acaryas. That may ignite a fire which burns away envy and lust. The ultimate weapon is to take shelter at the lotus feet of Nityananda and Gauranga. Especially by Lord Nityananda’s kind intervention lust and envy will go. Just call out His name: “Jaya Nitai, jaya Nitai, Jaya Nitai” or “Nitai Gauranga.”

One day I have listened that chanting was like when you start stirring a glass full of dust at the bottom, all the dust come up and then you start seeing who you are, then when you are aware of that you pray and ask for protection, pray so the Lord can purify your heart from all this dust and give you attraction to His holy names. So we become more inclined to chanting, to worshiping the Deities and this dust is cleansed little by little - by the power of constantly chanting and devotional service to the lotus feet of the Lord manifested in His many forms.
By the mercy of our spiritual master we can get the Lords mercy because we are still contaminated with so many bodily conceptions which lead us to our own desires. Fortunately pure chanting and a heart devoted to serve the Lord opens our path to develop all the vaisnava qualities so we can see in ourselves the pure thoughts and desires a pure devotee has.

May we all become aware of our weaknesses being able to overcome them and situate our hearts in the glories of pure chanting.

your servant,

Aruna devi

Produces The Visible Form Of Krishna

"The relationship between sound and form is particularly relevant to chanting japa. Just as material sound vibrations produce visible forms, similarly, the transcendental vibration of Krishna’s name produces the visible form of Krishna in the heart of a devotee. When chanting the holy name of Krishna, one will eventually see the form of Krishna. This is because the sound of Krishna’s name carries within it the trancendental form of Krishna as well as His abode, associates and pastimes."

The Art of chanting Hare Krishna

Alertly And With Attention

"I chanted twelve rounds. They were done at a whisper and at a quick pace. I paid attention to the business of hearing the syllables of the holy names in my usual fashion. As I chant, I feel I am doing the most important thing at the most important time, and that is a satisfaction. Despite the sleepless night, I chanted alertly and with attention."

From Bhajan Kutir #202

The Name Is Not Given Up

"The only method or means (sadhana) in this age is the holy name of the Lord. The only goal (sadhya) to be attained in this age is Krsna-prema (love of Krsna). Even in the stage of perfection, the name is not given up but is chanted all the more, for it is intrinsic to the activities of prema."

From Harinama Cintamani