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Chanting in a
helpless mood
From Japa Reform Notebook by HH Satsvarupa Dasa
Gosvami
Submitted by Manoj
Why aren't we chanting in a helpless mood? Because we are clinging to material attachments. The last offense in chanting is to maintain material attachments (aham mameti) even after understanding the chanting and hearing so many instructions on spiritual life. It is engaging in spiritual life with our anchor out. That wedding party was rowing all night, but because they still had the anchor out, they did not go anywhere. The anchor is attachment to sense gratification. Srila Prabhupida said, "You can chant and chant for hundreds of years and not get the result, if you chant with the anchor out." So much work is done without result, because they are trying to prosecute spiritual duties while maintaining their sense gratification. We should be introspective, take apart these anarthas and rectify our situation to have an open road in our chanting of Hare Krisna - so we can go back to Godhead very quickly. Nothing else is necessary in this age but to be a chanter of Hare Krsna.
Inattention is a serious problem in chanting. As the nondevotee does not understand the value of human life or the urgency to be Krsna conscious, so a devotee sometimes does not fully understand the urgency and necessity of calling on the holy name. Then despite his theoretical acceptance of the principle of chanting Hare Krsna, he stubbornly deliberates on other things while uttering the holy name. Inattention then explains why, when a devotee chants, tears do not come to his eyes, his voice does not choke up with the utterance of the holy name, and his hairs do not stand on end, and why he does not feel the world is all vacant without Krsna.
"Unless a devotee actually develops transcendental love for the Lord, it is not possible for him to think always of the Lord within his heart."
Lord Krsna says in the Twelfth Chapter of the Gita that you should always think of Him in spontaneous love. But if you can't do that, then try to follow the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga. And if you can't do even that, then try to work for Krsna, and if you can't do that, then cultivate selfless work, and if you can't do that, then cultivate knowledge. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu also advises that you give your whole life to Krsna, but if you cannot do that, then you should give your money, and if you cannot do that, then you should at least give your intelligence, and if you do not have intelligence, you should at least give your words. Similarly, for chanting japa, we can advise that a devotee should constantly cry out in full love of God, completely surrendering himself to the Lord, and tasting the nectar of ecstatic love of Krsna. But if you cannot do that, then cry out, "My dear Lord, I am unable to sincerely cry out Your name in surrendered love. Please forgive me."
But we may have to admit that we cannot even cry out sincerely about our inability to cry out in spontaneous love. What then? At least you should cry out, lamenting your inability to even feel any inability: "My dear Lord, I am just a dull stone. I cannot chant Hare Krsna with any quality, only mechanically. I cannot even lament my inability." Somehow or other, come out with an utterance, a cry. Do not remain a dull stone without feeling. Starting immediately from whatever point you are at (no matter how low), utter the available cry of your heart and go on from there.
Chant feelingly. Of course, if at any given moment you do not chant feelingly, you cannot go back and start your rounds again. What can be done? Push on, but keep trying. Kick out with heavy boots the poisonous snakes of sleep and gross sensualism. Then cry like a child for its mother, calling on the holy name, "0 energy of God, 0 Krsna, please let me serve You."
King Kulasekhara's advice is important for proper chanting. At the time of death, it will be difficult to chant due to our physical condition. 'Now that I am chanting in good health, let me die thinking of Krsna." Of course we don't want to die now; we want to live to serve. But now while our material minds and bodies are intact, we should chant in the mood that this is our last precious chance to concentrate and to depend fully on the holy name. With this sober reflection, you can drive out all auxiliary thoughts. Chant while you can.
Bhismadeva also drove out all other thought at the time of his passing away. Scheming over this and that, letting the mind wander-at the time of death you will be forced to give up all these thoughts. But do it now and save yourself for chanting. Such pure chanting can save the whole world. "0 Radha, 0 Krsna, please engage mel"
Mind-wandering and drowsiness continue to be the main obstacles. The mind thinks over his latest schemes: "I can't put certain things aside and simply chant!" But analyzing them, I see the things my mind dwells on are not so important that they couldn't be suspended in favor of two and a half hours of concentrated japa. Put everything aside, and chant the holy name.
You should have already had a good evening's rest; therefore, resist sleep. After fighting it off, you will get strength for japa. But if you yield to sleep, then your rounds may always be sleepy, poorly uttered, and inattentive, not just for one day but for months on end. The power of a bad habit is such that it may even become a bad habit for life, based on an illusion that you cannot fight off sleep. You say, 'What can I do? It has overpowered mel" But the japa-yajna is not a mere physical exercise; it is dynamic and spiritual. Therefore, it contains force, and you can gain force if you resist the deadly undertow of sleep and poorly uttered rounds.
Japa is not a short burst but a long haul. One round after another, you have to enter gradually, deeply, into the mellows of the holy name-by numerical strength. It takes time, Keep chanting.
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