Chanting the Hare Krishna Mantra
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”).
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 sin¬cerely 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 at our temple.)
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.”
(TO BE CONTINUED)
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