Second Method of Practicing Bhakti – Chanting

Devotional service to Shri Krishna is performed by following the nine methods as follows:

Hearing
Chanting
Remembering
Serving the lotus feet
Worshipping
Praying
Executing the orders
Fraternizing
Fully surrendering
In this series, we will discuss the second one this week, namely, chanting.

Chanting is the second principle because it requires some level of active participation from us compared to hearing. While hearing is a pretty passive activity, chanting requires a little more work.

Chanting requires us to understand the words or lyrics before repeating them. We could repeat the lyrics without understanding what we are chanting but that would get pretty boring pretty quickly. For instance, a one-year old may be able to recite the Jack & Jill nursery rhyme. But her face lights up when it is done with actions. Why? Because while she cannot completely comprehend the lyrics i.e. all the words, the actions convey the meaning and she is able to grasp it. Once she understands it, there is so much joy and pleasure that she cannot stop singing it all day.

Similarly, an atheist would get bored singing Hare Krishna Hare Rama mahamantra after singing it once. For a family who understands the significance of the mantra, it would take longer to get bored. However, they too would get bored after chanting it all day. On the other hand, a pure devotee who truly believes that God resides in his name, would never tire of chanting this mantra. In fact, it is a well known fact that when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would faint in ecstasy, he could be woken up only by chanting of this mahamantra. Such is the power of chanting!

Shree Jagadguru Kripaluji Maharaji further guides us in his book Bhagavannāma Māhātmya – The Glories of the Divine Name – to believe that God resides in his name. He states, “The prime secret of chanting God’s names, qualities, or pastimes is that you should feel his presence in all of these. Cultivate strong faith that God himself is present in these with all his divine powers. His form, his name, his qualities, his pastimes, his abodes, and his devotees are one.”

Now it’s your turn to try it. Select a mantra or a kirtan and spend the time to understand its lyrics. Then start chanting. Start by singing it once a day, then twice, then ramp it up. How long does it take you to do that?  Notice the impact it has on your bhakti. Let me know when you are at a point when you can’t stop chanting.