(Written for practicing devotees of Sri Chaitanaya Sarasvat Math)
The sound of Name is not Name proper. But is it useless?
The feeling of chanting Hari Nam desperately has arisen from necessity for positive engagement fueled by frustration and luck of purpose. Hari Nam gives hope and refreshment to the mind and... (as saints say) the soul. (I have no such realization). I only know that by chanting hari nam I get refreshed, calm and can see things more clear. Of course this is a mundane effect of Hari Nam on the condition soul. Nevertheless this tells me that Hari Nam is very powerful. When coming to Sri Chaitanya Sarasvat Math we learn from Srila BR Sridhar Maharaj that the name of the Lord descends to the tong of a chanter when the call is devoid of selflessness and heart is empty of any other shelter but Krisha. That is very high profile. Srila Sridhar Maharaj, quoting Jagadananda Pundit and Vasudev Gosh Thakur, shows us that the syllabus "Ha-re", "Krish-na", "Ra-ma" are not the Name proper. He proves us that the holy name or divine sound vibration is independent yet no-different from its source, bhinnatvan nama namino. It (or it is proper to say He) can do anything through Its (His own) power to make someone's heart melt or not.
Accepting such high standard we tend to minimize our own chanting. We sometimes reduce our chanting or even stop chanting altogether. We may develop thinking that since our chanting in our present position is almost useless and not-effective, and that we chant it out of duty as a promise to our diksha guru and that we are not sadhakas who do their routine to attain prema bhakti, we are worthless and unqualified to properly chant the Hari Nam. So we stop, reduce or undermine our chanting. We forget that Nama Acharyya Srila Haridas Thakur declared that chanting of Nam on the stage of Namaabhas (imperfect) can bring one to the gates of Vaikuntha. Yes, I know, we are not heading there, but this is to show the power of the Hari Nam.
Are we loosers?
Yes we are, but in a particular way. We are beggars for the almighty mercy but should we feel incompetent and disconnected? I would say, no. As much as we desire desperately the gift of saranagati (heartfelt surrender), we should desire happy effect to our practice. To think that because we are not chanting on a highest level of Krishna Consciousenss we are not getting the glimpse of an infinite mercy, is to deny Infinite its infinity. If the Sweet Absolute is Infinite then what is not within His unlimited possibilities? Sri Rupagoswamipada sais na krishti krita chetasam sumanasam... na diksha na cha sat kriya mana... the Name is divine and it can do wanders. It can make someone blessed with Its beauty randomly, despite no qualifications on the part of a chanter . So why not us who has committed ourselves to Its Divine Cause? Are we a looser? Certainly not. We are benefited by each heartfelt offering to our Divine Master and Lord. Sri Krishna is called Sweetness Personified and His devotee is very kind, so why aren't we happily chanting His names every day with enthusiasm? I think we should, even-though we are told that on our platform our "chanting is a duty to our Gurudeva."
Self-deception is our friend
No way! But if we think for a while... Anything can be used for the service to my Master. My self-deceit can lead me to the realization that I am actually making harm to myself. Being retrospective helps and this is what Srila Guru Maharaj calls, atma nikshepa, or self-analysis. Omitting this point, this paragraph has no meaning.
I can bring down my deceitful tendencies by sincere reading books of Srila BR Sridhar Maharaj. Prapanna Jivamrita and Sermons part I, II, III & IV are perfect books for disease of self-deceitfulness. Śrila Govinda Maharaj told me once "read all books of Guru Maharaj regularly, our life is very short." The bhakti jnan coming from his books will unveil the masquerade of deceit in our mind and heart. Just keep reading with full attention and share what you have read with other devotees. We are all on the same boat. So keep sharing.
What of Hari Nam being sung without desperation? Generally speaking, desperation is followed by surrender, so chanting Hari Nam in a desperate mood may inch us closer to surrender. However, I am such a fool that I do not feel this desperation. I am fortunate to have had Hari Nam given to me by a pure vaisnava, Srila Gurudev. I chant my rounds and attempt to think of non-material matters at least sometimes during the day. We are instructed what to think of when chanting (pray to avoid offenses to Hari Nam). Perhaps simply attempting to avoid these offenses will allow desperation to take hold, hopefully leading to surrender. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteDesperation is VHS, a Very High State. We can only chant regularly with a strong sentiment that the Hari Nam is Krishna Himself (bhinnatvan nama namino) and that we are very fortunate to receive it from Rupanuga Guru Pranmpara. This should lead us to a conscious cultivation of such awareness. This will be already a great step forward. Then when we are fixed in this we should make an effort to avoid 10 or 11 offenses starting from (#9) being inattentive . Once attentive we can stretch towards respecting all preaching vaishnavas, all scriptures, all living entities, etc. We will gain genuine appreciation for the sound vibration (not to mistaken with actual Nam). The sound vibration of the Nam is also very powerful and will lead us to Shudha Nam, no doubt. Cultivated under the guidance of our Guru Varga we will surely attain Prema. Such is the power of the Holy Nam descended from the Rupa Nuga Sampradaya. We are very very fortunate. This appreciation is a mile stoe in our progress to infinity. Achintya bhaeda abheda tatva. Hare Krishna Hare Rama....
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