Today I was reflecting on this....the importance of Japa cannot be over-stated, it's the most important part 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
Comments
Having not been able to make
Having not been able to make my weekly visit to my temple for nearly a month Im really starting to understand the effects of being separated from Krishna..
I miss taking darshan and taking temple prasadam and not only associating with devotees but associating with my FRIENDS.. all of whom have lessons and wisdom to teach me .. whatever their level of devotion or practise.
Although i dearly miss being at the temple, not being able to go when i really want to has positive effects.... my desire to cling to Krishna increases and the chanting that is all too often a race to a number becomes intensely sweet.. the way it should be - and a practise that makes me feel closer to krishna and all the things i love about being a devotee and being in the temple...
This month of kartik - although only my second ever - has given me much to think about - and i think maybe that im fortunate not to have been able to go to the temple these past weeks... because now I realise what a wonderfull thing it is to be a devotee of Lord Krishna ...
Ive also realised how powerfull japa is ... not just because we should always be thinking of Krishna, but because i think when we chant Japa we create our own temple around us... by chanting Krishnas name- as the beautifull saying goes - krishna dances on our tongue... its like our own personal darshan with krishna and the sweetest nectar a person can taste...
its also made me realise that if absence from the temple and chanting can have this effect on me... what effect can it have on non devotees who may never have heard of krishna..
it made me think that maybe its important to chant japa - not just for our own spiritual benefit - but for the benefit of others ...
chanting japa anywhere - whether its outside the temple - or on the bus to work always invites curiosity and gives us the opportunity to talk to those curious faces about what we are doing - and ultimatly about Krishna...
the holy name is indeed a powerfull and wonderfull sound ...
Create Our Own Temple Around Us
Thanks for you comments Kimimela....indeed chanting creates a spiritual atmosphere if we do it seriously. Others will feel that around us and they may enquire after we chant our Japa - hopefully not during as it would be distracting for our concentration. Focusing on the sound and concentration are very important if we want to make progress through the stages in chanting.
Karthik
PAMHO prabhu!
Its very inspiring.As the month of Karthik has started its more important to chant the holy name of the Lord.
For the month of Karthik i have decided to minimise my eating and to chant more. I wish you a very happy Karthik and Lord Damodar mercy always be upon you.
hari bol
Extra Chanting
Thankyou Kamatchi for your comments....it's a great opportunity to chant extra rounds with great attention and the benefit if greatly increased during this month....thankyou for reminding us of this.
Very nice
Sounds very direct and to the point. Highlighting that japa is very important.
To the point
Thanks Gary....yes it's a direct statement that we can take very seriously
Powerful quotation
Hare Krsna Prabhu,
Thanks ever so much for posting this wonderful powerful quotation. It certainly reminds us of the importance of quality japa and the need to be determined when chanting.
Determination
Thanks Dhama Rupini....strong determination comes from strong faith, and strong faith comes from experiencing a taste when we chant Japa.
Inspiration
Thanks Rasa Prabhu for this quote from Srila Prabhupada.
There are so many nectars about how we should give importance to chanting, and this makes our service much more focused too.
Today I was talking to devotees how important is to have someone who inspires us in japa and I take mine from my guru maharaja and from H.H. Sacinandana Swami, another devotee said that he takes from his gurudevs association and another said that association of devotees who are interested in improving their chanting also inspire them.
Thanks for this nice service.
Aruna devi
Association
Thanks for your comments Aruna devi....good point you make, we need to be inspired in spiritual life by good association and Japa association is very important....to chant with good chanters and to listen to the lectures or read the articles of such great souls that you mentioned.