Why do distractions come more when we chant?
Answer Podcast
Transcript
This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
When you chant, why do other thoughts at that time especially come? Because what happens is when we are doing other activities we feel that there is constructive engagement there like if I am reading, my mind gets involved over there, if I am talking with other people my mind gets involved, there is some channel for the thoughts to go to but we are chanting, it is the same sound being repeated again and again so we tend to feel that this is not very attractive, this is not very stimulating, this is not very absorbing and that is why our thoughts go in other directions so what we need to do is we need to revise our perception of chanting that means Krishna says in 6.25 and 26 of the Bhagavad Gita, slowly, gradually step by step with intelligence sustained by conviction fix the mind on you what that means is that if you find that the mind is vanishing too much during chanting, try to start the chanting by reading something about the holy name there are many books on the notion of the holy name just read for 2-3 minutes before chanting and when you are hearing in classes also, whatever you hear at that time if you find some inspiring point about the holy name, about the importance of chanting keep a note of that and basically we need to use our intelligence to stabilize the mind it’s like a child, child doesn’t want to take the medicine but the mother knows the importance of medicine the mother makes sure the child takes the medicine so our mind is like the child but our intelligence needs to become like the mother and gradually when we do this you will see even when the mind starts winding, if we put a little effort and focus, there are some days when we connect with the holy name, then it’s very absorbing it’s actually quite empowering we feel solid and stable after good chanting that experience is also there so we just need to penetrate that initial layer Krishna says, in the initial that which tastes like poison will taste like nectar in the end so that initial layer of poison we need to penetrate and for that purpose to get the determination, that conviction to penetrate that initial layer of poison you need intelligence if you read about the holy name that will help you perceive it and then the taste will come when the taste comes, the distractions will become much lesser or even the distractions come the will power to bring the mind back from the distraction state will increase