Can chanting Hare Krsna help one to assimilate the knowledge of the scriptures more efficiently? How?
Hare Krishna. Question from Shant Kulkarni Prabhu. Can chanting Hare Krishna help one to assimilate scriptural knowledge more efficiently? If yes, how? Answer, it is not necessarily more efficiently, but it will be more effectively.
Efficiency refers more in terms of speed of doing things, whereas effectiveness refers to the extent of the magnitude of the eventual result. So, studying scripture and comprehending scripture is not just an intellectual process. It is a transformational process, which involves not only intellectual comprehension, but also involves emotional redirection.
That means we are not just meant to understand Krishna as an object of cold critical analysis. We are meant to understand Krishna as the object of love. And for that, we have to connect with him emotionally.
And that emotional connection with him comes not just through studying the scripture, but through serving him. And chanting Hare Krishna is a prayer to serve him. So, the prayer to serve him essentially means that we focus on trying to develop a devotional disposition.
So, to the extent we develop the devotional disposition, to that extent, Krishna will reveal deeper understanding to us. Krishna cannot be understood within the three modes. He is transcendental.
And studying scripture also brings us in contact with Krishna. But that contact can sometimes be only intellectual. It may not be transformational.
If that contact is to be transformational, then there has to be elevation towards above the modes. And that happens as our desire to serve, as our intention to serve becomes stronger and stronger. And that happens by chanting and by doing other activities that are not necessarily intellectual, but are devotional.
So, in this way, one can grow in one's relationship with Krishna. Svayam eva sphuratyadhah, the Padma Purana says and Bhakti Samyukta also quotes is that actually understanding of Krishna doesn't happen by blunt senses. It happens by Krishna's self-revelation.
So, a devotional disposition, when Krishna sees that, then Krishna reciprocates by giving us his divine revelation. So, we focus not just on intellectual comprehension, which would happen if we divorce scriptural study from chanting. So, chanting helps us to develop, to deepen, to expand, to intensify, to expand our relationship with Krishna.
And once that relationship is expanded, then the intellectual comprehension becomes integrated within that relationship. Otherwise, intellectual comprehension remains our only relationship with Krishna. And that is definitely undesirable.
That will not lead to deep understanding of Krishna. As Krishna says, vedasya sarvair aham eva vedyam. The purpose of the Vedas is to know him.
It is not just to get some information about this or that, even if that information comes in the scripture. So, developing a relationship with Krishna is facilitated by the whole process, all the process of devotional service, one of which is studying scripture and other is chanting. So, when we do the whole scriptural package, the Nav Vidha Bhakti properly, then we will understand Krishna in truth.