How chanting works on the mind – and how the mind works during chanting

[Congregation program at Los Angeles, USA]

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This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
I am grateful to be here amongst all of you today and as I mentioned I will speak about the chanting. So I will speak on a specific theme, how chanting works on the mind and how the mind works during chanting. So how chanting is meant to actually purify and heal the mind, but how the mind tends to misdirect us.
So the Hare Rama Ashtakam is a song composed, a beautiful song on the holy name composed in the Vaishnava tradition and one of the verses states, आप्रम्मस्तंबपर्यंतं सर्वमायामयं जगत् सत्यं सत्यं पुनसत्यं हरेर्णामेव केवलं So the Vaishnava poet is telling, his mind is preaching to him, oh mind understand, in this whole world, everything, no matter how impressive it looks, आप्रम्मस्तंबपर्यंतं Brahma means the most powerful living being, Brahmaji, Stambha refers to the blade of a grass that has been cut. So it has practically no value, it says आप्रम्मस्तंबपर्यंतं सर्वमायामयं जगत् Everything is simply filled with illusion, सत्यं सत्यं पुनसत्यं Understand the only truth is हरेर्णामेव केवलं is the holy name of Lord Krishna. What does this kind of statement mean? Let’s try to understand first, how our mind plays a role in our day to day functioning.
Sometimes we feel like I’m trying to chant, but my mind is distracted. So why are we not able to chant attentively? So actually what happens is, our existence is at three levels, we are spiritual beings, we also have particular minds and we have body. So many times when we are chanting, the tongue is chanting, the mind is wandering and the soul is thinking what to do, the tongue is uttering the words रे कृष्ण रे कृष्ण कृष्ण कृष्ण रे हरे हरे राम रे राम राम रे रे.
The mind is thinking, oh what is there for prasad today, I didn’t get enough rest yesterday night, why did this person say like this to me? So now if we consider the mind, it is like an inner screen on which various images are being played and as compared to the sound of the holy name, which seems to be just one sound going on repeatedly. The images that are being played on the inner screen of the mind seem to be much more variegated and relatively speaking much more interesting and because of that the soul who is here has to look and the soul when it tries to look, it is trying to chant, then here this is happening. Suppose, try to think that if you are chanting while watching a movie on a TV and the eyes are fixed on the television, they are chanting, how well would we be able to chant? The tongue might keep moving but the consciousness will be caught in the movie.
Sometimes it happens when you are travelling in a plane, especially these international planes that come from India to America, often each seat has its own television. So even if we are not watching a movie, if you just open your eyes, there are 10-15 movies going on in different seats and then you look here, there is a movie, look there, there is another movie, look there, there is another movie and sometimes the mind is so eager to get distracted that normally when we watch a movie, we see the visuals and we hear the audio and that’s how we make sense. But when say in the television, if the movie is not on our window, it’s on somebody else’s window, we can only see the visuals, we can’t hear the audio and the mind gets more intrigued and tries to figure out what is happening over there.
So the nature of the mind is that it tends to get distracted and if we consider the mind to be like an inner screen, so normally how things should function is that we the soul are the inner seer, the mind is the inner screen and whatever is happening outside is the outer scene. So right now when you are looking at me or I am looking at you, then the outer scene is displayed on the inner screen of the mind and then the soul processes, what should I do, what should I not do. Now during this processing, actually the mind doesn’t simply, maybe you can come ahead, some more devotees are coming.
So, like I told, how on an aeroplane there might be different movies going on and different seats, so like that the mind is not simply one track, we are capable of being aware of many things, although something may be in the forefront of our consciousness, something may be in the background. So right now say if you are hearing this class, then maybe the focus is on hearing, but at the same time our body is sensing is the temperature too cold, is it warm enough or if we are sitting on the floor, we are also aware of the touch sensation, we are aware also if there is some delicious food item being cooked and a fragrance is coming out, we are aware of the fragrance also. So basically, if we consider our mind, it is like a screen on which some stimulus is prominent, whichever we are focussing on and there are many other stimuli which keep coming on the mind and in such a situation, when we try to chant the holy names, the stimulus of the holy name doesn’t seem very attractive as compared to all other stimuli that are there.
So the stimuli may come from outer recollection or they may come from just some perception that happens out there and then it just plays on us. So we see something and immediately we remember, we see someone, hey, this person had borrowed some money from me 10 years ago, not yet returned, no, what a stingy person, mind just goes off on a drive. So basically, on the mind, stimuli can come from both outer perception and inner recollection and sometimes both are reconnected.
We see something and then we are reminded of many things from there or some thought comes in and then we see things accordingly. Say if we come to a place after 10 years, then we see, we are thinking, oh, this place was like this and then we come, oh, this place seems to be changed, this room is changed, this design is changed, whatever. So basically, when we are trying to function in the world, at that time, the primary way in which the mind works is, we could say, two broad functions.
One is the mind acts as a window to the outer world, where we see each other and we function. But another is, the mind also acts like a TV screen, where it shows us something entirely different from what we are meant to see. Now, some of these more expensive SUVs, they have the front window, but in front of that, there might be something like a TV screen, where you have the GPS shown in a big way.
Now imagine if in such a screen, there was not just this big screen, but there was a movie going on. This person is supposed to be driving the car, get busy watching a movie. The car would meet with disaster.
So ideally speaking, what should be there on the front screen is, the front screen of the car should have a window, and the window should show us what is on the head. But if along with the window, or instead of some part of the window, there was a TV screen over it, then the driver would be in a very dangerous position, because the driver would not be able to see what they need to see, and they would get caught in seeing something else. So we are able to function effectively when the soul, the mind, and the senses, or the body, they are all in one line.
So when we are studying, say, we are reading something and trying to understand it, the soul, body, soul, mind, and body are in one line. So the book is in front of us, we have the intention to study, and our mind is focused. Now frequently, the mind goes out of sync.
The body is at one place, the mind goes somewhere else. And then the soul has to choose. So when we say soul has to choose, say what is on the screen of our mind, it’s not as I said we can be aware of many things.
So different things are prominent at different times on the screen of the mind. Right now you are hearing the sound of me speaking, but if suddenly there is a scream in the background, what will happen? On the screen of the mind, that scream sound will become very prominent. And then we all will turn around, where did the scream come from? So on the mind, various inputs are coming.
And some things are highlighted, if you consider a computer screen, there may be many windows that are open, but one is maximised, others are all minimised. But sometimes we may want to maximise a particular window and we focus on that. But suddenly something happens in the background and something pops up.
So like that, say right now, we are trying to hear. But then suddenly a scream is there in the background. So what happens? Another window, something happened in the head, that window pops up and just completely occupies the screen.
We turn around and see what is happening. And this flexibility of the mind’s perception, it is actually necessary for us to function effectively. Because we can be in danger at different times.
If you are walking on a road and you are talking with someone and suddenly somebody shouts, a car is coming at you. Now, if you are hearing that person, that is good. But if a car is coming at somebody shouting, we need to hear that also.
So the mind’s capacity to function on multiple tracks is important for us. It’s not necessarily something which is bad. But the mind itself does not have the capacity to discriminate which stimulus is important and which stimulus is not important.
So therefore, sometimes it zooms off. So if I’m talking with someone and somebody shouts, a car is coming behind, watch out or move aside, then that stimulus, that input is more important than what I’m talking. I should just move aside.
So in this case, the mind’s capacity to be able to process different things is helpful. But, a student is attending a class and then some student behind is gossiping something. And the student’s mind goes, what is he saying? The eyes are ahead, but the mind is behind.
What is this? So here what is happening? What is being spoken in the class may be more important, but the mind says, I want to hear that. So the mind works on multiple tracks and while working on multiple tracks, it can’t discern which is more important, which is less important. And therefore, it may just cause something to zoom up, which is actually not very important.
So if a class is going on and somebody’s gossiping behind, somebody’s whispering behind, then whispering may not be very important, but the mind just catches that. And once that gets maximised, that occupies the mind. And by, okay, now when I talk about the mind, as I said, it’s the inner screen on which things are being displayed.
So when the things are being displayed on the inner screen, at that time, we have to be discerning enough to know what to focus on and what not to focus on. Krishna uses the word chanchala for the mind. That, In 6.35, before this is 6.33 and 6.34, Arjuna tells Krishna that this mind is extremely difficult to control.
It’s extremely restless and it is as difficult to control as a raging wind. And Krishna replies, yes, Arjuna, no doubt, it’s extremely difficult to control. It is restless, chala.
So the mind is chala means that what will suddenly zoom up on the mind on the inner screen, one thing may be there for one moment, the next moment something entirely different may be there. One moment we are taking darshan of the temple deities and we are feeling so devotional and spiritual. And the next moment we see something else and immediately a gross sensual desire comes in our mind.
So on the screen of the mind, what will pop up, we can’t say. At one moment we feel, oh, devotees are so nice. We feel so much affection for devotees.
Next moment we see someone we don’t like. Why is he here? Why is she here? Immediately aversion comes up. So what comes up on the inner screen keeps varying very rapidly.
And then we try to fix the mind on Krishna. Be it through the study of the philosophy, be it through the worship of the deities and especially when it is through the chanting of the holy names. At that time, the screen on which various things are appearing, we are trying to keep one thing focused on that screen.
But by its past habit, by its past impressions, many other things keep appearing. And sometimes, during chanting, the mind just goes off. It becomes totally, the holy name becomes totally minimised.
And everything else gets maximised. So, if I say there is a spiritual, mental and physical. And the functioning happens in spiritual, mental and physical are in one line.
And usually, if there is something urgent to be done at the physical level, there is something which we do wrong will have consequences. Then we force the mind to stay focused. Say if you are driving through a crowded road, then we are attentive.
Who is coming from here? Is this person braking? I have to slow down. This person is picking up speed. Let me also pick up speed.
So, at that time, the mind has to focus on the physical reality. But suppose you are driving on an expressway, there is practically no one over there. Then, the mind doesn’t need, of course at one level, it needs to be focused at that time also.
But there is no immediate negative consequence apparent of not focussing. And therefore, the mind just wanders off. We go off here, there.
That means, there is the mental reality, there is the physical reality and there is the spiritual reality. So, the mind is… We want to focus the mind on Krishna. We want to become purified.
We want to become devoted to Krishna. That means, we want to take the mind to spiritual reality. Krishna says in 7.1, Make your mind attached to me.
So, when I quoted this verse in the beginning of how, आब्रह्मस्तंभपर्यंतं सर्वमायामयं जगत् सत्यं सत्यं पुनः सत्यं हरेर्नामेव केवलम् Saying that, actually, there is no reality other than the holy name. Everything else is simply illusion. Now, it’s not illusion in the sense that it doesn’t exist.
It’s illusion in the sense that it’s all temporary. So, what is being said over here is, Oh mind, don’t focus on this physical reality. Focus on the spiritual reality.
Physical reality, things will come, things will go. They are insubstantial. Don’t bother so much about it.
It’s all, at one level, Brahma’s post appears so big. But, after sometime, that post is going to, the soul is going to go somewhere else. So, it’s all temporary.
ना सत्यो विद्यते भावो ना भावो विद्यते सत्या So, when we find these kind of statements, Bhaktivinoda Thakur says also that, Nothing true in the whole, all the 14 worlds except the holy name. What does it actually mean? It means that, Oh mind, don’t get so caught in the physical reality. Focus on the spiritual reality.
The physical is also real, but ultimately, it is insubstantial. It is not going to matter ultimately. What is going to matter is whether the soul has connected with Krishna or not.
So, essentially, we could say, So, I took one metaphor of the mind as a screen, which can either act as a window or it can act as a TV. So, now, when we are normally functioning, for our healthy functioning, the mind is going to act as a TV, sorry, as a window, which helps us see what is out there. Now, during the process of chanting, something more happens.
Now, when I am talking about this metaphor of, say, I am sitting here, there is a window and there is something out there. This is more of a horizontal perception. Now, we are all at the same level.
But we could say, conceive this also in a vertical perception. The physical reality is lower, the mental is in between, and the spiritual is one above. Is everyone able to hear me? Are you able to hear me? Yes.
No need to distract them. That corner is not able to hear you. Oh, okay then.
You can come ahead if you want. We have a lot of space here. Is it better behind? Okay, thank you.
So, another metaphor which we could use, I said I will be talking in two parts, how chanting works on the mind, and how the mind works during chanting. So, first I focused on, till now, how the mind works during chanting. The mind just shows different things on the inner screen, and it is acting like a TV and shows many different things.
Now, how does chanting work on the mind? So, for this I will take another metaphor, the metaphor of an elevator. Suppose, there is a, say, two-story building. Last year when I had come to America, I was in Florida when Hurricane Irma hit Florida.
So, I left to come to the east coast to go to various places. One of my friends was caught over there, and somehow he did not get the intimation, and by the time he got the intimation, the flood had already started coming. So, he was staying in a house, and he could see from the window, the water level rising, rising, rising.
He was trying to call, but the phone was not working. He was trying to go on the net, but the net was not working. He could not go out because the water was too much.
He was becoming panicky, panicky. He did not know what to do. And then as he could see from the window, water rising, rising, rising, he looked around and suddenly he saw that it was a guest house, a guest in a party, somebody else’s house at that time.
So, he saw there was a closet, and behind that there seemed to be a door. He just pulled aside the closet, and he found there was a door, and that door took him to the attic. And the attic was at a higher level.
So, he went and stayed in the attic. And from the attic window, he saw the water was rising, rising, rising. It rose up to a particular level, but the attic was safe.
And then the water started going down, going down, going down, and then he was rescued. So, when he was at the ground level, he was in danger. But when he found the way to a higher level, the attic level, he was protected, because he could go there.
So, similarly we could say, our existence has these two levels, the physical level and the spiritual level. So, normally we function and live at the physical level. And while living at the physical level, we sometimes face various uncertainties.
We may face anxieties, we may face dangers. So, at that time, if we could raise our consciousness to the spiritual level, we will get security, we will get calmness. And many times that is what actually happens.
You are feeling agitated, you just go to a temple, take darshan of the Lord, participate in some kirtan, and you start feeling calmer. Now, many people, even people who are not really believers, they also tell, if they go to some holy place, they feel calm over there. They feel there are some kind of vibrations over here, which make us feel calm.
They may not know exactly what is it that is making them calm. But they feel there is some calmness over here. So, what actually is happening is, whether we realise it or not, the spiritual potency of the holy place, the spiritual potency of the holy name, sometimes the spiritual potency of very advanced devotees, it just causes our consciousness to rise to a higher level.
And at the physical level, there is uncertainty, there is anxiety, there is misery. But when our consciousness rises upwards, then we don’t feel it that much. It is there, but it doesn’t seem to be an immediate threat to us.
So, we all have had, during the course of our spiritual life, some experiences like this. When we have felt some sublime peace, some deep pleasure, some ineffable sense of comfort and security. Maybe when we go to a holy place, or maybe sometimes when we take a darshan, special darshan, or sometimes when we hear a very inspiring class, sometimes we are a part of a very sublime kirtan.
We all have had these experiences. But these, for us, are flickering experiences. They are there for some time, and then they disappear.
They don’t last. So, sometimes the force or the momentum of the situation, or the spiritual stimulation in that situation, causes our consciousness to rise from the physical to the spiritual level. Now, when we are trying to chant the holy names regularly, the chanting of the holy names is like an elevator.
Like a staircase or an elevator. You could say an elevator, which is meant to take us from the physical level to the spiritual level. And when we chant the holy names, the elevator starts operating.
Chant Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, the elevator is moving from here to there. But, we could say broadly there are two kinds of chanting. There is outside-in chanting, and there is inside-out chanting.
Outside-in chanting means, that the tongue is chanting, but the heart is not involved so much. Sometimes if we wake up early in the morning and we have not had enough rest, so at that time, outside we chant Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, inside the mind is saying, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep. So, if the tongue is doing the japa of the Hare Krishna, the mind is doing some other japa.
Or if it’s Ekadashi, we are fasting, we are chanting, the mind is saying, Prasad, Prasad, Prasad, Prasad, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Prasad, Prasad, Prasad, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Prasad, Prasad, So, this is outside-in chanting, when from outside the chanting is happening, but not much is going in. Still it is good, it’s like we have started the elevator. Now, some chanting is such that it’s outside and it doesn’t go in only.
That means outside-in means the chanting is done with the tongue, but we are trying to concentrate. But our emotions, our heart, our consciousness is not yet invested in it, but at least we are trying. But sometimes we are not even trying.
It’s just, it’s outside chanting and it’s just going outside. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, we are chanting, but we are doing something else entirely. Our mind is doing something else entirely and we are not even trying to focus.
But at least when we start chanting, when it’s outside-in, the elevator has started. But eventually, as we keep chanting, the most powerful chanting is not just outside-in, it’s not outside-in, it is inside-out. That means we feel the need for Krishna.
We long for Krishna. Krishna, I want to be in your presence, I want to chant your holy names, I want to call out to you. With that mood when we chant, this is the mood when Srila Prabhupada said, you call like a child calling out to a mother.
So when this inside-out chanting happens, that is the time when we enter the elevator. When we start chanting, the elevator starts. But if we are not involved in it, then what is happening, the elevator is going up and coming down, but we are there only.
So that’s why sometimes we feel my chanting is so mechanical, I am not feeling any taste, nothing is happening to me. Why? The chanting is going on, the elevator is going up, but I am still at the ground level only. So the water is rising, I am feeling fearful, but I am not rising to a higher level.
So how does chanting work on the mind? The chanting offers us a process by which we can raise our consciousness from the material level to the spiritual level, or more than process, you could say a structure or a method by which we can raise our consciousness. But it is for us to raise that consciousness. It is not that the consciousness will rise automatically, it can if we are making some effort.
So generally, chanting will start most of the time outside in. It is very rarely that we wake up or we pick up the beads, yes, I am longing to chant. Sometimes it happens, we feel so much strength and purification when we are chanting, yes, this chanting is so good, sometimes we feel chanting should never end.
But more often we feel chanting is not ending only, I am chanting and so on, going on and on and on. So, sometimes we take the beads out of the bag, are there 108 beads or 1008 beads over here? So here what is happening, if the consciousness is not rising from the physical to the spiritual level, then we are not experiencing Krishna, although we are calling out to Krishna, Krishna cannot be experienced as long as we are at the physical level of consciousness. At least some part of the consciousness has to rise to the spiritual level.
So if Prabhupada says that if a materialistic person comes to a temple, when the deities here in LA were inaugurated, at that time Prabhupada in lecture says that if you believe that this is Krishna, then this very Krishna will talk to you. But if you think this is just a stone image, then that is what it will remain for you. So what Prabhupada is meaning by this is that if we stay in physical consciousness, the spiritual will never become perceivable for us.
It is when we come to this, when we at least try to come to the spiritual level, then the spiritual starts becoming accessible and then eventually relishable. So for us, chanting offers us an avenue by which we can raise our consciousness from the physical level to the spiritual level. And to the extent we take that avenue, to the extent we enter into the elevator, to the extent we try to chant feeling a need for Krishna, to that extent our consciousness gets elevated.
And as it gets elevated, we start feeling peaceful, we start feeling joyful, we actually start feeling even powerful. Not our own power. It is a power that comes by connection with the supreme power, the power of Krishna.
So this starts happening, provided we enter into that elevator and start rising upwards. Now I am speaking all this, actually analysing the mind is much more easier than focussing the mind. So my mind also wanders during chanting and most often the elevator is going up and down, I am outside only.
So I am not speaking this from a high pedestal, instructing anyone, I am simply trying to analyse what the mind does so that we all can try to take the benefit of the holy name more. So any way we chant, it is beneficial. Because at least some connection of the consciousness with Krishna is happening.
Even if there is outside chanting only, at least the holy name is appearing on the tongue. That is purifying. If it is outside in, the chanting, holy name is appearing on the tongue and from there it is going into the mind somewhere, some contact with the consciousness is there, some perception is there, that is beneficial, even more.
But when it is inside out, that means the holy name fills the inner space. That is the most prominent stimulus over there. And in that time, the purification is the maximum.
Purification, what does it mean practically speaking? Each one of us has a default direction for our consciousness. So, for example, if a person is alcoholic, then the default direction of their consciousness is, if they have nothing to do, they start fantasising, when can I drink, how will I get something to drink. So that is the default direction of their consciousness.
If somebody is a sports fan, somebody says a cricket fan, then as soon as they have nothing to do, what is the cricket match going on, what is the score right now, which cricket match is next, that cricket match is so nice, the thoughts will go to cricket. So, each of us, based on the things which have given us pleasure, or which we have sought in order to get pleasure, that becomes the default direction of our consciousness. And depending on the way we have sought pleasure, that default direction may be very impure, little impure, or not so impure at all.
Some people might just seek pleasure in reading. Reading we could say, relatively speaking, is a sattvic activity, in the mode of goodness. So as soon as they don’t have anything to do, they start reading.
Even if they are not spiritualists, but still they like to read some books on literature, books on some deeper subjects of life. So the default direction of their consciousness is towards reading books. So all of us have certain default directions for our consciousness.
And purification means that the default direction of our consciousness becomes towards Krishna. It goes away, instead of the default direction being towards impure things, it starts becoming towards Krishna. So right now, for us, bhakti is an effortful process.
It is not an effortless process. It is an effortful process because the consciousness, its default direction right now is not towards Krishna. It may be towards money, it may be towards our looks, it may be towards our job, it may be towards our family members, it may be towards sensuality.
So many things it may go towards. So when we want our consciousness to go towards Krishna, purification means the default direction of our consciousness will be towards Krishna. Bhakti not taakunam, as Narottam Dasa Taakunam, in some of their songs they say, my dear lord, just as my mind is attracted to sensual objects now, please let my mind be attracted to you.
Rupa Goswami in a famous prayer says that, yuvati na mitha yuvnavji yuti mitha, mano bhiramate tatra mano meram taantvai. He says, just as a young boy is attracted to a young girl, or a young girl is attracted to a young boy, similarly, oh lord, let my mind be attracted towards you. Essentially, what is he saying? That the default direction of our consciousness, he is giving the example of male-female attraction because that is a very forceful attraction.
He says, let that same forceful attraction now, oh lord, be towards you. So when that will happen, then bhakti will become susukham kartumuve. When our mind will become spontaneously attracted towards Krishna, bhakti will be joyfully performed.
So I’ll conclude with one point, and then we can have some questions if you have any. In the Bhagavatam, there is one section which Prabhupada quotes more than all other sections. That is the second chapter of the first canto, Divinity and Divine Service.
And there also, from 1.2.6 to 1.2.22, that is the section where Prabhupada is even given classes quite a bit. In fact, the book Dharma, The Way to Transcendence, is based on Prabhupada’s lectures on that series of verses. So this whole section, from 1.2.6 to 1.2.22, describes how the process of bhakti works in purifying our heart.
shunvatam sukhatah krishna nanastya parayeshubhadreshu All these famous verses, how by hearing regularly our consciousness gets purified. All these are actually in this section. Now the last verse in this section is very interesting.
It says, athavai kavayo nityam bhaktin paramaya mudha vasudeve bhagvati kurvantyatma prasadhanim athavai, therefore, kavayo, the wise people, nityam. Therefore the wise people constantly practise bhakti. Vasudeve bhagvati.
Vasudeve, they constantly practise bhakti. How? Bhaktim paramaya mudha With great joy they practise bhakti. And what is the result of this bhakti? Kurvantyatma prasadhanim That kurvanty.
By doing this, we get great satisfaction for the heart. Atma prasadhanim Now, literally, if you see what the translation means, if we just remove the other parts, it says, the great sages joyfully practise the process that brings joy. Paramaya mudha atma prasadhanim They joyfully practise the process that brings joy.
Now what does this mean? Is joy a component of the process? Or is joy the end result of the process? So what this means is, actually it is both. That, even now at our sadhaka stage, when we connect with Krishna, we will sometimes experience joy. But, when the mind is distracted, the mind just rises to the higher level of consciousness, Krishna is there, Krishna is so attractive, Krishna is so joyful.
Sometimes we get such taste in bhakti we feel, why am I doing anything else? Yes, Krishna is so joyful. And sometimes we get no taste and we think, why am I doing this? So, at our level, the mind wanders. So, if somehow the mind is able to get a taste, it says, we experience joy.
But what the bhagwatam is saying is, that if we understand that this process will lead ultimately to joy, then we practise it wholeheartedly. That, now this process may or may not bring joy right now, but eventually it is still going to take me to joy, to a state of joyfulness. So, it’s like a patient who has been sick for a long time and has now finally found a treatment that works.
Because it’s a chronic disease, the pain is not going to go away immediately. The disease is not going to disappear immediately. But, the patient is at least happy that I have found a cure that works.
The cure has not yet worked on me, but it is working. I can see as compared to earlier, my anger has gone down, my greed has gone down, my lust has gone down. So, I can see this is working.
And if I keep doing this more and more, it will work. So, what the bhagwatam says is, joyfully practise the process that leads to joy. That means we understand that this is like a therapeutic process for the mind, and it will take the consciousness, the default level of consciousness to the spiritual level, where there will be constant joy.
And the fact right now, that I had the process by which to go there, for that I am grateful. And for that I am joyful. So, Prabhupada would say, chant Hare Krishna, and what? And be happy.
Now, is this one instruction or two instructions? What do you think? One instruction. Happiness is the consequence of chanting. Yes, happiness follows the sequence of chanting.
Yes, that’s true. And we can say, it’s a causal instruction. Chanting Hare Krishna will lead to happiness.
At the same time, sometimes it may happen that, in the immediate sense, chanting may not lead to happiness. So, then we can say this is a parallel instruction also. Because we are practising bhakti, we are grateful, that we have the opportunity to practise bhakti.
We will become purified eventually. So, sometimes if chanting doesn’t lead to happiness, still, the fact that I have the opportunity to chant the holy names, the fact that I know about life’s spiritual dimension, the fact that I know about the pathway to life’s spiritual dimension, the fact that I am following that path, for all that, I am happy. And that way, if we try to cultivate a grateful attitude towards Krishna, towards at least have the opportunity to practise bhakti, then we will be ascending the elevator by that.
The process of bhakti is actually very subtle. Sometimes our mind may just wander here, there and everywhere. And we may think, why am I doing this process of bhakti at all? Why am I chanting? Why am I being a devotee? There is no use.
Mind is wandering here and there. However, the mind’s wandering is sometimes just because of its past momentum. And Krishna is also an understanding God.
So, when Krishna is an understanding God means, Krishna sees not just our feelings, but also our feelings about our feelings. That means, the feeling, oh, the mind is wandering, I am bored, I don’t feel like chanting. That feeling is coming within me.
But if I start thinking, this chanting is so boring, let me get it over with and let me move to something else. Then I am going along with that feeling. But if I say, Krishna, I don’t want to feel like this.
I want to chant your holy names. I want to be prayerful. Please help me.
Then in that time, even if our chanting is not attentive, if we feel the need for Krishna, if we are trying to call out to Krishna, we may actually, even during that attentive chanting, because of feeling the need for Krishna and calling to Krishna, or wanting to call to Krishna, we may actually make spiritual advancement even through that chanting. On the other hand, somebody may have a very calm mind. And they will be pronouncing the word very nicely.
But if they are doing it just to show everyone else, see how erect I sit, how clearly I pronounce, see how nicely I chant. Then they are chanting attentively in a sense, but they are not calling out to Krishna. They may not make much spiritual advancement.
We don’t want to judge others. But the point is that, sometimes our attention, our attentiveness is not in our control. But even then, our attitude can be in our control.
Krishna, my mind is just not focussing on you. I am sorry, but I want to focus. Please help me.
If I have that attitude, even if the attentiveness is not there, through that attitude we will make spiritual advancement. So, even if the mind wanders, if you are grateful, I am grateful that I have the opportunity to chant. And I know if I keep chanting, gradually I will become purified.
Gradually, my mind will become healed. Gradually, I will rise to this higher level of consciousness. If we are positive and grateful, then Krishna says, He will give us the intelligence.
If we are priti purvakam, if we are not resentful in our devotion, why do I have to do this? We are trying to be grateful. I am not able to do this well. I am grateful I have the opportunity to do this.
And Krishna will give us the intelligence by which gradually we will come to Him. So, I will summarise. I spoke today about how chanting works on the mind and how the mind works during chanting.
So, first I spoke on how the mind works during chanting. The mind is like a screen inside us. And when we are, sometimes when we feel my mind is wanting to do chanting, I am not able to chant attentively.
Actually, what is happening? The tongue is uttering the holy name. The mind is wandering. And the soul is thinking what to do among it.
So, I am the inner, I am the inner seer. There is an inner screen on which, which is not acting like a window showing what is outside, but it is acting like a TV showing many other things. So, the inner screen, what pops up over there is determined by both outer perception and inner recollection.
And on this inner screen, multiple stimuli can pop up simultaneously. And that is sometimes required for us to be aware of danger and to protect ourselves from danger. I am talking with someone, somebody wants, a car is coming from behind.
However, the mind itself is not able to discern which stimulus is more important and which is less important. And that’s how, if some less important stimulus gets maximised on the inner screen, we get distracted. Now, during the process of chanting, the holy name is manifesting at the physical level in terms of the sound.
The holy name is spiritual, but through our utterance it is manifesting at the physical level. And from there, it is meant to come on the inner screen. And from there, the inner seer, the soul is meant to observe and become absorbed.
So, there is, normally chanting starts outside in. And then it is meant to become inside out. We chant with the tongue, and gradually as the connection happens, then we feel the need and we chant inside out.
So, sometimes it just stays outside, just at the outer screen, but the mind, something else is entirely appearing on it. So, when there is some, there is some immediate, dangerous consequence of the mind being out of sync with the body, then the mind focusses, like we are driving in a crowded road. But when we are driving on a clear road, the mind goes out of sync.
So, in chanting, there doesn’t seem to be any immediate consequence of being out of sync. So, the mind just tends to wander. So, how do we get the mind to focus, or how will chanting itself change the mind? I talk of a second example for this, of an elevator.
So, a person is caught in a flood, they find the building at a higher level, they can go there and be saved. So, like that, at the physical level, we all face troubles and anxieties, and by raising to the spiritual level, we can become calm. And we have all experienced this calmness, when the force of the spiritual stimuli around us took our consciousness to the spiritual level.
Chanting is like the elevator. And in general, the process of Bhakti Yoga is the elevator by which our consciousness can go to the spiritual level. So, when we start chanting, the elevator starts.
But when we become absorbed in chanting, when chanting moves from outside in to inside out, then, we enter the elevator. And then, we start experiencing the raising of our consciousness. Sometimes, right now, when that doesn’t seem to happen, we may get just bored, because we don’t feel any value of connecting with Krishna.
But, even a little connection with Krishna is going to purify the consciousness. Purification means, the default direction in which our consciousness goes, it changes. And as we become more and more purified, the default direction of our consciousness will become towards Krishna.
And when that happens, the mind will naturally enter into the elevator and go to the higher level and stay there. So, that’s how Bhakti will become joyful. Till that happens, it will be effortful.
And during the effortful practise of Bhakti, we can see, chant and be happy, or joyfully practise the process that brings joy, as the instruction to a patient who has been sick for a long time, and at last found a medicine that works. Although it is not fully worked right now, we are grateful that we have the medicine. So, our spiritual advancement in the process of Bhakti, Yoga, in the process of chanting, doesn’t depend only on our attentiveness.
It doesn’t depend on attentiveness. It also depends on our attitude. Sometimes, attentiveness may be very difficult because the mind is so restless.
But at least our attitude is prayerful. Then, by calling out to Krishna, by feeling the need for Krishna, even through the inattentive chanting, we will be moving towards Krishna. So, Krishna sees not just the feelings that come upon us, Krishna sees also our feelings about our feelings.
And by being grateful that we have the knowledge that there is a higher level of reality, we have the pathway to that higher level of reality, by trying as much as we can to enter into that elevator to go to a higher level, we can be joyful while we are practising Bhakti in its effortful stage. And eventually, as we rise upwards, our Bhakti will also become joyful. Thank you very much.
Hare Krishna. Are there any questions or comments? Okay. Yes, ma’am.
To elevate ourselves from the physical to the spiritual, is that we have to wilfully do that. So, for wilfully doing that, like for example, bringing the image out, that will not shift the mind, things like that, it doesn’t automatically happen. Yes, that’s true.
To wilfully get the mind towards, to rise from the physical to the spiritual level, can we have some aids? Yes. There is a concept of the point of concentration and the circle of concentration. The point of concentration means, just focus on the sound of the holy name.
And the sound of the holy name will elevate us upwards. But sometimes, in our condition stage, we find the sound of the holy name too monotonous. So then, we focus on the circle of concentration.
That means, around the point of the holy name, something is connected with Krishna. The mind says, just focussing on the sound is extremely difficult. And then it just gives up and wanders all over the universe.
Instead of letting it wander all over the universe, let it have something nearby. Have a picture of the deities, have a picture of our spiritual master, have a picture of say, if you take initiation, our initiation ceremony, or have some quotes about the holy name, have some verses glorifying the holy name, or have Tulsi Devi, something which, or even have some picture of Krishna performing a pastime that we connect with very nicely. And then what happens? Even the mind wanders, it goes over there.
And you say, Krishna is, Draupadi called out to Krishna and Krishna came to protect her. That same Krishna I am calling out right now. So, that way, we can connect.
Again, the mind wanders in the circle, but within the circle, because it’s connected with Krishna, the mind comes back. So we can have some aids like that, which are also devotional, even if they are not directly the holy name. Another thing which we could do is, that the mind, we want it to go from the, we want the consciousness to go from the physical to the spiritual level.
But sometimes, the mind just goes off at its own level. In the mental, like something comes on the TV, you just keep watching that. So when it is difficult to go to the spiritual, it is helpful to at least come back to the physical.
That means sometimes people are just too caught in their head. This person did like this, this person did like that. Get out of your head, do something now.
So sometimes, if we are just too, if our mind is wandering too much, just after a few rounds, taking a break, taking a few deep breaths, or just sitting and mind is wandering, just start walking, or just wash the face a little bit. Do something physical, which gets our consciousness at least out of the mental level. We want to go from the physical to the spiritual, but the mental can go off on its own track anywhere.
And directly to go from mental to spiritual when it is difficult, then at least we get it back to the physical. Okay, and then I remember, okay, I am in the temple, or I am in a temple hall in my room, or I am going to be chanting right now. Attend, oh, I should try to attend.
So when it is difficult to directly go to the physical, getting the mind to the physical, especially physical where there are stimuli, which reminds us of the purpose of what we are doing over there. That can also help us. The mind is like a child.
And mothers know that if a child is crying, there is no one formula. You cannot use every time the mother is crying, when the child is crying, mother gives a toy. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t work.
And every child is also different. One mother may say, I give my child a toy, it calms down. Another mother tries, then it doesn’t work.
So all of us, we have our childlike mind. And we have to find out for ourselves what works with the mind. So what will be in the circle of concentration? What kind of break to the physical level will help us? So that is something which we have to resourcefully observe.
Srila Prabhupada writes in the Nectar of Instruction introduction that once we come to the mode of goodness, how to advance further will be revealed from within. So that’s what happens for us. If we are trying to practise bhakti seriously, then we will ourselves understand what I can do to make sure that my mind stays on the track to Krishna.
Okay? Thank you. Yes. Yes, sir.
What would you suggest is a better practise? You mentioned to actually just sit and hear the name. But then what about actually praying? You know, like you’re chanting Hare Krishna, but instead of just chanting, you’re focussing on Hare Krishna. You know, you’re crying out Krishna.
But you’re not so much hearing the name, which is sort of a passive way of doing it. Which one do you think is good? Yeah. So is it just calling out the name, or is it hearing the name and having a… invoking a prayerful mood in the name? That is better.
Yes. Prayerfulness is extremely helpful. At the same time, the mind is unpredictable.
If prayerfulness can be there, there’s nothing like it. Because at the level of prayerfulness, the connection with Krishna goes beyond simply the mental or the intellectual, from the level of the mind or the intellect to the level of the heart. So that is the best.
But the nature of our consciousness is so restless that sometimes we just not feel prayerful. So we all will have to find out how best we can work with our mind. So sometimes reciting some prayers, some Vaishnav songs, that may put us in a prayerful frame of mind.
And after that we chant, then it’s much better. So prayerfulness would be the strongest connection with Krishna which we can have. And if we don’t have, we also need to have a plan B, you could say.
If I don’t feel prayerful, what do I do? But if something can create a prayerful mood within me, that’s wonderful. Or if I can cultivate a prayerful mood within myself, in some way, there’s nothing like it. That would be the best.
Thank you. Yes. You spoke about the relationship.
Our relationship with Krishna is permanent by this mind and consciousness temporarily. So when we are trying to create that relationship at the level of mind or consciousness that is permanent, how does it affect this temporary medium, our permanent relationship? Okay. So when we are trying to develop our relationship with Krishna, using our mind, the mind is temporary.
So how do we connect with Krishna through this? When this relationship is eternal. अनासक्तस्विशयानिथारमुपयुञ्जता निर्वन्दः कृष्यसम्मद्युक्तवैराज्यवुचिते युक्तवैराज्य means that we are detached from worldly things for our own enjoyment, but we use them for Krishna’s service. Baldevidhyamukti in the Govinda Bhashya talks about two kinds of liberation.
He talks about विदेहमुक्ति and जीवन्मुक्ति. विदेहमुक्ति means when the soul gives up the body and goes to the spiritual world. विदेह, the body is given up.
जीवन्मुक्ति means that the body is still there, but the soul is no longer attached to the body. So, all resources at the level of the body are used for Krishna’s service. That is जीवन्मुक्ति.
All the faculties are used for Krishna’s service. So, basically, we can understand the mind and its spiritualization at two levels. One is that when we are in the material world, we have to use what we have in Krishna’s service.
The soul, especially if it is to function in the material world, then its consciousness has to be channelled through the mind and the body. A pure devotee like the Goswamis, or actually Prabhupada also, in Vrindavan, they can be absorbed in Krishna and they don’t need their body and mind at all. The soul will be absorbed in Krishna.
But if they want to do some service in this world, then they have to use their body and mind. Because the body and the mind is the channel they have right now. When Prabhupada was in Mumbai, a prominent Hindu Mahasabha leader told Prabhupada, Swamiji, you chant Sanskrit verses in a very Bengali way.
So, Prabhupada said, what can I do? I am from Bengal. So, what it means is that Prabhupada, his chanting is transcendental in the sense that it is for the pleasure of Krishna purity. But he is chanting in a body that was born in Bengal.
So, it will be expressed at the physical and mental level using the physical and mental apparatus that a person has. So, the spiritualization of the mind and the senses means that they are no longer used for any material purposes. They are used for spiritual purposes only.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean that their material characteristics will no longer be there. So, we could talk of material characteristics means, say, like the pronunciation. If somebody is from India, they may be a pure devotee.
They will pronounce verses in the Indian way. They will speak English also in the Indian way. Somebody may be a pure devotee from America.
They may speak Sanskrit not in the same way which say some Pandit who has been trained in Sanskrit from the beginning. So, the body-mind will affect the expression of the intention. The intention will be pure, but the expression of that intention will be according to the body-mind.
So, the spiritualization means that the intention is not determined by the body-mind complex. The expression may be. See, for us, we may decide I am going to give this class for the pleasure of Krishna.
But then while giving the class, I start thinking how many people are appreciating my class. My ego comes into the picture. And then the intention may be pure, but when it comes to the body-mind, because there are so many impurities over there, the expression becomes impure.
I want to glorify Krishna, but I want my own glorification also. I want to distribute books, but the world should know how many books are distributed. So, what happens? So, the intention is what the soul has by its free will.
But that free will is affected by various factors. And especially if we come in association with pure devotees or exalted devotees, then our intention also becomes pure. So, the spiritualization of the mind means that the mind will not contaminate the pure intention.
The expression will be shaped by the mind, but the intention itself will not get contaminated. Wonderful class and beautiful questions and answers. I love it.
So, I wanted to know where does the intelligence stand? Is it between mind and consciousness? And when we say to ourselves, oh mind, focus on this or focus on Krishna, is that the intelligence or is that the consciousness? And how do they relate? Okay, so, where does the intelligence stand? Is it between the mind and the soul? And if I am saying that, oh mind, focus on Krishna, is that the intelligence speaking? See, ultimately, consciousness comes only from the soul. The soul’s energy is consciousness. Bhagavad Gita says that, just as the sun illumines the whole world, similarly, the soul illumines the body.
So, everything that happens in the body, the power for that is consciousness. And that consciousness comes from the soul. So, you can say that, there is a light, light source, like a flashlight, and light is coming out from it.
So, the flashlight or the light source is the soul. And the light coming from that is the consciousness. Now, this consciousness can sometimes identify with the mind, which is impulsive.
Come on, eat this, watch this, touch this, do this. Or the consciousness can identify with the intelligence, which is not impulsive, but reflective. Look before you move, just don’t do this.
Think what will be the consequence. So, now, depending on which is stronger when. If you have heard a very inspiring, thought-provoking class, that class has nourished our intelligence.
And after that the mind wants to wander. The intelligence is strong. It doesn’t let it wander.
That means the consciousness is coming out from the soul, the intelligence takes the consciousness. And then the intelligence says, don’t do this. But, if you have not been hearing regularly, or if you have exposed our consciousness to a lot of mundane stimuli, then the mundane desires have become very strong.
And then the mind becomes strong. So, the mind catches the consciousness. And then, I am going to do this, who cares.
So, basically, the consciousness is coming out on the soul through the subtle body, to the gross body and outwards. Now, in the subtle body, there is both the mind and the intelligence. And at different times, different things are stronger.
And it is not that only one acts at a time. Actually, both act. Even when the mind is stronger, the mind doesn’t just sideline the intelligence.
The mind misuses the intelligence. That means, if I desire to do something, which is not very good for me, I may do it and then I will use my intelligence to plan how to cover up. That nobody will come to know about it.
So, Prabhupada says in lecture, we are meant to use our intelligence to control our enjoying mentality. But our problem is that we are used to enjoying intelligently. That means, we give in to the mind, but the mind flags.
No, I will do this and I will give this reason. I will do this secretly in this way. So, that’s what happens when we rationalise.
Rationalise means that we give up some intellectual reasoning for justifying something which is wrong. So, rationalise can have two spellings. Rationalise, R-A-T-I-O-N-A-L-I-Z-E.
It can also be R-A-T-I-O-N-A-L-L-I-E-S. Rationalise. So, we use rationality to tell ourselves lies and tell the world lies.
So, that’s why, if the intelligence is stronger, then the intelligence uses the mind. The mind is stronger, the mind uses the intelligence. So, whichever is stronger will channel the consciousness and direct it accordingly.
So, when we are saying that, oh mind, focus, that time the intelligence is using the consciousness and intelligence is telling the mind, don’t do this, focus. Can I answer your question? Yes, Madhuri. Thank you for such a thought provoking class.
So, my question is on gratitude. We have been very grateful to Krishna all the time. And gratitude can be expressed very simply like a simple thank you or, you know, through practise of charity, as recommended in the scriptures.
But it’s an offering to Krishna. So, how do I know that Krishna actually accepts my gratitude? Because it’s not a tangible quantity. It’s not like making an offering of yoga or anything, but it’s still an offering of my heart, my gratitude.
Okay. How do we know that Krishna accepts our gratitude? That way we can, then we can also ask, how do we know Krishna accepts our chanting? How do we know Krishna accepts our bhoga when we offer? So, broadly speaking, there are three aspects to it. One is intelligence, second is faith and third is experience.
When we are practising bhakti, we hear from scripture. That Krishna is bhakta vatsala. Krishna loves his devotees.
We hear from scripture in the past times that how when the devotees offer something to Krishna, Krishna accepts it. Krishna has accepted it. Not just accepted, Krishna has stolen food from them.
We have kirchur, gopinath deities that Krishna actually steals. So, Krishna is a living, loving person. We understand this by hearing scripture, at least at the level of intelligence.
Then, when we associate with devotees who are living this life, say, for me, when I first go to the temple, or for a person, when they go first to the temple, they may think, ok, Krishna has just decorated a statue. But then if you associate with some pujaris who have devoted their life to Krishna, and day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, they are serving the deities. There must be something over here.
How can somebody do this? So much sacrifice, year after year. And if you talk with them, and say, they are intelligent people, they are not just sentimental people doing something, then that gives us some faith. And then there is experience.
Now, experience, bhakti, pareshanubhava, viraktir anyatra ca. In the 11th canto, it is said, bhakti is a process that gives us anubhava, experience of para-isha, the isha, that is the lord, who is para, who is transcendental. That lord cannot be experienced by any material means.
It’s not that, if I go and go on the altar and hug the deities, not necessarily that I’ll be experiencing anything special by hugging Krishna’s deities. But it is when I have bhakti, even if I look from distance, I will feel some special thing. So it is bhakti which gives us para-isha anubhava.
And that para-isha anubhava leads to viraktir anyatra ca. It leads to detachment from other things. So para-isha anubhava means tushti, pushti, shitabhava, shitabhaya it says, that we feel nourished, tushti, pushti, we feel our hunger is being satisfied, like we’ll have prasadam now, so the hunger gets satisfied.
Not only hunger gets satisfied, we feel strength coming. And then we feel joy, oh, this food is so good. So similarly for us, when we start practising bhakti, as we practise bhakti, we feel the strength to practise bhakti more.
That itself is one level of experience of Krishna. That means, okay, I come to a temple, and next time I want to come to a temple again. I fast once on Ekadashi, I want to fast again.
So we may not directly see Krishna. But there is something which you have experienced which makes us want to do that activity again. So the strength to say no to the body and mind’s cravings, and the strength to stay connected with Krishna increases.
And as we keep doing it, not only the strength in terms of determination increases, but also the joy increases. Yeah, this is so wonderful, I want to do it more and more. So for us, the experience of this strength, of this joy, this is actually Krishna reciprocating with us.
Krishna is Krishna’s greatest blessing. That means, it’s not that we have to experience something else to know that Krishna is reciprocating with us. If we feel more absorbed in Krishna, then that means, that Krishna is accepting our devotional offering and is reciprocating by revealing himself in our hearts.
Prabhupada would say, what is the result of chanting? More chanting. What does that mean practically speaking? That means, when we are connecting with Krishna through the process of chanting, the result is that we want to connect more and more with him. So if we find that by becoming grateful, by cultivating gratitude, our consciousness improves.
We start feeling more connected with Krishna. We start feeling more joyful in our connection with Krishna. That emotion itself is actually a reciprocation of Krishna.
So, suppose when a baby is newborn, the baby doesn’t even know that there is a mother over there. The baby just, you know, then the mouth, something comes up and starts sucking. Oh, it’s nice.
And it starts sucking it. As the baby starts growing up, then the baby starts saying, oh, this is a mother and she is giving me milk. And then, slowly the baby’s awareness grows.
And this mother loves me. She cares for me. So it’s a very cold night.
The baby is shivering. And a mother sees, oh, my baby is shivering. And a mother puts a nice comforter on the baby.
And the baby starts feeling warm. And the baby has not opened her eyes. It’s fast asleep.
But just that sensation, at one moment the chill was there, the next moment the comfort has come. By that, the baby infers, oh, my mother must be there. Mother must have put the blanket.
She has not opened her eyes and seen the mother. But just by the sensation of the comfort, she understands, my mother must be there. Similarly for us, when we connect with Krishna and Krishna reciprocates by revealing Himself to us, whatever agitation might be there in our consciousness, the chill that we are experiencing, it’s like a comforter comes on us, our consciousness.
We start feeling joyful. We start feeling peaceful. We are like that Devi whose eyes are closed right now.
Our eyes are not yet opened by which we can see Krishna. But by experiencing the relief and the joy that comes by connecting with Krishna, we understand that Krishna is here and Krishna is reciprocating. That’s how we, at our level, we need Jnana Chakshu, the eyes of knowledge, to perceive how Krishna is reciprocating with us.
And eventually, as we become more and more spiritually advanced, then, like the baby wakes up and sees the mother, our spiritual senses will awaken. yatra uparamate chittam niruddham yoga sevaya yatra chaiva atmanatmanam paschanatmanitushyati At that time, see the soul is, as I talked earlier about this, inner seer, inner screen and outer scene. So our inner screen, the mind, either acts like a window or it acts like a TV screen.
It just takes us elsewhere. But when we become purified and the consciousness becomes purged of materialistic inclinations, then, uparamate chittam niruddham yoga sevaya This stops acting like a TV directing us everywhere. But it becomes like a mirror.
And that mirror, we see ourselves and we see the Supersoul next to us. ceto darpana marjanam The consciousness that is projected into the world of the inner screen, when it becomes cleansed, then we start seeing ourselves. and paschanatmanitushyati When this purified, when the soul, by seeing in the mirror of the purified mind, the Self, the Atma, the Paramatma, soul becomes joyful.
So that will take time. But at our level, when we experience the joy and relief that comes by trying to connect with Krishna, we can see that joy and relief itself as Krishna reciprocating with us. Like a mother putting a comforter, Krishna is putting the comforter of His, of absorption in Him as His reciprocation with our devotion.
So, we’ll stop here. Thank you very much. Shri Prabhupada ki Gaur Bhakta Binda ki Gaur Prem Anandi ki Applause