While chanting is it better to just focus on the holy name or on a mahamantra sticker or on a picture of the Deities?

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
so the question is that when we chant there is one way to just focus on the holy name the other is to have a sticker of the holy name another can be that we look at the deities so is there any one that is the best actually Krishna is Shabda Brahma he is manifesting as the holy name so the best chanting is where we absorb ourselves only in the sound of the holy name but what is best may not be the best at our stage that means if I just try to absorb myself in the holy name I just get hyper distracted and I get nowhere so there is a point of concentration and then there is a circle of concentration the point of concentration is the sound of the holy name the circle of the circle of concentration is things connected with the holy name which can bring our thoughts back to the holy name so the letters of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra or even some scriptural verses some quotes about the glory of the holy name the picture of the deities these are all or maybe some devotee is the picture of taking initiation I made a vow to the spiritual master that I will chant this 10 rounds the picture can also help these are all what? they are within the circle of concentration they are things connected with the holy name which will help us bring our consciousness back to the holy name so for most of us at our level fixing the mind on that point of concentration just the sound of the holy name is quite difficult we try to do that the mind wanders in too many different places so it is good that at least we keep it within the circle of concentration so find out those things are connected with the holy name which help us bring the mind back to the holy name but the important point is from the circle of concentration the mind should go inwards not outwards that means if I am looking at the deities and I look at oh Krishna is wearing yellow dhoti where did I put my dhoti for drying and then my mind just goes off from that circle of concentration then we have to be careful so of course that is vigilance is always required whether it is point of concentration or circle of concentration but with the circle of concentration the vigilance is the exercise, the exertion of the vigilance is lesser because we have a little bit more scope for keeping the mind connected with Krishna so I wouldn’t say that necessarily one is better than the other looking at the deities at a higher or a lower level they are looking at the Hare Krishna Mahamantra sticker the important point is that different people have different kinds of intelligences some people when they go and take darshan of the deities they can remember oh Krishna had this kind of cap and Krishna had this kind of dress and Krishna had this kind of this others may not be able to remember it is not necessary that one who remembers has higher devotion and other has lesser devotion it is just that different people have different kinds of intelligences so we have to find out what is our intelligence and what is the way we can connect with Krishna so the people who have more of a visual intelligence for them looking at the deity of Krishna may help them to remember Krishna more better by looking at the deities others may have more of a verbal intelligence than having some words written some quotes or some verses that may act as a spur for remembering Krishna so whatever works we have to inspect thank you very much