Why Chant Hare Krishna?

* Chanting Hare Krishna awakens love of God.

* Chanting Hare Krishna brings liberation as a side benefit along the way.

* When you chant Hare Krishna, you automatically develop knowledge and detachment.

* Chanting Hare Krishna gets you out of the endless cycle of birth and death.

* It is the most effective means of self-realization in the present age of quarrel. Nothing else works nearly as well.

* Chanting Hare Krishna cleanses the heart of all the illusions and misunderstandings.

* By chanting Hare Krishna, you become free from all anxieties.

* Chanting Hare Krishna brings you to self-realization and show you how to act as a self-realized soul.

* It keeps you ever mindful of Krishna, the reservoir of pleasure.

* There are no hard and fast rules for chanting. You can chant anywhere, any time, under any circumstances. Krishna Himself is fully present in transcendental sound of His name, and the more you chant, the more you realize it.

* All over Vedic mantras are included in the chanting of Hare Krishna. So, just by chanting this Mantra, you get the benefits of all others.

* Chanting Hare Krishna purifies not only you but every living entity around you. Whoever hears the chanting, gets the spiritual benefit.

* A person who chants Hare Krishna develops all good qualities.

* You can chant Hare Krishna softly for personal mediation or loudly with your family or friends. Both ways work.

* Srila Prabhupada chanted Hare Krishna, and so did great souls in the past. So why not you?

* Its free, chanting Hare Krishna never costs you money!

* Chanting Hare Krishna brings the highest stage of ecstasy.

* There are no previous qualifications needed for chanting Hare Krishna. Young or old any one can chant from any race any religion or any country of the world.

* Even if you don't understand the language of the Mantra, it works any way.

* Chanting Hare Krishna is easy. When the best way is also the easiest, why make life hard for yourself?

* Chanting Hare Krishna invokes spiritual peace for you and for those around you.

* When you chant Hare Krishna, Krishna Himself becomes pleased.

* When you chant Hare Krishna, Krishna dances in your tongue.

* By chanting Hare Krishna, you can return to Krishna's world, the internal abode of full happiness and knowledge.

* Chanting Hare Krishna frees you from the reaction of all past Karma.

* Chanting Hare Krishna's names even once, purely and sincerely, can free you from the reaction of more Karma than you possibly incur.

* Chanting Hare Krishna counteracts the sinful atmosphere of Kali-yuga, the present age of hypocirsy and quarrel.

* By chanting Hare Krishna, you can relish at every step, the full nectar. That's the real thirst of the soul.

* The more you chant Hare Krishna, the better it gets.

* If you look through all the Vedic Scriptures, you will find nothing higher than the chanting of Hare Krishna.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Why we go to Temples ?

A conversation between Guru and disciple.

Disciple : Why should we go to the temple to worship or pray ? Since Bhagavan is every where, why can't we do it at home or where ever we are?

Guru: Air is distributed everywhere. But when you use a fan, more air will circulate in a small area. That is why we use hand held fans and electric fans. Fire is with in a log of wood. But only when they are subjected to friction, fire emerges from that. Likewise, when so many powerful *Manthraas* are chanted and so many rituals are performed, the divine presence becomes more significant and the positive energy and vibration from the chanting, rituals and dhoopa, deepa gandham becomes many fold in a temple. Also it is a place to meet other like minded devotees and will lead to more Satsang .

This is explained in this sloka in Thanthra samucchayam :

Sarvathragosi bhagavan kila yadyapithwa-

maavaahayaami hi yathha vyajanena vaayum

goodho yathaiva dahano mathhanaad upaithi-

hyavaahithopihithat hhaatvamupaisich aaryaamÂ

It must be remembered that , Bhagavan Sri Krishna , Sri Rama , Arjuna, Parashurama , Adi Shankara and many other Rishis have installed Temples equipped with specific Manthraas and Rituals . These temples are abodes of Bhagavan whose live presence is a reality being daily experienced by numerous Bhaktas .

This is the last one of the nine types of Bhaktha Prahlada described to his father Hiranyakashipu and this is the final stage of bhakthi. When the surrender to Bhagavan is complete, Prahlada says, devotee becomes a jeevan muktha and when the "prarabdha karmaas" (karmaas accumulated from the previous janmaas) get exhausted, the body just falls and Jeevathma merges with Bhagavan.

Aathmanivedanam or self surrender happens in two stages: one is the initial stage without the intense feeling (Bhava-hina aathmanivedanam) and one with intense feeling of separation from Bhagavan which is called Bhava-yuktha Aathmanivedanam. The second type is described in Gita by Bhagavaan :

mac-citta mad-gata-prana
bodhayantah parasparam
kathayantas ca mam nityam
tusyanti ca ramanti ca

"Those whose minds are absorbed in Me and whose lives are wholeheartedly devoted to My service, derive great satisfaction and bliss from constantly enlightening one another about My tattva and performing kirtana of My name, form, qualities and pastimes.

tesam satata-yuktanam
bhajatam priti-purvakam
dadami buddhi-yogam tam
yena mam upayanti te

Here, Krishna is saying : "Those whose minds and lives are devoted to Me and who always meditate on Me, always speak about Me and derive satisfaction in Me alone. Their minds feel relaxation and comfort only by thinking about Me, and they are constantly desirous of perpetual union with Me. I bestow upon such bhaktas buddhi-yoga, transcendental intelligence and knowledge by which they can attain Me." (Prabhupada' s translation)

Why Nama Kirtan?

Sanathana Dharma is the oldest faith in the world. The Vedas, which are the foundation of our Dharma and is supposedly the intellect of the Lord Almighty Himself, have all the wealth of knowledge to guide is in leading a happy and prosperous life in this world as well as beyond.

Srimad Bhagavad Gita, which is considered as the concise extract of the Vedas and the Supreme advice of God to mankind, speaks of four broad 'Yogas' (paths) to reach Him - namely Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Raja Yoga. While all of these Yogas are equally powerful in giving the same merit, each of them enforces a specific way of life and expects the Sadhak to abide by the rules and regulations laid down for the Yoga.

Today, it is a busy world. We have no time to think about God, religion and spirituality. Even if we do, we do not have the time and inclination to carry out the prescribed tasks for the path that we care to adopt. Even if we do, the environment and society is not conducive enough. Over and above this, we are surmounted by pressures of work, family, children, business, health, relatives and society. It seems just next to impossible to allot time in our everyday schedule for Sadhana. Sadly, there is no one to blame! That is how Kali Yuga is!

The Sages, Rishis, Munis and Mahans have been people of foresight. With boundless compassion, they have pitied about our plight, long back --

prAyENaAlpAyusHa: sabhya kalAvasminyugE janA: |
mandA: sumandamathayO mandabhAgyAhyupadru tA: ||

In Kali Yuga, man will possess shorter lifespan, qualities of laziness, weak mind and easily susceptible to negative qualities and ills.

Thus, the modern day man needs an easier path -- something that can be accommodated in his busy life. That path should be such, that it does not involve a lot of rules and restrictions. it should not have time-bound restrictions; it should not involve much expenditure; it should be something which can be easily followed – In short, it should be perfectly relevant in the current day context, and absolutely practical; and yet yield us to the same goal.

The Sages prescribe the solution, which is advocated verily by the Vedas, and yet tailor made for our times.

dhyAyan krutE yajan yajnaihi trEtAyAm dwAparE archayan |
yadApnoti tadApnoti kalau sankIrtya kesavam ||

That supreme good which could be attained by the performance of meditation in the Age of Kruta, sacrifices in the Age of Treta and worship of the Lord in the Age of Dwapara can verily be attained, in the Age of Kali, by the mere chanting of the Divine Names of the Lord!

Further, our scriptures go to say,

kalau kalmasHa chittAnAm pApadravyOpa jIvinAm |
vidhikriyA vihInAnAm gathir gOvinda kIrtanam ||

In this Age of Kali, where the mind is impure and the living is earned through sinful means and where living by prescribed rules is difficult, the only way to liberation is singing the Holy Name of God!

Srimad Bhagavatam, in Ajamila charitra, explains that while expiation for sins fails to eradicate the `vasanas' (lateral impressions) that are the root cause for instigating a person to commit unrighteous acts, chanting the Divine Name uproots the very `vasanas' that are the basis for committing sins and leaves no alternative for the Lord but to receive us into His wide open arms!

All the great Saints right from the Azhwars and the Nayanmars to Thiagaraja Swami, Panduranga Bhaktas, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa have all shown that one CAN attain liberation through mere chanting of the Divine Name. Even today we find Sadhus who have attained the highest state through mere chanting of the Divine Name. This is the glory of 'Nama Kirtan' -- An absolutely easy, simple path suited to the Age of Kali. The chanting of Divine Names is a free path. It has no `binding' of rules and regulations. Namasankirtan can be done by anybody, anytime and anywhere. It involves no cost. It is a path that requires no paraphernalia but leads one to the very Lotus Feet of the Lord.

While mental repetition of the Divine Names leads to the good of the individual, chanting the Divine Names loudly purifies the singer the listener (the scriptures say "Shrotrunapi punati cha") and the very place where the chanting is done.

It is verily for this reason that Sri Sri Swamiji advocates group chanting of a single Divine Name - The Maha Mantra. Chanting a single Divine Name of the Lord (`eka Nama') helps the chanter deepen his concentration and also helps in sustaining the chanting for long hours effortlessly.

The Satsang members at Nama Dwaar inspired by Sri Sri Swamiji's loving spiritual guidance, with unwavering faith in the power of Nama Kirtan, inextinguishable zest to spread Nama Kirtan for the well being of the world at large and the ever growing taste for singing the Lord's Divine Names, go from place to place knocking at every door to securely fix the Divine Name in the hearts of people, for, this is the only way to world peace at large and liberation of each and every individual, in this Age of Kali .

Please chant :

"HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE!
HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE!"

and be happy !!!

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya!! !

Why Most People Miss Spiritual Bliss?

The Bhagavad-gita (15.11) states, “The transcendentalists who strive to situate themselves on the spiritual platform can see the soul clearly. But others who are not spiritually situated cannot see the soul, even if they try, because their consciousness is misdirected.”
Let’s understand the blinding effect of misdirected vision with an example. If somebody stares at the back side of a canvas, he will never be able to appreciate the painting, no matter how long he scrutinizes it. Nor will he understand why connoisseurs of art are delighting over the painting; indeed he will call them crazy. Suppose the art connoisseurs are in minority; how will they communicate the beauty of the painting to the unsympathetic majority?
Like the art connoisseurs in our hypothetical example, the spiritual connoisseurs– the devotees who delight in remembering their beloved Lord, Sri Krishna – are considered strange, even crazy, by others. The joy they derive in singing the praises of their Lord – often in public kirtans – is, for the onlookers, interesting but incomprehensible. Even scholars who do doctorates in religion fail to experience, despite their years of scrutinizing study, a drop of the ocean of joy that the devotees experience in a few moments of devotional-musical festivity.
Why this difference?
This mystery of the simultaneous accessibility and inaccessibility of the spiritual realm is unraveled in the above Gita verse. For those situated on the material platform, pursuing worldly pleasures and possessions, their infatuation with matter blinds them to spiritual reality. Even if they study spiritual literature, their minds being filled with dreams and schemes for materialistic enjoyment, they are unable to see anything higher. Their endeavors to understand spirituality are in vain like the attempts of a blind man to see by squinting and straining his eyes.
But the blind man can see, if he follows the doctor’s process. Similarly aspiring spiritualist can experience spiritual bliss by redirecting their consciousness from matter to spirit. This redirection entails:

1. Avoiding materially entangling activities:
Four activities that especially entangle our minds in matter, as mentioned in the Srimad Bhagavatam, are gambling, intoxication, meat-eating and illicit sex. By eschewing these activities, we will find our consciousness becoming clearer and sharper to perceive spiritual truths.

2. Maximizing spiritually absorbing activities:
Mantra meditation – especially attentive, devotional contemplation on the sound of the mantras comprised of the names of God like the Hare Krishna mahamantra – connects us practically and joyfully with God, the reservoir of all spiritual bliss.
By regularly following this process, we can, figuratively speaking, turn our vision from the back of the canvas to the front.

Why Chant Hare Krishna

I thought I better share this with others.

Based on various scriptures:

• Chanting Hare Krishna awakens love of God.
• Chanting Hare Krishna brings liberation as a side benefit along the way.
• When you chant Hare Krishna, you automatically develop knowledge and detachment.
• Chanting Hare Krishna gets you out of the endless cycle of birth and death.
• It is the most effective means of self-realization in the present age of quarrel. Nothing else works nearly as well.
• Chanting Hare Krishna cleanses the heart of all the illusions and misunderstandings.
• By chanting Hare Krishna, you become free from all anxieties.
• Chanting Hare Krishna brings you to self-realization and show you how to act as a self-realized soul.
• It keeps you ever mindful of Krishna, the reservoir of pleasure.
• There are no hard and fast rules for chanting. You can chant anywhere, any time, under any circumstances. Krishna Himself is fully present in transcendental sound of His name, and the more you chant, the more you realize it.
• All over Vedic mantras are included in the chanting of Hare Krishna. So, just by chanting this Mantra, you get the benefits of all others.
• Chanting Hare Krishna purifies not only you but every living entity around you. Whoever hears the chanting, gets the spiritual benefit.
• A person who chants Hare Krishna develops all good qualities.
• You can chant Hare Krishna softly for personal mediation or loudly with your family or friends. Both ways work.
• Srila Prabhupada chanted Hare Krishna, and so did great souls in the past. So why not you?
• Its free, chanting Hare Krishna never costs you money!
• Chanting Hare Krishna brings the highest stage of ecstasy.
• There are no previous qualifications needed for chanting Hare Krishna. Young or old any one can chant from any race any religion or any country of the world.
• Even if you don't understand the language of the Mantra, it works any way.
• Chanting Hare Krishna is easy. When the best way is also the easiest, why make life hard for yourself?
• Chanting Hare Krishna invokes spiritual peace for you and for those around you.
• When you chant Hare Krishna, Krishna Himself becomes pleased.
• When you chant Hare Krishna, Krishna dances in your tongue.
• By chanting Hare Krishna, you can return to Krishna's world, the internal abode of full happiness and knowledge.
• Chanting Hare Krishna frees you from the reaction of all past Karma.
• Chanting Hare Krishna's names even once, purely and sincerely, can free you from the reaction of more Karma than you possibly incur.
• Chanting Hare Krishna counteracts the sinful atmosphere of Kali-yuga, the present age of hypocirsy and quarrel.
• By chanting Hare Krishna, you can relish at every step, the full nectar. That's the real thirst of the soul.
• The more you chant Hare Krishna, the better it gets.
• If you look through all the Vedic Scriptures, you will find nothing higher than the chanting of Hare Krishna.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

--
At the present moment our minds are polluted with the dirt accumulated over millions and millions of lifetimes of sense gratification. Even though our original pure nature is eternal, full of knowledge, and full of bliss, due to our mental contamination we are presently suffering in the realm of temporality, ignorance, and misery. By the purificatory process of chanting the holy names of God we can revive our original, pure nature and thus relish the sweetest happiness at every minute.
Chant:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare

Why should we study the sacred scripture ?

An old farmer lived on his farm in the mountains with his young grandson. Each morning he got up early, sat at the kitchen table, and read His Bhagavad-gita. His grandson wanted to be just like his grandfather, so tried to emulate him in every way he could.
One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa, I try to read the Bhagavad-gita just like you do, but I don’t understand most of it, and whatever I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. So what good is it doing me to read the Bhagavad-gita?”

The grandfather, who was putting coal on the fire, quietly turned and said, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water.”The boy did as he was told, but the water leaked out before he could get the basket home.

The grandfather laughed and said, “You will have to move a little faster next time,” and he sent the boy back to the river to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket emptied before he was able to return home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get the bucket. But the old man said, “I don’t want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You are just not trying hard enough.” He stepped out the door to watch the boy try for the third time.

At this point the boy knew what he was trying to accomplish was impossible, so he decided to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the house.

The boy dipped the basket into river and ran as hard as he could. When he reached his grandfather the basket was empty. He gasped, “See grandpa? It is useless !”

“So you think it is useless?” the old man asked. “Then look at the basket.” The boy looked and saw for the first time that the basket was different. It had been washed clean of the dirty coal stains and was now clean inside and out.


What is the moral of this event ?

The grandfather replied :


01) “Grandson, that is what happens when you read the Bhagavad-gita.

02) You might not understand or remember everything you read, but the words will change you inside and out.

03) That is the work of Lord Krishna in our lives.”


How can we apply this in our own lives ?

01) We should cultivate the required inquisitiveness, like the boy in this story, to know the things and also sincerely strive for it.

02) To understand the things in the right perspective and to progress in our devotional life, we must be submissive to our own authorities – just like the grandson was submissive and followed exactly as the grandfather has instructed him although he was not convinced to get a basket of water. That submissiveness alone has brought him the right realization in the last.

03) Like the grandfather, we need to be regular in our spiritual practices like chanting and reading the scriptures etc – on daily basis.

04) We must have genuine appreciation for the sincere questions that neophytes ask us.

05) We must have genuine sympathy for the ignorance of the neophyte devotees.

06) We must strive our best to answer all their genuine questions as simply as possible and in the language in which they can understand – just like the grandfather did in this story.

07) We need to recognize and openly acknowledge that whatever good that happens, it is nothing but the causeless mercy of Krishna in our life – as was recognized by the grandfather in this story.

08) Sincerely pass on all the credit to our own Guru and Krishna for all Their blessings and mercy – as was done by the grandfather in this story.

My humble request to you, please !

Dear Prabhu Jee/Maathaa Jee,


Hare Krishna !


If you find this useful, please circulate it to as many people as possible.


Also, share these wonderful stores with little children so that it would have deep impact on them all through their lives.