Should we chant Maha Mantra Loudly

[Center for Bhakti Studies]

Should we chant Maha Mantra Loudly. Pls see attached doc.

[GGoose]

Haribol.
well i have downloaded the pdf file. i have to read it.
Form my point of view and expierince.
I started, to chant in my head, for i felt shy and unshure about others laughing or pointing a finger to me, it took my a while, a year or two, i was told not to chant in my head so i started to chant loud, ofr as a part of krsna lives in me, and as i chant loud he will hear me and will rise, of course chanting loud is very good to the body for it has to do action everything is involevd in chanting loud. Okay i wll have to read the file maybe there is some more help for me to develop.
accept my bad english,

haribol

[Jaya Gopal Dasa]

Dhyana.

Dandavat Pranamas alll! This is a really sweet post.

Once question i have always pondered is that when chanting Japa, eyes closed, good posture, as we are taught- what can we meditate upon? My mind is very lowly and animalistic- so it wanders constantly. i find that if i focus on just looking at Sri-Sri Radha-Krishna in my mind, or offering them flowers with each recitation, or even arranging Gurudeva at their feet and just gazing and praying to them as i chant it seems to go much better.. is this acceptable? sometimes if i cant stay still and concentrate i just focus on the sound of then names and try to perfect my pronunciation and just listen to myself say them and get wrapped up in them the best i can.

Can someone make bona-fide suggestions on how to engage the mind in japa, whether approving what i do or suggesting something which is in good taste? Thanks!!!!

your grateful servant,
Jaya Gopal das

[GGoose]

high, Jaya Gopal das
"personal view"
mmh, i chant, and while that , thoughts come and go, importand is to let those pass, until there are no more, when i would focus on this or that then i'm doing acting instead of chanting, chanting is calling for krsna, it depends on how big my desire is in offering me to krsna , it is up to him. Me too try to do a good pronounciation, until it doesn't matter and all is go(o)d, letting go of control i'm a individual so i have my own style okay i need a basic to start from! But importand is to chant chant chant ;-)
btw where are the Teachers???

[candramukhidasi]

Please accept my obeisances. Jaya Srila Gurudeva!
It is important to chant loudly because we must follow our Guru Parampara and all the
acaryas before us who all chanted loudly. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Haridasa Thakura,
Rupa Gosvami and our Srila Gurudeva have all told to chant loudly. We must follow them.
One thing that I learned today was that when we chant Harinama we are not to think
we are this mortal body. All glories to Harinama!

[Swami B.V. Vishnu Daivata]

Chanting

Dandavats Pranams to all! All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga!

Chanting should be either loudly or softly.

However there are some rules.

Rules:

1. Do not disturb the people in the train or bus by your loud chanting.
2. Do not chant loudly if someone is chanting gayatri mantras in the same room.
3. Do chant loudly at the top of you voice when you are passing through a jungle.
4. Bathroom singers are welcome to sing Hare Krishna tunes in the shower :-)

Mahamantra is absolute.

Once there was a brahmana, who bathing in the river and chanting Narayana mantra. One tiger jumped on him to kill him. But hunter noticing the tiger, killed it. That tiger got liberation. So liberation is achieved by the people just by hearing the holy names of the Lord. So we take out Harinama parties. Although the people are unwilling to hear Maha-mantra, they advance by hearing the Mahamatra. For the same reason, we take out Jagannatha on Rathayatra. People may not care to take darsana of Jagannatha, but He shall look at them and bless them by His eyes.

As far the remembrance of pastimes is concerned, no pastimes manifest in my heart when I am chanting. Therefore, I keep a book like Padyavali or Ujjvala Nilamani when I chant. Sometimes, I recite the verses from these books, to remind me of Lord Krishna. Otherwise I remember Sri Krishna, or Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu while chanting. I feel there is no comparison to the mercy of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. My mother is very kind, she used to cook and feed me. She was the best cook. But I think Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is millions of times more merciful than my mom. So remembering Him, also helps one's chanting.

Also rendering service to Vaisnavas also increases your taste for chanting. When I do some small service to Sripada BV Dandi Maharaja, or the little Vaisnava kids in our Gurukula, then Krishna gives me some special mercy. By the way, Sripada BV Dandi Maharaja and Sripada BV Avadhuta Maharaja are excellent chanters. They are completely absorbed in the name. I have observed their chanting and it seems that they have all the symptoms of an advanced devotee. So if we get a chance, then we should stay with them for a few days and do chanting with them. That shall indeed improve our chanting.

I have no faith in the name or gurudeva or Vaisnavas. I am very unfortunate. But you are all Vaisnavas, please pray that I shall understand the glories of my Gurudeva one day.

Your servant,
Swami BV Vishnu Daivata

[candramukhidasi]

Gaura-Haribol! Dandavat pranam. Jaya Srila Gurudeva!
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that is you have these four qualities you are qualified to chant
Harinama; tolerant as a tree, free from false ego, respect for everyone and everything and
lower and more insignificant than a blade a grass. All glories to Sri RadhaGopinatha!

[Center for Bhakti Studies]

Hare Krishna. Dandavats:

There is a very nice lecture on Chanting (not so much on loud chanting) by Srila Gurudev in the 'BVNM Transcribe Vedabase' on this website. Below is the link also.

http://bhaktistudies.ning.com/forum/topic/show?id=2035915%3ATopic%3...

Regards
Achyuta Krishna dasa