Namaste to all...

I realize that two of our strongest posters are not currently
checking up on the club as much as usual (Uma and Silentsoul, that
is!) but I, for one, would love to see the club thrive even in their
absence. I would encourage all to post stories, quotes, or start a
discussion. Or, if you prefer, send a private email and ask a
question to be posted. The moderators are here to help the club
thrive; how can they make it even better for us? Suggestions are
always welcomed, I'm sure.

One subject that is close to me is chanting. I have a musical
background, so I think I am naturally drawn to chanting and bhajans
and I particularly love to listen while I am working or driving. I
find myself very calmed by it.

Do any of you have any recommendations for singers/recordings of
traditional or not-so-traditional spiritual music? What sort of
meaningful experiences have you had from chanting? What are its
effects on us: physically, mentally, spiritually? Is it useful for
our sadhna?

Looking forward to your replies...

With much love,
Erica

Jaya Sri Radhey! Namste dear Erica.

I do recommend you to please visit the 'BHAJANS' page of the
website :

http://www.divinelovemission.org

http://divinelovemission.org/media/Bhajans/

Also more divine chantings are at:

http://jkp.org/chantings/index.html

Jaya Sri Radhey!

Chanting or Japa purifies one's heart, of all the impurities. It
surely is useful in the spiritual path, as it is the easiest path
especially in times of agony. In difficult times, it sure is
difficult (at least in the beginning stages) to shower love /Bhakthi
on God. It is also difficult to pursue the path of Jnana or enquiry
when our mind is restless with preoccupation of worldly pursuits.
All the other paths towards God require some amount of concentration
and effort on our path to experience it.

On the contrary, Japa or chanting requires only a small trivial
effort or repeating His name. Even if our mind is preoccupied with
other engagements, and if we continue the chant thro' our mouth, we
find ourselves getting calm in just a few minutes. Follwing the peace
(even in small amounts), our mind gets tuned to the higher realm and
it is easier to pursue the path of Bhakthi or Jnana. One can also get
Moksha or Liberation by just chanting the Holy name of the Lord.

One needn't even undertake restraints to Chant. Constant chanting
purifies one's heart, and paves the way for other spiritual
undertakings like Bhakthi and Jnana. One can even achieve control of
senses and emotions throu'gh constant chanting.

Chanting is the one that comes to our rescue, when all else seem
difficult. This is b'cos all that it takes is mere repetition of the
Holy name. By constantly repeting, eventually all other thoughts will
be warded off. Thus its result is the same attained thro' meditation,
where in one consciously tries to ward off all other thoughts,
holding onto just one thought. (at least in the initial stages).

Following is a Q&A that a devotee asked Ramana Maharshi on Japa or
Chanting.

Visitor: I am taught that Mantra Japam is very potent in practice.

Bhagavan: The Self is the greatest of all mantras and goes on
automatically and eternally. If you are not aware of this internal
mantra, you should take to it consciously as japam, which is attended
with effort, to ward off all other thoughts. By constant attention to
it, you will eventually become aware of the internal mantra, which is
the state of Realization and is effortless. Firmness in this
awareness will keep you continually and effortlessly in the current,
however much you may be engaged in other activities. Listening to
Vedic chanting and mantras has the same result as conscious
repetitions of japam — its rhythm is the japam.

Visitor: As far as I can see it, it is impossible to realize the Self
until one has completely succeeded in preventing the rushing
thoughts. Am I right?

Bhagavan: Not exactly. You do not need to prevent other thoughts. In
deep sleep you are entirely free from thoughts, because the `I-
thought' is absent. The moment the `I-thought' rises on waking, all
other thoughts rush out spontaneously. The wisest thing for one to do
is therefore to catch hold of this leading thought, the `I-thought',
and dissect it — who and what it is —giving thereby no chance to
other thoughts to distract one. There lies the true value of the
vichara and its efficacy in mind control.

Hari Aum !!!

Jaya Sri Radhey! Namaste all.

More wisdom on 'Chanting the Names of the Lord':

kRte yad dhyAyato viSNuM tretAyAM yajato makhaiH
dvApare paricaryAyAM kalau tad hari kIrtanAt

(Srimad Bhagavatam 12.3.52)

Each Yuga has its own standard - high or low - of Dharma, and in
accordance with the moral fibre of the people of that Yuga, its own
prescription for attaining the Lord.

After recounting the various defects of Kali Yuga resulting in the
people failing from the virtuous path, Vyasa extols Kali Yuga as
being exceptionally fortunate in that the easiest means for attaining
the Lord have been prescribed for this Yuga.

Though, admittedly, Kali is the repository of all evil - and most of
us today are witnessing the moral quagmire into which present day
mankind has pushed itself - yet it has a supreme virtue:
a person may free himself of all attachments and attain God
Realization simply by singing the glories of the Lord and chanting
and hearing His names.

In other words, whatever a person could attain in the Krita Yuga by
meditation on Vishnu; in the Treta Yuga by performing sacrifices; in
the Dvapara Yuga by devoted service and worship - all that he may
attain in the Kali Yuga by extolling the Lord.

This is the great advantage of the Kali Yuga and makes us
exceptionally fortunate, despite the all-pervading evil around us!

kalau kalmaSa cittAnAM pApa dravyopa jIvinAM,
vidhi kriyA vihInA nAM gatir govinda kIrtanam

'In the age of Kali (Dark Age), the hearts of men and women are
polluted, their minds are impure, their lives are spent in sin and
acquiring wealth for sense-gratification, devoid of spiritual
discipline and devotional practice.

So for such unfortunate souls of Kali Yuga, the ONLY way to attaining
the ultimate goal of life is devotional singing of the Names,
Attributes, and Lilas of Govinda.'

Veda Vyasa muni started the Bhagavatam with an invocatory hymn
addressed to the Ultimate Reality, and that verse contains the
essence of the Vedanta philosophy as expounded in the Upanishads and
the Brahma Sutras.

In the valedictory verse of the Bhagavatam, Veda Vyasa Maharsi
declares that chanting of the names of the Supreme Being alone is
capable of destroying all the sins which stand in the way of God-
realization.

In these days when people want God-realization and liberation while
holding on to the world at the same time, and are reluctant to put
forth mental or physical effort to acquire Jnana or study scriptures,
the easiest way to achieve the goal is by resorting to chanting the
name of the Lord, which can be done anywhere and at all times, for
example while engaged in eating, cooking in the kitchen, walking,
traveling, or any other activity for that matter.

The logical reasoning behind this process is as follows: Every letter
of the Sanskrit alphabet is an aspect of the universal force or the
power (Sakti), in which the Lord manifests Himself in the world. The
first letter €..¥ (A) which stands for the power €
..'±Amrita-Varshini€..'², when
chanted over a long period of time, can bestow a long life. Similarly
the letter €..§ü (EE) stands for the power €..'±Eesaani€..'², which
can bestow
the ability of controlling others and, being the Maya Bija, also has
the influence of removing Maya.

The names of the Lord are all combinations of different sound forces
whose vibrations will permeate our mind and the body, and shall
purify them as well as the ambient atmosphere, and finally lead us to
the Super-conscious state of Samadhi, resulting in God-realization.

nAsti nAsti mahA bhAga! kali kAlasamaM yugaM,
smaraNAt kIrtanAt viSNoH prApyate paramaM padam

O great fortunate one! There is no age, there is no age equal to the
Kali Yuga during which the Ultimate Supreme Goal is attained simply
by the loving rememberence and devotional chanting of the Holy Names
of Lord Vishnu (Krishna)

Srimad Bhagavatam is not a mere book. It is the very Lord manifested
as the sound (word) force. The Lord is infinite and His words have
myriad interpretations - and each one of them is correct too - since
they are meant for Sadhakas with varying levels of spiritual
aptitude, capacity, etc. in the light of their Vasanas (latent
tendencies).

The very last verse of the Srimad Bhagavatam 12.13.23:

nAma saGkIrtanaM yasya sarva pApa praNAzanam
praNAmo duHkha zamanas taM namAmi hariM param

Let us all prostrate to that transcendental Lord Hari, thinking
(singing) of Whose Names destroy all sins, and surrendering to Whom
dispels all miseries and sufferings."

Jaya Sri Radhey!

Jaya Sri Radhey!

Some beautiful doha from Sri Tulasidasji's 'Sri Rama-Carita-Manas'-

"mana krama vacana chaaDi caturaayee
bhajata hi kripa karata raghu raayee"

Leaving aside the egoism of learning, craftiness and word jugglery,
if the seeker sincerely worship the Lord with his heart, mind, words,
and actions, Lord Raghu Rama showers His Grace upon him and he is
blessed with DIVINE LOVE.

"kali yuga kevala naam adhaaraa
sumiri sumiri nara utarahi paaraa"

In the age of Kali, the Names of Lord alone are of support to mankind
for devotion.
By REMEMBERING and REMEMBERING LOVINGLY the Name of Lord alone, men
can CROSS the ocean of material existence.

"kali yuga kevala hari guNa gaahaa
gaavata nara paavata bhava thaaha"

In the age of Kali, there is ONLY one way to get RELEASE from the
worldly bondage,
that is to SING WHOLEHEARTEDLY the Glories of Lord HARI.

"nahi kali dharma na bhagati viveku
raamanaama avalambana yeku"

In the age of Kali, there is NO use of varnasrama dharma nor
ritualistic vaidhi bhakti, nor the subtle knowledge of formless
Brahman.
The only SUPPORT and SUSTENENCE is the Name of Lord Raama.

"kali yuga yoga na yajna na jaanaa
yek aadhaara raama guNa gaanaa"

In the age of Kali, Patamjali's astaangayoga, or the jnana of Advaita
Philosophy, or the fire sacrifices done to heavenly gods, are of NO
HELP!
For God realisation, there is ONE ONE HELP, i.e.,
SINGING LOVINGLY the Glories, Virtues and Lilas of Lord Rama.

So Saint Tulasidasji PRAYS to His Ramacandra Kripalu,

"ab prabhu kripa karahu yehi bhaamti
saba taji bhajana karaum dina raati"

O Lord, NOW Grace me in SUCH a way, that I will leave ALL other
USELESS sadhanas, other RITUAL practices, and ENGAGE myself day and
night in
LOVINGLY SINGING YOUR Names,
Extolling Your Grace and Your Virtues,
REMEMBERING Your Lilas and
CONTEMPLATING on Your Blissful Form.

Jai Sant Tulasi das ki!

Jaya Sri Radhey !

Jaya Sri Radhey! Namaste.

Here is an excerpt from the article written by Sri R.K.Tripathi,
published in the English and Hindi translation of Sri
Tulasdasa's 'Sri Rama Carita Manasa' by Professor R.C.Prasad.

" So far as the poet (Saint Tulasi dasa) himself is concerned, he
seems to consider 'nama-japa', i.e. repetition of name, to be the
BEST means of Bhakti.
He has devoted many pages in Balakanda to explain the IMPORTANCE of
Nama - name, especially of the name of Rama.

Firstly because the name and the named are one, secondly because it
is the name which makes the named intelligible and is, therefore,
even superior to 'Rupa' - form.

The name is SUPERIOR even to Rama. It is the mediator between the
abstract Absolute and the Personified Absolute.

Through 'Nama-japa' Hanuman was able to have a control over Rama.

In the Kaliyuga especially, 'Nama-Japa' is MOST effective. The name
of Rama is EFFECTIVE whether it is uttered with love or with spite,
in anger or even in moments of boredom and laziness. The IMPORTANCE
of 'name' is SO GREAT that even Rama CANNOT describe it FULLY!

When the climax of Bhakti is reached, the devotee leaves every thing
to God, does not ask for any thing and accepts only that which the
Lord considers best for him. When the Lord is pleased to appear
before the devotee, He offers to grant him whatever he wants and does
not impose His will on him.

This is because He wants that the devotee should first be free from
all desires and then be granted Bhakti.

When the Bhakta has NO personal desires, he begs ONLY Bhakti of the
Lord. "

Jaya Sri Radhey!

--- In saadhnaa@y..., pyari_h <no_reply@y...> wrote:
> Jaya Sri Radhey!
>
> Some beautiful doha from Sri Tulasidasji's 'Sri Rama-Carita-Manas'-
>
> "mana krama vacana chaaDi caturaayee
> bhajata hi kripa karata raghu raayee"
>
> Leaving aside the egoism of learning, craftiness and word jugglery,
> if the seeker sincerely worship the Lord with his heart, mind,
words,
> and actions, Lord Raghu Rama showers His Grace upon him and he is
> blessed with DIVINE LOVE.
>
> "kali yuga kevala naam adhaaraa
> sumiri sumiri nara utarahi paaraa"
>
> In the age of Kali, the Names of Lord alone are of support to
mankind
> for devotion.
> By REMEMBERING and REMEMBERING LOVINGLY the Name of Lord alone, men
> can CROSS the ocean of material existence.
>
> "kali yuga kevala hari guNa gaahaa
> gaavata nara paavata bhava thaaha"
>
> In the age of Kali, there is ONLY one way to get RELEASE from the
> worldly bondage,
> that is to SING WHOLEHEARTEDLY the Glories of Lord HARI.
>
> "nahi kali dharma na bhagati viveku
> raamanaama avalambana yeku"
>
> In the age of Kali, there is NO use of varnasrama dharma nor
> ritualistic vaidhi bhakti, nor the subtle knowledge of formless
> Brahman.
> The only SUPPORT and SUSTENENCE is the Name of Lord Raama.
>
> "kali yuga yoga na yajna na jaanaa
> yek aadhaara raama guNa gaanaa"
>
> In the age of Kali, Patamjali's astaangayoga, or the jnana of
Advaita
> Philosophy, or the fire sacrifices done to heavenly gods, are of NO
> HELP!
> For God realisation, there is ONE ONE HELP, i.e.,
> SINGING LOVINGLY the Glories, Virtues and Lilas of Lord Rama.
>
> So Saint Tulasidasji PRAYS to His Ramacandra Kripalu,
>
> "ab prabhu kripa karahu yehi bhaamti
> saba taji bhajana karaum dina raati"
>
> O Lord, NOW Grace me in SUCH a way, that I will leave ALL other
> USELESS sadhanas, other RITUAL practices, and ENGAGE myself day and
> night in
> LOVINGLY SINGING YOUR Names,
> Extolling Your Grace and Your Virtues,
> REMEMBERING Your Lilas and
> CONTEMPLATING on Your Blissful Form.
>
> Jai Sant Tulasi das ki!
>
> Jaya Sri Radhey !

Jaya Sri Radhey!

A few sublime verses from Srimad Bhagavatam (2. 2. 33, 34, 35, 36 and
37) glorifying Divine Love Devotion and Naama Sankirtana of the Lord:

na hyato 'nyaH zivaH panthA vizataH saMsRtAviha
vAsudeve bhagavati bhakti yogo yato bhavet

"For him who has fallen into the whirlpool of transmigration there is
NO OTHER blessed path other than that which makes for DEVOTION to
Lord Vaasudeva." (33)

bhagavAn brahma kAtsnaryena triran vIkSya manISayA
tadadhyavasyAt kUTastho ratir Atman yato bhavet

"Having critically studied Vedas with CONCENTRATED MIND thrice over,
Brahma CONCLUDED by force of reason that ALONE to be the HIGHEST
virtue, by which one is able to develop EXCLUSIVE DEVOTION to Sri
Krishna, the Self of the Universe."(34)


bhagavAn sarva bhUteSu lakSitaH svAtmanA hariH
dRzyair buddhyAdibhir draSTA lakSaNaignumApakaiH

"Lord Sri Hari ALONE is seen abiding in ALL animate and inanimate
beings as their very self; for the intellect and pther phenomenal
objects are adjuncts that LEAD us to infer the existence of the Lord,
Who is the All-witnessing seer." (35)

tasmAt sarvAtmanA rAjan hariH sarvatra sarvadA
zrotavyaH kIrtitavyaz ca smartavyo bhagavAn nRNAm

"Therefore, O king, men SHOULD always and under ALL circumstances
with their WHOLE being LISTEN to, RECITE and REVOLVE in their MIND
the stories of Lord Sri Hari alone." (36)

pibanti ye bhagavata AtmanaH satAM
kathAmRtaM zravaNapuTeSu sambhRtam
punanti te viSaya vidUSitAzayaM
vrajanti taccaraNa saroruhAntikam


"They who DRINK in the Nectar-like stories of the Lord, the Soul of
the universe, POURED into the CUPS of their EARS by HOLY men, are
ABLE to PURIFY their HEART, which has been contaminated through
contact with the pleasures of sense, and attain PROXIMITY to His
Lotus Feet." (37)

(Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 2, Chap. 2, verses 33-37)

Jaya Sri Radhey!