indirect chanting

[Guest guest]

Dear Karen,

 

You wrote

<<Thank you for your insights. There is a lot to chew on there. I was away

on a short vacation until yesterday. I agree with you whole heartedly that

essence of all religion is the same and that what really matters is a pure

heart and sincere devotion. I was wondering what you meant by "indirect

chanting". Saying the words without meaning? Mindless repitition?

Thanks again for your thoughtful reply,

Karen>>

 

 

Thank you very much for your question. It is a blessing for me because it

gives me the opportunity to remember instructions.

 

Regarding indirect chanting I will quote from 'The Search For Sri Krishna' by

Srila Sridhar Maharaj

 

"In chanting the holy name, there are also four kinds of namabhasa.

Namabhasa means a faint connection with the holy name. Namabhasa is neither

offense nor service mood, but between the two. Its basis is renunciation,

but we must also cast away this indifference and become earnest for serving

the name. Namabhasa may be classified into four categories. The first is

sanketyam: chanting indirectly, to indicate something else, as in the case of

Ajamila."

 

"Ajamila was a brahmana's son. Somehow, he connected with a low-class woman

and entered into a degraded life as a dacoit, drinking and doing many other

nasty things. After many years, the time came for his death. As he lay in a

coma, suddenly he saw three messengers with a horrible appearance come and

put a rope around his neck and begin to drag him away. He was horrified.

 

Just before this, he had seen his son Narayana Playing nearby, so he sought

the help of the child and called "Narayana!" But in the curse of calling his

name, Ajamila thought within himself, "What can this boy Narayana do? How

will he deal with these three furious figures? He is nothing." So, by the

connection of the holy name of Narayana, Lord Narayana came to his mind.

 

When in his apprehension his call for Lord Narayana was sincere, four agents

from Vaikuntha descended. They were sober and mild, and addressed the

Yamadutas, the sessengers of death saying:

"Who are you? Why have you come?"

"We have come because it is the last day of Ajamila. He was a great sinner,

and we have been sent by our king, Yamaraja, the Lord of death, to drag him

away for punishment."

"Don't you know what is dharma, duty?"

"Oh yes, we know."

"Then why are you here?"

"He committed immense sin."

"Didn't you hear him take the name of Narayana?"

"Yes we have heard. What of that? His whole life he has committed so many

sinful acts, and only one name of Narayana will do away with that? It is not

possible."

"Oh, you have not been properly directed by your master. Now that Ajamila

has taken the name of Narayana, his juridiction has at once changed. He is

not longer under the juridiction of your master. Has he not given such

instructions to you?"

"No, no, we do not know all these things."

"Then, go back, and ask him."

 

Ajamila was released. Frightened by the posture and grandeur of the

messengers of Vishnu, the Yamaduttas fled. Ajamila thought, "What is the

instruction to be learned here?"

This is namabhasa. It is a faint connection with the holy name. It was

neither out of faith, nor by the order of his guru, that he chanted the name

of Narayana. It was not that he purposely went to take the name, but by

accident it flashed in his mind. Still, as a result of his previous pious

activity, namabhasa gave him salvation.

 

Ajamila at once awoke; he remembered all his past sinful activities and began

to repent. He began his journey towards Hardwar without speaking a single

word to family or friends. There, he chanted the name of Narayana for a long

time. At the proper time, those four Vishnudutas descended with a divine

chariot and took him to the concious spiritual domain of Vaikuntha."

 

"Indirect Chanting

Hela is another kind of namabhasa: neglectfully chanting the name. When we

are rising from bed in the morning sometimes, we may negligently say "Hare

Krishna". In this way we may cast off our indolence. Even there it may be

namabhasa. It may liberate us from our present position, but may not give us

entrance into Vaikuntha. That is possible only through devotional service.

 

One Mohammedan, who was being killed by the tusk of a boar, shouted "Ha ram"

meaning, "This is abominable" but because of his previous sukriti, or pious

credits, it became namabhasa, and he achieved liberation by chanting the name

of Lord Rama.

 

Namabhasa may come, and mukti, liberation, may be effected, but we cannot get

the opportunity of service there. Only if our mind is surcharged with a

serving attitude will it elevate us to the subtle and higher plane, otherwise

not. If the tendencies for renunciation and exploitation are mixed with our

chanting, it won't yield the desired result.

 

The chanting must be done with a service attitude (sevonmukhe hi jihvadau).

What is our aim? We want the service of the Lord: "Die to Live." We want a

life of purity which is full of self-giving: we want a generous life. We

want to live the life of those who want not to extract, but to give. We want

a civilized life in the domain of higher civilization, where everyone is a

giving unit, an emanating unit, and not an absorbing unit. There, everyone

is especially God-centered and harmonious. They are all of the nature of

divinity. And divinity means dedication towards the center of all harmony,

the absolute good. So with that spirit, we are to chant the holy name, and

every action should be done with devotion for Krishna. We should try to take

the positive line of serving Vishnu and Vaisnava, Krishna and His devotees,

and with this sort of attitude we should chant the holy name of Krishna."

 

Is this helpful for you to understand indirect chanting? The inner intention

is the most important.

 

Yours, Natabara das