Call of Love
Two Types of Chanting
Anyway, whether we are offensive or non-offensive, it is our bounden duty to serve bhakti devi by chanting with love and respect. If we are inoffensive, we shall attain prem and if we are offensive, we shall obliterate our offenses and after that, gain prem. Srimat Jiva Goswâmipâd has instructed us to chant with love. He has said –
“We can chant the Holy Name in two manners –
- just chant
- chant lovingly
If we ‘just chant’ – that is, chant simply without any emotion, and if we are inoffensive we shall attain the divine abode. However if we chant with love we can get close to Sri Bhagavân and gain His sevâ.
The Gopis had met the Sri Krishna in Kurukshetra. Then He had extolled their love by saying –
‘Dear Vraja-beauties, living beings become immortal because of their devotion unto me. Your love forces me to come near you’ – (S.B.10.81.31)”
– (Krama-Sandarbha purport to S.B.6.2.20)
These divine words prove that love is the best way to drag Sri Krishna to us. Similarly if we chant lovingly the Holy Name will surely manifest Sri Krishna before us.
How to chant with love?
If we exclusively love the Holy Name then we should call out the Mahâmantra with intense longing. With how much passion should we call out our beloved Harinâm? Srila Sanâtan Goswâmipâd has given a wonderful example (B.B.2.3.167) –
“With how much longing the thirsty châtaks call out when it does not sight any cloud during the monsoon, with how much passion the chakravâki laments out of separation from her lover at night – a devotee, suffering in the pangs of viraha, and with an agitated soul, should loudly and thirstily call out his Beloved”.
If we understand the meaning of the Mahâmantra, relish it and then chant the Holy Name, we shall very soon gain the blessings of Sri Nâm-prabhu and start loving Him.
(to be continued)