CHANTING OF THE HOLY NAMES CHANT02.TXT ****************************************************************************** ALSO CALLED MANTRA MEDITATION- Meditation for the Modern Age yajnanam japa-yajno 'smi "Of sacrifices I am the chanting of the Holy names, japa..." Bhagvat Gita (10.25). Over the past two decades, the sight of Hare Krishna devotees chanting and dancing has become a familiar sight in cities all over the world. As most casual observers can probably sense, the chanting has spiritual significance. Specifically, it is a form of meditation based on the hearing of transcendental sound vibrations. Our entanglement in material affairs begins from material sound. Each day we hear material sounds from radio, television, from friends and relatives, and according to what we hear, we think, desire, feel and act materially. Thus we remain within the material sphere of existence, taking on one material body, after another and undergoing the miseries of birth, death, old age and disease. But, as Srila Prabhupada, the founder acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), points out, "There is sound in the spiritual world also. If we approach that sound, then our spiritual life begins". The living being in material life is likened to a dreaming man, who accepts the situations of happiness and distress within his dream as absolute reality. He dreams of finding treasure, but in truth he is not a penny richer. He dreams of being attacked by a tiger, but he is not actually in danger. When he is awakened by the sound of his alarm clock, he realizes his actual situation. In the same way, one who chants the transcendental sounds of the name of Krishna gradually awakens from his dreamlike condition in material life to his original spiritual position. Spiritual sound has special qualities. Hearing the sound "water" reminds us of of the taste of water and its qualities. But because of the distinct difference between material sound and its object, the sound "water" cannot quench our thirst. The name Krishna, however is Absolute sound vibrated from the spiritual platform and is thus non different from Krishna, the Supreme personality of Godhead. And because He is omnipotent, His transcendental energies are manifested within the sound of His name. Since every living entity is eternally related with Krishna, the chanting of His names is often compared with the natural call of a child for his mother. This verse from the 'Kalisantarana Upanishad' very effectively makes this clear: HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA, KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE HARE RAMA HARE RAMA, RAMA RAMA HARE HARE iti sodasakam namnam kali-kalmasa-nasanam natah parataropayah sarva-vedesu drisyate "Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare- these sixteen names composed of thirty two syllables are the only means of to counteract the evil effects of KaliYuga (the demonic age of Kali). In all the VEDAS it is seen that to cross the ocean of nescience there is no alternative to chanting the Holy Name" This "mahamantra" has been prescribed by great spiritual authorities as the easiest and most effective method to attain self realization in this present age. The word "mantra" means that which delivers the mind ('man'-mind,'tra'- that which delivers the mind from material illusions and anxieties') Chanting purifies the mind just as a medicine prescribed for a bodily ailment gradually restores the body to its natural, healthy condition. One who engages in this practice, known as 'mantra' meditation, gradually develops great mental control and attains a heightened sense of awareness as well as joy. In this pure state of spiritual consciousness, free from inebrieties such as tension, confusion, depression and feelings of envy and hatred, one experiences real peace of mind. Gradually, as the chanting becomes pure, the soul's natural original qualities of eternity, knowledge and bliss, "sat-cit-anand" become fully manifest.