The mind cannot sit idle. It needs something to hold on to. That is why it is said, an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.

Once, when Śrīla Prabhupāda was asked,
“Prabhupāda, my mind gets distracted while chanting the holy name. What should I do?”
Prabhupāda replied, “Where is the question of the mind? Just chant.”

Through this reply, Prabhupāda wanted us to remain free from the influences, eccentricities, and demands of the mind. Yet, when we sit daily for chanting, we do not sit alone. We sit with the mind. That is an undeniable factor.

So the question is not whether the mind will be present, but what do we sit with while chanting? The mind always carries something.

Below is a brief exploration.

Stopwatch Chanting

Sometimes, devotees use a timer or stopwatch to track their rounds. This is not wrong. It is not a bad practice. In fact, it can be a healthy practice, helping us understand how we are faring.

But sometimes, even without a physical stopwatch, the mind itself becomes one. We are only intent on finishing our laps. The moment sixteen rounds are completed, we are done. And we want to finish them in the earliest possible time.

By this method, we may be trying to get over with Krishna as early as possible. This is what can be called stopwatch chanting.

Television Chanting

Sometimes we sit with a mental television during chanting, constantly changing channels. One thought after another, jumping from topic to topic.

At other times, we may be stuck on one single channel, watching a full movie. By the time the movie ends, our chanting also ends.

This is a perfect example of totally distracted chanting. These are the days we are absorbed watching the television of our mind.

Wish List Chanting

Another kind of chanting is wish-list chanting or to-do-list chanting.

Here, chanting moves according to our desires, plans, and ambitions – what we want to do that day or that week. Instead of hearing the holy name, we are internally negotiating with Kṛṣṇa. May not be even negotiating, but simply making our own plans !

Chanting with an Empty Bowl

Now comes the most beautiful kind of chanting.

What if, while chanting, we carry an empty bowl?

An empty bowl to receive Kṛṣṇa’s grace, and a heart yearning for mercy. Such chanting is far better than carrying a stopwatch, a television, or a wish list.

If every day we sit with an empty bowl, after chanting we will return with that bowl filled with realizations, with humility, and with jewels of service attitude.

Even if the bowl is filled with our anarthas, and we offer them sincerely, Krishna will empty it and replace it with jewels – just as He did with the flower-selling lady.

The Jewels of Mercy

There is a beautiful pastime from Lord Caitanya’s līlā.

A simple buttermilk seller once offered all his buttermilk to Lord Caitanya. Mahāprabhu told him, “My associates who are coming behind Me will pay you.”

When the associates came, they replied that they had nothing to pay. The seller said,
“That’s all right. Please tell that sannyāsī it was a donation from me.”

When the seller lifted his pot to return home, it felt unbearably heavy. Unable to carry it, he looked inside and saw that his entire pot was filled with priceless jewels.

Ignoring the jewels, he ran after Mahāprabhu, offered his obeisances, and surrendered his life to Him. Mahaprabhu gave him His own love and filled his heart with the most priceless jewel of love for Krishna !

How wonderful this is!!

The buttermilk seller carried a pot filled with his simple offering. He emptied it for the Lord, and the Lord filled it – not just with jewels, but with love of God.

What Do We Carry When We Chant?

In the same way, our bowl may be filled with our skills, desires, plans, and talents. But if we offer all of that in Krishna’s service, He will fill our bowl with love of God.

So when we sit for chanting, we must ask ourselves:

What am I carrying today? A stopwatch? Or a television? Or a wish list?

Or an empty bowl – free from pride and arrogance, filled only with longing to serve? (https://haribhaktidas.com/becoming-a-perpetual-beggar/)

When we chant as beggars of mercy, understanding our helplessness, Krishna accepts that offering. Gradually, He cleans our heart. Then our heart becomes a storehouse of realizations, a mine of jewels, and a reservoir of good qualities.

Such a heart gives great pleasure to Krishna.