Have you ever observed yourself not listening to even a single mantra in the sixteen rounds you chant? The mind seems completely spaced out, the intelligence doesn’t care, and the ego is absorbed in thoughts of “I” and “mine.”
If this is happening daily, we need an urgent japa reform. Otherwise, the external energy may throw us out of our spiritual orbit.
Disconnection
While chanting, it’s as if we have numerous devices (compared to desires) plugged into the socket of our mind. We go from one device to another, opening various mental apps ranging from the past to the future. In such a distracted state, even sixty four rounds can pass unnoticed.
Therefore, Harinama Cintamani states:
ruci yāya anya sthāne nāme udāsīna
nāme citta magna nahe jape pratidina
When taste (ruci) for chanting the holy name goes elsewhere, one becomes indifferent to the name. Though chanting daily, the mind does not become absorbed in the holy name.
citta eka dike āra anya dike nāma
tāhāra maṅgala kise haya guṇa dhāma
The mind goes one way, and the name another—how can auspiciousness arise from such chanting?
lakṣa nāma haile pūrṇa saṅkhyā mālā gaṇi
hṛdaye nahila rasa bindu guṇa maṇi
Though one completes a full count of one hundred thousand holy names (64 rounds) on their beads, not even a drop of rasa (taste) arises in the heart?
Connection
Thus, before chanting, it becomes essential to log out of our many inner devices (desires) and unplug the mind from all distractions. We must bring our consciousness into what we are actually doing. If the mind does not feel connected to the holy name, even chanting one round feels like climbing a mountain.
Here are a few practical ways to connect with the Holy Name:
1] Becoming conscious of the rare opportunity we have to personally interact with Krishna through His name. We can a take a couple of minutes to get to that consciousness.
2] Mentally fixing a sacred space for chanting – maybe a forest in Vrindavan, your favorite temple, or another holy place.
2] Reminding ourselves of the incomparable value of the Holy Name.
There could be a host of other ways to connect. I have just mentioned a few. The essence is that our chanting begins when the chanter becomes present.
Absorption
Once we establish connection, the next step is absorption. Absorption is the fruit of a sincere endeavor to please Krishna.
There is a beautiful story of Akbar and a young girl that HH Sacinandana Swami Maharaja recounts in one of his books showcasing the power of such focused absorption.
The famous Mogul emperor of India, Akbar the Great, once took a religious retreat to read the Koran at a mosque. As he attempted to absorb himself in the holy scripture, his restless mind kept distracting him. Amidst this, he noticed a young woman pacing anxiously outside the mosque, clearly troubled.
Suddenly, she entered the mosque, crossed the hall, and without even noticing him, stumbled over Akbar. The holy Koran fell from his hands with a thud. Shocked and angered, Akbar called out, “Guards! Bring me that young infidel woman!”
Brought before him, Akbar shouted, “You are ruthless! I condemn you to be hanged. You dared to run over your emperor and desecrate the holy Koran, and didn’t even notice!”
The woman, slowly regaining her senses, humbly apologized. Intrigued, Akbar asked, “Before you die, tell me what kept you so intensely absorbed that you ignored such an offense.”
She replied, “This morning, Emperor, I heard that my lover had arrived in town. I was searching for him everywhere. I’m very sorry, but I truly didn’t notice you.”
This only enraged Akbar more. “You offend the Koran and kick me for such a reason? You’ll be hanged by a thick rope. Guards, take her!”
Realizing she had nothing to lose, the woman asked one last question. Akbar agreed.
“Respected emperor,” she said, “may I ask what you were doing when I ran over you?”
“I told you – I was reading the Koran!” he replied.
With calm intensity, the woman said, “If you had truly been reading the Koran, you would have been searching for the greatest lover. If I, searching for a mere mortal, was so absorbed that I didn’t see you, how undisturbed should you have been if you were truly seeking God? You weren’t reading the Koran. You were pretending.”
Then, standing firm, she said, “Now that I’ve spoken my heart, you are free to hang me.”
As the story goes, Akbar was struck with realization and set her free.
The journey of our japa has to move from disconnection to connection leading to a total absorption. This is the kind of absorption that a sincere sadhaka should long for. Such chanting has the power to award us love for Krishna.
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