Should we look for something at the end of our chanting?

Chanting is not like running a cross-country race wherein during the journey we will be provided with refreshments, and at the end, when we reach the final destination, we will be given a gold medal or some certification of accomplishment or participation.

Things to Look for:

During chanting, we must see if we tried to be attentive in our chanting or not. And after chanting, we must simply have a peek at our heart:

Have I become more prayerful by today’s effort?
Do I desire to chant more rounds?
Are feelings of humility, helplessness arising in the heart?

If the answer is yes to one or more of the above questions, then we can understand we are going in the right direction.

Chanting is a journey, and chanting is the destination. Haridas Thakura had one problem – his chanting never got completed! Similarly, in our life, every day should be such that our chanting never gets completed. That is the perfection of chanting! Always being in the journey. And one day, we will find ourselves at the destination!

sarva-śakti nāme dilā kariyā vibhāga
āmāra durdaiva,—nāme nāhi anurāga
You have invested Your full potencies in each individual holy name, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attachment for chanting Your holy names. CC Antya 20.19

If Krishna has invested all His energies in the Holy Name, we also must try to put our all energy in chanting the Holy Name. This is the right mood to take shelter of the Holy Name. Many times during a journey, instead of focusing on the journey itself, we focus on when we will reach the destination. In doing so, we miss the beautiful scenic landscapes along the way and become impatient, wondering why we haven’t arrived yet. A person desiring to win the Wimbeldon cannot do so simply by lifting the trophy. He or she has to thoroughly practice the game.

Expecting something from the Holy Name is not the proper way to approach it. In our everyday lives, even when we interact with many people, we usually only expect gifts from them on special occasions like birthdays. So why should we expect something from Krishna every day? Krishna, after all, gives us far more than any ordinary person ever could.

Once we develop a loving relationship with Krishna, that love alone matters. The rest of the world simply vanishes into oblivion. And our life becomes a joyful competition wherein we simply try to reciprocate that love.