Chant and be happy Wiki

Hello! This site is dedicated to the problem of absence of the taste for chanting the holy names of The Lord Krishna (Hari) - Hari nama japa feels not "tasty", not "Sweet".

This is a paradox. We know that Krishna is the source of all spiritual and material wrolds, and He is All-attractive - so everyone should be naturally attracted to His Holy names - they are Krishna HImself. Krishna and His names are one - Chanting the names of Lord Krishna directly connects with Him. He is Jagannatha - woderful smiling Lord of All Universes, He is Shyamasundara - beautiful with somewhat dark\blackish skin color, He is Mukunda - who gives liberation from samsara, He is Hari - who destroys all sins.

The first thing you will get to know when you get in touch with Hare-Krishna devotees (vaishnavas) is that you have to chant the holy names of the Lord. And that's OK. But you should "CHANT AND BE HAPPY". HM? Do you feel happy?

If you say "YES, I'm feeling happy when I chant the holy names of Krishna, Rama, Hari" - then you are lucky. But if you are not that lucky, not that happy - what to do?

One who has jaundice disease - he feels things, food which is sweet - as bitter. So he doesn't want to eat that.

Similarly, the same is with the holy names. When you are asked to chant "Chant your 4-16+ rounds daily" - you feel unhappy. Why? You were looking for meditation, you were looking for ananda, - happiness, but you are given these bitter japa-mala... And you feel unhappy. You don't like to chant. It feels "bitter" - you feel it it is useless to chant the holy names.

Some people would say - you should force yourself to do this practice daily. Then, by this discipline you will develop the taste. This is strange, isn't it? If you love somebody, here - if you Love God - then what is the idea of forcing yourself to chant the holy names of Him?

In fact, we don't know what is Love of God. We think that God is "just like us" - kind of human being, and thus we make and offence against the holy name(s). We think that there are many different vedic processes (or non-vedic, but which are also attractive, as they have vedic sparkle in them) - and we do some nonsense instead of chanting the holy names. It is OK if you can chant your 4-16+ rounds daily. But if you don't - what to do?

If you don't have the taste for chaniting - you should find out the reason. The problem is that you are in contact with neophytes, ISKCON devotees who are kanishthas. In fact, they can even wear orange clothes of brahmachari or even sannyasi, but they misinterpret the idea of "Chanting and being happy".

Have you ever been in ISKCON on morning japa? YOu should go to sleep at around 20..21:00 (8-9 pm), and wake up around 4:00 am. All right. Then it is brahma-muhurta, and it is the best time for meditation...

But you know what? Hare Krishna gurus will tell you that japa is not meditation. What the hell is this? Are you joking?

In one place guru may say that chanting holy names is meditation, and in other places he would say it is not. So what is this? Is it really meditation or not?

Scientists, philosophers would say: "practice is criteria of truth". You should experience higher, highest taste, nectar, extacy, ananda - bliss, happiness from chanting holy names. Do you?

First of all, let's go into nama-aparadhas. There are different offenses against holy names, but if you don't commit them (as sins) - then you'll experience nectar.

So, where this originates from? This whole idea comes from a dialog of Narada Muni and one Brahma's son (Kumara). And he says that those who always chant holy names - they never commit such and such offenses against Lord, Holy names. All right.

But we are told: "don't do this and this". Are you feeling motivated? Certainly no! Because when you are told "don't do this" - you don't get any inspiration. You can't be restricted from something to experience higher taste. It is just like in math. You have -1, 0 and +1. Suppose, you are in minus. And you are told: "don't be in minus". Will this help much? If you are told "do not sin", will you stop your sins? If you are told "don't make offenses - will you stop doing this?". Usually, not really.

It is because you are not having the higher, highest taste. It is like you go from -1 to 0, but you don't have anything positive, no PLUS, not even +0,01...

Do you understand the point? There are so many gurus who are telling not this and not that, - they are demotivating you from something, but hardly one will tell you what to do really to experience that higher taste, ananda - from chanting japa on japa-mala (beads)...

So this is a real problem. On one hand, you can think: "all right, I am in touch with Tulasi-devi, and she is a very dear devotee of Lord Krishna, Vishnu. So I'm bowing down in front of her, and asking her to have mercy on me - 109 times - every time I chant on each of 109 beads"...

However, if you know the story of Tulasi devi, you'll find out, then when VIshnu appeared in form of her husband (demon Jalandhara) - she cursed Vishnu, and told that "you are not holy, oh Vishnu. And those who think this - are delusioned"...

Hm? Don't you think this contradictive? All right, ISKCON devotees would say: "well, Prabhupada said that this story is not authentic". Maybe. Then it is might be a good news, because otherwise what is the point of worshipping Tulasi, and wearing mala on your neck - made of Tulasi? And what is the point of using japa for at least 1 hour daily - holding Tulasi beads in your right hand and chanting Hare Krishna mahamantra on each of 108 beads, and Pancha-tattva-mantra on biggest bead #1?

So, let's say this is a myth which can't make you experience the highest taste.

By the way, you may even think, that "this is why Tulasi was cursed to become a tree. This is why she is punished by being cut into many beads, which are then put into one string"... What is this again? Does it look like sadism from the side of vaishnavas? How dare they to offend Tulasi in such a way, that they dare to putqa string through her wooden body (in form of beads)?

Well. This is a strange thing. Probably it is better thus if you serve Tulasi... Say, you feel that she is crying from being put into such hellish condition - put unto string. Someone (supposedly - a devotee) took a needle, and he drilled a hole in Tulasi's wooden body (Tulasi's avatar in form of wood) - with some Driller - and he passes the string through a body of Tulasi. Hm? Don't you feel this sad? Don't you feel it offensive, that vaishnavas take a string and put it through holy body of Tulasi?

All right, let's think that these wooden pieces, beads are not alive anymore. And thus there is no offence. Ok, - better for Tulasi devi. You can also remember that there is mridanga - music instrument, like a drum, which often uses cow skin... Skin of dead cows, which are dead their own death. Not killed. They die on their own. Ok... let it be ...

So, how do you like all this? And let's look at Narada Muni. He is a divine sage, devotee of Vishnu, Krishna, and he doesn't use Mridanga. He just plays string instrument called Vina. All string instruments are sometimes also called Vina.

Have you ever seen Narada muni in some movie? He is always happy, playing the music on Vina, and at the same time chating the holy names... How diferent is that from chanting japa on japa-mala, which is made from Tulasi's "dead" bodt parts (wood)...

And we are forced to chant holy names on this Tulasi. We take a corpse of Tulasi in our hands, and... What do we feel? Don't you feel sad? Don't you feel compassion for poor Tulasi-devi, who is cut into at least 109 pieces, and her holy body is put on a string? Someone drilled it with a perforator - don't you like it?

But you should like it! You should consider this japa mala as holy thing...! You should worship it! You should take it in your hand, and chant you ... rounds. 4, 16+ rounds. As you want, or as your guru told you...

But why your guru didn't tell you to play Vina? Why, on Earth, if you want to play some music instrument instead of chanting japa - why you are said - "it is wrong! it is nama-abhasa" or some other bullshit?

And you think this is purifying?Cow-dung is supposed to purify you. But what is wrong in chanting on japa-mala and at the same time playing music on your midi-keyboard - with your left hand?

There are many such myths in Krishna consciousness society, especially on west, which keeps you far away, I'ld say - on unlimited distance far away from real highest taste for holy name. And for japa on japa-mala, beads - also.

so what to do? you should find motivators... But do you really need them? Don't you already have them?

People say: "go out from your zone of comfort". Hm? Do you like it? Don't you want to be in comfort? Why is that all told?

Say, we may read from Vedas somewhere - that the Vedas are not supposed to be given to Shudras. That those who are born outside of hinduism are forbidden to read Vedas. Hm?

Of course, in this case we have contra-argument - that one is judged not by birth, but by his highest ideals - by his intentions - to live vaishnava life, to serve Krishna - that's highest ideal.

So read Vedas! But Vedas can also be sometimes like ... poison. You may find in Rigveda, that "asurtvam (asurism) of all demigods is one"... Hm? Shocking? Yes!

Asuratvam means asurism. How is it possible? Demigods are kind of demons? Demigods have asuric qualities?

Well, Prabhupada said: don't worship demigods. But he also once said on lecture: "we are demons, because we are following pravritti. and we should stop that - and take to nivritti"...

All right, if demigods are kind of "asuras" - then don't worship them. But why Prabhupada follows pravritti? Or that is not told about him, but just egolessly - to not offend anyone?

Krishna told in Bhagavad-Gita: "Give up all (other) dharmas (religions, pathes, philosophies) - and just surrender to Me. I'll free you from sins".

We know from laws of Manu, that "Vedo akhilo dharma mula" - "Vedas are the root of all dharmas, religions". So who is that root? That root is not just Vedas, but Krishna himself. He wrote all Vedas. But why oh why He would write "asuratvam, asurism of all demigods is one"?

Or He didn't write that? Vyasa is considered to be an avatara of Krishna, by the way. So, He wrote Rigveda. Then how is it possible that demigods have "asuric" qualities, and how come Vyasadeva would write that?

Actually, this doesn't llok like truth. I've talked to a number of hindus, and they all say that this looks like speculation, misinterpretation of Rigvedic hymns.

There could be a few reasons for that:
 * Some "scholar" (who went to hell) intentionally changed words like "Ishvaratvam" (godliness) into "asuratvam" (demonism) in Rigveda. He was non-devotee of demigods, nor Deva-deva Vishnu\Krishna, so he dared to write those things, which are opposite to what Vyasa wrote.
 * That can be the writing of Vyasadeva himself. But that would be very strange. Don't you think so?

First version seems more probable, than second. We always face these or that speculations everywhere - even in Vedas! Even in words of gurus! Even in Prabhupada's words, in ISKCON, in Vaishnava organization, books, lectures - everywhere!

So why we wonder, that this "asuratvam" also appeared in Rigveda as "epithet" of devatas - demigods?

Ok, let's say this also another myth which keeps us further from experiencing highest taste from chanting holy names of Lord. Myth is that Vyasa personally called demigods "asuratvam", as having "asuric" (demoniac) qualities. He couldn't have did that, we think.

Well, if you open a sanskrit dictionary, then we will find that "asuratvam" also means "divinity, divine dignity, godliness, spirituality", and simply "power". And let's leave this on that point.

However, we know that demigods are really good devotees of Vishnu, Krishna. Yes, some may follow pravritti. In fact, not so many demigods are called asuras (have asuric qualities) in them. No. A couple are called asuras in Rigveda (maybe somewhere else). And that is for good. Not all!

Most probably, the words "Asuratvam of all demigods is one" is also a speculation, mis-translation of original sanskrit verse. Have you read that in original, in sanskrit? So find this verse, and then we can talk on the subject.

Asuratvam (Light) of demigods, Demigods having asuric (Shining) qualities