His Instructions on Proper Conduct While Chanting

By
Once when Guru Maharaj was in Ludhiana at the new model town temple, he was alone in his room. I asked him in a very straightforward manner if we can chant while hearing Harikatha. He replied, "We didn't hear Parikshit Maharaj was doing Harinam while hearing from Sukhdev Goswami."

It was understood then that we definitely are not recommended to do Harinam while hearing Harikatha. Additionally, we should remember that chanting Harinam during Harikatha is a disrespectful gesture towards a senior Vaishnava who is speaking Harikatha.

I recall another occasion that one devotee approached Srila Gurudev and said: I have a lot of interest in doing Harinam and I try, but I don't get time.

In his Harikatha that evening, Srila Gurudev responded to this by explaining that we take out time for all the body-related requirements irrespective of how busy we are. We have no trouble considering the needs of our body—lunch, snacks, dinner, supper, etc. Once our soul is out of the dormant state, we will do whatever we can to take the time to do Harinam and other soul-related activities. Hence, our target of Harinam should be met every day, irrespective of any reason, and we should hear Harikatha too. 

We should remember these words that Gurudev spoke about what is Harinam and how we should chant.

—Krishnananda Das, Bhatinda

spoken May 1, 2020, during a Zoom call 
slightly edited translation by Prahlad Das (Mumbai)






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"She Has Gone to Goloka-dhāma "

By
Image
Guru Mahārāja is not an ordinary person; he is sent by the Supreme Lord to rescue all of us. In the office, if we are working in one place, we may be deputed to another place to do some work. Similarly, Gurudeva has been deputed from Goloka-dhāma to help us. Guru Mahārāja has come here to fulfill the desire of Hari-Guru-Vaishnavas. In 1997, I received harināma in Gokula-Mahāvana along with my  dharmapatnī , my wife. Guru Mahārāja asked my wife, "If something bad has happened to you, how do you take this? As if Gurudeva is at fault, or as if other persons are at fault?” My wife replied, “Whatever happens, I think it is good for me, by your arrangement.” In 2013, my wife was detected with breast cancer, and later left this world. Some devotees came to the maṭha and gave the news to Gurudeva. Gurudeva replied, "She has gone to Goloka-dhāma." In the hospital, I remember when my wife was in the ICU, and the doctor came and told me, "Your wife is in the fina
Read more

He Accepts Every Circumstance With Utmost Humility

By
Image
I heard something very deep and nice from a devotee that I met in Switzerland. He told me about how he had been staying at a temple there while Guru Mahārāja was visiting.  He said that the maṭha-in-charge expressed his desire that Gurudeva speak about Bhāgavatam. But then an order came that he was not allowed to speak there. In the room where the Bhāgavatam reading was, there was a young boy,. He was maybe only three months in the maṭha and recently came out of a completely material life, eating meat, smoking, etc. Anyway, he was the only one who had permission to speak about Bhāgavatam. And what did Guru Mahārāja do? He entered the room, bowed down to this boy and he sat in front of this boy and listened to his Bhāgavatam reading. This is his humbleness. This is always the way; they teach by example, not by punishing or whatever. When this maṭha-in-charge saw this whole situation, he decided in one moment to leave this institution forever. Although he left that organization, he did
Read more

How Could an Eclipse Be Auspicious?

By
Image
Once I stayed at Kolkata math during a solar eclipse. The devotees closed all the shutters and there was a five-hour kirtan in the temple hall.  Prior to my coming from South India, a good friend of mine, a senior devotee from another saṅgha told me over and over again how inauspicious such an eclipse will be and what negative effects it will bring. I always thought, "My Guru Mahārāj never talks about such things." But since I heard it so many times, I got some doubts and desired Śrila Guru Mahārāj's answer. When I got an opportunity during darśan, I said: "Gurujī, some people say that such an eclipse is inauspicious." Śrila Guru Mahārāj looked at me in utter disbelief about what he had just heard and instantly said, "But it comes from Supreme Lord. How can it be inauspicious?" I was so happy to hear this; inwardly I laughed and thought that's my Guru Mahārāj—always seeing everything in connection to Supreme Lord. —Urmila Dasi
Read more