The Life of Naama Bhajana

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna! Jaya Shri Guru Parampara! Pranams! I simply desire to hold on to my realizations while chanting, come what may. Paramahansa Shrila Gaur Kishora Dasa Babaji wanted to drown himself in the Ganga when he could not very clearly see the pastimes while chanting Naama. Such was his intense desire to chant the real Name of the Lord. It is known as Naama Sphurti or the revelation of the Name. Without revelation, one cannot increase one's attachment to the Name. The more one realizes Lord Gaura Krishna while chanting His Holy Names, the more one becomes attached to all the forms of Bhakti and the Lord's service. Revelation and realization are the life of Naama Bhajana and Naama is the life of all kinds of Bhakti Yoga.

Simply hearing the spiritual sound of the Mantra is not enough in the long run. But the Naama is so powerful that even simply hearing the transcendental sound of the Name, awards one with auspiciousness and some realization of the Lord. So there is no loss at all even if one cannot remember the Lord while vibrating His Names.

The most powerful process to quickly awaken this revelation and realization during Naama Japa or Mantra Meditation is actually Naama Sankirtana or the loud singing of the Lord's Names and the singing of our original Gaudiya Vaishnava songs in Bengali and Sanskrit. One can clap one's hands while singing or use karatalas (cymbals) and mridanga (drum) if available and keep it as simple and devotional as possible. No other musical instruments are generally required as we have seen in the pastimes of Lord Gaura Himself. The main focus of our singing and chanting should be on the sound and meaning of the Names. I always find that our devotees get so enchanted by the sweet Bengali songs of our Acharyas even when the devotee is singing without any musical instruments. I personally prefer the original Bengali tunes even for singing only the Nityaananda, Gauraanga and Hare Krishna Naama in Sankirtana as they remind us of the original Sankirtana pastimes of Lords Nitaai Gaura. Devotion to Naama Sankirtana will awaken our absorption in Naama Smarana or remembrance while Naama Japa.

Daaso'smi, Swami Gaurangapada.

 

 

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