PHILOSOPHY OF CHANTING HOLY

NAMES
Nectar of Devotion Chapter 13
Rüpa Gosvämé has stated that five kinds of devotional
activities—namely residing in Mathurä, worshiping the
Deity of the Lord, reciting Çrémad-Bhägavatam,
serving a devotee and chanting the Hare Kåñëa
mantra—are so potent that a small attachment for
any one of these five items can arouse
devotional ecstasy even in a
neophyte.
CHANTING IS AN OPEN SECRET
1. PROPER CONCEPTION
SUBLIME METHOD FOR REVIVING LOVE OF GOD – SP purport to HK
mantra
BRS 1.2.233-234 - “abhinnatvän näma-näminoù” “sevonmukhe
hi jihvädau svayam eva sphuraty adaù”
2. PROCESS
SB 1.3.44 – directly see Kåñëa in spiritual sound <- rapt
attention <- pure mind <- pure action <- pure eating,
seeping, mating, defending
SB 1.16.26-30 lecture – 23 jan 1974
There are three stages of chanting. One chanting is with offense,
beginning.There are ten kinds of offenses, we have described many
times. If we chant with offense, that is the..., that is one stage. If we
chant offenseless, that is one stage. And if we chant pure...
Offenseless is not yet pure—you're trying to make offenseless,
but not yet offenseless. But when there is pure chanting, that is
success. Näma, nämäbhäsa and çuddha-näma. So our aim is... This
was discussed. You'll find in Caitanya-caritämåta, discussion between
Haridäsa Öhäkura and a brähmaëa. So by chanting, you can come to
the highest stage of perfection. In the beginning there may be
offenses, but if we try to avoid the offenses, then it is
nämäbhäsa. Nämäbhäsa means not actually pure name, but almost
pure. Nämäbhäsa and çuddha-näma. When one chants çuddha-
näma, name, holy name of God, then he is on the platform of loving
platform with Kåñëa. That is the perfectional stage.
DEVELOPING TASTE FOR THE HE HOLY
NAME
 SB 1.8.26 PURPORT
Consequently, such materially puffed up persons are incapable of
uttering the holy name of the Lord by addressing Him feelingly, "O
Govinda, O Kåñëa." It is said in the çästras that by once uttering the
holy name of the Lord, the sinner gets rid of a quantity of sins that
he is unable to commit. Such is the power of uttering the holy name
of the Lord. There is not the least exaggeration in this statement.
Actually the Lord's holy name has such powerful potency.
But there is a quality to such utterances also. It depends on the
quality of feeling. A helpless man can feelingly utter the holy
name of the Lord, whereas a man who utters the same holy name in
great material satisfaction cannot be so sincere. A materially puffed up
person may utter the holy name of the Lord occasionally, but he is
incapable of uttering the name in quality.
 PRACTICE FOR A NEOPHYTE
• The chanting is a spiritual call for the Lord and His energy to
give protection to the conditioned soul. This chanting is exactly
like the genuine cry of a child for its mother. Mother Harä helps
the devotee achieve the Supreme Father's grace, and the Lord
reveals Himself to the devotee who chants this mantra sincerely. SP
purport on HK mantra
• Of course we have to control the mind and I have already instructed
you and all my students that the restless fickle mind can only be
controlled by putting the mind to the lotus feet of Krsna; and
that can best be done by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, and
there is no alternative in this age. By chanting without offenses,
the devotee cries to Radharani and Krsna, to please lift him out
of the material energy and put him into the spiritual energy,
which is devotional service.” (SPL to Govinda dasi, 20th July, 1973)