How to overcome disinterest in chanting the Holy Name
There is a verse in Srimad-Bhagavatam that addresses in a vivid way a very serious and deep subject, namely that of our own (in)ability to take advantage of the opportunity of chanting the Holy Names:
”Terrified, about to die, a man collapses on his bed. Although his voice is faltering and he is hardly conscious of what he is saying, if he utters the holy name of the Supreme Lord he can be freed from the reaction of his fruitive work and achieve the supreme destination. But still people in the Age of Kali will not worship the Supreme Lord.”
Srimad-Bhagavatam, 12.3.44
Think of this man. He has lived a life less substantial and death has come to take him and he is collapsing in agony on his deathbed. Even now it is not too late. He can become free from his karma and achieve the supreme destination if only he takes to the chanting of the Holy Name of the Supreme Lord. But still, the text continues, people in the age of Kali will not worship the Supreme Lord.
People in the age of Kali are very, very unfortunate because, although the process of Krsna Consciousness is definitely there, they just can’t take to it, because they are too disturbed really. They generally have no time, but even if they have reserved time for their chanting, they are distracted and they become lazy really for their spiritual practice.
The next verse in the same chapter says: ”In the Kali-yuga, objects, places and even individual personalities are all polluted. The almighty Personality of Godhead, however, can remove all such contamination from the life of one who fixes the Lord within his mind.”
Kali’s influence is like a thick layer of dirty oil that covers everything; whatever you touch, that contamination will stick to you, especially in the mind. However, Krsna, when thought about or remembered in the mind, can take away that influence. He will remove all the contamination that has accumulated during many thousands of lifetimes.
The speaker of these verses, Sukadeva Gosvami, therefore recommends to his listener: ”Therefore, O King, endeavor with all your might to fix the Supreme Lord Kesava within your heart. Maintain this concentration upon the Lord, and at the time of death you will certainly attain the supreme destination.”
Sri Jiva Gosvami explains in Bhakti-sandarbha ‘with all your might’ means with all your endeavor you should somehow bring Krsna into your mind. So, you must endeavor to do this. It is not a walk through the park. It will not be possible by absent-minded chanting. More specifically, Jiva Gosvami explains, you have to avoid the offenses.
To use a metaphor: if we want to light a fire, but simultaneously pour water onto the wood, we cannot get a fire. In the same way, if we chant and we are not with all our might endeavoring to get rid of the obstacles to chanting, we will not get the result that Krsna reveals His beautiful form to us and also our own spiritual identity.
If we engage in the 10 offenses, especially criticism of devotees, our great opportunity of chanting the Holy Name will all be ruined. The 10 offenses are not just something we read in the early morning in a temple. They are very consequential for our lives.
To illustrate the effect of the offenses Jiva Gosvami narrates the story of Krsna showing His universal form to Duryodhana after he tried to arrest and imprison Krsna. Even after Krsna showed him His universal form, he remained arrogant and inimical towards Krsna. In contrast, Arjuna’s reaction to seeing Krsna’s universal form was devotion to Krsna.
It is similar with us: we have access to the most powerful process, a process that will reveal Krsna to us, and reveal our own atma to us, our own soul. But we can’t see it although it’s right in front of our eyes. We seem to not be able to focus, and remain distracted.
What is the solution?
Jiva Gosvami offers a very interesting one: repeated practice.
By chanting repeatedly, the effects of the offenses can go away. Specifically, repeated chanting helps you lose the desire for future sinful acts and it also helps you to get rid of the offenses that cause these sinful desires. According to Jiva Gosvami, this purifying process of repeated chanting needs to be continued up until love of Godhead appears. The consideration behind this recommendation is: as long as the fruit of chanting – love of Krsna – has not manifested, offenses that are obstructing its appearance must be present.
We have practical experience of this effect of chanting. After long kirtans, I sometimes ask the devotees: ”Can you imagine doing things that bring you away from Krsna right now?”’ And they say, ”No. But we need more of these events really to be more stable.”
You somehow lose your desire for those activities that are harmful for spiritual life. And you also become very clean or free. After chanting for a long time I always feel like a small baby. In my mind, I’m simply interested in ”Where are spiritual books? Where are devotees? Where are festivals? Where are opportunities for sharing bhakti?”. My psychology totally changes. The mind becomes silent and in the silence of the mind, devotional inclinations become very loud.
So, when you feel, ”Oh my God, I’m so slack sometimes, I’m so lazy for my spiritual practice. I don’t feel any bhakti,” then you can tell yourself: ”There is a solution. I don’t have to be sad any longer. I’ll go into this repeated chanting.”
How to know if offenses are affecting my chanting?
In Bhakti Sandarbha (anu. 153) Srila Jiva Gosvami lists five prominent effects by which you can see if your life has been covered by offenses.
Hypocrisy: you show one face in public, but you do something else in your private life.
A lack of faith in Krsna.
Being absorbed in objects unrelated to your devotion that erode or take away from your focus on Bhagavan. I think that’s something we can immediately relate to.
Slackness in our devotion – not being really there with our practice.
Pride that arises from the execution of one’s devotional acts.
If one is unable to give up these five things one should understand that they are effects of offenses to the Holy Name.
Srila Prabhupada: The Lord Is the Only Shelter
This material world is the world of duality, in contrast with the oneness of the absolute realm. The world of duality is composed of matter and spirit, whereas the absolute world is complete spirit without any tinge of the material qualities. In the dual world everyone is falsely trying to become the master of the world, whereas in the absolute world the Lord is the absolute Lord, and all others are His absolute servitors. In the world of duality everyone is envious of all others, and death is inevitable due to the dual existence of matter and spirit. The Lord is the only shelter of fearlessness for the surrendered soul. One cannot save himself from the cruel hands of death in the material world without having surrendered himself at the lotus feet of the Lord.
From Srila Prabhupada’s purport to Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.9