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Why Are We Chanting the Same Thing Over and Over?

by purujit dasa

 

If the repetitiveness is the problem, then you must be similarly agitated by techno music. Techno music is literally based on repetitiveness of one beat along with a loop and a one line lyrics. The reason for this is that techno music as opposed to lets say classical music with all its variegatedness and ornamentations is meant for a different purpose. Namely, the techno music is meant to put one into trance. In other words, instead of presenting one with various musical ideas for one's enjoyment, it is opening him up to his own imagination, his own consciousness, to co-create the experience of hearing the music. It is just like reading a book and then watching a movie which is based on it. While reading the book, the reader is left on his own devices to imagine how the character looks like, how the scenery looks like, pretty much everything, whereas in a movie hes given all this by the director.

Similalry, the maha-mantra is not meant for entertainment purposes but is supposed to reawaken you to your true self. At the present moment, people in general are identifying themselves with false bodily designations such as Slovak, American, white, black, man, woman completely forgetting that as their pure consciousness they are existing beyond such sectarian groups. If a person thinks that he is someone else than what he actually is, we call it schizoprehnia or madness. The repetitive chanting Hare Krsna Hare Krsna is therefore a soothing of such madness.

Imagine someone is in the state of psychosis or shock and you want to calm him down. If you start talking many different subject matters, he wont be able to focus on what you are saying. So what you do is that you start telling him on and on: Its ok its ok everyting is going to be alright. dont worry. relax. its ok. your ok. chill. everything is alright. to a foolish insensitive person it will seem like: hey what are you doing? why are you telling him the same thing over and over? but its only through such patient and loving talk, the person who is in a shock is able to calm down and resume his original consciousness. So the mahamantra Hare Krsna is exactly like that. We, the members of the Hare Krsna movement, have to chant the mantra for people over and over, because anyone who thinks he is this material body is in the state of psychosis. We have to cure people first from their disease, only then they will be able to understand our philosophy. Yes, there is unlimited variegetedness in Krsna consciousness, but we first of all have to clear up our twisted consciousness. While in false illusion of being this metarial body our perception of things can be compared to a person who is tasting different foods with a cloth on his tongue. It is natural to taste and enjoy, but first of all we have to remove the cloth. He might be tasting hundreds of different foods, but if he doesnt remove the cloth, he cant taste anything. But if he removes the cloth, he might be tasting only one food, but at least hes tasting it for real. Similarly, before we can truly appreciate Krsna's beauty and understand His supreme position, we have to get out of the madness we're in right now. Just think of what you're doing -it's all meant to keep the body ok. but what are you doing for your self?

So after curing the disease of bodily designation, we come to our original position. Under all the garbage designations with the body we are actually believe it or not a pure lover of God. The love is already there, it simply has to be purified from the illusory identifications. The chanter then continues the chanting, but simply it has a different context. While in the preliminary stage the mantra is purifying him from the false illusion of being the body, in the mature stage of chanting the same mantra is a cry of a mad lover. We all know how love can make one crazy. Thats real love. Love is not a boring stiff bodily fluid exchange but an exciting thing which inspires you to go beyond whatever you thought were your limitations. A mad lover will meditate on the name of his beloved on and on: Silvia, Silvia, Silvia. Or Peter, Peter, Peter on and on. If you look carefully you can see such beautifully mad lovers writing graffitti names of their lovers all over the city: Silvia I love you, Peter I need you, or Peter and Silvia forever and stuff like that. So similarly a lover of God will meditate on God constantly. And naturally if he can chant it on and on it gives him great relief from the feeling of burning desire to see his beloved Lord face to face. Yes, it is craziness, but thats what love is all about, so everything is as it is supposed to be. If anyone is a lover of God, he will be chanting His name on and on and because God is unlimited, by loving God he loves everyone. Its like awesome!! Don’t you get it? In the Bhagavad-gita(Song of God) Krsna, or God approves of this method when He says:

 

Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.

 

Bg 9.14

 

so why not do it? what can you loose?

 

 

this mantra has been chanted by transcendental yogis for thousands and thousands of years and brought them total happiness, see how it works for you. c'mon, after me:

 

hare krsna hare krsna

krsna krsna hare hare

hare rama hare rama

rama rama hare hare

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