“Out of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 10.11)

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तेषाम् एवानुकम्पार्थम्
अहम् अज्ञान-जं तमः
नाशयाम्य् आत्म-भाव-स्थो
ज्ञान-दीपेन भास्वता

teṣām evānukampārtham
aham ajñāna-jaṁ tamaḥ
nāśayāmy ātma-bhāva-stho
jñāna-dīpena bhāsvatā

Question:

“I am new to Krishna consciousness and would like guidance on how to balance japa meditation with a busy work schedule. Can you suggest a practical daily routine?”

Response:

The emphasis is steady and strong. For the potential, the sky is no longer the limit. The supposed blessing on the other side, the phala from the karma, the fruit for the work, so to speak, is elevation to the infinite spiritual sky, which has the infinite one as its proprietor. This is indeed one way to understand the birth of the universe and our tiny place in it. The origin is like the original fire, and the manifest world, with the living beings who run it, are like sparks from that fire.

एक-देश-स्थितस्याग्नेर्
ज्योत्स्ना विस्तारिणी यथा
परस्य ब्रह्मणः शक्तिस्
तथेदम् अखिलं जगत्

eka-deśa-sthitasyāgner
jyotsnā vistāriṇī yathā
parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktis
tathedam akhilaṁ jagat

“Everything that is manifested within this cosmic world is but the energy of the Supreme Lord. As fire emanating from one place diffuses its illumination and heat all around, so the Lord, although situated in one place in the spiritual world, manifests His different energies everywhere. Indeed, the whole cosmic creation is composed of different manifestations of His energy.” (Vishnu Purana, 1.22.52)

The recommendation is from a division of instruction descending from the Vedas. This division is known as Vaishnavism, if conducting a comparative analysis. The people who follow will kindly explain that to be a Vaishnava is to be a real follower of the Vedas, and that sanatana-dharma and bhakti-yoga are synonymous terms. Other related divisions, such as worship of Mahadeva or focus on the impersonal energy, Brahman, are but components. Vaishnava refers to someone who worships Vishnu, and as described in the fire analogy, Vishnu is the complete whole.

Pertinent to the present age, which is like a division of time noted for changes in the behavior of the general population, is the recommendation to chant the holy names. When conducted in a group, with other individuals, through call-and-response, the practice is sankirtana. When followed in a systematic way on a set of beads known as a mala, the practice is japa meditation. One is not necessarily better than the other, as the potency is in the holy name itself. That name is supposedly nondifferent from the person it represents. This is why we can consider God to be Absolute. He is different from us.

“There is no difference between the holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself. As such, the holy name is as perfect as the Lord Himself in fullness, purity and eternity. The holy name is no material sound vibration, nor has it any material contamination.” (Padma Purana quoted from The Nectar of Devotion, Ch 13)

If a person accepts the recommendation, if in the beginning they have enthusiasm, utsaha, they immediately hit obstacles. It is a practical matter. For instance, a person has to work for a living. If they have to work, how can they meditate? If the advice is to chant the maha-mantra for a certain number of iterations each day, how can a person squeeze the routine in with the many other responsibilities that fill the day?

As each situation is unique, we present a composite in terms of advice. Individuals have their own experiences, of what works for them and what does not. The following is the result of a hypothetical survey on the matter.

1. Consider the rules for your smartphone

“Let me ask you something. Do you play on your smartphone while driving? It is against the law, right? Do you have eyes glued to the screen while crossing the street in a metropolitan area? These might happen on occasion, but no one would consider it safe. Better to be focused on the task at hand than risk danger.

“Bring the same common sense to your japa meditation. Do not hold on to your beads with one hand and move the steering wheel of the car with the other. It is supposed to be meditation, after all. When you are chanting, make sure you are not doing anything else. Keep the smartphone away, if possible. This is just my advice. Make of it what you will.”

2. Consider other things you have ever added to your routine

“You are asking about introducing the maha-mantra to your daily life. You feel there might be a conflict, that there are not enough hours in the day to satisfy the requirement. Let me ask you something. Have you ever added anything new to the routine? Be it recently or years ago, has your routine always stayed the same? Likely it has not. You probably found a way to make things work. You adjusted. You sacrificed certain enjoyable endeavors.

“Bring the same common sense to this case. It is not required that you sit in a cave and chant from morning until night. Even one recitation of the mantra can be lifechanging: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. If the chanting is really important to you, I think you can make it work. You are more intelligent than you give yourself credit for.”

3. Assess your motivation style

“Let me ask you something. When you were a child, you attended school, right? You are educated, I presume. How did you get up for school every morning? Did your parents have to wake you up? Or were you self-motivated, not requiring outside intervention?

“After an honest assessment, transition to chanting, applying the same approach. If you need a buddy to keep you honest, then have them keep an eye on you. If you would rather keep the matter to yourself, then don’t make a public spectacle out of it. Figure out the best way for you to succeed.”

4. Build numerical strength

“If you want one piece of advice, be consistent. Show up. Attendance will get you so far. You have no idea. If you can only chant one round on the mala each day, then do it. Build your way up. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada refers to this as ‘numerical strength’. He is correct. Soon, the chanting will become second nature. It is not something you will feel compelled to do. You will shed tears of sorrow if ever the routine is in jeopardy.”

5. Blessed is the morning

“Listen, everyone has to eat. Everyone has the right to share their opinions and thought-patterns. I am just amazed at how popular these so-called online coaches have become. This is because the advice they offer is mostly common sense. You will find similar instruction from the teachers of the science of self-realization, and their goal is not even to make you successful in your passions in life.

“The time early in the morning, one and a half hours before sunrise, is called brahma-muhurta. During this brahma-muhurta, spiritual activities are recommended. Spiritual activities performed early in the morning have a greater effect than in any other part of the day.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 3.20.46 Purport)

“For example, we have the teachings about the brahma-muhurta time. The literal translation would be ‘the moment of the spiritual energy.’ This is in the morning, shortly before sunrise. It is considered highly auspicious. Chanting during this time would be amazing, but you get the general idea. If you can follow your routine in the morning, then you don’t have to worry about it for the rest of the day.

“Granted, some people do their best work under pressure. They like to wait until the eleventh hour to get started. That is when they finally wake up, when they feel the urgency. Since this is a daily routine, it is probably better to avoid that habit. That is just my opinion.”

…

If the above advice could be summarized in a single saying, it would be, “Where there is a will, there is a way.” In this case, the will is everything, since there is someone helping on the other side. He promises to offer assistance, from within. He is like a torchlight guiding the way through a dark cave. We can trust the process, in the same way that Arjuna trusted Him on the battlefield of Kurukshetra.

In Closing:

Whereas advice pages to fill,
Matter of presence of will.

Is this something ready to do?
Believed that beneficial for you?

Then surely to find a way,
Faithful to process to stay.

Japa meditation holy names chanting,
In Kali highest benediction granting.

Categories: the five

Tags: dailyprompt, hare krishna, japa, meditation, poem, poems, poetry