06 In this age, chanting of the holy name is the supreme form of yoga
The chanting of the maha−mantra is the most practical form of yoga in the present age:
The breathing exercises and meditational practices of yoga are very difficult in this age. They were difficult even five thousand years ago, or else Arjuna would not have rejected the proposal of Krsna. This age of Kali is called a fallen age. At the present moment, people in general are short−living and very slow in understanding self−realization, or spiritual life. They are mostly unfortunate, and as such, if someone is a little bit interested in self−realization, he is misguided by so many frauds. The only actual way to realization of the perfect stage of yoga is to follow the principles of the Bhagavad−gita as they were practiced by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. This is the simplest and highest perfection of yoga practice.
Lord Caitanya practically demonstrated Krsna consciousness yoga simply by chanting the holy names of Krsna, as they are mentioned in the Vedanta, the Srimad Bhagavatam, and many important Puranas. The largest number of Indians follow this yoga practice, and in the United States and other countries also it is gradually growing in many cities. It is very easy and practical for this age, especially for those who are serious about success in yoga. No other process can be successful in this age. The meditational process in right earnest was possible in the Golden Age, Satya−yuga, because the people at that time lived for a hundred thousand years on the average.
In the present age, however, if you want success in practical yoga, take to the chanting of
hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare
, and feel for yourself how you are making progress.
– The Science of Self Realization
All the perfections of the yoga system can be realized through mantra yoga, the chanting of Hare Krsna:
From authoritative sources we learn that this chanting of
hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare
is the embodiment of the perfection of yoga for this age.
Today we have great difficulties living fifty or sixty years. A man may live at the utmost eighty or a hundred years. In addition, these brief years are always fraught with anxiety, with difficulties due to circumstances of war, pestilence, famine and so many other disturbances. We're also not very intelligent, and, at the same time, we're unfortunate. These are the characteristics of man living in Kali−yuga, a degraded age. So properly speaking we can never attain success in this meditational yoga system described by Krsna. At the utmost we can only gratify our personal whims by some pseudoadaptation of this system. Thus people are paying money to attend some classes in gymnastic exercises and deep−breathing, and they're happy if they think they can lengthen their lifetimes by a few years or enjoy better sex life. But we must understand that this is not the actual yoga system. In this age that meditational system cannot be properly executed. Instead, all of the perfections of that system can be realized through bhakti yoga, the sublime process of Krsna consciousness, specifically mantra yoga, the glorification of Sri Krsna through the chanting of Hare Krsna. That is recommended in Vedic scriptures and is introduced by great authorities like Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Indeed, the Bhagavad−gita proclaims that the mahatmas, the great souls, are always chanting the glories of the Lord. If one wants to be a mahatma in terms of the Vedic literature, in terms of Bhagavad−gita and in terms of the great authorities, then one has to adopt this process of Krsna consciousness and of chanting Hare Krsna. But if we're content at making a show of meditation by sitting very straight in lotus position and going into a trance like some sort of performer, then that is a different thing. But we should understand that such show−bottle performances have nothing to do with the actual perfection of yoga. The material disease cannot be cured by artificial medicine. We have to take the real cure straight from Krsna.
– The Perfection of Yoga
By chanting, the process of yoga mind and sense control becomes perfected:
Yoga means training the mind and the senses to be fixed on the Self. This is not possible by meditating only fifteen minutes a day and then going out and doing whatever the senses dictate. How can the problems of life be solved so cheaply? If we want something precious, we have to pay for it. By the grace of Lord Caitanya, this payment has been made very easy just chant Hare Krsna. By your chanting, this system of control, this yoga system, becomes perfected. Éha haite sarva siddhi haibe tomara. Thus Lord Caitanya has blessed us. Simply by chanting Hare Krsna, we will achieve the perfection of self−realization. In this age of Kali−yuga, when people are so fallen, other processes will not be successful. This is the only process, and it is easy, sublime, effective, and practical. By it, one can realize oneself.
– The Path of Perfection
Because chanting Hare Krsna fixes the mind on Krsna, success in yoga is immediately attained by chanting:
"For the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate, and very strong, O Krsna, and to subdue it is, it seems to me, more difficult than controlling the wind." (Bhagavad−gita As It Is 6.34) By chanting Hare Krsna, one captures the mind immediately. Just by saying the name Krsna and hearing it, the mind is automatically fixed on Krsna. This means that the yoga system is immediately attained. The entire yoga system aims at concentration on the form of Visnu, and Krsna is the original personality from whom all these Visnu forms are expanded… Thus one who concentrates his mind on Lord Sri Krsna, the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, immediately attains the perfection of yoga.
– The Path of Perfection
Chanting is more effective than the yoga system in this age:
This material world has been likened to a great forest fire. As in the forest, fire may automatically take place, so in this material world, although we may try to live peacefully, there is always a great conflagration. It is not possible to live in peace anywhere in the material world. But for one who is transcendentally situated−either by the meditational yoga system or by the empirical philosophical method or by bhakti yoga−Peace is possible. All forms of yoga are meant for transcendental life, but the method of chanting is especially effective in this age. Kirtana may go on for hours, and one may not feel tired, but it is difficult to sit in lotus position perfectly still for more than a few minutes.
– The Perfection of Yoga
Chanting the holy name is more suitable for spiritual realization in this age than yoga or meditation:
In India the yogis, the transcendentalists or the devotees all leave home and reside in sacred places such as Prayaga, Mathura, Vrndavana, Hrsikesa, and Hardwar and in solitude practice yoga where the sacred rivers like the Yamuna and the Ganges flow. But often this is not possible, especially for Westerners. The so−called yoga societies in big cities may be successful in earning material benefit, but they are not at all suitable for the actual practice of yoga. One who is not self−controlled and whose mind is not undisturbed cannot practice meditation. Therefore, in the Brhan−naradiya Purana it is said that in the Kali−yuga (the present yuga or age) when people in general are short−lived, slow in spiritual realization and always disturbed by various anxieties, the best means of spiritual realization is chanting the holy name of the Lord.
harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha
[Adi 17.21]
"In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way."
– Bhagavad gita As It Is 6.11−12
Chanting the holy name is more important than mechanical, meditational yoga in this age:
[Maitreya to Vidura]: By thus practicing severe austerities, Maharaja Prthu gradually became steadfast in spiritual life and completely free of all desires for fruitive activities. He also practiced breathing exercises to control his mind and senses, and by such control he became completely free from all desires for fruitive activity.
The word pranayamaih is very important in this verse because the hatha yogis and astanga yogis practice pranayama, but generally they do not know the purpose behind it. The purpose of pranayama, or mystic yoga, is to stop the mind and senses from engaging in fruitive activities. The so−called yogis who practice in Western countries have no idea of this. The aim of pranayama is not to make the body strong and fit for working hard. The aim is worship of Krsna. In the previous verse it was specifically mentioned that whatever austerity, pranayama and mystic yoga practices Prthu Maharaja performed were performed for the sake of worshiping Krsna. Thus Prthu Maharaja serves as a perfect example for yogis also. Whatever he did, he did to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna.
The minds of those who are addicted to fruitive activity are always filled with unclean desires. Fruitive activities are symptomatic of our polluted desire to dominate material nature. As long as one continues to be subject to polluted desires, he has to accept one material body after another. So−called yogis, without knowledge of the real purpose of yoga, practice it in order to keep the body fit. Thus they engage themselves in fruitive activities, and thus they are bound by desire to accept another body. They are not aware that the ultimate goal of life is to approach Krsna. In order to save such yogis from wandering throughout the different species of life, the sastras warn that in this age such yogic practice is simply a waste of time. The only means of elevation is the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha−mantra.
King Prthu's activities took place in Satya−yuga, and in this age this practice of yoga is misunderstood by fallen souls who are not capable of practicing anything. Consequently the sastras enjoin: kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha. The conclusion is that unless the karmis, jnanis and yogis come to the point of devotional service to Lord Krsna, their so−called austerities and yoga have no value. Naradhitah: if Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is not worshiped, there is no point in practicing meditational yoga, performing karma yoga or culturing empiric knowledge. As far as pranayama is concerned, chanting of the holy name of the Lord and dancing in ecstasy are also considered pranayama… Here the word pranayama does not refer to any ulterior motive. The actual aim is to strengthen the mind and senses in order to engage them in devotional service. In the present age this determination can be very easily acquired simply by chanting the holy names
hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare
– Srimad Bhagavatam 4.23.8
Because the astanga yoga system is too difficult to practice in this age, the bhakti yoga system of chanting Hare Krsna is recommended:
Five thousand years ago, Arjuna had much better facilities than we do now, yet he refused to accept this system of yoga. In fact, we do not find any record in history of his practicing it at any time. Therefore, this system must be considered generally impossible in this age of Kali. Of course, it may be possible for some very few, rare men, but for the people in general it is an impossible proposal. If this were so five thousand years ago, what of the present day? Those who are imitating this yoga system in different so called schools and societies, although complacent, are certainly wasting their time. They are completely ignorant of the desired goal.
Since this astanga yoga system is considered impossible, the bhakti yoga system is recommended for everyone. Without training or education, one can automatically participate in bhakti yoga. Even a small child can clap at kirtana. Therefore Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu has proclaimed bhakti yoga the only system practical for this age.
harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha
[Adi 17.21]
"In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way."
Chanting is very simple, and one will feel the results immediately. Pratyaksavagamam dharmyam. If we attempt to practice other yoga systems, we will remain in darkness; we will not know whether or not we are making progress. In bhakti yoga, one can understand, "Yes, now I am making progress." This is the only yoga system by which one can quickly attain self−realization and liberation in this life. One doesn't have to wait for another lifetime.
– The Path of Perfection
Because in this age it is not always possible to find a secluded place, hari−nama sankirtana is more practical than the yoga system:
In India there are sacred places where yogis go to meditate in solitude, as prescribed in Bhagavad−gita. Traditionally, yoga cannot be executed in a public place, but insofar as kirtana−mantra yoga, or the yoga of chanting the Hare Krsna mantra:
hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare
−is concerned, the more people present, the better. When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was performing kirtana in India some five hundred years ago, He organized in each group sixteen persons to lead the chanting, and thousands of persons chanted with them. This participation in kirtana, in the public chanting of the names and glories of God, is very possible and is actually easy in this age; but as far as the meditational process of yoga is concerned, that is very difficult. It is specifically stated in Bhagavad−gita that to perform meditational yoga one should go to a secluded and holy place. In other words, it is necessary to leave home. In this age of overpopulation it is not always possible to find a secluded place, but this is not necessary in bhakti yoga.
In the bhakti yoga system there are nine different processes: hearing, chanting, remembering, serving, worshiping the Deity in the temple, praying, carrying out orders, serving Krsna as a friend and sacrificing for Him. Out of these, sravanam kirtanam, hearing and chanting, are considered the most important. At a public kirtana one person can chant
hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare
, while a group listens, and at the end of the mantra, the group can respond, and in this way there is a reciprocation of hearing and chanting. This can easily be performed in one's own home, with a small group of friends or with many people in a large public place. One may attempt to practice meditational yoga in a large city or in a society, but one must understand that this is one's own concoction and is not the method recommended in Bhagavad gita.
– The Perfection of Yoga
Self−purification is more effectively attained by chanting the maha−mantra than by the yoga system:
[In practicing the yoga system] one must be always undisturbed. If the mind is agitated, or if there is a great deal of activity going on, one will not be able to concentrate. In meditational yoga one must also be devoid of fear. There is no question of fear when one enters spiritual life. And one must also be brahmacari, completely free from sex life. Nor can there be any demands on one meditating in this way. When there are no demands, and one executes this system properly, then he can control his mind. After one has met all the requirements for meditation, he must transfer his whole thought to Krsna or Visnu. It is not that one is to transfer his thoughts to vacancy. Thus Krsna says that one absorbed in the meditational yoga system is "always thinking of Me."
The yogi obviously has to go through a great deal of difficulty to purify the atma (mind, body and soul), but it is a fact that this can be done most effectively in this age simply by the chanting of
hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare
Why is this? Because this transcendental sound vibration is nondifferent from Him. When we chant His name with devotion, then Krsna is with us, and when Krsna is with us, then what is the possibility of remaining impure? Consequently, one absorbed in Krsna consciousness, in chanting the names of Krsna and serving Him always, receives the benefit of the highest form of yoga. The advantage is that he doesn't have to take all the trouble of the meditational process. That is the beauty of Krsna consciousness.
– The Perfection of Yoga
In Kali−yuga, constant chanting of the holy name is more effective than the yoga system for controlling the mind:
The mind is cancala, flickering, and it changes very strongly. Therefore Arjuna admitted that controlling the mind is not at all possible; this would be as difficult as controlling the wind. For example, if one were in a boat moving according to the wind on a river or the sea, and the wind were uncontrollable, the tilting boat would be very much disturbed and extremely difficult to control. It might even capsize. Therefore, in the bhava−samudra, the ocean of mental speculation and transmigration to different types of bodies, one must first control the mind.
By regulative practice one can control the mind, and this is the purpose of the yoga system (abhyasa yoga−yuktena [Bg. 8.8]). But there is a chance of failure with the yoga system, especially in this age of Kali, because the yoga system uses artificial means. If the mind is engaged in bhakti yoga, however, by the grace of Krsna one can very easily control it. Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has recommended, harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam [Adi 17.21]. One should chant the holy name of the Lord constantly, for the holy name of the Lord is nondifferent from Hari, the Supreme Person.
By chanting the Hare Krsna mantra constantly, one can fix the mind on the lotus feet of Krsna (sa vai manah krsna−padaravindayoh), and in this way achieve the perfection of yoga. Otherwise, the flickering mind will hover on the platform of mental speculation for sense enjoyment, and one will have to transmigrate from one type of body to another…
– Srimad Bhagavatam 10.1.42
"From whatever and wherever the mind wanders due to its flickering and unsteady nature, one must certainly withdraw it and bring it back under the control of the Self." (Bg. 6.26) This is the real yogic process. If you are trying to concentrate your mind on Krsna and the mind is diverted−wandering to some cinema or wherever−you should withdraw the mind, thinking, "Not there, please. Here." This is yoga: not allowing the mind to wander from Krsna.
Very intense training is required to keep the mind fixed on Krsna while sitting in one place. That is very hard work indeed. If one is not so practiced and tries to imitate this process, he will surely be confused. Instead, we always have to engage ourselves in Krsna consciousness, dovetailing everything we do to Krsna. Our usual activities should be so molded that they are rendered for Krsna's sake. In this way the mind will remain fixed on Krsna. As stated before, we should not try to sit down and stare at the tip of our nose. At the present moment, attempts to engage in that type of yoga are artificial. Rather, the recommended method is chanting loudly and hearing Hare Krsna. Then, even if the mind is diverted, it will be forced to concentrate on the sound vibration "Krsna." It isn't necessary to withdraw the mind from everything; it will automatically be withdrawn, because it will be concentrated on the sound vibration. If we hear an automobile pass, our attention is automatically diverted. Similarly, if we constantly chant Hare Krsna, our mind will automatically be fixed on Krsna, although we are accustomed to think of so many other things.
– The Path of Perfection
The expert yogi who has thoroughly practiced the control of the life air by the prescribed method of the yoga system is advised to quit the body as follows. He should plug up the evacuating hole with the heel of the foot and then progressively move the life air on and on to ix places: the navel, abdomen, heart, chest, palate, eyebrows and cerebral pit. Controlling the life air by the prescribed yogic process is mechanical, and the practice is more or less a physical endeavor for spiritual perfection. In olden days such practice was very common for the transcendentalist, for the mode of life and character in those days were favorable. But in modern days, when the influence of Kali Age is so disturbing, practically everyone is untrained in this art of bodily exercise. Concentration of the mind is more easily attained in these days by the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. The results are more effective than those derived from the inner exercise of the life air.
– Srimad Bhagavatam 2.2.19
In the present age, chanting the Hare Krsna mantra is more effective than yogic breathing exercises for controlling the mind:
[Narada Muni to Dhruva]: After sitting on your seat, practice the three kinds of breathing exercises, and thus gradually control the life air, the mind and the senses. Completely free yourself from all material contamination, and with great patience begin to meditate on the supreme Personality of Godhead.
In this verse the entire yoga system is described in summary, and special stress is given to the breathing exercises for stopping the disturbing mind. The mind, by nature, is always oscillating, for it is very fickle, but the breathing exercise is meant to control it. This process of controlling the mind might have been very possible in those days millions of years ago when Dhruva Maharaja took to it, but at the present moment the mind has to be fixed directly on the lotus feet of the Lord by the chanting process. By chanting the Hare Krsna mantra one immediately concentrates on the sound vibration and thinks of the lotus feet of the Lord, and very quickly one is elevated to the position of samadhi, or trance. If one goes on chanting the holy names of the Lord, which are not different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, naturally his mind becomes absorbed in thought of the Lord.
– Srimad Bhagavatam 4.8.44
The process of Krsna consciousness is to chant Hare Krsna and to hear the sound attentively so that the mind is fixed upon the transcendental vibration of Krsna's name, which is nondifferent from Krsna the personality. The real purpose of controlling the mind by the prescribed method of clearing the passage of the life air is achieved immediately if one fixes his mind directly on the lotus feet of Krsna. The hatha yoga system, or breathing system, is especially recommended for those who are very absorbed in the concept of bodily existence, but one who can perform the simple process of chanting Hare Krsna can fix the mind more easily… As stated in Bhagavad−gita, one's mind is his enemy, and one's mind is also his friend; its position varies according to the different dealings of the living entity. If we divert our mind to thoughts of material enjoyment, then our mind becomes an enemy, and if we concentrate our mind on the lotus feet of Krsna, then our mind is a friend… In Bhagavad−gita (8.8) it is said that one must practice the breathing exercise (abhyasa yoga−yuktena). By virtue of these processes of control, the mind cannot wander to external thoughts (cetasa nanya−gamina). Thus one can fix his mind constantly on the Supreme Personality of Godhead and can attain (yati) Him…
This process of purifying the mind is also recommended by Lord Caitanya; He says that one should chant Hare Krsna. He says further, param vijayate: "All glories to Sri Krsna sankirtana!" All glories are given to the chanting of the holy names of Krsna because as soon as one begins this process of chanting, the mind becomes purified. Ceto−darpana−marjanam: [Cc. Antya 20.12] by chanting the holy name of Krsna one is cleansed of the dirt that accumulates in the mind.
– Srimad Bhagavatam 3.28.9,10
The chanting of Hare Krsna is the elevator by which we can come immediately to the platform of bhakti yoga:
The general progress of yoga is gradual. First one practices karma yoga, which refers to ordinary, fruitive activity. Ordinary activities include sinful activities, but karma yoga excludes such activities. Karma yoga refers only to good, pious activities, or those actions which are prescribed. After performing karma yoga, one comes to the platform of jnana yoga, knowledge. From the platform of knowledge, one attains to this astanga yoga, the eightfold yoga system−dhyana, dharana, pranayama, asana, etc.−and from astanga yoga, as one concentrates on Visnu, one comes to the point of bhakti yoga. Bhakti yoga is the perfectional stage, and if one practices Krsna consciousness, one attains this stage from the very beginning. That is the direct route.
If one practices jnana yoga and thinks that he has attained the ultimate, he is mistaken. He has to make further progress. If we are on a staircase and have to reach the top floor, which is the hundredth floor, we are mistaken if we think we have arrived when we are on thethirtieth floor. As stated before, the whole yoga system may be likened to a staircase, connecting or linking us to God. In order to attain the ultimate, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we must go to the highest platform, and that is bhakti yoga.
But why walk up all these steps if we have a chance to take an elevator? By means of an elevator, we can reach the top in a matter of seconds. Bhakti yoga is this elevator, the direct process by which we can reach the top in a matter of seconds. We can go step by step, following all the other yoga systems, or we can go directly. Since in this age of Kali−yuga people have short life spans and are always disturbed and anxious, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, by His causeless mercy, has given us the elevator by which we can come immediately to the platform of bhakti yoga. That direct means is the chanting of Hare Krsna, and that is the special gift of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Therefore Rupa Gosvami offers respects to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, namo maha−vadanyaya krsna−prema−pradaya te: [Madhya 19.53] "Oh, You are the most munificent incarnation because You are directly giving love of Krsna. To attain pure love of Krsna, one has to pass through so many stages of yoga, but You are giving this love directly. Therefore You are the most munificent."
– The Path of Perfection
