Chanting with genuine longing for Krishna

For the first time after the pandemic, we could once again conduct our 3-day Holy Name Retreat at Ekachakra in December, over Christmas - a program which has over the years become very dear to my heart. Leaving behind the hustle and bustle of busy Mayapur and going into seclusion for several days while giving our undivided attention to the holy name allowed us to enter another reality - eternal reality: my relationship with Krishna through chanting His holy name.

We were a nice group of 48 participants from every corner of the globe:
Australia, North America, South Africa, different parts of Europe, South America, Russia, Ukraine - and of course India. The mood was once again so wonderful, sweet and deep. Spending four days together in seclusion and endeavoring to receive deeper insights into the secrets of chanting the holy name had a uniting effect on the hearts of our participants and created a confidential and intimate atmosphere. Even though we may not have known each and every person's names - nevertheless, the holy name set a special foundation to our relationships and united us on deeper levels.

On the day of our arrival at Ekachakra we went on parikrama to visit several holy places where Lord Nityananda performed his pastimes, begging for his mercy to make new discoveries and establish uplifting habits in regards to our chanting. Over the following three days we embarked on an internal, transformational journey, spending all day hearing and discussing various aspects of chanting, and performing humorous role plays to illustrate how to chant and how better not to chant - in japa as well as in kirtan. During these retreats, the evening kirtans are always especially sweet - we could indeed experience a different quality of kirtan, which I have only ever experienced in these retreats! Maybe Krishna reciprocates more tangibly when He sees His devotees moving out of their comfort zone to make special endeavours to establish their loving relationship with Him...
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To be attentive on the level of the heart while chanting requires deep internal work. We have to become personal in our relationship with Krishna,
consciously directing ourselves towards Him while calling out in helplessness: “I know You are there – please accept me!” The secret is to chant while mindfully turning towards Krishna, appealing to Him with a deep and genuine longing in our heart – longing for this loving relationship. Only such chanting that is filled with longing, will develop our relationship with Him.

Only when we chant with such a quality of feeling within our heart will our relationship with Krishna develop and gradually become a tangible reality in our daily life. Such a desperate appeal towards the Lord can only be expressed if we are in a humble state of mind. Therefore, Mahaprabhu has instructed us to be more humble than a blade of grass and more tolerant than a tree.
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Chanting the holy name while turning towards Krishna and longing to develop our relationship with Him, will destroy our tendency for impersonalism and will reconnect us with the Lord. As we have previously stated, it is possible to chant Hare Krishna for many years, even lifetimes, and at the same time completely ignore the personality of Krishna and our relationship with Him. Indeed, this is a very common occurrence since we all carry a little impersonalist within our heart! After all, even Mayavadis chant the maha-mantra; however, their chanting is without the intention to develop a loving relationship with the Lord. Thus it can be understood to be merely a reflection, rather than the holy name.

Chanting without being mindful of Krishna’s presence can be compared to an empty medicine capsule. There’s no medicine inside, and thus no effect! It is only external lip service. From outside it may seem like the real thing, but it is simply a shadow or semblance of the holy name.

Your servant, Devaki dd