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.
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.
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