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Every day the devotees of Krishna are blessed with the most sublime opportunity of a private, personal meeting with God. This is the time that the devotees spend chanting the Hare Krishna mantra on their japa mala beads. Sometimes when people hear that the devotees have accepted a daily vow of chanting the Hare Krishna mahamantra at least 1,728 times daily, which takes one-and-a-half to two hours, they think that this is excessive. They find it odd that someone can spend so much time praying. But these same persons think nothing of spending so many hours a day wasting their time with their friends and family members in so many varieties of nonsensical activities, which do nothing but degrade their consciousness more and more. There is truly nothing more treasurable or sublime than personally meeting with God. This is the special privilege given every day to the devotees of Lord Sri Krishna and to anyone else who is willing to spend time calling out the names of God begging Him to be engaged in His service.



Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Revealing the Bliss of Krishna Consciousness
Lecture in Arad, Romania--17 September 2011

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Question: Yogic Meditation and Mantra Meditation

Gurudeva,
Namaste.

I would like to ask following question: Lord Krishna says "The yogi by meditation develops a tranquil mind free from passions and devoid of sinful reactions, gets endowed with the spiritual substratum pervading all existence, certainly gets supreme bliss." What is the difference between this yogic meditation and the mantra recitation of the devotees?.

Janardan M.
 

Answer:  The Devotee is the Highest Yogi.

Krishna describes the meditational process of the yogis in Chapter Six of the Bhagavad-gita as follows:

"To practice yoga, one should go to a secluded place and should lay kusa grass on the ground and then cover it with a deerskin and a soft cloth. The seat should be neither too high nor too low and should be situated in a sacred place. The yogi should then sit on it very firmly and practice yoga to purify the heart by controlling his mind, senses and activities and fixing the mind on one point. One should hold one's body, neck and head erect in a straight line and stare steadily at the tip of the nose. Thus, with an unagitated, subdued mind, devoid of fear, completely free from sex life, one should meditate upon Me within the heart and make Me the ultimate goal of life."

To realize the highest truth in this way takes a very long time. For example it took Valmiki Muni 60,000 years to become self-realized through this system. This system was practical during the Satya yuga when men lived to be 100,000. But in this age of Kali when our life span is only up to 100 years, this yoga system is not practical. Plus it requires that one leave his home and live in a secluded place such as the Himalayan mountains. One must sever all ties with his wife and family. He must live as mendicant without any money surviving on whatever nature provides. How many people nowadays can even dream of doing such austerities?

When Arjuna become disturbed on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra he was thinking to give up his professional duty and retire to the forest for yogic meditation. But Krishna taught him as follows in the Bhagavad-gita:

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā
śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
sa me yuktatamo mataḥ

"And of all yogis, the one with great faith who always abides in Me, thinks of Me within himself, and renders transcendental loving service to Me—he is the most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all. That is My opinion."
Bhagavad-gita 6.47

The devotees meditate on the Hare Krishna mantra. But it is not that the devotee simply practices mantra meditation. He engages his entire being in loving service the Supreme Personality of Godhead twenty-four hours daily. In this way he becomes qualified to attain the spiritual world in one lifetime. What will the take the yogi many lifetimes can be achieved by the devotee in one lifetime. Just as Arjuna, after surrendering to Krishna, remained in his profession and remained a married man, the devotee can also remain in his profession without having to give up his family and the comforts of home life. Simply he lovingly offers everything to Krishna and becomes the highest yogi.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari
 

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