Japa: the Ultimate Meditation

If you want to taste the sweetest nectar, rise early in the morning and chant sixteen rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra on japa beads before the sunrise. You will directly communing with God Himself in His most holy name incarnation. And if you will carefully lay aside all over thoughts simply putting your full concentration on pronouncing and hearing the Hare Krishna mantra in a loving mood, you will have one of the most amazing experiences of your entire life.

In this connection Srila Rupa Goswami has stated,

"I do not know how much nectar the two syllables 'Krish-na' have produced. When the holy name of Krishna is chanted, it appears to dance within the mouth. We then desire many, many mouths. When that name enters the holes of the ears, we desire many millions of ears. And when the holy name dances in the courtyard of the heart, it conquers the activities of the mind, and therefore all the senses become inert."

So give japa chanting a serious try. You'll be glad you did!

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: Is the Hare Krishna Movement Authorized?

1.How are we sure of the authority of the Vedic body of knowledge when there are so many possibilities of interpolation in it?

2.The Manu Smriti is completely against the low castes and women, so how are we to treat it as a law book from GOD?

3. How is the Bhagavad-gita treated as a Sruti if it comes in the Mahabharata which is a Smriti?

4.The original Vedas (barring the Upanishads, Puranas, and the Mahabharata) do not mention a Personality for God. These are the scriptures which are assumed to be Sruti. The mention of the personal features of God comes only in non Sruti scriptures (considering the Bhagavad-gita as non Sruti). It is also argued that Sruti are more authoritative than Smriti.

Since the basis of the Hare Krishna movement is the Bhagavad-gita, Bhagavata Purana, and the Caitanya Caritamrita (all non Sruti) how do we justify our position vis a vis these arguments?

Please forgive any offenses on my part for asking such questions

Sincerely in search of truth,
Ashutosh

Editor's note: Sruti refers to the original four Vedas, and Smriti refers to the Vedic corollary literatures.

Answer: Yes, According to All Vedic Wisdom

I appreciate very much that you have sincerely inquired to gain a correct understanding of these issues and clear up your doubts. Krishna instructs that we must approach a spiritual master for getting a clear understanding of the Absolute Truth. Without hearing from a bona fide spiritual master we can never through mere speculation come to a proper understanding of the sublime Vedic wisdom.

We have to hear the Vedic wisdom from a bona fide spiritual master because he presents it as it is purely according to the explanations of the great acharyas who guided the Vedic civilization for thousands of years. If we hear the version of speculative scholars who have zero access to its proper understanding, we are sure and certain to be confused.

You are wrong in thinking that the Manu Smriti is against women and children. The Vedic culture recognizes the vulnerability of women and children to being exploited by unscrupulous men and makes full facility to protect them from harm. It is the modern day so-called advanced civilization which is committing every day the grossest atrocities against women and children.

It does not matter if Bhagavad-gita is Sruti or Smriti. It is the words of God Himself, Lord Sri Krishna, from Whom all the Vedic wisdom comes. Therefore it is the highest authoritative knowledge. Krishna declares in the Bhagavad-gita that He is the compiler of the Vedic wisdom and that all of the Vedic wisdom points to Him.

You are also wrong in stating that the original Vedas do not mention a personal God. Here are some quotes from the original Vedas which do indicate the personal nature of God:

In the Atharva Veda it is said:

yo brahmanam vidadhati purvam yo vai vedams ca gapayati sma krsnah

"It was Krishna who in the beginning instructed Brahma in Vedic knowledge and who disseminated Vedic knowledge in the past."

The Atharva Veda also states:

eko devo nitya-lilanurakto bhakta-vyapi bhakta-hrdy antar-atma

"He is the one Supreme Lord, always attached to His eternal pastimes, extending Himself to His devotees, and present as the Supreme Soul within the hearts of His devotees."

In the Rig Veda (1.22.20) it is stated:

om tad visnoh paramam padam sada pasyanti surayah

"The demigods are always looking to that supreme abode of Vishnu."

Another point is that everywhere throughout the Vedas we find the syllable "om", which is the sound representation of Krishna.

It is a wrong conclusion to that think that Sruti is more authoritative than Smriti. Rather it is Smriti which has made Sruti comprehensible. And it is the spiritual master who empowers us to perfectly realize the conclusions of the Vedic knowledge composed of both Sruti and Smriti.

So the Hare Krishna Movement is most authorized. It is making for the first time in world history the full import of the Vedic wisdom available to the entire world.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari