Krishna Janmastami

Today in Austin we are celebrating Sri Krishna Janmastami, the transcendental appearance day of Lord Krishna. This day is the most wonderful opportunity to dive deeply into the transcendental ocean of Krishna consciousness by increasing our hearing, chanting, and serving along with decreasing our eating by fasting all day long up until after the midnight arati, which celebrates the moment of the Lord's appearance 5,000 years ago in Mathura, India. Krishna's appearing on this earth was the greatest blessing for the suffering humanity. He came to annihilate the demons and even more so for the protection of His devotees.

Everyone is invited to visit their nearest ISKCON temple to participate in the wonderful festivities and to take advantage of this most auspicious day for becoming fully absorbed in Krishna consciousness.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: Chanting in the Mind?

Although I am a beginner in chanting, I wanted to ask if is okay to sometimes chant in the mind as well, I have tried it sometimes and it gives a very fast soothing effect, yet I wanted to ask about it.

Also because my schedule is also very tiring so finding out time is sometimes difficult, how many rounds is it recommended for a beginner like me? What time of the day is recommended for chanting in all seasons of the year?

Thank You.

Bharat

Answer: Our Chanting Must be Audible

In this Kali Yuga we are not so advanced that we can fully absorb ourselves in Krishna smaranam (remembrance) simply by thinking of His name. This is why the Brihad Naradiya Purana prescribes that in this age of Kali we must chant the holy names of God if we want to become self realized. So, if we want to be successful in spiritual life, we must every day audibly chant the Hare Krishna mantra on japa beads for at least 16 rounds. The best thing all year round is to chant early in the morning. If you cannot chant 16 rounds now, chant as many as possible and gradually work your way up to 16 rounds.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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