Baladeva’s alarm clock went off at 1:00 A.M.,
and our cowbells followed.
He administered my wake-up rituals.
I went into the room
where the Deities are and bowed down.
I applied all the precautionary measures
and began my japa.
I practiced “just hear,”
this is the method where
you just chant and hear
with no other meditation.
There are higher stages
of perfection in japa practice,
but “just hear” is elevated in itself.
Anyone who understands that the Name
is non-different from Krishna Himself,
and who absorbs himself in the
transcendental sound vibration,
is achieving a rare stage of japa.
I met my quota after four rounds
with minutes to spare.
So far, I felt no physical pain.
I began the second set
in the same way. Although
I was chanting silently in the mind
I heard the Names clearly, with attention
and concern for pronouncing the words properly,
but I was distracted by planning
what to write in my future Japa Report.
I was committing aparadha:
inattention to the Name.
So my chanting was faulty.
But the maha-mantra is so merciful and powerful
that it vanquishes sinful reactions,
ushers in liberation
and brings one gradually to love of God,
even when chanted with imperfections
as I was doing. (I daily recite these lines
about the power of the maha-mantra
and use them as an affirmation
that I am doing right.
It gives me courage.)
I met my quota after eight rounds,
with minutes to spare.
So far, I felt no sensation
of pain in my eyes
and no headache.
I was very grateful for that.
On the third and fourth sets
I emphasized speed as a
priority over quality,
because I was falling
behind. But I didn’t
rush recklessly.
I held on to the bead for
the whole mantra
before passing on
to the next bead.
I avoided merely mechanical chanting
by cultivating thoughtfulness
(by the practice of “just hear”),
and by nurturing devotional
feelings by thinking of
the sweetness of Radha-Govinda
and the quintessence of
the Names “Hare Krishna.”
I completed my sixteenth round,
meeting the quota with
minutes to spare.
I considered it a half-decent session
with no physical pain.
If I hadn’t sped up in
the last two sets,
I would have rated
it “decent.” At least
I follow the process
of doing a prescribed number of rounds
in obedience to the order
of the spiritual master,
a sacred vow.