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 my precautionary measures
and began japa.
I kept my eyes open,
but didn’t keep sustained darsana.
I stole glances
at Radha-Govinda and
the other arca-vigrahas.
I practiced “just hear.”
This is the method where
you just chant and hear with
with no other meditation.
I am capable of doing it –
and satisfied. There
are higher stages of perfection
in japa, but “just hear”
is elevated in itself.
Anyone who realizes 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. Then I turned
to writing in my Japa Report.
Although I began the second set
chanting silently in my mind, I
heard the Names clearly, attentively,
and with concern to pronounce
the words properly. But
I was distracted by planning what
to write in the next Japa Report.
I was committing aparadha:
inattention to the Name.
So my chanting was faulty.
But the mercy and power of the maha-mantra
vanquishes sinful reactions,
ushers in liberation,
and brings one gradually to love of God,
even when chanted with imperfections
as I was doing. (I like to repeat the lines
about the power of the maha-mantra.
The first two points don’t apply to the
pure devotee. He has already
vanquished sinful desires,
and he is not interested
in liberation. His only goal is pure
loving service to Radha and Krishna.
But I mention the first two
achievements as stepping stones
on the path. Everything
is achieved by chanting Hare Krishna.)
I met my quota after eight rounds
with minutes to spare.
Beginning the third set, I made
speed the priority over quality.
But I held on to the bead until
the first sixteen words were finished
(one whole mantra), before moving
to the next bead. I tried to avoid
merely mechanical chanting by
cultivating thoughtfulness and
devotional feelings. For
thoughtfulness, I practiced
“just hear.” This enabled me
to separate mantras without
mixing or missing them.
For feeling, I looked at
Radha-Govinda and imbibed
Their sweetness. I acknowledged
that They were the heart
of the Hare Krishna mantra,
composed exclusively of Their names
and uttered as a prayer
for engagement in Their service.
I finished my twelfth round
with minutes to spare on the quota.
So far, I experienced no
physical pain in my eyes or head,
despite chanting at a brisk pace.
I began the fourth set
with speedy, external
attention. I didn’t
call out to Krishna for His
blessings, although it is
not possible for me to do
good japa on my own
endeavor. I kept alert and
completely awake but
did not enter into an
inward prayer state.
I completed my sixteenth round
with minutes to spare on the quota.
I considered it a fairly decent session.
I chanted all the mantras
without slurring or missing.
I rated it fairly decent, not
excellent, because I did not
maintain prolonged periods
of prayerfulness or intense
devotion to the Name.
During the entire session,
I felt no physical pain.
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.