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 began my japa at a moderate pace.
I practiced “just hear,”
the method I am
capable of and comfortable with,
attentively chanting and hearing
with no other meditation.
There are higher stages of perfection in japa,
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. Then I
turned to writing in the Japa Report.

I began my second set at a brisk pace.
Although I was chanting silently in the mind
I heard the names clearly, with attention and
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 japa was faulty,
but the maha-mantra is so merciful and powerful
that it vanquishes past 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.
I use them as affirmations.
They give me confidence
that I am making progress,
even though I am committing mistakes.)
I met my quota after eight rounds
with minutes to spare.

I began the third set at a brisk pace.
To avoid merely mechanical chanting,
I cultivated thoughtfulness and devotional
feelings. For thoughtfulness, I
adhered to “just hear.” This
enabled me to concentrate
on the mantras separately,
without missing or mixing them.
I kept enunciating with external
attention, but I couldn’t go inward
and enter the life of prayer.
For feeling, I looked at Radha-Govinda
and imbibed Their sweetness.
I acknowledged that Radha-Krishna
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 no minutes to spare,
failing to meet the quota.

On the fourth set I emphasized
speed as a priority over quality,
making up for lost time.
I still held on to the bead
until the mantra was finished
before moving on to the next bead.
I called out to Krishna for His blessings,
because it is not possible for me
to do good japa on my own endeavor.
I completed my sixteenth round
with only a few minutes to spare
on the overall quota.

I considered it a half-decent session.
I experienced no physical pain
in my eyes or head,
for which I was very grateful.
Because of speeding on
the last two sets, I could
not rate the session as “decent;”
it became too mechanical.
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.