Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.2.39
Mukti· LiberationJoyfully Hear and Chant Kṛṣṇa’s Names
“An intelligent person who has controlled his mind and conquered fear should give up all attachment to material objects such as wife, family and nation and should wander freely without embarrassment, hearing and chanting the holy names of the Lord, the bearer of the chariot wheel. The holy names of Kṛṣṇa are all-auspicious because they describe His transcendental birth and activities, which He performs within this world for the salvation of the conditioned souls. Thus the holy names of the Lord are sung throughout the world.”
What the purport teaches
- The Lord’s holy names describe His transcendental appearances and activities and are all-auspicious. Hearing and chanting them without material conceptions is a joyful path of devotional service.
- One should give up material sense gratification and chant without mental speculation. Accept Kṛṣṇa as He presents Himself: the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose transcendental form is eternal.
- Successful hearing and chanting follow the authorized disciplic succession, confirmed by the spiritual master, saintly persons and scriptures. Wandering freely does not mean acting without discrimination or seeking association that turns one away from Kṛṣṇa.
Try this today
Read a short passage from Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, then chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra while remembering that Kṛṣṇa’s form and activities are transcendental.
Ask yourself
How can I approach chanting more joyfully while respecting the guidance of the spiritual master, saintly persons and scriptures?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.