Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.2.40
Mukti· LiberationSincere Chanting Awakens Love of Godhead
“By chanting the holy name of the Supreme Lord, one comes to the stage of love of Godhead. Then the devotee is fixed in his vow as an eternal servant of the Lord, and he gradually becomes very much attached to a particular name and form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As his heart melts with ecstatic love, he laughs very loudly or cries or shouts. Sometimes he sings and dances like a madman, for he is indifferent to public opinion.”
What the purport teaches
- Chanting the holy name leads to love of Godhead and fixes the devotee in the vow of eternal service. Attachment grows to a particular name and form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- Ecstatic symptoms arise naturally through sincere chanting; they should not be imitated. Devotion is judged by steadfastness and merciful speech, not merely by outward displays.
- A pure devotee is unconcerned with worldly praise or criticism. When Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, reveals Himself to His surrendered servant, doubt about the Absolute Truth disappears.
Try this today
Spend a few minutes sincerely chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, with the desire to serve rather than to display emotion.
Ask yourself
How can I give more attention to sincere chanting than to how others see me?
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.