Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.2.12
Mukti· LiberationKṛṣṇa Personally Cleanses the Devotee's Heart
“The ritualistic ceremonies of atonement recommended in the religious scriptures are insufficient to cleanse the heart absolutely because after atonement one’s mind again runs toward material activities. Consequently, for one who wants liberation from the fruitive reactions of material activities, the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, or glorification of the name, fame and pastimes of the Lord, is recommended as the most perfect process of atonement because such chanting eradicates the dirt from one’s heart completely.”
What the purport teaches
- Ritualistic atonement does not cleanse the heart completely when the mind returns to material activities. Chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and glorifying the Lord are recommended for complete purification.
- Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead present in everyone's heart, personally helps remove desires for material enjoyment from the devotee who hears and glorifies Him.
- Hearing and chanting about the Lord are devotional service and purify even those who do not understand their meaning. This easy austerity purifies one's existence in a way that karma, jñāna, and yoga cannot accomplish completely.
Try this today
Spend two minutes today chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and listening carefully to the names.
Ask yourself
How can I make hearing and chanting a more regular part of caring for my heart?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.