Just chant the Mahamantra. That will indeed lead you to the true philosophy.
MAHAMANTRA
I have been chanting the Mahamantra for quite a while. But day by day, I am becoming poorer financially and as such losing mental peace. Is there anything wrong going on?
There is nothing going wrong with respect to your chanting. Persist in chanting and efforts to get better financially. Nama can only help you in this journey. Mahamantra knows only to bless.
I chant the Mahamantra when at work. Is it fine to chant in the mind or should I chant only by opening my mouth?
What you are doing is perfectly right.
Some people say that if we chant the Maha Mantra loud, we can benefit only 25%, if we whisper 50% benefit, but if we chant in our mind without any sound, we get 100% benefit. Yet some others do not agree with this. Please explain the correct way.
These conditions and percentages do not apply for the Mahamantra.
I chant Nama daily. My father says that we should not face South direction while reciting slokas or while chanting. Is it correct? Why is it so?
South is the direction of the Pitrus (dead ancestors). Hence that direction is usually avoided for all spiritual practices. However, for Mahamantra Kirtan, there are no rules or regulations. That is the greatness of this path.
In our western countries, some gifted artists chant Mahamantra on non-traditional airs or with a western influence. If the melody inspires devotion or joy, do you think, that may be also valid?
Yes, to some extent.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu advocated the Mahamantra as “Hare Krishna…Hare Rama”, while you are preaching the Mahamantra as “Hare Rama…Hare Krishna”. What is the difference?
The Mahamantra “Hare Rama…” is found in the Kali Santarana Upanishad.
Upanishads are held sacred and are regarded as the highest form of Jnana. The Shastras say that the Vedas and Upanishads can be learnt and chanted only by a specific sect of people, because of the rigorous tone and intonation involved.
Mahaprabhu, a great mahan that he was, did want to liberate the masses from this ocean of Samsara through the Mahamantra, and at the same time not violate the Shastras. Hence he preached it as
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
When repeated continuously, this indeed reads the same way as stated by the Upanishads.
There are other Saints and Mahans, like Swami Abhedananda of Tiruvananthapuram and innumerable saints of Brindavan who have, out of their sheer mercy and compassion given the Mahamantra as is from the Upanishads, as in this Kali Yuga where none of the rules laid out in the Shastras can be practically followed in spirit.
Thus, irrespective of the way in which it is chanted, it gives the same benefit.
Is there any need to count the numbers while chanting the Maha Mantra?
When a child calls out his mother’s name with love, he would not count the number of times he called out. Would he? When Nama Kirtan is done with true love and devotion, the count doesn’t matter. Though it is a fact that you are liberated even if you chant the Maha Mantra once, chant continuously if you desire a sorrow-free journey through life and if you wish to see God face-to-face within this lifetime.
I am chanting Mahamantra and I am interested in spreading it to my friends. Is it right to tell about it to a person who is not interested? I am trying to tell to my friends but some are in vain. How can tell them to chant Mahamantra?
Before you go out for this task, first, pray to Lord Krishna. He will make it successful for you. Even those who are not interested now may change in future. Who knows! Our duty is only to take the Nama to people. We will not bother about the results. We are not making anyone chant. It is Lord Krishna who does that. So everything will happen according to His wish.
What is the difference mahamantra and Rama Nama?
Rama Nama is in Mahamantra
