# How To Chant Chanting is very simple, but one must practice it seriously. One must chant distinctly and loudly enough to hear oneself. One must chant in humility, with respect and veneration, with faith in the holy name, and must become a servant of the holy name. --- ## Distinct Pronunciation **When chanting, one must very distinctly pronounce the mahā-mantra:** ![[cc/adi/17/32#purport|Chanting involves the activities of the upper and lower lips as well as the tongue. All three must be engaged in chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. The words "Hare Kṛṣṇa" should be very distinctly pronounced and heard. Sometimes one mechanically produces a hissing sound instead of chanting with the proper pronunciation with the help of the lips and tongue. Chanting is very simple, but one must practice it seriously]] —Cc. [[cc/adi/17/32|Ādi 17.32]] Purport --- **If one has chanted distinctly during his life, it is quite possible that even at the time of death he will be able to chant with faith and love:** ![[sb/6/2/49#purport|While the body is fit, one should chant the holy name of the Lord loudly and distinctly. If one does so, it is quite possible that even at the time of death he will be properly able to chant the holy name of the Lord with love and faith]] —SB [[sb/6/2/49|6.2.49]] Purport --- ## Chanting Loudly **The first regulative principle is that one must chant loudly enough to hear oneself:** ![[cc/antya/11/24#purport|Unless one has come to the platform of spontaneous love of God, he must follow the regulative principles...The first regulative principle is that one must chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra loudly enough so that he can hear himself, and one must vow to chant a fixed number of rounds]] —Cc. [[cc/antya/11/24|Antya 11.24]] Purport --- ## Chanting in Humility **Explanation of the tṛṇād api sunīcena verse:** ![[cc/adi/17/31|One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly]] —Cc. [[cc/adi/17/31|Ādi 17.31]] **Raising my hands, I declare, "Everyone please hear me! String this verse on the thread of the holy name and wear it on your neck for continuous remembrance."** —Cc. [[cc/adi/17/33|Ādi 17.33]] --- **A Vaiṣṇava is able to tolerate insults because he is simply interested in humbly chanting:** ![[cc/antya/3/207#purport|A Vaiṣṇava is always tolerant and submissive like trees and grass. He tolerates insults offered by others, for he is simply interested in chanting the holy name of the Lord without being disturbed]] —Cc. [[cc/antya/3/207|Antya 3.207]] Purport --- **Success in chanting depends fully upon humility:** ![[cc/antya/20/20|Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued, "O Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī and Rāmānanda Rāya, hear from Me the symptoms of how one should chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra to awaken very easily one's dormant love for Kṛṣṇa"]] —Cc. [[cc/antya/20/20|Antya 20.20-26]] --- **One can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa offenselessly by developing genuine humility:** If one is interested in advancing in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Caitanya Mahāprabhu advises that **one be humbler than the grass and more tolerant than the trees. One should not be very proud of his intelligence but should give all respect to others. In this way, one can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa offenselessly.** —*Teachings of Lord Kapila, the Son of Devahūti* --- **The easiest way to control the mind is to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa in all humility:** ![[bg/6/34#purport|The easiest way to control the mind, as suggested by Lord Caitanya, is chanting "Hare Kṛṣṇa," the great mantra for deliverance, in all humility. The method prescribed is sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ: one must engage one's mind fully in Kṛṣṇa]] —Bg. [[bg/6/34|6.34]] Purport --- **The efficacy of the holy name depends on the quality of feeling:** ![[sb/1/8/26#purport|The Lord's holy name has such powerful potency. But there is a quality to such utterances also. It depends on the quality of feeling. A helpless man can feelingly utter the holy name of the Lord, whereas a man who utters the same holy name in great material satisfaction cannot be so sincere. A materially puffed-up person may utter the holy name of the Lord occasionally, but he is incapable of uttering the holy name in quality]] —SB [[sb/1/8/26|1.8.26]] Purport --- ## Chanting with Respect and Veneration **Knowing that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is present in His name, pure devotees chant with full respect and veneration:** ![[cc/adi/2/11#purport|Devotees of the Personality of Godhead know that Śrī Kṛṣṇa, son of the King of Vraja, is the Absolute Truth...A pure devotee knows that when he chants the transcendental name Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is present as transcendental sound. He therefore chants with full respect and veneration]] —Cc. [[cc/adi/2/11|Ādi 2.11]] Purport --- ## Chanting with Faith **A madhyama-adhikārī has firm faith in chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra:** A person whose conclusive knowledge of the śāstras is not very strong but who has developed **firm faith in chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and who is also undeterred in the execution of his prescribed devotional service should be considered a madhyama-adhikārī.** Such a person is very fortunate. —*The Nectar of Instruction* Text 5 --- **He who chants the holy name with faith is a Vaiṣṇava:** ![[cc/madhya/15/105#purport|Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura says that simply by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa once, a person becomes perfect. Such a person is understood to be a Vaiṣṇava. With such faith and belief, one may begin a life of Kṛṣṇa consciousness...A devotee who believes that the holy name of the Lord is identical with the Lord is a pure devotee, even though he may be in the neophyte stage]] —Cc. [[cc/madhya/15/105|Madhya 15.105-6]] Purport --- ## Becoming a Servant of the Holy Name **One must become the servant of the holy name:** ![[cc/adi/8/16#purport|One is understood to be an eternal servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead if he considers himself an eternal servant of the holy name and in this spirit distributes the holy name to the world. One who chants in that spirit, without offenses, is certainly elevated to the platform of understanding that the holy name and the Personality of Godhead are identical. To associate with the holy name and chant the holy name is to associate with the Personality of Godhead directly]] —Cc. [[cc/adi/8/16|Ādi 8.16]] Purport --- **[← Back to Śrī Nāmāmṛta](wiki/compile/sri-namamrita)**