# SB 7.15.31 > देशे शुचौ समे राजन्संस्थाप्यासनमात्मनः > स्थिरं सुखं समं तस्मिन्नासीतर्ज्वङ्ग ओमिति ॥३१॥ ## Text > deśe śucau same rājan > saṁsthāpyāsanam ātmanaḥ > sthiraṁ sukhaṁ samaṁ tasminn > āsītarjv-aṅga om iti ## Synonyms *deśe*—in a place; *śucau*—very sacred; *same*—level; *rājan*—O King; *saṁsthāpya*—placing; *āsanam*—on the seat; *ātmanaḥ*—one's self; *sthiram*—very steady; *sukham*—comfortably; *samam*—equipoised; *tasmin*—on that sitting place; *āsīta*—one should sit down; *ṛju-aṅgaḥ*—the body perpendicularly straight; *oṁ*—The Vedic *mantra praṇava*; *iti*—in this way. ## Translation **My dear King, in a sacred and holy place of pilgrimage one should select a place in which to perform yoga. The place must be level and not too high or low. There one should sit very comfortably, being steady and equipoised, keeping his body straight, and thus begin chanting the Vedic praṇava.** ## Purport Generally the chanting of *oṁ* is recommended because in the beginning one cannot understand the Personality of Godhead. As stated in *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* [[sb/1/2/11|(1.2.11)]]: > vadanti tat tattva-vidas > tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam > brahmeti paramātmeti > bhagavān iti śabdyate "Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān." Unless one is fully convinced of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one has the tendency to become an impersonalist *yogī* searching for the Supreme Lord within the core of his heart (*dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ* [SB 12.13.1]). Here the chanting of *oṁkāra* is recommended because in the beginning of transcendental realization, instead of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mahā-mantra,* one may chant *oṁkāra* (*praṇava*). There is no difference between the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mahā-mantra* and *oṁkāra* because both of them are sound representations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. *praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu.* In all Vedic literatures, the sound vibration *oṁkāra* is the beginning. *Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.* The difference between chanting *oṁkāra* and chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra* is that the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra* may be chanted without consideration of the place or the sitting arrangements recommended in *Bhagavad-gītā* [[bg/6/11|(Bg. 6.11)]]: > śucau deśe pratiṣṭhāpya > sthiram āsanam ātmanaḥ > nāty-ucchritaṁ nātinīcaṁ > cailājina-kuśottaram "To practice *yoga,* one should go to a secluded place and should lay *kuśa* grass on the ground and then cover it with a deerskin and a soft cloth. The seat should neither be too high nor too low and should be situated in a sacred place." The Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra* may be chanted by anyone, without consideration of the place or how one sits. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has openly declared, *niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ.* In chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mahā-mantra* there are no particular injunctions regarding one's sitting place. The injunction *niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ* includes *deśa, kāla* and *pātra*—place, time and the individual. Therefore anyone may chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra,* without consideration of the time and place. Especially in this age, Kali-yuga, it is very difficult to find a suitable place according to the recommendations of *Bhagavad-gītā.* The Hare Kṛṣṇa *mahā-mantra,* however, may be chanted at any place and any time, and this will bring results very quickly. Yet even while chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra* one may observe regulative principles. Thus while sitting and chanting one may keep his body straight, and this will help one in the chanting process; otherwise one may feel sleepy.