(Excerpt from lecture series on Caitanya Caritamrta, Kartika 2006, Part 2, Lecture 15 – ‘Kalidasa the Nectar Hound I)

Jiva Gosvami is telling in Bhakti Sandarbha - Whatever service we do, we should always combine it with chanting of Hare Krsna because our services in the stage of sadhana bhakti, our seva is mixed with the three A’s – Avidya, Aparadha and Anarthas. These are the three A’s.

So whatever service we do generally there is a lot of ignorance there - either ignorance of the sadhana itself, ignorance of the sadhya or ignorance of our own identity or the influence of tama guna in general. So this aparadha, avidya and anartha, they are mixed in the service.

So in order to purify the service, to try to bring the service to the proper position, in Bhakti Sandharbha we are enjoined to chant Hare Krsna. Say we are an artist and we are painting some pastimes or lila of the Lord. So sometimes we are either copying some existing painting or we have to create an entirely new scene by reading some description from sastra and meditate on that description and try to catch that description in our heart and mind and to the best of our ability. Then we try to paint that scene on the canvas, reproduce that scene with the proper feelings and the proper moods, so we can present our Istadeva Radharani and Her beloved Syama in the most attractive and beautiful and sweet way that we can within our acquired ability but even when we are painting we should chant Hare Krsna.

We do yoga sometimes to keep in shape, so other people say yes I do yoga also. I say yes, but I do Hare Krsna- Hare Rama- Radhe Syama Yoga. Our yoga can be Hare Krsna- Hare Rama- Radhe Syama yoga. So what is that? That is whenever we are inhaling we chant in our mind - Radhe Radhe Radhe Radhe and when we exhale we say Syama Syama Syama Syama. So we are doing yoga. Surya namaskar or you inhale and you exhale – all these because the movements of the body are following the movements of breath. Purvaka, rechaka, kumbhaka…

So we inhale Radharani, we take Radharani inside and we put out Syama. We come up - Radhe Radhe and we go down - Syama Syama.

Then if we have to count, if we are holding our breath and counting then we chant Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, like one mantra, one full mantra or two mantras. So even while performing yoga, we call this Hare Krsna-Hare Rama-Radhe Syama yoga.

So it’s not just ordinary hatha yoga, doing asanas. So even while we are painting, if we are chanting Hare Krsna, then our service will be carried nicely.

Because whenever we are chanting Hare Krsna, Radha and Krsna are there. Because the first introduction that we have to Radha and Krsna is through the sound – sound introduction. We meet Them in the holy name.

Many ladies have children and families, so they are doing so much cooking for their families, of course we have to pay attention to the cooking, that it is done properly and the spicing and everything, nothing is burnt, but there should be chanting also. Often times people listen to tapes – lectures or kirtanas. That’s also good.

But chanting is very nice because it gets us in the habit. This is the type of samskara. Samskara is a habit. Samskara means a deep impression in the citta. Citta is what we call the heart or mind or consciousness. It’s carrying all of our activities. Everything we’ve done, everything we thought, everything we’ve acted upon is recorded in the citta. Citta is like – what do you say - hard drive? Everything recorded in the computer; everything is kept in a hard drive? So the citta is like the hard drive. It’s harder to erase it. Erasing the hard drive is only by one way and that’s by ‘ceto darpana marjanam’ - by chanting Hare Krsna.

So when we chant Hare Krsna, and we are doing our service – cooking, painting, especially puja, Jiva Gosvami mentions - when doing puja, unless our puja, arcana is combined with chanting Hare Krsna, Krsna doesn’t even accept it.

I think he even says that all the services we render must be mixed with chanting. Because this chanting is actually the way by which we because most purified. Because all the other services that we are doing are simply leading us to become absorbed and preparing the way and leading us to become absorbed in hearing and chanting and remembering Krsna. Because ultimately all you have to do is sit down and chant Hare Krsna mantra.

Then what will happen is one will go from nama, rupa, guna and lila just by this one service - no other service is required. We may do other services because they are our duty or they may be our occupation.

We may have to different services to make a living or to maintain ourselves. But ultimately for the sadhaka, this is the service, for the bhava bhaktas, this is the service and for the prema bhaktas this is the service – sravanam kirtanam, smaranam. Everything else is auxiliary. This is called svarupa siddhi bhakti.