Tattva-viveka
Chanting and Illness
Mathura-natha Das - July 1, 2004 6:55 pm
I mentioned in the topic "Meditation on Navadvipa Dhama", that i´m not been too well lately; I have suffered from fever and stomach pains for couple of days, the fever has gone now but my stomach has not got back to 100%. During this time it has been quite hard to chant your rounds aloud due to mucus in my throat and my stomach problems. You become more aware of your symptoms than the Holy Name 
. So to counteract this I have been chanting aloud as much as possible, but when my body starts to remind me of it´s existence too much, I continued to chant in my mind, which have been helpful. Now I wonder how bona fide it is to chant only in your mind? In what way do sickness effect your KC? The positive and negative sides of it?
Your servant
Vamsidhari Dasa - July 6, 2004 2:07 am
Dear Marko,
I hope you are feeling better. Just wanted to say that I've heard Guru Maharaja say several times that Namacarya Haridas Thakur chanted aloud, silently, and whispering as well (I am pretty sure that there is another way I am blanking on now). So he told us that we can chant in any of these ways as long as it is attentive. I found in my humble practice that when I am ill I prefer to chant silently because I am less distracted by bodily ailments.
I think that the mind is deffinitelly affected by the sickness but that the heart remains unaffected as long as it is properly attended to. In difficult times we can forget what is important so that our practice suffers. Even if the heart remains unaffected the enterance to the relm of the heart remains clouded by bodily and other concerns. I found that even if I temporeraly lose sight I rarely lose direction even when I am most distracted. I think that your are chanting through sickness is a good sign. I leave to those more experienced to talk about other effects. Hope this helps some. Feel better soon.
In service,
Vamsidhari dasa
Rama-priya - July 6, 2004 8:38 am
According to this I'd like to quote what Guru Maharaja said:
"Q. When chanting on beads (japa) for a lengthy period of time, is it permissible to chant aloud for some time, then silently, then with silent movement of the lips? Also should the pace of the japa be steady or sometimes faster or slower depending on the bhava experienced at that particular time?
A. Our Namacarya Sri Haridasa Thakura chanted almost 200 rounds of Hare Krsna japa daily. He chanted 64 of these rounds silently (manasika), 64 aloud but whispering (upamsu) to others, and 64 aloud (vacasika). So all three types of japa are permissible. One can chant faster or slower as inspired. In actual bhava, all questions are answered. "
(sanga "Krsnanusilanam: The Culture of Krsna Consciousness")
I experience many times that it is sometimes easier for me to chant in the mind, than aloud and sometimes it is for me only way to remember about Krishna.
Furthermore it is better than nothing and I think if mind can chant in the time of illness it is good symptom.
By the way I hope that now you are feel good.
In help
Your servant
Ramapriya dd
Mathura-natha Das - July 6, 2004 4:03 pm
Dandavats!
Thank you for your nice replies! Yes, eventhough you´re temporarely suffering from your body (or mind) you should never loose direction. Isn´t spiritual life partly about going through some hard times (tapasya) in order to humble ourselfs? Oddly enough I discovered that when i´m reading while ill, my concentration is pretty good! Probably this is because my mind knows that I cannot run here and there, doing this and that, so thats the good side of beeing ill
Getting better.
Your servant / Marko
Swami - July 7, 2004 3:37 am
Our most revered Thakura Bhaktivinoda once cursed good health because when in good health he reasoned there was more opportunity to forget Krsna. Proper perspective and sense of value. Very instructive, but not something for neophytes to imitate.
Vamsidhari Dasa - July 7, 2004 3:42 am
It is ironic that I've just developed fever myslef and get to experience this first hand again. I barely made it to put my Deities to rest but I'm glad I was able to.
Silent chanting... JAYA SRI GURU DEVA!
In service
Vamsidhari dasa