New Start

Jaya Narasimhadeva!

We are here on the Sankirtana festival on Simhacalam, South Germany. In the festival opening speech, H.H.Sacinandana Swami mentioned how things which went nicely last year we should carry with us to a New Year and things (or mentalities) which were not that nice, we should leave to last year.
I thought this can be seen in connection to Japa also - things what we were doing nicely, let's keep up with these and things where we were lazy, better to leave these behind.
There have been lots of nectarean kirtans here - chanting for many hours with elevated devotees is always very uplifting. Last evening a thought came that one cannot enter into the mysteries of the holy name without mercy - in kirtan I can somehow understand that the holy name is something very deep, but there is no qualification to really enter into the depths.
It is same both with kirtan or Japa, we should do the maximum endeavor to concentrate and be attentive, but it is finally the mercy of the holy name and pure devotees, if we can actually realize something about the holy name.

Your servant,

Muniraja dasa