Another method, which does not lead to indifference
Anya prakriya ei rupa karile audasinya rupa anavadhana haya na
Otherwise, one can sit in a secluded place, remembering the method of the sadhus. By covering the senses, one can fix the mind on the Name[1].
Quickly one reaches nistha and then gradually ruci, the initial taste for the Name. So, the offense of indifference is ultimately destroyed.
Symptoms of inattention resulting from laziness
Jadya-janita anavadhana laksana
Inattention from jadya arises from an idle mind. Therefore, the taste when chanting sri-nama does not arise.
At the time of remembering the Holy Name one will want to quickly finish his japamala. Because of this offense, nama-rasa will not manifest.
A Sadhu never wastes time in useless activities but remembers the Name[2] at all times.
Meditating on nama and absorbed in rasa, he desires nothing else. The defect of laziness vanishes in the association of sadhus.
One must seek sadhu-sanga, and by emulating them one avoids mental laziness.
It is the nature of a sadhu not to waste time on useless things. By observing him act in this way, an aspiring devotee certainly attains ruci.
He will think: Oh, when will I be like him? When will I become fortunate enough to remember and chant the Name like him?
In this way the neophyte devotee becomes enthusiastic. The lazy thoughts arising from jadya go away and one can remember Krishna-nama.
Think: Today I will chant 64 rounds of the Holy Names and gradually meditate on them three times as much.
In his mind he has great enthusiasm and chants a fixed number of Names. Very soon, by the grace of the sadhu, jadya disappears.
Understanding the characteristics of distraction
Viksepa janita anavadhana laksana
The carelessness resulting from viksepa is an aparadha which can be destroyed only with great effort.
It lies in the desire for wealth, women, the victory and defeat of others, the desire for prestige and the tendency to deceive.
When attraction for all these arises in the heart, one becomes careless in chanting the Name.
The method to abandon distraction
Viksepa-tyagera upaya
Little by little you stop thinking about all these things. One who is very fortunate strives to follow the conduct of a Vaishnava.
Firstly, during Hari-dina[3], one should renounce even the thought of food, and in the association of sadhus, worship Hari-nama day and night.
In a place sacred to Hari[4], with the servants of Hari[5], and reading Sastras regarding Hari[6], one should immerse oneself in such supremely blissful festivals without any fear.
Gradually, more and more time is spent absorbed in bhakti-related activities. The mind immerses itself in a festival of bliss when involved in Hari-katha.
Ultimately, the great rasa arises in the heart. Then he will definitively abandon the mediocre pleasures of material things.
When he hears songs about Hari sung by a Mahajana, his mind and ears become fascinated and relish the rasas.
When the desire for lower sense objects disappears, the mind becomes stable in chanting the Holy Name.
Therefore, one should strive to reject this kind of pramada, inattention, and then with a steady mind one immerses oneself in nama-rasa.
[1] Indriya pidhana kari, covering the senses, i.e., sitting alone in a room with the door closed, or covering the eyes, nose etc. with a cloth during sadhana.
[2] Avyartha-kalatva-dharma, his nature is that he does not waste his time by engaging in unnecessary activities.
[3] The days sacred to Hari, such as Ekadasi.
[4] Vrindavana, Mayapura, Jagannatha Puri, and others.
[5] Krishna’s devotees.
[6] Such as Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and many others.
This is a section of the book “Harinama Cintamani (English)”.
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