My Experiences with the Hare Krishna Mantra

Here I am, with a post on my personal experiences with chanting the Hare Krishna mantra. This was due a long time ago, but I had exams and assignments to work on, so my apologies.

So here's all the coolio stuff that happened to me with regard to the mantra:

The first time I heard a studio recording of the Hare Krishna mantra with careful attention, I found myself crying. I didn't know why. There's a possibility that I was crying over something that was perhaps locked somewhere in my subconscious. But I remember feeling very overwhelmed and completely absorbed in the song. I listened to it and sang it many times after.

One of the most distinct memories I have of the power of the Hare Krishna mantra is this:

I woke up one morning, after having a really weird/bad dream about ghosts and spirits and stuff. (See note at end to read about the dream.) I was horrified and really distressed, like I usually am after dreaming about anything to do with supernatural or paranormal forces. It had also confused me because I couldn't understand the dream. Maybe it didn't mean anything, but it was disturbing, nevertheless. So I was walking around the room and I was thinking that I should probably chant to get rid of all this negative energy that's building up inside me. I was a bit hesitant and unwilling to chant. Yeah, you can call me Karmie. Then this line from a song by People of Faith (now known as Mayapuris I think) came to mind: "Holy shelter is in the Holy Name"

That was enough to get me going. I started to chant. Then I started to feel like Krishna was watching and he was enjoying it. I felt like he was playing his flute to my chanting. I started to dance. Like really dance. It was a very slow, light garba that I had seen Hare Krishnas perform in YouTube videos. My body was airy and I don't know the proper dance (it is a traditional Indian dance) but I was feeling it, you know? Like really feeling it.

And it was the best feeling in the world.

Other times, while chanting, I have felt Krishna's presence. I have felt Krishna and Radha looking at me, watching over me while I sang their names. Many times, I have anticipated Krishna's moods. I have sensed him laughing and giggling in amusement after playing little pranks on me. Like I mentioned above, I have heard him playing the flute along to my singing. Yeah, I do wonder if I concoct these things myself, sometimes. Like, I wonder if I'm just imagining it. Either way, Madhav is present so it's more than enough. I remember one time I could hear a very sad melody in my head - I was very sad at the time because something awful had happened and I was crying. And then I could hear a very sad melody and I felt as though Madhav was feeling a lot of pain, simply because I was devastated. He really is the Father of the universe. He is the perfect Friend. He is the most adorable Son. The best part is, he is anything you want him to be. And he is that because he is Love.

Hari hari bol.

NOTE:

I dreamed that there was a ghost or spirit around that was controlling me and constricting my body movements. Like a force that put my body in freeze mode. And this was happening while I was washing my legs in the bathroom. The door was closing itself and I called out to someone to hold it open. He held it open and then went away. Then a South Indian lady came in (she was wearing a cross around her neck). I told her to hold the door open (because the spirit was closing it). And I asked her if it was difficult to hold it open and she said it wasn't. Then I kept watching to door to make sure it wouldn't close because I had to get the soap off my legs. Afterward, I cried out in exasperation, "Oh Jesus!" Then I spoke to a Christian woman that I know and in the dream she told me that she would try to get rid of the spirit in whatever way she could, i.e. through Jesus.