As real culture has broken down people are losing the ability to relate with others properly and are thus starved for loving relationships. People are thus more insecure, neurotic, and depressed. We need a proper culture.
I woke up early and tried my hardest to focus, but the name would not
come easy. Possible reasons:
- I indirectly criticized a Vaishnava yesterday and Krishna withdrew His mercy.
- Krishna is independent. I fell under the illusion that the process of chanting is mechanical, that the Lord will appear on my tongue by my effort and power alone. Krishna withdrew His mercy to teach me dependence on His mercy.
“When He pleases, being satisfied with the sincere attempt of devotional service depending completely on the mercy of the Lord, then He may be seen out of his own accord.” (Bhag. 1.6.20)
When you increase your chanting, your taste for chanting increases, which increases one's concentration, which makes one's chanting even more attractive. Illusion also has a snowball effect. When one associates with lower modes, spiritual life becomes more difficult, which makes one more susceptible to the modes of nature, which makes chanting more difficult.