Sound Bhakti

Regarding pointing our attention, in the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa talks about how when we contemplate the objects of the senses, we enter into a downward spiral. That is, we become attached to them and then we become bewildered because of it. So, we can also contemplate the holy name as we're chanting. There are many things said about the holy name and also about Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa's holy names are non-different. So even if we don't understand exactly who Kṛṣṇa is, who does, Gajendra says, nobody can actually understand who He is. We can contemplate it, and by contemplating the Holy Name, which means to actually consider it, just think about it—what is this name—and try to hear the sound and the mystery of the sound, try to understand it. Then we go in an upward spiral, unlike contemplating the objects of the senses. And ultimately, Prabhupāda says, if there's a sense of love, then the awareness and the concentration on the holy name is steady. Because naturally, when we love somebody, then... (excerpt from t