Sound Bhakti

I just want to take a couple of minutes to think about ways in which to improve japa. I talked at the beginning of the class about desperation, and when we feel ourselves dependent on Kṛṣṇa and helpless, there could be a feeling of desperation in which we call out. And we have the example of Advaita Ācārya. Then there's room in devotional service for ambition. Everyone, being a living entity and not a dead stone, has some aspiration. In the Nectar of Devotion, Prabhupāda mentions how, when we have a specific ambition for serving Kṛṣṇa, and we're praying hard for it—that "I want to serve you in this way"—this is one of the perfections of devotional service. So, can you think of ways in which you might pray with ambition? Could you look the word up, please? Can you think of an example of someone who prayed with ambition? You know, the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is the ultimate prayer, so when we're chanting, we can also with our heart be asking Kṛṣṇa, "Please empower me in this way or that." To connect with His Grace V