How should one chant?

Once a mailman decided to visit H. H. Gondavalekar Maharaj. He reached Gondavale (a town in Maharashtra, India where Gondavalekrr Maharaj resided) on a Saturday morning, with the intention of returning home that evening, after visiting Gondavalekar Maharaj during the day. However, that day it started raining heavily and Maharaj suggested that he spend the night in Gondavale. He agreed to it and prepared to stay overnight.

After dinner Maharaj was resting in His room when the mailman decided to visit Him and ask Him some questions regarding spiritual practice. The mailman was not a devotee of Maharaj and did not have much faith in Him. He asked Maharaj, “How should one chant?” In response Maharaj said, “Place your ear on my hand.” The mailman, though surprised, did so and he heard Maharaj’s chant, ‘ Shri Ram, jai Ram, jai jai Ram ’, coming out from Maharaj’s hand ! Then, Maharaj said to him, “Now place your ear on my leg and then on my heart.” The mailman did accordingly and heard the chant emananting from all these parts of Gondavalekar Maharaj’s body.

Moral: is that ultimately, chanting should be such that every part of one’s body is chanting. For that to happen one’s chanting must become more and more deep. Regular spiritual practice of chanting the Lord’s Name accompanied by remaining in holy company of other seekers, holy books, etc., and serving the Lord’s mission of spreading the importance of chanting His Name, deepens one’s chanting.