Mantra japa or nama japa for me?
Namaste.
Maybe it's because my mind is not disciplined, I cannot seem to concentrate or derive anything (feeling) from the mantra Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya when I do japa. Certainly I know it's meaning, but I don't "connect" with it. I know that properly a mantra should be given by a guru, but I do not have a guru, and most likely never will. I chose Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya because I've read that is the one for Vaishnavas to use, that it brings you close to Krishna.
On the other hand, I read that when one is not initiated, one should not chant mantra japa, but rather nama japa. If I understood what I read, should I not use Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya or Om Sri Krishnaya Namaha, or another mantra? Rather, I should just chant "Krishna, Krishna, Krishna..." or "Govinda, Govinda, Govinda..." or "Rāma, Rāma, Rāma... " on my mālā? If so, I think even that's very nice in itself.
śivasya hridayam viṣṇur viṣṇoscha hridayam śivaḥ
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