What happens to those who chant without understanding the Holy Name?

The Holy Name is like fire. If a little baby who does not know anything about fire touches fire what happens?If the chief fire marshal of Mumbai touches fire, what happens? Same thing, they both get burned, because fire burns.
So even if a person does not know anything about they Holy Name, if they hear the Holy Name and if they chant the Holy Name, there will be a powerful spiritual effect.

Srila Prabhupada our Gurudev tells a story about his Gurudev who was giving a lecture at a particular place and two newspapers publiched articles.One was praising the devotees and the other was seriously criticizing the devotees. When Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur read both artciles he said, "This one is much better" and it was the one that was criticizing the devotees. The devotees asked, "How is this better?". He said ,"The first one is praising but it only says the name of Krishna only once.This one is criticizing has the name of Krishna so many times. So whoever reads it is hearing the name of Krishna." When you read, reading is sound vibration. It is the written word, you read it, but in your mind its a sound. They are hearing Krishna's name so many times , how much they will feel connected and purified.

But as we make some spiritual progress then at that point our attitude, our character, our sincerity -Krishna reciprocates with that. The Holy Name is always pure, but our attitude accesses the grace of the Holy Name very much so.

Lecture: Chetana-Power of Sound Vibration

I come to SB class every Saturday and Sunday, I like to hear SB, but I cannot remember what I have heard.

Just by your being attentive in class your heart is being purified and you are enriching your spiritual life. To help you remember you may want to take notes. For studies you take notes and those nice notes help you remember, so similarly if we cannot remember what we have heard in class we can take notes and go over those notes to help us remember, but just by taking your time to come to the class when you could be doing so many things is purifying your heart even if you dont remember all the details. That is a wonderful benediction.
As far as your studies just try your best and Krishna will bless you.

Lecture: Chetana-Power of Sound Vibration

How does sound become a cause of material entanglement?

Just turn on your radio. :) or turn on your television or go to a restaurent and hear what people are talking about. When people are gossiping it fills our mind with that vibration and it entangles us. When people are thinking of material subject matters, through that association it awakens our propensity for material subject matters. When I say turn on your radios, or look at the hoardings on the street of Bombay, I really dont want you to do that (Laugh). If you do what happens? These hoardings have lusty men and lusty women embracing. What happens to someone who sees that ? The vibration within the mind responds to seeing that, and it awakens our propensities for those things. If you are with people who are talking about the glories of smoking cigarettes, then it awakens in you the inclination- It must be so good they are talking all abput it, it sounds so nice, and we become bound entangled. You see time is so precious, as we are listening listening , hearing ,hearing, mundane material sound vibrations, glorifying things that cause bondage, it is filling our head with those impressions.But if we are talking about Krishna, thinking about Krishna and seeing Krishna and chanting the Holy Names of Krishna we are filling our minds with those vibrations.

Lecture: Chetana-Power of Sound Vibration