Certainly, in the first stages in chanting the Holy Name we have to listen, listen, listen. Prabhupāda says it is very,very important – just listen to the Holy Name. By attentive listening to the Holy Name, the mind is supposed to gradually become controlled and cleared, and when the mind is actually controlled and cleared, then what begins to manifest is a particular form of one’s worshipable Lord. That form may not always be manifested in the mind, but it begins to manifest in a clear mind.
MKV, Vol 8- Pg 15, Our Progress in Life is Gauged by Our Chanting- May 01, 2001-Moscow