Lord Chaitanya and the Acharyas on 64 rounds

[Guest guest]

THH PERFECTION OF LIFE IS TO GET THE DEGREE OF LAKSESVARA FROM LORD CAITANYA

THOSE WHO DON'T CHANT 1,00,000 NAMES DAILY WILL DEVELOP MATERIAL DESIRES AND

BECOME INCAPABLE OF SERVING EVEN THE MOST MERCIFUL & LIBERAL INCARNATION OF

LORD ACCORDING TO SRILA SARASVATI THAKURA.

 

sri caitanya-bhagavate

 

(1) prabhu bale,-"jana, 'laksesvara' bali kare?

prati-dina laksa-nama ye grahana kare"

 

In the Caitanya-bhagavata Madhya Khanda 9.121-122, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu

instructed us on whose worship and service He will accept:

 

"Do you know who is a laksesvara? He is someone who chants one laksa, or one

hundred thousand holy names (sixty-four rounds of the Hare Krsna

maha-mantra) everyday."

 

[NOTE: THE FOLLOWING ARE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PURPORTS (IMHO) OF SRILA

SARASVATI THAKURA IN ALL HIS GAUDIYA BHASYAS SINCE IT BEEN INCLUDED IN HIS

FINAL UPADESHAVALI. THAT IS WHY THE ORIGINAL BENGALI IS INCLUDED.]

 

PURPORT:

 

[POSITIVE INJUNCTION]

 

sri gaurasundera balibena - "jini pratidina laksanama grahana

karibena, tanharai grhe bhagavan sevita hana."

 

Sri Gaurasundara spoke as follows - "The Supreme Personality of Godhead

accepts service only in the home of those who chant one hundred thousand

names daily.

 

bhagavan tanharai nikate bhoga-dravyadi grahana karena.

 

"The Lord accepts bhoga (foodstuffs) and other ingredients only from such

personalities.

 

[NEGATIVE INJUNCTION]

 

jini laksanama grahana karena na, tahara nikate haite bhagavan

naivedya svikara-dvara seva-saubhagya pradana karena na.

 

"Those who don't chant one hundred thousand names daily, are never awarded

the great fortune of rendering service to the Lord by offering Him naivedya

(bhoga). This is because never accepts (svikara) their offerings."

 

[WARNING OF DANGER]

 

bhagavad-bhakta matrei pratyaha laksa-nama grahana karibena natuva

vividha visaye asakta haiya bhagavad-seva karite asamartha haibena.

 

The Lord continued - "Those who consider themselves devotees of the Lord

must compulsorily chant 1,00,000 names everyday otherwise they will

gradually but surely become attached to varieties of sense-objects and thus

become incapable to rendering any kind of service to the Lord."

 

[CONCLUSION]

 

tajjanyai sri caitanyadevera asrita sakalai nyunkalpe laksanama

grahana kariya thakena. natuva gaurasunderera udesya pradatta

naivedya tini grahana karibena na.

 

(Srila Sarasvati Thakura continues) Therefore all the devotees who have

taken shelter of Lord Caitanyadeva perform the chanting of 1,00,000 names of

Krsna daily as their first and primary duty. Because they know that if they

don't do so then Lord Gaurasundera will never accept the very bhoga

(naivedya) which they will cook for Him daily.

 

(2) "se janera nama ami bali 'laksesvara'

tatha bhiksa amara, na yai anya ghara"

 

"I call such a person a laksesvara. I only accept meals in that person's

house. I never go anywhere else."

 

PURPORT BY SRILA SARASVATI THAKURA:

 

[HEAVY STATEMENT]

 

sri caitanya bhaktagana abhaktera sahita sambhasana karena na. jini

bhaktivyatita karma, jnana o anyabhilasara kathaya pradatta tahara

sahita bandhutva karibe na.

 

The devotees of Lord Sri Caitanya never talk with such non-devotees. They

never do friendship with those who are engaged in the cultivation of

karma,jnana or other desires which are devoid of bhakti.

 

[Note: Srila Sarasvati Thakura indicates that those who do not chant

laksa-nama daily get engaged in karma,jnana, material desires and gradually

become non-devotees. The next line is even more clear.]

 

[HEAVY WARNING AGAIN]

 

pratyah laksa-nama grahana na karile patita vyaktiganera

visaya-bhoga pravrtti vrddhi paya; takhana ara tahara sri

gaurasunderarera seva karite pare na.

 

Those who don't accept this vow of chanting 1,00,000 names daily, they

fallen down even more although they were fallen in the first place (due to

contamination of Kali-yuga). Thus their propensity for enjoying the senses

and sense-objects increases and ultimately they are not able to render any

kind of service to Lord Gaurasundera.

 

[Note: Srila Sarasvati has conclusively established here that those who

don't chant laksa-nama daily are absolutely sure to fall down even from the

service of the merciful Lord Gaurasundera in due course of time. Then what

to speak of rendering service to Their Lordships Radha & Krishna]

 

[FINAL CONCLUSION]

 

laksesvara vyatita gaura-bhaktira adarsa gaudiyajana kehai svikara

karena na.

 

That is the precise reason why the real Gaudiya-bhaktas do not accept any

other ideal (adarsa) in Gaura-bhakti except the process of chanting 1,00,000

names daily.

 

[MOST IMPORTANT FINAL STATEMENT BY SRILA SARASVATI THAKURA]

 

adhapatita va adhapete gana eka-matra bhajana-sabda-vacya

sri-nama-bhajane vimukhata-vasata laksa-nama grahana karibara

parivarte anyabhajanera chalana korena, taddvara tahadera kona

mangala haya na.

 

Those spiritual aspirants who are already fallen or will fall in the future

are averse to this sole means of deliverance called nama-bhajana which is

also the worship of the sound incarnation of God in the form of chanting

1,00,000 names daily. Coming under the sway of their averseness to chant

laksa-nama daily, they duplicitously invent other means of devotional

service to justify their not chanting laksa-nama but it is to be understood

that by this action they will not achieve anything auspicious in their life.

 

[Note: This final statement is so crystal clear, straight and conclusive.]

 

(3) prabhu bole,-"kahilan ei mahamantra;

iha japa giya sabe koriya nirbandha."

 

In Sri Caitanya-bhagavata Madhya Khanda 23.77, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu

instructed all the people of Navadvipa:

 

"Please hear this Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Everyone please chant this

maha-mantra daily in 'nirbandha'* . Then one will surely achieve all

perfection.

 

[*Thakura Bhaktivinoda explains in his book Hari-nama-cintamani that

 

caribara mala phirile eka grantha haya.

eka grantha niyama kariya kramasah vrddhi karite karite 16 granthe

eka laksa nama nirbandha haibe.

 

One round (on mala, 108 beads) = 108 times the full Hare Krsna maha-mantra

One grantha = 4 rounds (malas)

One nirbandha = 16 granthas

= 64 rounds of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra

= 100,000 total names of Hare, Krsna & Rama

Samasta purva mahajanagana prabhura ei adesa palana kariya

sarva-siddhi labha kariyachilena.

 

All the previous mahajanas (great devotees) without exception have achieved

success only through this process of chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra in

atleast one nirbandha (64 rounds) daily.

 

[Note: So according to Thakura Bhaktivinoda, Lord Caitanya is requesting

everyone to chant atleast one nirbandha (64 rounds) of the Hare Krsna

everyday to ensure the achievement of perfection in this harinama-sankirtana

yajna in Kali-yuga.]

 

SRILA BHAKTISIDDHANTA SARASVATI THAKURA IN UPADESHAVALI:

 

22. Bhagavan will not accept anything which is offered by a person who

doesn't chant Harinama one-hundred thousand times daily and such a person is

considered a 'patita'.

 

23. By sincerely endeavoring to chant Harinama without offences and

remaining fixed in chanting constantly, one's offences will fade and pure

Harinama will arise on the tongue.

 

Srila Bhakti Promod Puri Goswami Maharaja about his guru Om Visnupada Srila

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada:

 

"Unfailingly as a daily vow, he used to chant one lakh Names of the Lord (64

rounds) and his instruction to all his disciples was to do likewise. Keeping

this vow intact, he would allot his times incredibly to cover all his

preaching schedules and literary work, being a source of inspiration to all

who came in contact with him."

 

Those who have chanted laksa hari-nama for fifteen or twenty years should

know such things (rasa-sastra). The beginners need not hear these topics or

they will misunderstand.’ (Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, From an

article in The Gaudiya, 1934)

 

SRILA BHAKTIVINODA THAKURA

 

Sadhu-vrtti, Sajjana Tosani 11/12:

 

tinei sad-grhastha -- jini pratyah laksa-nama grahana karena, tanhara grhei

suddha-vaisnavagana prasada grahana karibena

 

Only those devotees are sad-grhasthas who chant 1,00,000 names of Krsna

daily. And the pure devotees should accept prasada only in the homes of

these sad-grhasthas.

 

[Note: Since Lord Caitanya accepts the bhoga of only those grhasthas who

chant 1,00,000 names daily, thus pure devotees should accept prasada only in

the homes of such grhasthas.]

 

mane habe-aja laksa nama ye kariba

krame krame tina laksa nama ye smariba

mahagraha habe citta namera samkhyaya

acire yabe jadya sadhura krpaya

 

In the Hari-nama-cintamani it is said:

 

"When one's mind desires to chant and remember one hundred thousand holy

names (64 rounds) daily and furthur desires to slowly increase it to three

hundred thousand and when my mind becomes very attached and eager to

complete the fixed number of rounds (sankhya) and pushes me to complete the

sankhya everday, then it is understood that very soon the laziness or apathy

in chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra will vanish by the mercy of the

sadhus and my chanting will bring me the desired fruit of pure love for

Krsna."

 

In Bhajana-pranali, Hari-nama-cintamani it is said:

 

Samkhya koriya tulasira malaya namasnarana ba kirtanai upasana. Sei

upasana-kramai sakala labhera mula. Sutaranga prathame atyalpakala

nirjjane ekagra haiya nama koribe. Krame namasamkhya vrddhi korite

korite namanusilanera nairantarjya evam visaya-pratibaddhakera ksaya

avasya haibe.

 

The upasana or the method of worship to achieve prema is to chant and

remember the name of Krsna on tulasi beads. This worship gradually becomes

the root cause for all auspicious achievements. That is why in the beginning

one should sit down in a solitary place for a very short period and chant

the name with concentration. Gradually one should increase the number of

rounds (as given in the above verse). Then gradually the cultivation of the

name will become continuous then all the obstacles and material desires will

be destroyed.

 

[Note: As per the above statement by Thakura Bhaktivinoda it is clear that

without gradually increasing the chanting upto the point of chanting

continuously (atleast 64 rounds), the obstacles on our spiritual path will

never be removed.]

 

In the Jaiva-dharma all the babajis chant 2,00,000 names daily. Then they

read the scriptures and preach to whoever comes to meet them. Advaita das

babaji experiences purification of heart and freedom from anarthas after

chanting 2,00,000 names 3 to 4 years in Navadvipa-dhama in the association

of pure devotees. Haridas babaji tells Nityananda das that he has just

crossed the kanishtha platform and entered the madhyama paltform after he

had chanted 64 rounds for many many years.

 

SRILA JAGANNATHA DASA BABAJI

 

The main teaching of Srila Jagannatha dasa babaji:

 

"If you want to achieve perfection in Krsna consciousness, you must take a

vow to chant a minimum of two hundred thousand or otherwise one hundred

thousand of holy names every day, and you must execute that without fail.

Before you retire at night you must finish this specific number of rounds,

then you can achieve perfection in Krsna consciousness."

 

SRILA LOKANATHA GOSWAMI TO SRILA NAROTTAMA

 

Prema-vilasa: Chapter 11

 

(Note: Both Srila Prabhupada and Srila Sarasvati Thakura have accepted

Prema-vilasa as bonafide in their commentaries to Cc Adi 13.60 purp.)

 

je vaisnava haibe laibe harinama

sankhya kari nama laile krpa karena gauradhama

 

"Those who are Vaisnavas must chant the names of Krsna in a particular

number everyday. Then Lord Gaura, the supreme abode of love will be merciful

to them.

 

WHAT IS THAT NUMBER?

 

purva abhipraye sabe laha harinama

keha laksa visesatah mukhe gana

 

"Everyone should specifically chant or sing the name loudly 1,00,000 times a

day with the mood I have described earlier.

 

EMPOWERMENT IF:

 

narottama laksa nama laya sankhya kari

nama laile gaurangera sarva sakti dhari

 

"O my disciple, Narottama! Please chant 1,00,000 names everyday while

maintaining their count. If you chant in this way then you will become

empowered by all the potencies of Lord Gauranga.

 

ACHIEVE THE LOTUS FEET OF KRSNA IF:

 

krsna pada prapti laksa laile harinama

granthi purna haile eka karibe pranama.

 

"I again repeat that if you want to achieve the lotus feet of Lord Krishna,

then you have to chant 1,00,000 names daily. After chanting four rounds

(granthi) or one round, you should offer obeisances to the Name.

 

Prema-vilasa Chapter 17: Srila Narottama to Srila Kaviraja on the direct

process to achieve love of Krsna

 

prabhura achaye sankhya tina laksa nama

eka laksa bhaktagane kaila krpa dana

 

"Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to Himself chant 3,00,000 names everyday. But

He very mercifully awarded His devotees the process of chanting 1,00,000

names daily.

 

sri rupa kaila laksa granthera varnana

tathapiha karila laksa nama grahana

 

"Srila Rupa Goswami has explained and quoted from over 1,00,000 different

scriptures. Even though he was such a great scholar and devotee he himself

chanted 1,00,000 Names daily.

 

dasa goswamira ache laksa pramana

ei mata sarva bhakta kare harinama

 

"Srila Raghunatha Das Goswami also rigidly followed the instructions of the

Lord by chanting 1,00,000 names daily. In this way (laksa-nama) all the

devotees chanted the holy name of Krsna.

 

gauranga srimukhe rupe kahila vaisnave

laksa nama sankhya kari avasya karibe

 

"Lord Gauranga instructed the Vaisnavas and Srila Rupa Himself that please

compulsorily chant 1,00,000 names of Krsna daily.

 

SRILA NAROTTAMA & HIS FOLLOWERS

 

yakhana avasara takhana layena harinama

eimata laksa sankhya achaye pramana

 

Whenever they used to get an opportunity all of them used to chant Hare

Krsna. In this way they used to complete the chanting of 1,00,000 names

daily.

 

Chapter 18: Narottama instructs his disciples

 

adhanya manaye narottama apanake

suna sisya bandhugana kahiye tomake

 

Srila Thakura Narottama considering himself worthless in his natural

humility, called all his disciples, followers and friends, and spoke to them

in the following important instructions.

 

MOST IMPORTANT & FINAL INSTRUCTION:

 

prathamei krsnapada prapti laksa jara

se laiba laksa-nama sankhya apanara

 

"Those whose top priority in life is to achieve the lotus feet of Krsna

should voluntarily chant 1,00,000 names of Krsna daily."

 

QUEEN RUPAMALA

 

Narottama Vilasa 10th Vilasa:

 

Rupamala, the queen of a distant country became so happy on getting

initiation from Srila Narottama dasa Thakura that she sweared to take one

hundred thousand Harinama (64 rounds of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra) in a

day. Seeing her determination, everyone began to sing the glory of Srila

Narottama dasa Thakura Mahasaya.

 

SRILA RASIKANANDA DEVA

 

Sri Rasika-mangala, Eastern part, 6th Wave:

 

When Sri Rasikananda was a child, he did not waste time playing games like

other children. Rather, he would meditate on the maha-mantra. His daily

practice was to chant a hundred thousand names of Krsna (64 rounds). He

would refuse to accept his mother's foodstuffs until he completed his

chanting.

 

We will end with some quotes of Srila Prabhupada which were not posted

earlier:

 

120 ROUNDS

 

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 20, 1972

 

"Just like we have asked our students to finish sixteen rounds chanting

minimum. Sixteen rounds is nothing. In Vrndavana there are many devotees,

they chant 120 rounds. Like that. So sixteen rounds is the minimum. Because

I know in the Western countries it is difficult job to finish sixty-four

rounds or 120 rounds, like that. Minimum sixteen rounds. That must be

finished."

 

MINIMUM IS 64 BUT IT HAS BEEN FURTHUR MINIMIZED

 

Letter to: Purusottama, Bombay, 23 October, 1973

 

Because we have got many duties, [text missing] ...ve minimized the amount

to 16 rounds, otherwise [text missing] ...minimum is 64 rounds, but Western

people cannot [text missing] ...this. So 16 rounds must be executed.

 

FOR WESTERNERS

 

Nectar of Instruction, Verse 5:

 

The Krsna consciousness movement prescribes sixteen rounds daily because

people in the Western countries cannot concentrate for long periods while

chanting on beads. Therefore the minimum number of rounds is prescribed.

However, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura used to say that unless one

chants at least sixty-four rounds of japa (one hundred thousand names), he

is considered fallen (patita). According to his calculation, practically

every one of us is fallen, but because we are trying to serve the Supreme

Lord with all seriousness and without duplicity, we can expect the mercy of

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is famous as patita-pavana, the deliverer

of the fallen.

 

Note: If devotees find any other quotes on the importance of chanting

laksa-nama from the previous acaryas, please let me know.)

 

Daso'smi, Tridandi Bhikshu BR Sadhu.

brsadhu (AT) rediffmail (DOT) com; Sadhu.Swami (AT) pamho (DOT) net

Address:

A-303, Natasha Park II , Penkarpada, Behind Srishti,

Mira Road (East), Thane 401 107, Maharashtra, India.

Tel: (91-22) 8112230, 9602 900797, 8951775.

 

P.S. It is my keen desire to start training programs or seminars to inspire

some serious devotees to come up to the standard of chanting 1,00,000 names

daily. Also to systematically discuss and solve all the obstacles (mental,

physical and practical) which they may be facing to come up to that

standard. This is my last email and I wanted to end with an imporatant

message.