4 rounds, 16 rounds or 64 rounds

February 9, 1999

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Author: "COM: (Bhakta) Ivar Verploegh (Antwerpen - B)"

<Ivar.Verploegh (AT) com (DOT) bbt.se> at NETMAIL

09/02/99 13:23

[Text 2085171 from COM]

> So one NIRBANDHA stands for 64 rounds. That is the reason why BSST

> prescribed chanting of a minimum of 64 rounds everyday, which is

> accordance to the instructions of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Caitanya

> Bhagavat.

Actually Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura prescribed a minimum of 4 rounds

(one granthi) for those engaged in preaching. He used to say: "Just don't

let the beads fast." This is still the harinama initiation standard in the

Gaudiya Matha. He prescribed 16 or 64 rounds for all others.

Srutakirti Prabhu quoted Srila Prabhupada where he said that he chanted 16

rounds during his grihastha days. As far as the standard for preachers is

concerned, Harikesa Prabhu said some time ago: "Prabhupada chanted maximum

four rounds a day. Maximum. I know, because I used to be with him in the

middle of the night. I know what he was doing. Maximum four rounds. Not more

than 20 minutes. Maybe sometimes 30 minutes of chanting."

Dear Ivar prabhu,

PAMHO. AGTSP.

Standard, set up by H.D.G. Srila Prabhupada is a minimum of 16 rounds

a day, and that's the standard our Spiritual Masters are sticking to, and

they demand their disciples to stick to this standard of minimum 16 rounds

per day.

Hare Krisna and all the best,

Ys bh. Muhamed

February 10, 1999

Please note with profit the definitive statement by His Divine Grace A. C.

Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada on the importance of chanting sixteen rounds.

"One may have other duties to perform under the direction of the spiritual

master, but he must first abide by the spiritual master’s order to chant a

certain number of rounds. In our Krishna consciousness movement, we have

recommended that the neophyte chant at least sixteen rounds. THIS CHANTING

OF SIXTEEN ROUNDS IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY if one wants to remember Krishna

and not forget Him. Of all the regulative principles, the spiritual master’s

order to chant at least sixteen rounds is most essential."

Caitanya-caritamrita Madhya-lila 22.113, Purport (emphasis added)

February 10, 1999

> Standard, set up by H.D.G. Srila Prabhupada is a minimum of 16 rounds a

> day, and that's the standard our Spiritual Masters are sticking to, and

> they demand their disciples to stick to this standard of minimum 16 rounds

> per day.

I know that. But standard set by H.D.G. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura

was minimum of 4 rounds, not minimum of 16 or 64.

February 10, 1999

> Please note with profit the definitive statement by His Divine Grace A. C.

> Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada on the importance of chanting sixteen

> rounds.

Yes, we all know Srila Prabhupada's opinion. There are no doubts or

differences of opinion about that, except perhaps between Srila Prabhupada

and his guru.

February 10, 1999

> Please note with profit the definitive statement by His Divine Grace A. C.

> Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada on the importance of chanting sixteen

> rounds.

Yes, we all know Srila Prabhupada's opinion. There are no doubts or

differences of opinion about that, except perhaps between Srila Prabhupada

and his guru.

February 11, 1999

Haribol!

When I took initiation from my Guru Maharaja, I promised to him that I will

chant at least 16 rounds each day, and also Srila Prabhupada said so many

times that chanting is our the most important service to our Guru Maharaja.

Otherwise, we could listen to our mind and chant less rounds, or, even we

can stop chanting.

ys Damodara Rati dasa

February 11, 1999

Hare Krishna.

Why are we wasting our time talking about 16 or 64 or 4 when the Acarya has

clearly indicated 16 rounds minimum daily ? That's all there is to it. And

Srila Prabhupada has repeated this fundamental instruction throughout his

books, lectures, letters, etc. So why the need for all this ?

This is always the sad tendency in ISKCON - to speculate over simple matters

to which The Acharya has already given clear-cut answers. Another example is

the fall of the jiva. Srila Prabhupada was directly asked this question and

he directly answered it and still we will speculate ! How much respect are

we really giving to his words ? There is no use saying "Jaya Prabhupada" a

billion times everyday when we cannot even digest the fundamental

instructions we have received from him all these years. While we build

massive temples and boast of ISKCON expansion, we need to also stop and ask

ourselves if our fundamentals are still sound. Otherwise, to cite Srila

Prabhupada, we are simply decorating a dead corpse with no life. I think it

is time that all devotees in ISKCON stop and think about where we are going.

It is better to maintain the sadhana and think smaller instead of working

like dogs to simply impress externally while struggling with the basics.

Only when the foundation is solid will the structure be solid. Otherwise

ISKCON will become a mere business corporation in which people enter and

exit within a blink of the eye.

What is Srila Prabhupada's real desire ? Are we sticking to those desires ?

How he is the central focus of ISKCON - all this should be understood. There

is no use simply recruiting people on a mass scale and then drilling some so

called initiation into him/her. Initiation is to be given to someone who has

properly understood siddhanta and I find that largely lacking in ISKCON. All

we are getting are guru fanatics and mafia tendencies.

It is time we start becoming a proper Vaishnava institution. Srila

Prabhupada has said that we will go down in history as the movement that

saved human society in the darkest hour. The way things are going now, it

appears as though we will be the ones creating that darkest hour. Therefore,

back to the drawing board, back to the fundamentals, instead of speculating

without any proper direction.

Your servant,

R. Jai Simman

COM: Damodara Rati (das) IDS <Damodara.Rati.IDS (AT) com (DOT) bbt.se>

COM: Madan Gopal (das) LOK (Denver, CO - USA)

<Madan.Gopal.LOK (AT) com (DOT) bbt.se>

Cc: COM: Basu Ghosh (das) ACBSP (Baroda - IN) <Basu.Ghosh.ACBSP (AT) com (DOT) bbt.se>;

COM: Bhadra Balaram (das) JPS (Mayapur - IN)

<Bhadra.Balaram.JPS (AT) com (DOT) bbt.se>; COM: (Bhakta) Dr. V. Govindaraju (Panvel -

IN) <Dr.V.Govindaraju (AT) com (DOT) bbt.se>; H.G. Locanananda Prabhu <LFELDA (AT) aol (DOT) com>;

Prasad prabhu <prasad (AT) fulcrum (DOT) ecc.engr.uky.edu>; COM: Brahmacarya

Thursday, February 11, 1999 6:56 PM

Re: 4 rounds, 16 rounds or 64 rounds

>[Text 2089466 from COM]

>

>Haribol!

>When I took initiation from my Guru Maharaja, I promised to him that I will

>chant at least 16 rounds each day, and also Srila Prabhupada said so many

>times that chanting is our the most important service to our Guru Maharaja.

>Otherwise, we could listen to our mind and chant less rounds, or, even we

>can stop chanting.

>

>ys Damodara Rati dasa

February 11, 1999