Did Sri Caitanya tell one should chant 64 rounds? and Who else?

[anadi]

Preamble

 

An excerpt from an intimate lecture given by Srila Bhaktivedanta Vana Maharaja together with Srila Bhaktivedanta Aranya Maharaja in Braja Mandala Prikrama karitka 2002:

Part1

S.B Vana Maharaja:

I will speak (about that confidential pastimes) when you chant one lackh harinam (100 000 Holy Names daily). How many devotees chant one lackh harinam? Raise your hand.

Devotee: All the time or now and than?

The devotees started to laugh.

S.B Vana Maharaja: Hey, (laughing) every day.

 

nirantara kara krsna nama sankirtana

helaya mukti pabe, pabe prema dhana

 

Always chant krsna nama and you will very easily achieve mukti.

Finally you will receive the treasure of krsna prema

 

In the case of my gurudeva (Srila Bhaktivedanta Vamana Maharaja), he always asked how many rounds you chanted. Without the chanting of harinam is very difficult to understand this topics; and listen hari khata, bhajan, sadhan, also.

But harinam is most powerful.

Actually we don t know the power of harinam.

If you really chant harinam, than you realize it.

 

S.B Aranya Maharaja: Krsna nama dhare koto bal.

S.B Vana Maharaja: What is the meaning? Oh, krsna nama, how you are powerful!

If you listen hari katha, you should chant the holy name. Don t neglect.

Maybe your question is that you say you don t have time.

You have time! Why are you not chanting the Holy Name?

Continuous chanting qualify you for hearing the sweet pastimes, high standard katha, than only through this chanting you will realize it. Realization will come.

In Jaiva Dharma Srila Bhaktivinod explains that hari nama is cit anu shilanam.

 

to be continued

 

[Streetstraw]

There is a story indicating GaurAnga's desire to only accept lunch at 64 round-chanters' homes.

Maybe in Cc Madhya-lila

[anadi]

Dandavat pranama dear Streetstraw

may your heart be overwhelmed with love.

Thank you for your indication.

Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja told me that the story is from Caitanya Bhagavatata (written from Srila Vrindavan das Thakur and originally known as Caitanya Mangala)

[anadi]

S.B Aranya Maharaja:

In Jaiva Dharma, there, one devotee, Brajanatha, actually before he was a logician, but by the mercy of Nimai Pandit, he gave up logic and wanted to follow Vaishnava dharma.

And he asked so many logical question, especially about the jiva (his nature, where is he coming from and what is his destination),

but after some time his gurudeva Ragunath das Babaji Maharaj told him that he should not ask anymore, because the transcendental subject matter is beyond the mind,

and the more you try to understand (the transcendental) by your mind the more your mind will grind to a hault.

The more you try to understand through the head, the mind will come to a stop. Then you will become like an advaita vadi. You come to think that it is so inconceivable that you cannot even speak about it.

So gurudeva said

be careful don t try to continue like this, try to do the cit anu shilanam,

which means spiritual cultivation.

There is only one cit anu shilanam actually and

that is to take harinam.

So he said I told you something about jiva tattva,

you should not inquire from anyone else,

because everyone will explain in different ways, by different words,

and words cannot explain the transcendental,

they can only look in that direction.

And I give you this advice,

you should just do cit anu shilanam.

You try for seven days,

you just chant all day for seven days,

and then you will be able to understand what I told you.

 

[Tarun]

We used to follow him around trying to tape his chanting.

He would sometimes remind us:

"Don't just tape; u do kIrtan yourselves. U do it."

Same idea. Similar advice, nicht wahr?

[kailasa]

"...As stated in prayer to the six Gosvamis: saмkhyд-pьrvaka-nдma-gдna-natibhiщ kдlдvasдnй-kеtau.

The word sa... means "maintaining a numerical strength."

 

"...Certainly the chanting of 300,000 holy names of the Lord is wonderful. No ordinary person can chant so many names, nor should one artificially imitate Haridasa Thakura’s behavior. It is essential, however, that everyone fulfill a specific vow to chant the Hare Krsna mantra. Therefore we have prescribed in our Society that all our students must chant at least sixteen rounds daily. Such chanting must be offenseless in order to be of high quality.

[anadi]

Jaya Radha, jaya jaya Madhava daiyte

Gokula taruni mandala mahite

 

I am very impressed that you had (have) such a high class association as the association of Niskincan KRSNa dAs Babaji Mhrj.

 

He would sometimes remind us:

"Don't just tape; u do kIrtan yourselves. U do it."

 

Your previous good samskaras and sukritis made possible

that you are such a fortunate person.

Not all are on this stage. And there is no unjustice in it.

 

The stage of fanaticism,

we have to go all through it

[anadi]

Pastime related in Caitanya Bhagavat by Srila Vridavan das Thakur

 

S.B Aranya Maharaja:

So only listening again and again and

reading and writing and thinking

transcendental realization will be very far away.

Try to chant more.

So Caitanya Mahaprabhu told

 

prabhu bole jan LAKHSH ISHVAR bole kore

yei LAKHSHA NAMA prati din jei jan grahan kore

 

One time some brahmanas came to Mahaprabhu and said:

Oh, you are sanyasi, please accept the invitation to my home.

Mahaprabhu said:

I only accept invitation from LASHSH ishvar.

Then they become upset because laksh ishvar is one who has 100 000 rupies.

And they said: Laksh ishvar? We are pour brahmanas!

We will never have 100 000 rupies so Mahaprabhu will never take prasadam in our home.

Mahaprabhu said No! I don t mean that. I mean

prati din laksha nama jey grahan kore;

lakhsh ishvar means one who chants 100 000 Holy Names of Krsna every day.

I will accept the invitation to his home.

What does it means?

It means that actually Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He is causelessly merciful, He is soo merciful! But at the same time he will not even accept a glass of water from a person who does not chant 100 000 Names.

This was His request:

Prabhu koy koy lon ey maha mantra hya japa gya sabe korya nirbandha.

Nirbandha means 100 000 Names, one lakh, 64 rounds.

Yadi ama pati sneha taki saba kar krsna nama bhyati rek nagi hy be ara

he said If you love Me, just do what I ask you to do.

Mahaprabhu said If you love Me, than you chant one lackh every day.

Chant the Names of Krsna. Don t chant any other mantra.

 

[kailasa]

You repeat 64 rounds?

[kailasa]

Siksastaka speak another.

[anadi]

No.

I chant 32 rounds (at least) every day.

Of course, as my sadhana goes on, by the mercy of gurudeva,

I will continue to increase the number of rounds.

When gurudeva says "My heartly blessings to you" I feel myself as a blessed person.

 

 

[anadi]

S.B Aranya Maharaja:

 

Chant the Names of Krsna. No other bogus things.

It is gaura acara gaura vicara lale phale phale gaura ami gaura ami muky bole nahi care

Everyone says I am gaudya,

I am a follower of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu,

but they say with their mouth,

practically in their life they don t follow Mahaprabhu s teaching.

If you follow His teaching, then very easily the fruit of being gaudya,

that means to attain prema for the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha Krsna yugala, it will come.

But only saying I am gaudya, dressing up like a gaudya, this wont bring any result.

Devotee : In order to finish the 64 rounds, you have to chant fast.

S.Bhaktivedanta Aranya Maharaja:

No. If you chant slowly, you can complete it in 8 hours.

You have to eat fast, dress fast and any time you meet someone you say hello fast and go, (the devotees started to laugh). There are 24 hours in the day, so if you chant for 8 hours, than 16 hours left and 6 hours sleeping, 10 hours left to do everything, (sadhana, service).

Where is the problem?

Srila Bhaktivedanta Vana Maharaja:

(The problem) Actually what we do, should be accordingly our adhikar (qualification).

Who has taste (ruci) for chanting?

Who can chant from the beginning 64 rounds?

Maybe headache will come, or indigestion will come.

Actually you chant according to your samsakara (impressions in the heart) and sukritis (eternal pious activities).

If you don t have samskar and sukriti how can be possible that you associate with sadhu (holy, realizend person), how can be possible that the taste will come in chanting the Holy Name? Maybe one or two days, by force (artificially) you can chant 64 rounds, but if you don t have adhikar for it, you will give it up.

 

[Tarun]

U can get his rough foto + praNAm in SrIla SrIdhar Mhrj's untranslated, untranscribed Bengali songbook, first inside page.

[anadi]

Of course I would like to have the picture and the pranma mantra, but I don t have the book.

[kailasa]

Lord Caitanya speak - "no strong rules." If your sampradaya follow rule 64 rounds it is may be nice, only do not do aparadha.

[anadi]

"If your sampradaya follow rule 64 rounds it is may be nice, only do not do aparadha. "

 

CC Madhya lila 7.146-147

 

Being meek and humble, the brahmana Vasudeva worried that he would become proud after being cured by the grace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

 

To protect the brahmana, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised him to chant the Hare Krsna mantra INCESSANTLY. By doing so, he would never become unnecessarily proud.

 

[kailasa]

Read Bhagavad Gita, now all another simply imitation. Work for Krisna it is humble, preach on streets is humble. Go in strret. /images/graemlins/smile.gif You meek? You go? You humble? Or I am follow rupanuga, Radha bhava... It is not Radha bhava.

 

Chant is preachings, chant is distribute prasada, chant is read books Srila Prabhupada ( most esoteriks books ), chant is go streets your town. With out preachings sadana (64 round) not work. Raganuga means preachings, distribute prasada, read books Srila Prabhupada, harinama in the streets. In level raganuga not anartha, not attachments, not fear, sooo match reason, followings instruction guru-Lord Caitanya.

 

If devotee begins it wery well - go slowly. If devotee mature do not preach - it is tama guna. In tama guna we wery wery great. We work for self, we work for "hapinnes" only and so on.

[Guest guest]

frustrastion makes one pretty angry and offensive

[Guest guest]

Frustration makes one pretty angry and offensive.

[Guest guest]

 

Read Bhagavad Gita, now all another simply imitation. Work for Krisna it is humble, preach on streets is humble. Go in strret. You meek? You go? You humble? Or I am follow rupanuga, Radha bhava... It is not Radha bhava.

 

Chant is preachings, chant is distribute prasada, chant is read books Srila Prabhupada ( most esoteriks books ), chant is go streets your town. With out preachings sadana (64 round) not work. Raganuga means preachings, distribute prasada, read books Srila Prabhupada, harinama in the streets. In level raganuga not anartha, not attachments, not fear, sooo match reason, followings instruction guru-Lord Caitanya.

 

 

So good to hear you are progressing well with raganuga Krsna-consciousness, Kailasa, and always actively engaged in preaching work. Thank you for sacrificing some of your precious time to encourage us to follow your stalwart example. Your gurudeva and Krsna must be very pleased indeed!

[Guest guest]

"The stage of fanaticism, we all have to go through."

One of the main characteristics of the beginers on the way of bhakti.

[kailasa]

Some people battle with ISKCON, do aparadha for ISKCON, distort sastra and so on. Where on your I make the insults?

[kailasa]

***So good to hear you are progressing well with raganuga Krsna-consciousness, Kailasa, and always actively engaged in preaching work. Thank you for sacrificing some of your precious time to encourage us to follow your stalwart example. Your gurudeva and Krsna must be very pleased indeed!

 

Thanks. May guru may be pleased, not so mutch. /images/graemlins/frown.gif

[kailasa]

***"The stage of fanaticism, we all have to go through."

One of the main characteristics of the beginers on the way of bhakti.

 

Lazy. Traditional religion, only exterior form.

[Guest guest]

The title of this philosophical discussion is

Did Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said one should chant one lackh (100 000) holy names?

 

Let us look to some of the arguments of my opponent, who is against this statement.

 

1. "...Certainly the chanting of 300,000 holy names of the Lord is wonderful. No ordinary person can chant so many names, nor should one artificially imitate Haridasa Thakura s behavior. It is essential, however, that everyone fulfill a specific vow to chant the Hare Krsna mantra. Therefore we have prescribed in our Society that all our students must chant at least sixteen rounds daily. Such chanting must be offenseless in order to be of high quality.

 

As my opponent saw that he was defeated, he went to direct personal attack.

 

2. You repeat 64 rounds?

 

Of course this is was an unfair attempt to discredit the winner of the debate.

The winner of the debate was the truth.

 

Srila Jiva Gosvami, got also into a philosophical debate to defend bhakti and the reputation of his spiritual masters Rupa and Sanatana.

He used very sharp logic based on shastric arguments.

Does it mean he is not meek and humble?

Some babaji parties (as I heard) say this behaviour was not meek and humble, it doesn t matter if the truth has won.

 

3. the opponent party goes further to personal attack

Work for Krisna it is humble, preach on streets is humble.

Go in strret. You meek? You go? You humble?

 

What was that? That was his commentary (or rejection?) to CC Madhya lila 7.146-147

 

Being meek and humble, the brahmana Vasudeva worried that he would become proud after being cured by the grace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

To protect the brahmana, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised him to chant the Hare Krsna mantra INCESSANTLY. By doing so, he would never become unnecessarily proud.

 

4. And afterwards he asks

Where on your I make the insults?

 

 

 

I am only a neophyte. And this is true.