GBC proposal to chant 64 rounds

Dear members of the GBC and GBC secretaries and all devotees in ISKCON
Please accept my humble obaisences
All glories to Srila Prabhupada
Srila Prabhupada tried to introduce the chanting of 64 rounds in ISKCON,however his early disciples failed to obey this instruction.For someone acting as an initiated Guru or sannyasi this will improve their ability to guide and help other devotees, by focusing on the holy name.As we in ISKCON have a history of sannyasis and GBC's having fallen (and sadly many other devotees as well) it will also give protection, as Krsna and His holy name is non different.Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has advised 64 rounds even for Sad Grhasthas ,what to speak of for sannyasis and other leaders in ISKCON. If others then follow such leaders they will become empowered and successful in KC.

Shri Mahanidhi Swami on Laksha Naam

"Following the perfect example of his predecessors, Shrila Prabhupada tried to introduce a daily standard of 64 rounds for his initiated disciples in the early days. The disciples responded to Prabhupada's order with silence and astonishment. They argued about the shortage of time, and some flatly rejected saying "impossible." Perhaps this is the time when Shrila Prabhupada uttered his famous quote, "Impossible is a word in a fool's dictionary." Out of compassion for his struggling followers, Shrila Prabhupada relented, and reduced the minimum daily quota to sixteen rounds. And that became the standard for initiation.

But why should we just chant sixteen rounds of japa and stop? Who wants to be considered "fallen" in the eyes of his grandfather? Stand up and fight. Maintain the high standard of our exalted spiritual tradition coming down from Lord Chaitanya. The merciful Lord of love, prema purusottama Shri Chaitanya, is so easily offering all perfections for a mere few rounds in trade. By the movement of a few fingers one can achieve the most valuable treasure in creation. The golden avatara of unlimited compassion, Lord Gauranga, is extending His soft sweet hand to eat from ours-purified by Tulasi's touch and a count of sixty-four.

Are we so lazy, fallen and foolish that we wil let the divine magic pass by us while mumbling to ourselves, "Impossible! Impossible! Impossible!" Take strength from Shri Guru and Gaurahari and kick out the word "impossible" from your dictionary. The number of rounds "should be increased" from 16 a day, to 20, to 32 and then 64 per day. But never decrease the number of rounds. Sixty-four rounds is Mahaprabhu's magic number for peace, happiness and all spiritual perfection in love of God.

We should cry out to Krishna for mercy, and with great determination try to chant more and more. The instructions of Shrila Prabhupada are eternal. At any time or place, or in any circumstance one can sincerely surender and become spiritually empowered to fulfill Prabhupada's order. "You must chant 64 rounds a day on your beads."

Here is a brief history of the transition from sixty-four rounds a day to sixteen:

"In 1967 at San Francisco, Shrila Prabhupada asked [Mukunda dasa], 'What is your definition of Krishna?' I said, 'Krishna is God. he is the Supreme Being. Our duty is to worship and serve Him.' Swamiji [Shrila Prabhupada] seemed fairly satisfied, and then he said, 'You must chant sixty-four rounds per day on you beads.'

"I was shocked at this and could not answer. I did not know if there was any need to answer. I just kept looking at Swamiji, and he looked at me. After some time he said, 'Or at least you can chant thirty-two rounds a day.' Still silence. I considered it to be very difficult to chant even sixteen rounds. I was wondering how I could possibly chant thirty-two rounds. After some time, Swamiji said, 'At the very you must chant sixteen rounds every day.'" (Shrila Prabhupada Lilamrta)

A Practical Approach to 64 Rounds

Puri Maharaja once gave Mahanidhi Swami, the following practical advice on chanting 64 rounds daily:

"It is not hard to chant a lakh (100,000 names or 64 rounds) a day. It only takes four sittings a day of two hours each! Listen, you get up at four a.m., chant till 6 a.m. and you will have done sixteen rounds. Then do whatever, like bathing, puja, reading, and taking a little prasadam. Then sit and chant 16 rounds before noon. That is 32 rounds by 12:00! Then sit down two more times and finish 32 rounds by evening. So it's easy. You only need four sittings of two hours each to finish 64 rounds a day. At most it takes only eight hours to chant 64 rounds. You still have sixteen hours left to do other things."

Mahanidhi Swami continues:

It may not be as easy as Maharaja says to chant sixty-four rounds every day. But whenever we get the time or situation in our lives where we can, then certainly we should try our best to chant sixty four rounds of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.

Saying the Hare Krishna mantra once on each of the 108 beads of a japa mala constitutes one round. Chanting a fixed number of rounds of Hare Krishna maha-mantra japa is the most urgent necessity and important engagement of a devotee's each and every day. It should be completed before anything else. There are many Vaishnavas in Vrndavana who will not even drink a drop of water until they finish 64 rounds. Unfortunately, for many devotees this vital activity is often relegated to a secondary position while other concerns like body, family cares and tasks at hand take priority. Under illusion, one wakes up in the morning thinking, "I have many pressing things to do-E-mails, phone calls, reading the newspaper and watching televised news. What's the hurry, I have all day to chant my rounds."

Chanting Krishna's holy names, the very life breath of the soul becomes a mere trifling thing to do at some other time. Pity-how what should be done first is done last! In describing the word determination, Shrila Prabhupada said that chanting the holy names of Krishna is more important than eating and sleeping.

"You have to minimize your sleeping. If you cannot finish sixteen rounds, then you must not sleep on that day, you must not eat. Why don't you forget to eat, forget? Why do you forget chanting Hare Krishna? This is negligence, aparadha, offense. Rather, you should forget your sleeping and eating, and must finish sixteen rounds. This is called determination. This is called determined. So you are welcome to take initiation, but if you are neglectful, if you want to make it a farce, that is your business. I cannot give you any protection." (Shrila Prabhupada 28/1/74)

Although sastras and sadhus show the need for chanting a fixed number of rounds daily, sadhakas in this dismal age of Kali often lack the determination to finish their daily quota. Lack of determination is caused by residual sins, mental impurity and attachment to sense enjoyment. Incapable of maintaining a steady vow, some devotees chant whimsically-one day sixteen rounds, one day eight, one day sixty-four, one day ten and one day none!

"Chanting japa should be done early in the morning with full concentration preferably during the Brahma Muhurta time. Concentrate fully on the sound vibration of the mantra, pronouncing each name distinctly and gradually your speed in chanting will increase naturally. Do not worry so much about chanting fast, most important is the hearing." (Shrila Prabhupada 6/1/72)


01. Chaitanya Bhagavata on Laksha Naam

THE PERFECTION OF LIFE IS TO GET THE DEGREE OF LAKSHESHVARA FROM LORD GAURANGA MAHAPRABHU HIMSELF

In Shri Chaitanya-bhagavata, Antya Khanda 9.121-122, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu instructed everyone on whose worship and service He will accept:

(121) prabhu bale,-"jana, 'lakshesvara' bali kare?
prati-dina laksha-nama ye grahana kare"

"Do you know who is a laksesvara? He is someone who chants one laksa or 100,000 holy names (64 rounds of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra) everyday."

Purport by Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada:

shri gaurasundera balibena-"jini pratidina laksha-nama grahana karibena, tanharai grihe bhagavan sevita hana.

Shri Gaurasundera 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.

"jini laksha-nama grahana karena na, tahara nikate haite bhagavan naivedya svikara-dvara seva-saubhagya pradana karena na.

"Those who don't chant 100,000 names (64 rounds) daily, are never awarded the great fortune of rendering service to the Lord by offering Him naivedya (bhoga). This is because the Lord never accepts (svikara) their offerings.


Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada:

"bhagavad-bhakta matrei pratyaha laksha-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 100,000 names of Krishna 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."


Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada:

tajjanyai shri chaitanyadevera ashrita sakalai nyuna kalpe laksha-nama grahana kariya thakena. natuva gaurasunderera udeshya pradatta naivedya tini grahana karibena na.

(Shrila Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada continues) "Therefore all the devotees who have taken shelter of Lord Chaitanyadeva perform the chanting of a minimum of 100,000 names of Krishna 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 cook for Him daily.


(122) "se janera nama ami bali 'lakshesvara'
tatha bhiksha amara, na yai anya ghara."

"Lord Gauranga continued-I call such a person a laksheshvara. I only accept meals in such a person's house. I never go anywhere else."

Purport by Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada:

shri chaitanya bhaktagana abhaktera sahita sambhashana karena na. jini bhaktivyatita karma, jnana o anyabhilashara kathaya pradatta tahara sahita bandhutva karibe na.

"The devotees of Lord Shri Chaitanya 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.



pratyah laksha-nama grahana na karile patita vyaktiganera visaya-bhoga pravritti vriddhi paya, takhana ara tahara shri gaurasunderarera seva karite pare na.

"Those who don't accept this vow of chanting 100,000 names daily, fall down even more although they were fallen in the first place (due to the contamination of Kali-yuga). Thus their propensity for enjoying the senses and sense-objects continually and steadily increases and ultimately they are not able to render any kind of service even to the most merciful Lord Gaurasundera.


lakshesvara vyatita gaura-bhaktira adarsa gaudiyajana kehai svikara karena na.

"This is the precise reason why the real Gaudiya-bhaktas do not accept any other ideal (adarsa) in Gaura-bhakti or Krishna-bhakti except the process of chanting 100,000 names of the maha-mantra daily.


Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada:

adhapatita va adhapete gana eka-matra bhajana-sabda-vacya shri-nama-bhajane vimukhata-vasata laksha-nama grahana karibara parivarte anya bhajanera chalana korena, taddvara tahadera kona mangala haya na.

"Those spiritual aspirants who are already fallen or will fall down from spiritual life in the future are averse to this sole means of deliverance called nama-bhajana, which is the worship of the sound incarnation of God in the form of chanting 100,000 names of the the Holy Names daily. Coming under the sway of their averseness to chant laksha-nama daily, they duplicitously invent (chalana) other means of devotional service (bhajana) to justify their not chanting 100,000 names daily but it is to be clearly understood that by this action they will not achieve anything auspicious (mangala) in their spiritual life."



Shri Chaitanya-bhagavata Madhya Khanda 15.5,

ushah kale ganga-snana kariya nirjane;
dui laksha krishna-nama laya pratidine.

Purport by Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada:

kathita ache, shri haridasa thakura pratyaha tina-laksha nama grahana karitena. jagai-madhai u pratyaha dui laksha nama grahana karitena. yanhara pratyaha laksha nama grahana karena na, tanhadera nivedita kona vastui shri chaitanyadeva grahana karena na. shri caitany-carananucara-gana pratyaha atyalpa pakshe laksha-nama grahana avasyei kariya thakena, natuva shri krishna tanhadera naivedya grahana na karaya bhagavad-ucchishta praptira vicare vyaghat ghate.

"It is well-known that Namacharya Shrila Haridasa Thakura used to chant 300,000 names daily. Jagai-Madhai also used to chant 200,000 names daily after being delivered by the Lord. Lord Chaitanyadeva does not accept any kind of offering (or vastu) from those who don't chant 100,000 names of Krishna daily, The followers surrendered to the lotus of Lord Chaitanya compulsorily chant a bare minimum of 100,000 names daily. If they don't do so Lord Shri Krishna will not accept any of their offerings and thus they will be obstructed or remain unsuccessful in their attempt to obtain the transcendental remanants (prasadam) of the Lord."


Shrila Prabhupada-lilamrita Chp. 49:

"Then a devotee said, 'In America they are trying to chant more, twelve hours a day, trying to get a twenty-four-hour kirtana schedule.' 'Yes, everywhere,' Shrila Prabhupada said, 'this chanting should go on. Instead of meetings, resolutions, dissolutions, revolutions, and then no solutions, there should be chanting.'"

If the leaders are immersed in the nectar of chanting the maha-mantra, it will minimize most of the problems which arise in the society of spiritual sadhakas. It will also prevent the problems from arising in the first place. Even one or a handful of preachers who have reached the platform of offenseless chanting by the process of constant chanting (minimum 64 rounds), are sufficient to flood the whole world with the pure message of Krishna consciousness as taught by Lord Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu and Shrila Prabhupada.
In Shri Chaitanya-bhagavata Madhya Khanda 23.77, Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu instructed all the people of Navadvipa:

prabhu bole,-"kahilan ei maha-mantra;
iha japa giya sabe koriya nirbandha."

"Please hear this Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Everyone please chant this maha-mantra daily in 'nirbandha'*. Then you will surely achieve all perfection."



*Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains the meaning of 'nirbandha' in his classic book Hari-nama-cintamani as follows:

caribara mala phirile eka grantha haya. eka grantha niyama kariya kramasah vriddhi karite karite 16 granthe eka laksha nama nirbandha haibe.

[To chant one round (on mala of 108 beads) means to chant 108 times the full Hare Krishna maha-mantra]
One grantha = 4 rounds
One nirbandha = 16 granthas = 64 rounds of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra = 100,000 Total Holy Names of the Lord.

"All the previous mahajanas (great devotees) without exception have achieved success only through this process of chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra in atleast one nirbandha (64 rounds) daily."

So according to Shrila Thakura Bhaktivinoda, Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu is instructing everyone to chant atleast one nirbandha (64 rounds) of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra everyday, to ensure the achievement of perfection in this harinama-sankirtana yajna in Kali-yuga. Complete perfection has been achived by all the great devotees in the past specifically by strictly following this order of Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu of completing the chanting of a minimum of 100,000 names of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra daily without fail.

Shrila Lokanatha dasa on Laksha Naam

SHRILA LOKANATHA GOSVAMI TO HIS DISICPLE SHRILA NAROTTAMA :

From Prema-vilasa Chapter 11:

(Note: Both Shrila Prabhupada and Shrila Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada have accepted Prema-vilasa as a bonafide scripture in their commentaries to Shri Chaitanya-charitamrita Adi-lila 13.60 purport.)

je vaishnava haibe laibe harinama;
sankhya kari nama laile, kripa karena gauradhama.

"Those who are Vaishavas must chant the Holy Names in a particular number everyday. Then Lord Gauranga, the supreme Abode of love will be merciful to them.

WHAT IS THAT NUMBER?

purva abhipraye sabe laha harinama;
keha laksha viseshatah mukhe gana.

"Everyone should specifically chant or sing the name loudly 100,000 times a day (64 rounds) with the mood I have described earlier.

EMPOWERMENT:

narottama laksha nama laya sankhya kari;
nama laile gaurangera sarva sakti dhari.

"O my disciple, Narottama! Please chant 100,000 names everyday while maintaining their count. If you chant in this way then you will become empowered by all the potencies of Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu."

:

kali-kalera dharma--krishna-nama-sankirtana;
krishna-sakti vina nahe tara pravartana.
(Cc Antya-lila 7.11)

"The fundamental religious system in the Age of Kali is the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Unless empowered by Krishna, one cannot propagate the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.

So from the above two verses, it becomes very clear that if one has to widely propogate the glories of the Holy Names, one has to get Krishna-shakti or Gauranga-shakti which is acquired when one completes the chanting of 100,000 names daily, according to Shrila Lokanatha Goswami.

ACHIEVE THE LOTUS FEET OF KRiShNA:

krishna pada prapti laksha 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 100,000 names daily. After chanting four rounds (one granthi) or one round, you should offer obeisances to the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.


Shrila Narottama dasa on Laksha Naam

From Prema-vilasa Chapter 17: Shrila Narottama to Shrila Kaviraja on the direct process to achieve love of Krishna:

prabhura achaye sankhya tina laksha nama;
eka laksha bhaktagane kaila kripa dana.

"Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu standard was to chant 3,00,000 names everyday. But He very mercifully awarded His devotees the process of chanting a minimum of 1,00,000 names of Krishna daily.

shri rupa kaila laksha granthera varnana;
tathapiha karila laksha nama grahana.

"Shrila Rupa Goswami has explained and quoted from over 100,000 different scriptures. Even though he was such a great scholar and devotee he himself chanted 100,000 Holy Names daily.

dasa gosvamira ache laksha pramana;
ei mata sarva bhakta kare harinama.

"Shrila Raghunatha dasa Goswami also rigidly followed the instructions of Lord Gauranga by chanting 100,000 names daily. In this way all the devotees chanted the Holy Names of the Lord daily without exception.

gauranga shrimukhe rupe kahila vaishnave;
laksha nama sankhya kari avasya karibe.

"Lord Gauranga gave the following instructions to all the Vaishnavas Himself and also through Shrila Rupa Goswami: Please compulsorily chant 100,000 names of Krishna daily."

SHRILA NAROTTAMA AND HIS FOLLOWERS:

yakhana avasara takhana layena harinama;
ei mata laksha sankhya achaye pramana.

"Whenever they used to get an opportunity throughout the day, all of the devotees used to chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. In this way they used to complete the chanting of 100,000 Holy Names of the Lord daily.

From Prema-vilasa Chapter 18: Shrila Narottama instructs his disciples:

adhanya manaye narottama apanake;
suna sishya bandhugana kahiye tomake.

"Shrila Thakura Narottama considering himself worthless in his natural humility, called all his disciples, followers and friends, and spoke to them the following important instructions.

MOST IMPORTANT FINAL INSTRUCTION:

prathamei krshna-pada prapti laksha jara;
se laiba laksha-nama sankhya apanara.

"Those whose top priority in this life is to achieve the lotus feet of Lord Gauranga-Krishna should voluntarily chant 100,000 Holy Names of daily."

Narottama-vilasa 10th Vilasa:

Rupamala, the queen of a distant country became so happy on getting initiation from Shrila Narottama dasa Thakura that she took a vow to take 100,000 Harinama (64 rounds of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra) daily. Seeing her determination, everyone began to sing the glory of Shrila Narottama dasa Thakura Mahashaya.


your servant in service to Srila Prabhupada
Payonidhi das
PS This is just a drop in the ocean of the sastric references to the importance of chanting 64 rounds.