but at least minimum 16 rounds..

[Paramananda das]

Dear Devotees

Please accept my humble obaisences

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

 Sometimes some socalled devotees attack me why you chant more than 16 rounds, punah musika bhava, you will become a mouse again.Srila Prabhupada forbade us to chant more than 16 .Thus they speak like madmen under the influence of maya,the illusory energy.

 First of all many do not even chant 16 rounds...what did Srila Prabhupada say about this?

 

Well Srutakirti Prabhu has given his beautiful memories:

 

It is easy to understand that Srila Prabhupada enjoyed chanting japa. He always stressed to us the importance of chanting our 16 rounds. He told me that as a householder he used a simple process for completing 16 rounds that we could apply. He said, "When I was a householder I would chant 4 rounds before each meal and 4 rounds before retiring in the evening. In this way 16 rounds could be chanted without difficulty." He laughed and said, "If you don't take prasadam before chanting your 4 rounds then you will be sure to get them chanted."

In New Dwarka he said to me, "In the evening, if I get tired, I walk and chant." Looking at me he said, "If you are tired, then walk and chant like I do. Sometimes, if I am tired I pace back and forth in the room. Simply, in one room you can do everything. If you are tired, you can stand up and chant, like I do." It was very common to see Srila Prabhupada walking around in his quarters or sitting in his rocking chair, chanting rounds. Sometimes in the evening he would chant rounds while I was giving him massage in bed.

Sometimes, he would say, "There, I'm finished." Once in New Dwarka I was in his sitting room cleaning around his desk. He was sitting behind his desk chanting japa. As he pulled down a counter bead he looked at me with a beautiful smile and said humorously, "There, I have finished my 16 rounds. Now I can do any damn thing I want."

Sometimes devotees would ask Srila Prabhupada about following certain rules in regards to Ekadasi or following Catur mas. Srila Prabhupada responded, "My disciples, they cannot even chant 16 rounds and follow the principles.

What is the use of these other rules and regulations. First, just do these things. Do the simple things that I ask you to do. Don't concern yourself with all these rituals. First, chant your 16 rounds and follow the principles."

One day a brahmacari entered Srila Prabhupada's room and told him that he had fallen down with a woman. He told Srila Prabhupada that perhaps he should get married. Srila Prabhupada answered, "Marriage. Why do you think marriage is going to solve your difficulties? You should chant. Just chant Hare Krishna. Chant your 16 rounds." There were so many times that devotees went into Srila Prabhupada's room with a problem they were hoping he would solve with some particular arrangement. His solution was always the same. "Chant Hare Krishna, chant your 16 rounds." He developed the phrase, "Just do it" long before Nike.

He once told a disciple, "If there is some difficulty, you chant loudly. If there is some agitation, chant out loud." One time is was brought to his attention that a senior devotee was not attending Mangal Arati or chanting rounds, at least with the other devotees. Srila Prabhupada said, "Do it to set the example for the other devotees. You, yourself are very advanced. You do not need to attend Mangal Arati but you should set the example for those that require it."

Thank you Srila Prabhupda for being the Acarya. You always taught by example. You chanted rounds. You said three Gayatri mantras a day, rose early in the morning and put tilaka on your transcendental body. You never asked any disciple to do something you were not doing yourself. You always practiced what you preached. You showed us practically how a pure devotee conducts himself. I have been in illusion since time immemorial but I pray that I am never deluded into thinking that this process of devotional service is only for the neophyte.

YS, Srutakirti dasa

 

 

 "My disciples, they cannot even chant 16 rounds and follow the principles." Recently when visiting one country a Prabhupada disciple told me I chant 4 rounds daily.This is not good

 

So many letters Srila Prabhupada writes thing like you are not my disciple if you do not at least chant 16 rounds and follow 4 regulative principles:

 

in a letter to a devotee Srila Prabhupada writes:

 

"So far as your question about arranging time, our first business is to regularly complete our chanting 16 rounds each day. Then we must offer to the deities mangal arati in the morning, and the other paraphernalia and activities shall be executed as time permits. If there is no time then we must disregard."

 

"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." (Srila Prabhupada 6/1/72)

 

 

"Please do not fail to chant 16 rounds, rise early, read my books carefully and follow all the regulative principles."   Letter to Gandharva das  12 January, 1975

 

So this is the minimum standards, Lord Caitanya used to smell the transcendental body of Krsna while chanting 192 rounds daily.

 

CC Antya 19.95, Translation:

“When sandalwood pulp is mixed with aguru, kuṅkuma, musk and camphor and spread on Kṛṣṇa's body, it combines with Kṛṣṇa's own original bodily perfume and seems to cover it.

 

CC Antya 19.91, Translation:

“"The scent of Kṛṣṇa"s transcendental body surpasses the aroma of musk and attracts the minds of all women. The eight lotuslike parts of His body distribute the fragrance of lotuses mixed with that of camphor. His body is anointed with aromatic substances like musk, camphor, sandalwood and aguru. O My dear friend, that Personality of Godhead, also known as the enchanter of Cupid, always increases the desire of My nostrils.

 

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada has stated one is fallen if one does not chant 64 rounds, and that the mind of such a person will be full of jnana and karma and so many things.

 

Fom a transendental point of view even 16 rounds   it is not enough, 64 rounds will gradually help the devotee remove all offences and 3 lahks will qualifie the devotee for nitya seva.

But vaisnavas do not hanker for the foul aroma of prestige for their chanting their aim is to develop love of Krsna.(thus Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada wrote his Vaisnava ke)

 

http://nimaipandit.ning.com/profiles/blogs/16-rounds-of-suddha-nama-1

 

¨...Of all the regulative principles, the spiritual master’s order to chant at least sixteen rounds is most essential.¨ - Cc 2.22.113

 

 If we want to smell the transcendental fragrance of the Supreme personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, then this chanting is most important...

 

 

    The lives of Vijaya Kumara and Vrajanatha depicted in Jaiva Dharma show that continuous chanting of Hare Kisna japa frees one from material desires, and quickly elevates one to the perfectional stage of krsna-prema, pure love of God. If these signs of spiritual advancement are not manifesting, one can conclude that he is a nama-aparadhi. Such an offender must understand that the holy name is his only shelter for one who offends the holy name. Filled with repentance and remorse, one must beg the holy name to forgive him and accept him in His service once again. "In the book Nama-kaumudi, it is recommended that if one is an offender at the lotus feet of a Vaisnava, he should submit to that Vaisnava and be excused. Similarly, if one is an offender in chanting the holy name, he should submit to the holy name and thus be freed from his offenses." (SB 7.5.23-24 p)

 

 

 

SB 10.47.21, Translation:

O Uddhava! It is indeed regrettable that Kṛṣṇa resides in Mathurā. Does He remember His father's household affairs and His friends, the cowherd boys? O great soul! Does He ever talk about us, His maidservants? When will He lay on our heads His aguru-scented hand?

 

Even Putana touched by Krsna smelled og aguru when her body was burned:

 

SB 10.6.34, Translation and Purport:

Because of Kṛṣṇa's having sucked the breast of the Rākṣasī Pūtanā, when Kṛṣṇa killed her she was immediately freed of all material contamination. Her sinful reactions automatically vanished, and therefore when her gigantic body was being burnt, the smoke emanating from her body was fragrant like aguru incense.

 

How can a vaisnava enter into the pious womb of a gopi of Vraja if not completly pure, so from that point of view 16 rounds is not enough. Again maybe one will be born in ISKCON.(Again battle it out with other neophytes like oneself).So 16 rounds  , it is not enough chanting where is all our exalted former ISKCOn leaders that only chanted 16 rounds and less? If they actually where chanting properly and enough would they have fallen away? Maya is so strong...Hare Nama eva kevalam...there is no other way...

Yes Punah musika bhava and it is very sad. So again become a mouse or enter the womb of a Vraja Gopi?

 

your servant

Paramananda das