Chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra Awakens Unlimited Bliss Within Your Heart

If a poor man is informed of a treasure chest containing millions of dollars worth of gold coins buried in his back, all he has to do is dig it up to become unlimitedly wealthy. Similarly, we all the unlimited treasure of pure love of God sleeping within our hearts. All we have to do to attain the unlimited wealth of pure love of God is dig it up by sincere, regular chanting.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Devotees Ecstatically Chant Japa
(This is Bhakti Caru Maharaja.)

Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom

Question: Why at Least 16 Rounds of Japa Mala?

Hare Krishna, Guruji Maharaj,
Please accept my humble obeisances,

Could you please clarify that why at-least 16 rounds of Hare Krishna mantra are required? Also please advise in which scripture it has been mentioned?
Note, there are other 9 ways of bhakti (devotion), and if a person is engaged in other way of bhakti, then how he can follow 16 rounds, like for example, Gopi's, they used to keep thinking of their association / love of Krishna but I don't think they used to chant Krishna mantra and there are several examples like these for other great devotees in the past.

In todays world (Kali yuga), if we force 16 round minimum limit on a person who is not a pure devotee but just trying to become, then this rule may make him thinking that he can't do these may rounds so there is no way he can come closer to Krishna and may bring his morale down. What is your opinion on this?

Many Thanks,

Hare Krishna,

With Best Regards,
Saurabh S. Verma

Answer: To Attain the Highest Perfection

My Dear Saurabh,

Please accept my blessings.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Lord Krishna ordered us in Bhagavad-gita, Chapter 9, Text 14 to chant 24 hours a day:

satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ
yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ
namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā
nitya-yuktā upāsate

"Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion."

Similarly, Lord Caitanya also ordered us: kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ
"Chant the holy name of the 24 hours daily."

Since it is not the practical for us to chant the Hare Krishna mantra 24 hours day as did Haridas Thakur, who chanted 196 rounds daily. Great acharyas have given us a concession to chant instead only 64 rounds daily. When Srila Prabhupada started ISKCON in America this was the order he gave to his disciples, to chant 64 rounds daily. But they found this very difficult. In this regard Srila Prabhupada has written as follows in his book, "The Nectar of Devotion":

Accepting Only What Is Necessary
"In the Nāradīya Purāṇa it is directed, 'One should not accept more than necessary if he is serious about discharging devotional service.' The purport is that one should not neglect following the principles of devotional service, nor should one accept the rulings of devotional service which are more than what he can easily perform. For example, it may be said that one should chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra at least one hundred thousand times daily on his beads. But if this is not possible, then one must minimize his chanting according to his own capacity. Generally, we recommend our disciples to chant at least sixteen rounds on their japa beads daily, and this should be completed. But if one is not even able to chant sixteen rounds, then he must make it up the next day. He must be sure to keep his vow. If he does not strictly follow this out, then he is sure to be negligent. That is offensive in the service of the Lord. If we encourage offenses, we shall not be able to make progress in devotional service. It is better if one fixes up a regulative principle according to his own ability and then follows that vow without fail. That will make him advanced in spiritual life."

And he also written in his book "The Nectar of Instruction" in the purport to Verse 5:

"The Kṛṣṇa 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, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura 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 Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is famous as patita-pāvana, the deliverer of the fallen."

Chanting at least 16 rounds is not difficult if one will rise early before sunrise and finish his 16 rounds before he begins his day's activities. If one tries this, he will find that every day when he chants at least 16 rounds he will have one of the most glorious days of his entire life.

I hope this meets you in the best of health.

 
Your ever well-wisher,
Sankarshan Das Adhikari

By the blessings and the order of his spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Sankarshan Das Adhikari is a bona fide spiritual master with tens of thousands of students and disciples all other the world. Since he has been blessed by his spiritual master with the formula for solving all of the world's problems both individually and collectively he is thus endeavoring to attract the whole world to pay serious heed to these teachings, which if followed will make everyone happy and usher in a most glorious new enlightened era in global history.