Hare Krishna Maha Mantra

 

Just like cure of the disease means diminishing the fever, temperature. This is the test.

Devotee (1): What if that fever is not being diminished?

 Prabhupada: Then he should try to chant Hare Krsna mantra, instead of sixteen rounds, sixty-four rounds. That is the way. Sixteen round is the minimum. Otherwise Haridasa Thakura was 300,000. So you have to increase. That is the only remedy. If one has got determination, he will make progress without any trouble. That determination is very difficult, that determination, "I must be Krsna conscious fully." That

Devotee (8): When chanting our sixteen rounds, we are not sure if these rounds are sincere...

Prabhupada: You should be sure.

Devotee (8): How can we be sure?

Prabhupada: There is beads.

Brahmananda: No, he's saying that when we chant our rounds, how can we be sure that when we chant the round that the round is a perfect, attentive round, sincere?

Prabhupada: Therefore it is sastra, "You must." There is no question of understanding. Brahmananda: The quality of the chanting he's asking. How can we make the quality the best? Prabhupada: Quality, you'll understand first of all come to the quality. Without having quality, how he'll understand the quality? You follow the instruction of your spiritual master, of the sastra. That is your duty. Quality, no quality--it is not your position to understand. When the quality comes there is no force. You will have a taste for chanting. You will desire at that time, "Why sixteen round? Why not sixteen thousand rounds?" That is quality. That is quality. It is by force. You'll not do it; therefore at least sixteen rounds. But when you come to the quality, you will feel yourself, "Why sixteen? Why not sixteen thousand?" That is quality, automatically. Just like Haridasa Thakura was doing. He was not forced to do. Even Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He requested, "Now you are old enough. You can reduce." So he refused, "No. Up to the end of my life I shall go on." That is quality. Have you got such tendency that you will go on chanting and nothing to do? That is quality. Now you are forced to do. Where is the question of quality? That is given a chance so that one day you may come to the quality, not that you have come to the quality. Quality is different. Athasaktih. Asakti, attachment. Just like Rupa Gosvami says that "How shall I chant with one tongue, and how shall I hear, two ears? Had it been millions of tongue and trillions of ear, then I could enjoy it." This is quality. Quality is not so cheap. Maybe after many births. For the time being you go on following the rules and regulations. It is being done by force. Where is the quality? So you wanted to understand quality. This is the quality. You'll not be forced, but automatically you'll desire. That is quality. I am writing books. I am not being forced by anyone. Everyone can do that. Why one does not do it? Why I get up at night, one o'clock, and do this job? Because I cannot do without it. How one will do it artificially? This is quality. Therefore they like my purports. That quality is shown by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sunyayitam jagat sarvam govinda virahena me. "Oh, I do not see Govinda. The whole world is vacant." Sunyayitam jagat sarvam govinda virahena me. This is quality. Just like we have got practical example. One man's beloved has died, and he is seeing the whole universe vacant. Is it vacant? So that is quality of love. So there is no formula of quality. It is to be understood by himself. Just like if after eating something you feel refreshed and get strength, that is quality. You haven't got to take certificate: "Will you give me a certificate that I have eaten?" You'll understand whether eaten or not. That is quality. When you will feel so much ecstasy in chanting Hare Krsna, that is quality. Not artificially--"Chant. Chant. Otherwise get out." This is not quality. This is in expectation that someday you may come to quality. That requires time. That requires sincerity. But quality is there. Sravanadi suddha citte karaye... It will be awakened. Not by force. Just like love between two persons, it cannot be forced. "You must love him. You must love her." Oh, that is no love. That is not love. When automatically you love one another, that is quality. Dora vede(?) prema. And therefore formerly, at least in the Indian society, at an early age they were married. There is no quality in that quality. But gradually, remaining together, the quality of love increases. Then the wife takes care of the husband, and the husband takes care. They become bound up, united in love. That is quality. In the beginning, what the child knows about love? No. But they are allowed to remain as husband and wife. They are thinking that "I have got my husband," "I have got my wife," and as the age increases, the dealings become intimate. Then they become affectionate. That is quality. Not in the beginning there is any quality.

Lokanatha: Some devotees have fixed different number than sixteen. Some are chanting twenty minimum or twenty-five.

Prabhupada: Yes. It should be increased.

Lokanatha: Is it recommended for our...

Prabhupada: But don't decrease. Don't decrease; increase. Therefore one number is fixed. "At least this much I shall do." That is sixteen rounds.

Lokanatha: But you are recommending sixteen as a minimum, and some devotees are choosing twenty as a minimum. Prabhupada: So who forbids? Who says that "Don't do it"?

Lokanatha: They can chant?

Prabhupada: Yes. That is wanted. But because you cannot do it, therefore we have fixed up this minimum. Sankhyata asankhyata Sankhyata means with vow, numerical strength. And asankhyata means there is no limit. (break)

Yasomatinandana: ...are higher than any other activities or they are on the same platform? Any activities in Krsna consciousness... Is chanting the most exalted or...?

Prabhupada: Everything is exalted. Therefore there are nine processes. sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam, arcanam vandanam dasyam, so many. They are all exalted. Yasomatinandana: So why is it recommended, chanting in this age particularly?

Prabhupada: Suppose if you have no temple, so you cannot perform arcana. So this is common, greatest common. It is not that because you have no temple, therefore your devotional service is stopped. There are other processes. You can do. Hare Krsna. Jaya. Lokanatha: Prabhupada? If we chant more than sixteen rounds, so how can we know whether we are imitating Haridasa Thakura or following his footsteps? Prabhupada: Imitation is also good. If you imitate Haridasa Thakura, that is also your great fortune, even if you imitate. (break) imitating, it does not mean you are condemned. Even if you imitate, that is also good. (break) If you have some other business and if you say, "Now I am imitating Haridasa Thakura, I cannot do it," that is very bad. "I am busy in imitating Haridasa Thakura." That is not good. That is very bad. (break) Brahmananda: If the devotees are asked for service they say, "Oh, I have to chant." Prabhupada: "I am imitating." Yes. "I am imitating Haridasa. This is my first business." That is very bad. (end)

Prabhupada: You must fix up.

Aksayananda Swami: Counting.

Prabhupada: You must fix up in numerical strength. Aksayananda Swami: I see.

Prabhupada: Whatever you can.

Aksayananda Swami: Yes.

Prabhupada: But I have fixed up sixteen rounds, because you cannot do.

Aksayananda Swami: That's all we can do.

Prabhupada: (smiling, touch of irony) Yes. That also is difficult.

Aksayananda Swami: Yes. (laughing)

Prabhupada: Otherwise, Haridasa Thakura was chanting 300,000. So, That is not possible. You should not imitate, but whatever you fix up you must do.

Aksayananda Swami: Yes. Yes.

Prabhupada: That is wanted.

Aksayananda Swami: Yes. I was told in the beginning you asked the first disciples to chant 64 rounds?

Prabhupada: Yes. l asked them to chant 32? Prabhupada: (grinning) Hm.

Aksayananda Swami: Is that correct?

Prabhupada: Sankhy-purvaka nama-gana-natibhih. Sankhya purva, or numerical strength must be there. And you should follow rigidly.

Aksayananda Swami: So if, if we are serious and sincere, it means that that sixteen will increase to, ah, to continuously chanting.

Prabhupada: You can do also now. It's not that because I've finished sixteen rounds... Aksayananda Swami: No.

Prabhupada: You can increase. But that sixteen must be finished.

Aksayananda Swami: Yes. (pause) What I mean is, that's to bring us to the platform of chanting constantly. That at least we do that numerical number, finally we may be able to do, if we're fortunate to chant constantly day and night.

Prabhupada: Yes.

 (c) 1991 by Bhaktivedanta Book Trust

Indian lady: Is number important in chanting? It has to be certain number, or you can just chant? Prabhupada: Number? Yes, of course, no. Actually, kirtaniyah sada harih. Always to be chanted. But because you cannot do that, therefore you must fix up a number. Sankhya-purvaka-nama-gana-natibhih. Sankhya-purvaka, that "I must chant so many times." That is determination. I have prescribed to my disciples that "You must chant at least sixteen rounds." That is very easy. But there is sankhya. Sankhya-purvaka-nama-gana-natibhih. The Gosvamis, they used to do that. So it is; otherwise, kirtaniyah sada harih. The chanting should go on twenty-four hours. Just like Haridasa Thakura used to do. He was simply chanting. But that is not possible for ordinary man. Therefore they should have a fixed up, that "I must chant so many times." That will fix up the determination. Bhajante mam drdha-vratah. There must be some drdha-vratah, that "I must do it." Then the devotion grows very firm. If we become lenient, "All right, I shall do later on..." No, must be done. Drdha-vratah. Mahatmanas tu mam partha daivim prakrtim asritah. Drdha-vratah. Everything should be determined. Then spiritual progress will be rapid.

(c) 1991 by Bhaktivedanta Book Trust