Japa Retreat—Level 02 Day 03—Encouraging Words 64round Day

Giriraj Swami: So today is the most blessed day, during which we get to chant sixty-four rounds or as many as possible. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be sixty-four, but sixty-four is a good number. The history of sixty-four rounds goes back to the time of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. What is the special significance of sixty-four rounds for us? One devotee extended an invitation to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to have meals at his house. And before committing Himself, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu asked His secretary about the person who extended the invitation, “Is he a Lakhpati?” Lakhpati literally means one who has a hundred thousand, but in English it would be comparable to asking if he is a millionaire. So, the secretary was very surprised that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who was such a strict sannyasi was inquiring whether the person who extended the invitation was a millionaire. And then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, “I will only eat in the house of a Lakhpati,” like a millionaire. So the secretary asked, “What do you mean?” and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, “I will only eat in the home of someone who chants one lakh rounds—one lakh names every day, which comes to about sixty-four rounds.” So that’s how that figure of one lakh names or sixty-four rounds became prominent in the line of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. 

Of course, Srila Prabhupada has prescribed for us a minimum of sixteen rounds. And he has stated in many places even in his purports about Haridasa Thakura chanting in front of Tulasi devi that anyone who chants sixteen rounds and follows the four principles and chants in front of Tulasi devi, actually he said, “can make disciples all over the world, achieve the supreme success in life,” but still sixteen is the minimum. As Prabhupada said, “If you can chant 16,000, it’s most welcome.” So sixteen is the minimum. And he said, “We can increase the minimum, but we shouldn’t decrease it below sixteen.” 

So today is a special day. And yesterday, we heard the discussion of the body of chanting in the analogy of the temple. Now, the first gate is the sacred space, and the next is the body, posture, and pronunciation. Then, there’s the mind. And we did some exercises to focus the mind on the sound of the names. And then, the next is the heart—to chant with feeling. Of course, if one does chant in a sacred space with proper posture and pronunciation and attention, and one is following the life of Krishna consciousness, in which one’s days are filled with hearing about Krishna, reading about Krishna, seeing the deity of Krishna, worshiping the deity of Krishna. . . And of course Krishna means Krishna in His various expansions, and of names, forms, qualities, pastimes, and pure devotees, so they’re all included when we say Krishna. So if our days and nights are filled with Krishna, then naturally when we chant, thoughts of Krishna will come into our heart, or the thoughts of Krishna that are in our heart will move into our chanting, into the mood of our chanting. Our. . . Well I mean, Lord Chaitanya exhibited the mood of separation, the six Gosvamis, Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta glorifies separation as the highest ecstasy. So if we’re fortunate, some feelings of separation may arise, and that mood of separation will go into our chanting. And our chanting will be a prayer for mercy, for service. A prayer to the Lord, to bring us back to His lotus feet.

I don’t usually get to see such a nice picture of the Gosvamis, as I have for the last week here. And just seeing the picture especially during the kirtan, or during the japa, I would have a sense of mild, very mild sense of longing to be with them. I guess as a young devotee, I always had an attraction for them. I just like the idea of wandering about Vrindavan, and not eating or sleeping, and just chanting. And Prabhupada. . . I never spoke to Srila Prabhupada about it, but he detected it in me. But at the time, Prabhupada really was very concerned about the Juhu land and project. And he really didn’t want me to entertain any other thoughts. So, one day, just like that, I was just sitting in front of him. He would of course be on his asana with his little table. And he said, “First Raghunatha Gosvami managed his father’s estate very expertly, and then he went to Vrindavan.” So he said, “First you manage your spiritual father’s estate very expertly, then you can go to Vrindavan and become a Gosvami.” So, but anyway, I would look at the picture, and I would hear the holy name. The first very vivid experience was last Saturday night’s kirtan and yesterday also during japa because they are pure chanters of the holy name. Can you imagine chanting japa with Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami? What an experience that would be! And in a way, their whole life is the Holy Name. And the Holy Name is Krishna in the spiritual world. So anyway, those were some thoughts, and it did give me the idea. That I mean, for me, I mean it’s not limited to the six Gosvamis, but I did happen to have an affinity for them. 

But different devotees could think of which personalities they have a special feeling for, special affection for, special longing for. And, think of them in terms of chanting because whoever they are, they certainly chanted the holy name with great devotion. And yeah, we should have that sort of longing to be with them, to chant with them, and then that could go into our japa. And when we come to the spiritual world, everyone is there. In one sense, it doesn’t matter so much where we begin. Like sometimes they’ll feel, Oh, I want to be with Srila Prabhupada, but being with Srila Prabhupada means being with everyone in the spiritual world. And same with being with Krishna. For that longing to be with Radha and Krishna, then everyone will be there, Srila Prabhupada and the six Gosvamis. Everyone will be there. 

We’ve read some very elevated prayers and heard some very elevated prayers. But as we discussed yesterday, bhakti is really one entity, and the different stages of advancement are really just different stages of maturation of the same thing, which is bhakti. You could even say shraddha.

And therefore, at any stage we can have the same feelings, but just not as purified, or as ripened as at the later stages. Even in early stages, we can have the feelings of longing, feelings of separation. After I first came to the Boston temple. . . I mean when I came, Srila Prabhupada was in Boston. And I just thought that was the way Krishna consciousness was, that Srila Prabhupada was always there. I didn’t realize that he would leave. So after about two weeks, the devotees were in this sort of excited mood getting ready to accompany Prabhupada to the airport. So I asked what’s happening, and they said, “Srila Prabhupada is leaving for Columbus.” Actually, from Boston he went to Columbus. And I didn’t realize that was going to happen. So they invited me to come to the airport, and I went with them. And at the airport, I saw almost all the devotees were crying, and I didn’t quite understand why. So I asked one devotee named Arundhati. Yeah, yeah, she was in the temple, and I felt comfortable with her. She would answer many of my questions. I asked, “Why is everyone crying?” So she said, “That Prabhupada was leaving, and they were feeling separation.” But she didn’t want me to think it was like mundane sorrow, so she quoted Srila Prabhupada, “On the absolute platform in the spiritual world, meeting and separation are the same. Both are occasions of ecstasy.” So that struck me as a very profound truth. And then, Srila Prabhupada boarded, he was waiting in the aircraft, the devotees weren’t going anywhere. They were just waiting in the departure lounge near the gate. So I sort of asked, “How long are we going to be staying here?” And I guess it could have been Arundhati. She said that “Srila Prabhupada said that when the spiritual master leaves, we should stay and watch the airplane until the airplane, and the last trail of fuel disappears in the sky. Just like the gopīs stared at Krishna’s chariot when Akrura was taking Him from Vrindavan until the last specks of dust that they could see had disappeared.” So it sounded. . . That point that on the absolute platform, meeting and separation are the same—both are occasions of ecstasy. That struck me as a very profound truth. But still I had some doubt whether it was just something that sounded nice philosophically, or whether it was something that we could actually experience practically. But a little doubt remained in my mind. 

And then one day, we were just, I think, maybe just a few days later, we were doing hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana outside. I think it was the Copley Square subway station in Boston. And I just suddenly felt Srila Prabhupada’s presence, descent. It was so palpable, and it was pretty ecstatic. I mean it’s very moving and encouraging. And then I thought, Yes, what she said is true. It is practical. You can actually experience it. 

So this dynamic of meeting and separation is very much part of Krishna consciousness. And that goes into our japa, that can go into our japa. And then that really enlivens it, infuses it with heartfelt feelings.

I thought I would read a song. Maybe just the translation of the song by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura – kabe ha’be bolo from Śaraṇāgati. It expresses feelings of longing, but in different moods. And it includes longing for the mercy of the Holy Name, yearning for taste of the Holy Name which is something we can certainly identify with. 

kabe ha’be bolo

1. Please tell me when will that day be mine? When my offenses will end, and a taste for the pure Holy Name will be infused within my heart, by the power of divine grace.

2. Considering myself lower than a blade of grass, bringing the quality of forbearance into my heart, showing respect to all, myself being freed from all false pride. When will I taste the essence of the liquid nectar of the Holy Name?

3. Wealth, following, beautiful women, as described in worldly poetry, I do not want any such bodily pleasures. Oh! Lord Gaura-Hari please give me unmotivated devotion to Your lotus feet, birth after birth.

COMMENT

You can see that many of these are paraphrasing the Śikṣāṣṭakam, some of the Śikṣāṣṭakam verses.

4. When while articulating the divine name of Sri Krishna will my body be thrilled in ecstatic rapture, and my words be choked with emotion? When will pallor and ecstatic trembling occur? And when will streams of tears flow constantly from my eyes?

5. When in the land of Navadvipa, on the banks of the Ganges will I run about guilelessly calling, Oh Gaura! Oh Nityananda! dancing and singing like a madman, giving up all considerations?

6. When will Lord Nityananda be merciful to me, and release me from the illusion of worldliness, giving me the shade of His lotus feet? When will He allow me to enter the marketplace of the Holy Name? 

7. I shall buy and plunder the mellows of the name of Hari. And becoming thoroughly intoxicated by those liquid mellows of the Holy Name, I shall become stunned. By touching the feet of those great souls who are able to relish those mellows, I will be constantly immersed in the sweet nectar of the Holy Name. 

COMMENT

Then number eight.

8. When will there be an awakening of compassion for all fallen souls? And when will this Bhaktivinoda, forgetting his own happiness with a meek heart set out to propagate, by humble intrigue, the sacred order of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu? 

That sacred order is bolo `kṛṣṇa, bhajo kṛṣṇa, koro kṛṣṇa-śikṣā. It means, he’s saying, “When will compassion for the fallen souls awaken in his heart? And when will he set out to preach to them, by humble intrigue, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s order which is bolo `kṛṣṇa—chant the Holy Name of Krishna, bhajo kṛṣṇa—worship Lord Krishna, and koro kṛṣṇa-śikṣā—means to follow the instructions of Krishna. 

So again, this is always a consideration for someone embarking on the path of pure devotional service. Because we don’t want to be selfish. To be selfish is the exact opposite of the mood of pure devotion. And so, one might think that to pray, to be intoxicated, and run about like a madman on the banks of the Ganges and Navadvipa – that’s a prayer for personal happiness. But after all of that, Srila Bhaktivinoda prays for compassion, compassion that will impel him to go out into the world of people. And to humbly intrigue them to chant the Holy Name of Krishna. So this is a very much of our mood coming from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Bhaktivinoda Thakura or Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Srila Prabhupada,

to feel compassion, and to express compassion, and [engage in] practical activities for the benefit of others. Of course, it works the other way as well that by preaching or serving the mission, one develops taste. There’s that verse syān mahat-sevayā viprāḥ—that by serving great souls who are free from vice, vāsudeva-kathā-ruciḥ—one develops a taste or affinity for the messages of Vasudeva or Krishna. 

And in one talk in Los Angeles Srila Prabhupada said. . . This is important for us who are chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. As we heard yesterday on the highest level, it’s yugala mantra—it’s a prayer for service to Radha and Krishna. So in Los Angeles, Srila Prabhupada said that in order to approach Radha and Krishna, we need the mercy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. And in order to get the mercy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, we need the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu. And in order to get the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu, we have to approach people like Jagai and Madhai. And that was I think Prabhupada’s, it was not only his mood, but it was his principle too. . . And it’s mentioned like that. The duty of the spiritual master is to engage the disciples in such a way that they get the mercy of the higher authorities, get the mercy of the Lord. And Prabhupada always did emphasize preaching—by preaching one is quickly recognized by Krishna. 

But we always have to maintain that balance between our personal spiritual practices and our efforts to spread Krishna consciousness, serve the mission. And of course, especially in grihastha ashram, it’s not just a matter of balancing personal spiritual practices with endeavors to spread the mission, but there’s also just the necessity to keep the body and soul together, to earn money, and just do all the things. So that’s another aspect. And that makes it all the more necessary for us to take time out, as we’re doing here. Leaving aside those concerns for physical maintenance and even the external activities of the preaching and serving the mission. So that we can really go deeply into bhajan,into our relationship with the Holy Name, with Krishna. But we should know, and we should have faith that will culminate in the mood of compassion awakening within the heart, and that in turn being manifest in service to devotees, and to people in general. 

So it’s really. . . Yeah, one other point. I should mention that when we do hear, when we allow the Holy Name to really enter our ears, and from our ears, our heart, things may come up. And yeah, I mean feelings of longing for Krishna may come up. Other things may come up as well that are not so pretty. But that’s also part of the process of purification. Sometimes we give the example of making ghee, that when you heat the butter, the milk solids come to the surface, and you take them away. Then keep heating it more, milk solids come up, take those away. Keep heating it more, come up, take those away. So more and more will come up, even as you’re being purified, but there’s still more. And those things will come up. And we let them go. We don’t try to reject them or embrace them. Just let them go. 

Once, one of Prabhupada’s disciples said to Srila Prabhupada that he thought he was more advanced before he came to Krishna consciousness. That since he had come to Krishna consciousness, he became more, seemed to be, had become more lusty, lost his temper more often, he became more angry. And, and Srila Prabhupada said, “It’s like when you clean a room that hasn’t been cleaned for a long time. There’s a lot of dirt and dust that’s settled. It’s there, but you’re just not aware of it because it’s settled. And when you actually start to clean the room, it all starts to fly up. So you might think, Oh! It’s dirtier now. Now that I’ve started the cleansing process, it’s getting dirtier. But it’s actually not getting dirtier. The dirt was already there. It was just sort of lying, and now it’s part of the cleansing process. It’s flying up, and it can get in your eyes. It can look pretty dark, and it is part of the process.” 

Today I thought of another analogy, which I hadn’t quite heard in those terms. But, the Holy Name is nectar, and sense gratification is poison. And so I was feeling the heart to be a cup that had poison in it. And by chanting and hearing, in particular hearing, so that nectar was being poured into the cup of the heart. But the poison that was at the bottom of the cup was sort of getting. . . It’s like you have a glass and there’s some, a little bit of your tea left in it, or something. So you pour the water in it. And then, eventually all the tea comes out, and the cup gets clean. So that might happen, but you just keep hearing, chanting properly. All these four gates. And, yeah that poison of sense gratification of however much is laying down there, that might also get washed. Some of it will get washed away, but in the process of being washed away, it comes up. But just keep chanting, keep chanting and hearing. Just let it go. And if the mind wanders which it will, just bring it back to the sound. 

But what I’m talking about. . . Well it doesn’t, it can come when you’re actually hearing, these things come up. So you don’t have to do anything different. Keep hearing. I just let those things go, they’ll just disappear. But yeah, let them go. So it's also, there’s so many factors of. . . As many devotees have commented, we’re in the holy dhāma of new Vrindavan, and then too, we’re in Srila Prabhupada’s palace, which is a very sacred place within the holy dhāma. And we have no other service, but to chant and hear. 

Sometimes that question would come up about Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. Or like sometimes we hear that he said [about] sixty-four rounds. “If someone doesn’t chant sixty-four rounds, he’s fallen.” And sometimes they hear in the Gaudiya [math], they initiate people who chant only four rounds. And it’s confusing what the actual standard was? 

And we asked some devotees who had some association with Sripada Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev Goswami Maharaja, and since then I heard from others as well. And he said that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta had three standards, that if you didn’t have much service, you were required to chant sixty-four rounds. Or chanting sixty-four rounds was your service, which is our case today. If you had a moderate amount of service or other engagement, the standard was sixteen rounds. And if you were very busy with service, then the minimum was four rounds. And Srila Prabhupada in grihastha ashram, he chanted sixteen rounds. He said he would chant four before breakfast, four before, because the lifestyle was probably a little saner, he had more leisure time in between. But he would chant four before breakfast, four before lunch, four before dinner, and four before taking rest. And that way he would be sure to chant his sixteen. Because as we know, we’re not going to miss eating, and we’re not going to miss sleeping. So we link our sixteen rounds to those activities. And, but with real sincere determination, then we won’t miss our sixteen rounds either. Or maybe you can say that’s like bribing, bribing the child. Like, “Okay, chant four rounds, you get to have breakfast, chant another four before you get to have lunch.” So Prabhupada used that technique. 

So yes, I wish you all the best. I’m looking forward to this wonderful opportunity. I don’t know who speaks next, or what comes next, but Hare Krishna.

Devotees: Hare Krishna