64 rounds Harināma

Chanting 64 rounds Harināma daily!

The real Sādhanā – based on Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava siddhānta

Importance of Chanting the Holy names of the Lord

Srimad Bhagavatam: 6.3.31:

Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: My dear King, the chanting of the holy name of the Lord is able to uproot even the reactions of the greatest sins. Therefore the chanting of the saṅkīrtana movement is the most auspicious activity in the entire universe. Please try to understand this so that others will take it seriously.

Srimad Bhagavatam 12.3.51:

My dear King, although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, there is still one good quality about this age: Simply by chanting the Hare Krsna Maha-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom

64 rounds is just over 100,000 names of Krishna!

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

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One Maha Mantra = 16 names of the Lord – 3 transcendental words of Hare, Rāma and Kṛṣṇa.

One round in a japa mala =108 Hare Kṛṣṇa Maha Mantra= 1728 names of Krishna.

16 rounds = 27,648 names of Krishna

64 rounds = 110,592 names of Krishna

What is the chanting standard set by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu?

Caitanya Bhagavat (by Sri Vrindavan das Thakur) – Antya Khanda – chapter 9 verses 116 to 125:

When brahmanas invited Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to take a meal:

Caitanya Mahaprabhu: the Lord smiled and said, “First you should become a laksesvara “I take meals only in the house of a laksesvara.” Hearing this, the brahmanas became worried. “Do you know who is a laksesvara? He is someone who daily chants a hundred thousand holy names. “I call that a person a laksesvara. I take meals in only such a person’s house, not in the houses of others.”

Brahmanas replied: “O Lord, we will chant a hundred thousand names. Please therefore take Your meals in our houses. It is our good fortune that You are teaching us in this way.”

“Hence, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommended the Grahastas (house holders) to chant minimum 100,000 names of Lord Krishna daily!”

Quotes by HDG Sri Dharmavira Prabhu on 64 rounds

Always remember that if you are not chanting a minimum of 64 rounds daily then Sri Krishna is not accepting your offerings. This was taught by Gauranga Mahaprabhu as a concession to those involved in household chores and Brahmacharis should chant a minimum of three lakhs a day as taught by our Nāmācārya Haridāsa Ṭhākura.
16 rounds minimum was just to start one’s chanting harināma: therefore minimum was stressed.
Harināma gives the highest pleasure because it includes all 64 limbs of devotional service which incorporates the nine processes which is all inclusive in chanting Harināma. One must not doubt this because this is the Vedic truth. Just serve the Holy names and your service to the Divine couple is completely complete.

Quotes by other ācāryas about 64 rounds…

Just like we have asked our student to finish sixteen rounds chanting, minimum. Sixteen rounds is nothing. In Vrndavan there are many devotees, they chant 120 rounds, like that. So sixteen rounds is the minimum. Because I know in the Western countries it is difficult job to finish sixty-four rounds or 120 rounds, like that. Minimum sixteen rounds. That must be finished. (721020ND.VRN)

A. C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

“The name should be chanted keeping a careful count. One should try to increase this to one lakh of holy names daily. Not being able to do so means one is simply ‘fallen’. One should rise up from this state by chanting seriously”.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura

“Only those devotees are sad-grihasthas (true and ideal householders) who chant 100,000 names of Krishna (64 rounds) daily. The pure devotees should accept prasada (foodstuffs) only in the homes of these sad-grihasthas and nowhere else.” (Sadhu-vrtti, Sajjana Toshani 11/12)

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

“If you want to achieve perfection in Krishna consciousness, you must take a vow to chant a minimum of two hundred thousand or otherwise one hundred thousand of holy names every day, and you must execute it without fail. Before you retire at night you must finish this specific number of rounds, then you can achieve perfection in Krishna consciousness.”

Sri Jagannatha das Babaji Maharaj

“The conclusion is that one should chant minimum 64 rounds of Hare Krishna Mahā-mantra daily”

Step by step increase slowly by Sri Dharmavira prabhu

Srila Prabhupada discovered that his disciples from the West could not chant 64 rounds so he reduced the chanting to 32 rounds, but when he found out they could not chant even that he told them 16 rounds minimum.

Today some members think that this is the maximum but these 16 rounds was only to start you into the process of chanting with the understanding that as you get the taste for the holy names which is the sound vibration of the Lord and non-different from Him, you would gradually increase from 16 rounds to 64 rounds.

Everyone of us require proper regular training under a bona fide authority who can guide us to chant more and more. We request you to get Harināma training under Sri Dharmavira prabhu.