Volume 3 - Prabhupada Books

18 Sri Caitanya-caritamrta [Madhya-lila, Ch. 7
TRANSLATION
"Since Your two hands will always be engaged in chanting and counting the
holy names, how will You be able to carry the water pot and external gar­
ments?
PURPORT
From this verse it is clear that Caitanya Mahaprabhu was chanting the holy
names a fixed number of times daily. The Gosvamis used to follow in the
footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and Haridasa Thakura also followed this
principle. Concerning the Gosvamis-Srila ROpa Gosvami, SrTia Sanatana Gosvami,
Srila Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, Srila Jiva Gosvami, Srila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami
and Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami-Srinivasa Acarya confirms: sankhya-purvaka-nama-gana-natibhi/:1.
($a(i-gosvamy-a$taka, 6) In addition to other duties,
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu introduced the system of chanting the holy name of the
Lord a fixed number of times daily, as confirmed in this verse (tamara dui hasta
baddha nama-gaf)ane). Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to count on His fingers. While
one hand was engaged in chanting, the other hand kept the number of rounds.
This is corroborated in the Caitanya-candramrta and also in Srila ROpa Gosvami's
Stava-ma/a:
badhnan prema-bhara-prakampita-karo granthin kaF(iorakai/:1
sarikhyaturh nija-loka-mangala-hare-kr$Qeti namnarh japan
(Caitanya-candramrta, 9)
hare k[$f)ety uccai/:1 sphurita-rasano nama-gaf)ana-,
krta-granthi-sreri-subhaga-kati-sutrojjva/a-kara/:1
(Caitanya$taka,, 5)
Therefore devotees in the line of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu must chant at least
sixteen rounds daily, and this is the number prescribed by the International
Society for Krishna Consciousness. Haridasa Thakura daily chanted 300,000
names. Sixteen rounds is about 28,000 names. There is no need to imitate
Haridasa Thakura or the other Gosvamis, but chanting the holy name a fixed num­
ber of times daily is essential for every devotee.
TEXT 38